Noyon hosted Charlemagne’s coronation as King of the Franks in 768. The ceremony took place on 9 October, shortly after the death of his father, Pepin the Short.
Charlemagne did not receive the entire Frankish kingdom alone. His younger brother, Carloman I, was also made king, but the brothers were crowned at different locations. Charlemagne’s ceremony took place at Noyon, while Carloman’s took place at Soissons. Their separate coronations reflected the division of the kingdom between the two heirs.
Noyon was an important historic city in northern France and had already been associated with Frankish royal ceremonies. The 768 event should not be confused with Charlemagne’s imperial coronation, which occurred much later in Rome. On Christmas Day 800, Pope Leo III crowned him Emperor of the Romans at St. Peter’s Basilica.