In our last post, we explored the family tragedy that influenced Charlemagne’s early military victory, which might have earned him the title of “The Great”—both in his own time and what it might take to earn that title today. We left off with three large-scale accomplishments: * Your story is beautifully told at scale in a way that endures. * An act of unexpected public consecration by culture, institutions, or by the networked hive mind. * A defining first victory that proves your strength under pressure and marks you as a leader in your own right. But what other achievements were necessary for him to be considered great? These Are A Few of His Favorite Things Can likes and dislikes be inherited through DNA? After understanding more about my 33rd great-grandfather’s favorite things, I think they might. “History repeats itself” is usually used in a negative connotation, but in the case of getting to know the man behind his epithet of “ the great,” it could be used as a compliment. Charlemagne’s Other Holy Trinity When your best friend writes about your snacks, meals, and culinary procurements, it isn’t hard to picture a more down-to-earth and simple man. Some of the oldest records of a King and his relation to cheese are contained in the Vita Karoli Magni in Chapter 24 and other documents concerning his life. Would Charlemagne have liked Culver’s? In one of the accounts, Einhard writes a short passage, “ Once, while dining with a bishop, he was served roasted cheese curds. Finding them delicious, he ordered that they be brought regularly to his table thereafter.” Historians believe it occurred during one of Charlemagne’s visits to a monastery or episcopal estate, in southern Germany or northern France, where monastic dairy production was sophisticated. The record recounts that the bishop offered him “caseum tostum” which literally translates as “toasted cheese.” The cheese produced at monasteries of the time would be similar to the halloumi we can purchase from our local grocer today. It would have been fresh, squeaky, and lightly salted. This was the first written record of cheese being roasted or grilled intentionally as a delicacy in Europe. This simple toasted cheese is the ancestor recipe to the raclette, fondue, sagnaki, welsh rarebit, and every grilled cheese tradition that came after. Einhard also notes that Charlemagne had simple culinary tastes but was fascinated by this fried cheese for its innovation within simplicity, much like the qualities he defined in his reforms in education, architecture, and governance. He did not crave extravagance but instead appreciated the improvement of the familiar. Toasted Cheese recipe to follow soon on Rambler and Range. The King of Cheeses When visiting a Bishop’s house in the Brie region of France, Charlemagne was served a cheese plate for dinner because it was on a Friday when he did not eat meat as a form of religious penance. The Bishop served him a creamy brie, and he proceeded to cut off the rind. The Bishop politely accused him of throwing away the best part. Charlemagne tried the rind and approved, and immediately requested that two carts of the cheese be sent to his palace in Aachen. A royal cheese star was born, and the Brie de Meaux still acknowledges this legend, and the brand’s slogan is “The King of Cheeses.” Next time you eat brie, just remember you are eating like a king. The Brie De Meaux can be purchased here. The Definition of a Favorite Cheese Many of the foods Charlemagne enjoyed were simple enough that he would eat them while traveling his vast empire. In one particular military campaign, Charlemagne was served some cheese with dinner, and what appeared to have moldy parts. He began to pick them out, but was abruptly stopped by the cleric, who again accused him of throwing out the best part. Again, Charlemagne indulged the cleric and enjoyed what we know today as Roquefort. The Britannica states that Roquefort cheese “ was reportedly the favorite cheese of the Emperor Charlemagne.” While some of these stories are considered legends with kernels of truth in them, Charlemagne and his court place value on foods, gifts, and feasts. Cheeses from different regions became luxury and prestigious foods for the first time in recorded history. The Fall of the Roman Empire was on His Mind Too Perhaps next on our list of great accomplishments, besides his discoveries and interests in luxury cheeses, we can visit his innovation in education, literacy, and writing. Charlemagne saw a very fractured world as he came into full power during his early reign. He inherited a kingdom full of small, isolated worlds that were tribal, illiterate, and spiritually unstable. The fall of the Western Roman Empire happened some 292 years before Charlemagne took power. There was a lengthy collapse of military, economic, administrative, and demographic stresses, such as invasions that left the Western portion of the empire in the hands of “barbarian” kingdoms such as the Visigoths, Ostrogoths, and Vandals. The Eastern Roman territory, or the Byzantine Empire, continued the cultural and institutional models of Latin administration, Roman law, episcopal networks, and urban centers. The fall of Rome then and now would best be seen as a transformation rather than a complete collapse. His coronation as Holy Roman Emperor on Christmas in the year 800 is often presented as the revival of the Roman imperial tradition of the West. He was the first Western Emperor since the fall of the Western Roman Empire. During his reign, he accomplished three things that would further cement his “the great” title. * He rebuilt civilization from cultural ruin. * Merged classical reason with Christian faith. * Set the moral, architectural, and administrative foundation for Europe and most modern countries for 1,000 years. The Original European Influencer While this might sound cheesy, pun intended, Charlemagne effectively became the original “Influencer” of modern Europe. When he revived classical learning, he reintroduced standardized Latin, making it the common language of scholarship, worship, and administration for over 1,000 years. He sponsored illuminated manuscripts, calligraphy called the Carolingian minuscule, and architectural harmony that set the tone for medieval Europe. Every university, cathedral school, and manuscript tradition of Europe traces its DNA to the Carolingian Renaissance. Even our American Declaration of Independence and Constitution, as well as the structure of our government, can be indirectly traced back to the Carolingian Renaissance through a chain of cultural transmission, governance philosophy, and moral order that began with Charlemagne’s reforms. No Instagram or TikTok influencer will likely have the reach to influence the future like Charlamagne did. While Charlemagne didn’t imagine democracy, his worldview normalized written law, educated governance, and moral accountability, which are all found in our constitutional system. Charlemagne’s greatness wasn’t forged by mere conquest, but by the cultivation of language, learning, and even taste. His influence stretched from monastery kitchens and the trending regional cheese to modern manuscripts and constitutions, proving that taste, in both food and governance, can shape the future. So to add a few achievements to our 21st-century list: * Your story is beautifully told at scale in a way that endures. * An act of unexpected public consecration by culture, institutions, or by the networked hive mind. * A defining first victory that proves your strength under pressure and marks you as a leader in your own right. * You unify a fractured system into a shared vision. * You elevate the familiar into legacy. Next time you enjoy a cheese curd, Brie, or Roquefort, or scroll through an influencer’s post with a ton of followers, remember: Charlemagne did it first. I will leave you with this question, and I hope you answer. Do you share any favorites with your ancestors? AI was used in the making of the visuals for this article; sorry, there aren’t photos from back then. There are also some affiliate links. Get full access to INTREPID at intrepidinterior.substack.com/subscribe
