Karl der Große in den europäischen Literaturen des Mittelalters: Konstruktion eines Mythos

Charlemagne is one of the few medieval figures to have maintained a constant presence in the cultural memory of later ages. One of the main factors in this phenomenon is the literary production that set in immediately after his death, with its tendency to model the figure of the Emperor in accordance with the interests of the authors, and frequently to elevate him to a mythical status. While the images of Charlemagne that came about in this way in the European literatures between the 9th and the 15th century obviously differ somewhat, they are in some cases astonishingly consistent throughout the period in question. They are presented here for the first time in one volume, and analyzed from the various perspectives adopted by different disciplines.