Nunc advenit Carolus magnus rex

December 25, 2023 6:12 AM

It is extremely likely that these kings, or the people who wrote their legends, consciously chose to the crowned on Christmas Day.

The coronation of Charlemagne occurred at Christmas in the year 800. The event was represented by subsequent artists in various media, including drawing and painting, among others. Charlemagne has appeared in board games and video games, and on television. Also, puppets.

posted by cupcakeninja (3 comments total)

The sicilian soldier puppets are amazing!
posted by inexorably_forward at 1:40 PM on December 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

Very cool! Thanks for sharing. I would quibble with the idea that imperial authority ceased to be acknowledged in the West. It really depends on where you're looking, certainly Italy and other parts of the Mediterranean were strongly impacted by the Eastern empire. But I do get the point they're making.
posted by Carillon at 3:16 PM on December 25, 2023

This is interesting, but it opens more questions than it closes. What made Christmas day good for a coronation, rather than blasphemous? What about other dates in the calendar - which ones were suitable, and which would have been inappropriate? Did many other monarchs get crowned at Christmas, or just these three (across three centuries)?
For more insight into mediaeval attitudes to the calendar, I am again telling everyone to read Eleanor Parker's great Winters In The World.
posted by vincebowdren at 2:08 PM on December 26, 2023