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Uz korištenje relevantne literature, u ovom završnom radu portretirani su lik i djelo jednog od najznačajnijih vladara srednjeg vijeka koji je uvelike utjecao na oblikovanje budućnosti Europe - Karla Velikog. Nakon uvoda, prikazano je razdoblje prije početka njegove vladavine, uključujući i Merovinge i Karolinge koji su mu prethodili. O mjestu, datumu i godini rođenja Karla Velikog postoje brojna neslaganja. Nakon smrti oca Pipina Malog, prvog iz dinastije Karolinga, Karlo i njegov mlađi brat Karloman zajednički su vladali Franačkim Kraljevstvom do Karlomanove nerazjašnjene smrti. Još su u djetinjstvu obojica bili pomazani za kraljeve Franaka te patriciuse Rimljana. Međutim, Karlo je, nakon bratove smrti, postao jedini vladar čitavog Franačkog Kraljevstva i jedini nositelj titule patriciusa Rimljana, bez obzira na nasljedna prava Karlomanovih sinova. Nakon konačnog pokoravanja Akvitanije i Gaskonje (Baskije), uspješno je ratovao s Langobardima u Italiji pod krinkom pomaganja Svetoj Stolici, a zapravo sve kako bi slomio otpor njihovog vladara Deziderija te konačno postao i njihov kralj. Njegova najteža zadaća bilo je pokoravanje i pokrštavanje Sasa, a poduzeo je i neuspješan pohod preko Pireneja u muslimansku Španjolsku. Pokorio je i Bretanju, zatim Benevent, pa je pacificirao i Bavarsku, ratovao sa Slavenima i sjevernim narodima te s Avarima u Panoniji. Imao je i kompleksne odnose s Bizantskim Carstvom koji su konačno razriješeni Aachenskim mirom 812. g. Vrhunac njegova života zbio se na Božić 800. g. kada je okrunjen za cara čitavog Zapada. Tu titulu imperatora i augusta te čak i onu istočnu varijantu te titule, tj. basileusa, priznali su mu i bizantski carevi. Njegov privatni život su, osim pet zakonitih žena koje je imao tijekom života i čak šestero zakonite djece koje mu je rodila jedna od njih, ispunjavale težnje za samopoboljšanjem u fizičkom, intelektualnom i duhovnom smislu. Umro je 28. siječnja 814. g. u Aachenu gdje je i pokopan. Nedugo nakon njegove smrti, ustalio se naziv Karlo Veliki ili Carolus Magnus ili Charlemagne. Naslijedio ga je sin Ludovik Pobožni čijoj je vladavini u današnjim hrvatskim područjima posvećen i dio ovoga rada. U zaključku se rekapituliraju bitne odlike osobnosti i djelovanja Karla Velikog te se iznose neke nove teze i postavljaju pitanja koja otvaraju nove vidike i daju prostora za razmišljanje., By using the relevant bibliography, in this final paper the persona and the work of the one of the most significant Middle Ages ruler who greatly influenced the shaping of the Europe's future are portrayed – Charlemagne (Charles the Great). After the introduction, the age before the beginning of his reign is described, including both the Merovingians and the Carolingians who were his predecessors. There are many disagreements about the place, the date and the year of the birth of the Charles the Great. After the death of their father Pippin the Short, the first of the line of the Carolingians, Charles and his younger brother Carloman reigned the Frankish Kingdom together until Carloman's mysterious death. Already in their childhood, they were both anointed as the kings of the Franks and the patricii of the Romans. However, Charles, after his brother's death, became the sole ruler of the entire Frankish Kingdom and the sole possessor of the title of the patricius of the Romans, regardless of the heir rights of Carloman's sons. After finally conquering Aquitaine and Gascony (the Basque Country), he successfully waged a war with the Lombards in Italy by pretending to be helping the Holy See, but actually to break the resistance of their ruler Desiderius, so to finally become their king, as well. His hardest task was the conquering and the Christianization of the Saxons and he also undertook the unsuccessful military campaign across the Pyrenees to Muslim Spain. He also conquered Brittany, then Benevento, then he crushed the rebellion in Bavaria, waged wars with the Slavs and the Northern Peoples and the Avars in Pannonia, as well. He also had complex relationships with the Byzantine Empire which were finally resolved by the Peace Treaty of Aachen in 812. The very climax of his life occurred on Christmas Day in 800 when he was coronated as the emperor of the whole West. He was even acknowledged by the Byzantine emperors as imperator and augustus, and they even acknowledged him the Eastern version of that title, i.e. basileus. His private life was, besides five wives whom he lawfully wedded during his lifetime and even six lawful children whom one of his wives gave birth to him, filled with aspirations to the self-improvement in the physical, intellectual and spiritual sense. He died 28 January 814 in Aachen where he was subsequently buried. Not very long after his death, the name Charles the Great or Carolus Magnus or Charlemagne became usual. His successor was his son Louis the Pious whose reign in the nowadays Croatian territories occupies the part of this paper, as well. In the conclusion, the important features of the personality and the work of Charlemagne are recapitulated and there are some new theses elaborated and questions asked which open the new horizons and leave the room for the further thinking.