What is the Latin title of Einhard's biography of Charlemagne?

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The Latin title of Einhard’s biography of Charlemagne is Vita Karoli Magni.

The title means “Life of Charlemagne.” Written by Einhard, a courtier and scholar associated with Charlemagne’s court, the work is one of the most important surviving accounts of the Frankish king. It covers Charlemagne’s ancestry, conquests, government, appearance, habits, family and final years.

Einhard modeled the biography partly on classical Roman writing, especially Suetonius’s Lives of the Caesars. That influence makes the work more than a military chronicle: it also presents a portrait of the ruler’s character and daily life. Its 33 chapters helped establish the medieval tradition of royal biography.

The work’s dating is debated, with proposals generally placing its composition after Charlemagne’s death in 814, often between about 817 and 833. Readers sometimes confuse it with the Royal Frankish Annals, which record events year by year, or with Historia Ecclesiastica, a church-history genre. Vita Karoli Magni is the standard Latin title used for Einhard’s biography.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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