postCharlemagne

PostCharlemagne is a historiographical label used to describe the period that follows Charlemagne’s reign (c. 742–814). It is not a formal era, but a descriptive framework for examining the political, social, and cultural transformations in Europe after Charlemagne’s empire began to fragment. The term often centers on roughly the 9th and 10th centuries, up to the consolidation of new dynastic polities that would shape medieval Europe.

A defining feature of the post-Charlemagne period is the decline of centralized imperial authority that characterized Charlemagne’s rule. The fragmentation intensified after the Treaty of Verdun in 843, which divided the Carolingian realm into West Francia, East Francia, and Middle Francia. This division helped seed the emergence of the modern kingdoms of France and Germany and shifted power toward regional lords, bishops, and counties within a growing feudal framework. External pressures—Viking raids in the north and Magyar incursions in Central Europe—also influenced political realignments and fortification efforts.

Over time, central authority re-emerged in different forms: the East Frankish realm gradually consolidated under the Ottonian dynasty, while West Francia evolved toward the Capetian monarchy. The period also witnessed continued Christianization and ecclesiastical reform efforts, and it set the stage for the development of the Holy Roman Empire in the eastern lands and a more autonomous West Frankish kingdom in the west.

Scholars vary in using the term; some prefer late Carolingian or early medieval, recognizing that “post-Charlemagne” is a flexible, not strictly defined, historiographical label.