What is the best book to read about Charlemagne?

I hesitate to recommend this to you, but I DO recommend it as a good candidate for someone with good general history interest and knowledge, but relatively little on the man himself. Charlemagne: From The Hammer to The Cross by Richard Winston is a good read. I just finished it a few weeks ago. read more

Charlemagne : the formation of a European identity by Rosamond McKitterick. Wilson’s Charlemagne is quite good too. read more

Charlemagne: From The Hammer to The Cross by Richard Winston is a good read. I just finished it a few weeks ago. It was written in 1954, and the author is clearly of the WW2 generation. read more

The neglect of Charlemagne’s campaigns and the diplomacy that undergirded them has truncated our understanding of the creation of the Carolingian empire and the great success enjoyed by its leader, who ranks with Frederick the Great and Napoleon among Europe’s best. read more