Charlemagne, the Father of Europe

^{[Cover image:  "Bust of Charlemagne" by Florian B. Gutsch is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.]}

Also known as Charles the Great and King Charles I of France, Charlemagne had ruled for almost 32 years, conquering the Langobard of Italy, the Bavarians of Western Europe, and converting a significant portion of Spain from Islam to Christianity when on 25 Dec 800, he was crowned Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire by Pope Leo III.  In fact, Charlemagne has been called the Father of Europe because he united most of Western Europe for the first time since the classical Roman Empire and added parts of Europe that were never under Frankish or Roman rule.  All subsequent Holy Roman emperors, as well as the kings of France and Germany, were his successors.

William Clopton of York (later New Kent) County, Virginia, is a proven descendant of the legendary Emperor Charlemagne, of France and Rome. As such, William Clopton is our gateway ancestor to join the Order of the Crown of Charlemagne in the United States of America.¹

Descendants of William Clopton of York and Kent County, Virginia, must prove their line of descent to our gateway ancestor, William Clopton, to apply for membership in the Order of the Crown of Charlemagne in the United States of America.  

For more information, see:

• Ancestral Findings' podcast on Order of the Crown of Charlemagne in America
• https://www.charlemagne.org/Gateway.html
• https://www.charlemagne.org/Membership.html, and
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/OrderoftheCrown/

_Source:

1. _{Erwin, Lucy Lane. (1939). The Ancestry of William Clopton of York County, Virginia.  Rutland, VT:  The Tuttle Publishing Co., Inc., p. 34-35.}

_{"La statue équestre de Charlemagne (Vatican)" by dalbera is licensed under CC 2.0}