At this time, the International Charlemagne Prize of the city of Aachen is one of the most significant European awards and the first prize in post-war Germany. Named in remembrance of Charlemagne, the father of the western civilisation, it was established in 1949 by citizens of Aachen and first awarded in 1950. The Charlemagne Prize includes prize money of 5000 euros, the amount being intentionally small to give weight to the ideational background of the prize. Beyond the prize money, there is an official document and a medal depicting the oldest town seal of Aachen: Charlemagne, the Franconian king. The prize, which has now been awarded over 55 times, is bestowed to give credit to teachings affecting the western unity.
As a first step, this seminar paper aims to reveal the history of the Charlemagne Prize and enters on the awarding criteria as well as some abnormalities regarding the laureates, which includes examples of known persons who received the Charlemagne Prize. After that, the image of Charlemagne, the founders, or the society of the prize shall be examined, moreover the role of Charlemagne playing in the speeches of the laureates shall be analysed.
In the chapter “The image of Charlemagne in comparison to the history”, the image of Charlemagne will be examined historically. Finally the seminar paper shall concentrate on the question of whether, and in what way, Charlemagne is suited to being a historical symbolic figure for the European Unity.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 The Charlemagne Prize of Aachen
2.1 History of Origins
2.2 Awarding criteria
3 Laureates
4 Charlemagne as a Model for the European Unity
4.1 The Image of Charlemagne
4.2 The Role of Charlemagne in the Speeches of the Laureates
4.3 The Image of Charlemagne in Comparison to the History
5 Conclusion
6 Bibliography
Objectives and Research Focus
This seminar paper investigates the historical and symbolic function of Charlemagne as a figurehead for European unity within the context of the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen. The primary research goal is to critically evaluate whether Charlemagne serves as a suitable historical symbol for modern European democratic integration, given the discrepancies between his actual historical actions and the idealized image projected by the prize committee and its laureates.
- History and establishment of the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen.
- Analysis of the selection criteria and composition of the prize laureates.
- Examination of how Charlemagne is portrayed in official prize discourse and laureate speeches.
- Historical comparison between the mythologized image of Charlemagne and factual historical evidence.
- Critical assessment of the instrumentalization of history for modern political objectives.
Excerpt from the Book
4.3 The Image of Charlemagne in Comparison to the History
When trying to historically examine the image of Charlemagne as set out above, it is quickly obvious, that it is broadly not possible to harmonize the existing image with the actual historical person Charlemagne. The newly historiography shows a completely different picture of the external policy of Charlemagne, which was used by the society of the Charlemagne Prize to strive for the unity of Europe. It is said, in actual fact Charlemagne has struggled for his own and his nation. But his nation was the Franconian nation; in this matter the medieval studies are sure, ever since the end of world war two. According to this, Charlemagne was just as little a Franco-German emperor as a European emperor, but predominantly a Franconian emperor. Admittedly during the time of Charlemagne there was initially the idea of a unified Europe, but this idea remained limited to a small range of intellectuals. So the Carolingian Empire was not more than a great Franconian-led empire, which liberally got the name Europe without Charlemagne realising a comprehensive idea.
To now get to the often-criticised Treaty of Verdun, it needs to be said that this Treaty is very different evaluated in the historiography today. It constitutes the then necessary reconstruction, but not the destruction of the old empire. In the speeches of the laureates, the Treaty of Verdun is still represented as the biggest fate for the European development. This is astonishing, because the Treaty of Verdun is very similar to the „Divisio Regnorum”, which is the own subsequent regulation of Charlemagne in year 806. One should know, that the idea of sharing the empire was the idea of Charlemagne.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Provides an overview of the significance of the Charlemagne Prize and outlines the research objectives regarding the historical image of Charlemagne.
2 The Charlemagne Prize of Aachen: Details the history of the prize's origins in 1949 and describes the criteria used for selecting laureates.
3 Laureates: Examines the demographic and professional background of the award winners, noting a historical preference for politicians.
4 Charlemagne as a Model for the European Unity: Analyzes the idealized perception of Charlemagne in prize rhetoric and confronts these claims with contemporary historical findings.
5 Conclusion: Summarizes the finding that Charlemagne is an unsuitable symbolic figure for modern democratic Europe due to the anachronistic and often instrumentalized nature of the "Charlemagne cult."
6 Bibliography: Lists the sources and academic literature used for this research paper.
Keywords
Charlemagne, Charlemagne Prize, Aachen, European Unity, Carolingian Empire, History, Political Symbolism, Laureates, European Integration, Historiography, Treaty of Verdun, Christian Occident, Political Instrumentalization, Myth, Franconian Empire
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this seminar paper?
The paper explores the role of Charlemagne as a symbolic figure for European unity and examines the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen as a vehicle for maintaining this specific historical myth.
What are the primary themes discussed in the work?
The study centers on the history of the prize, the selection of recipients, the projection of an idealized Charlemagne in speeches, and the confrontation of this image with historical reality.
What is the main research question or objective?
The objective is to determine if and in what way Charlemagne is a suitable historical symbolic figure for modern European unity, ultimately questioning the legitimacy of this comparison.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The work employs a historical-analytical approach, comparing official rhetoric and commemorative discourse with modern historiographic research and primary source documents.
What is covered in the main body of the paper?
The main body covers the foundation of the prize, an analysis of laureate profiles, the discourse analysis of speeches regarding Charlemagne, and a critical historical comparison of the Carolingian era.
Which keywords characterize this publication?
Key terms include Charlemagne, Charlemagne Prize, European Unity, Carolingian Empire, political symbolism, and historiography.
Why does the author consider the "Charlemagne cult" problematic?
The author argues that it is an anachronism to project modern democratic ideals onto a medieval monarch who built his empire through warfare and lacked contemporary concepts of equal rights.
How is the Treaty of Verdun interpreted differently by laureates versus historians?
Laureates often lament the treaty as a disastrous division of a unified Europe, whereas modern historians view it as a necessary political reorganization rather than the destruction of an already non-existent "European" state.
Is the Charlemagne Prize considered purely political?
The paper concludes that the prize serves as a local political instrument for image cultivation in Aachen and functions to promote contemporary political interests rather than historical accuracy.
- Citation du texte
- Anna Rüttger (Auteur), 2015, The International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen. Charlemagne as a suitable model for the European Unity?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/319780
