Person · 4508–4574 AM · 748 CE — 814 CE
Charlemagne
Emperor of the Franks: he united the West; his envoy was Isaac the Jew
In 800 Pope Leo III crowned him emperor at Rome. His embassy to Harun al-Rashid (797–802) was led by Isaac the Jew: of the three sent only he returned, and he brought back an elephant named Abul-Abbas. This is the first documented Jewish commission of such rank in Western history.
His birth year is disputed over six years: 742 by the older tradition, 747 or 748 by the majority, 748 from the Lorsch annals. The legend that he summoned "Rabbi Makhir of Baghdad" to Aachen and that Ashkenazi learning began from him is confirmed by no contemporary document: it is known from later stories and cannot be printed as fact.
On the timeline
4562 · 802 CEIsaac the Jew and the elephant: Charlemagne's embassy4587 · 827 CEAgobard of Lyon: a complaint against the Jews at court
Places
Sources
Documents of the period
- Einhard, Life of Charlemagne; the Lorsch annals — the embassy and Isaac the Jew; the birth year
Basis: documents and evidence.