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In the Shadow of CharlemagneIn the Shadow of Charlemagneust north of Madonna di Campiglio in the Val

Rendena is the pass that connects the Rendena to

the Val di Sole known as Campo Carlo Magno or

Charlemagnes Field. At first, the north German

Emperors name may seem out of place in this

bucolic Tyrolean valley, but in the 8th Century, the Tyrolhosted a real-life game of thrones with the Val

Rendena as one of the center stages.

After the Barbarian Invasions and the fall of Rome, most

of Western Europe lay as a collection of warring king-

doms ruled by various Barbarian Tribes. The

Merovingian Dynasty of the Franks established itself in

the area that is now present day France and Germany.

Meanwhile, the Lombards, who give their name to mod-

ern day Lombardy, took advantage of the exhausted

Byzantine and Ostrogoths who had fought each other toa stand still in Northern Italy to invade. They managed to

dominate the Italian peninsula until the late 8th century

through deft diplomacy and military campaigns against

the Papacy.

The last of the Lombard kings, Desiderius, tried to main-

tain control by becoming the Papacys official protector

and married his daughter, Desiderata, to Charlemagne.

Thinking this secured his northern frontier, Desiderius

warred against the new pope, Adrian I, in the south.

After the death of Charlemagnes brother Carloman, the

widow fled to the Kingdom of the Lombards as

Charlemagne seized his lands. In response to Desiderius

decision to protect Carlomans widow, Charlemagne

rejected his marriage to Desiderata. At the same time,

conflict between the Lombards and the Papacy precipi-

tating open war between the Lombards and the Franks.

Charlemagne invaded Italy and laid siege to the Lombard

capital of Pavia, south of Milan, in 774. However,

Desiderius son was raising a new army in Verona tobreak the siege. Keeping a force to maintain the siege of

Pavia, Charlemagne lead a force north through the

Trentino from Bergamo through the Val Camonica.

Next, he lead his host through the Val di Sole and south

through the Val Rendena, stopping at Campiglio,

Carisolo and Pelugo as shown in the map at the lower

left. Although the there are no documents to further

detail his travels, it is likely that he continued down

through the valley through Tione, crossing into the

Giudicarie through Passo Durone and approached

Verona through Riva and the coast of Lake Garda.

Charlemagne easily dispatched the Veronese force before

completing the siege of Pavia. He crowned himself

King of the Lombards before continuing his military

campaigns in Saxony, Spain and Bavaria. Perhaps no per-

son since the Roman Empire did as much to unite

Europe into one political unit and to this day,

Charlemagne is called the first European.

However, Charlemagnes impact and influence on the

Rendena is well-documented. Legend tells of miraculousworks and healings by Charlemagne as he passed through

the valley. In addition to Campo Carlo Magno, the mem-

ory of Charlemagnes passage is shown in the Bascheni

frescoes in San Stefano in Carisolo known as the

Privilege of San Stefano (A complete view of the

mural can be seen in this issues article on San Stefano).

Below the fresco is the text of the original document of

Charlemagnes grant to the local bishops. The text

describes the conversions of the local pagans to

Christianity and the construction of many churches

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including Carisolos San Stefano. In the image below

from the Bascheni Fresco, Charlemagne (left) is shown

approvingly witnessing the baptism of a pagan attended

by the Pope and several bishops. In addition, to

Charlemagnes Privilege -- which echoes the grants

that would legitimize the creation of the Papal States in

central Italy -- many Lombard nobles, seeing

Charlemagnes certain victory, donated their lands to

church authorities, including many of the valleys alongthe path leading to the Val di Sole and the Val Rendena.

Charlemagnes influence can also be seen in the art and

architecture of region. One of the most distinctive fea-

tures is the octagonal dome that can be seen in such

buildings such as Trentos Saint Vigilius Cathedral

(Duomo). In addition to buildings in Germany, many

similar buildings can be seen in Bergamo, Brescia and

other stops along his journey through the Trentino.

Charlemagne would return to the Rendena on his path to

his coronation as the Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo

III (the Great) on Christmas Day, 800 AD. Fittingly,

Pope Leo is often thought to be the one responsible for

the December celebration of Christmas.

Written by Christian Brunelli

The Carnival ProjectThe Carnival Projecthe Museo of San Michele allAdige is at the forefront in theproject Carnival Kin of Europe. Its objective is to research

the commonalities of Carnivals throughout Europe regard-

ing the costumes, personalities, and the sequence of fear, the

dance of the spouses, the satirical masks, the appearance of the plow as

a wish for a good harvest and the bonfire, to burn a puppet that repre-

senting the Carnival. Go to view images, film clips and documents

www.carivalkingofeurope.it (the site is in English). Displayed below are

some examples of the masks made and used in the Trentino and on dis-

play at the Museo degli Usi e Costumi della Gente Trentina

TT