Chapter 29
第二十九章
Charlemagne
查理曼大帝
How Charlemagne, the king of the franks, came to bear the title of emperor and tried to revive the old ideal of world-empier
法兰克人的国王查理曼赢得皇冠，试图重温世界帝国的旧梦
THE battle of Poitiers had saved Europe from the Mohammedans. But the enemy within-the hopeless disorder which had followed the disappearance of the Roman police officer-that enemy remained. It is true that the new converts of the Christian faith in Northern Europe felt a deep respect for the mighty Bishop of Rome. But that poor bishop did not feel any too safe when he looked toward the distant mountains. Heaven knew what fresh hordes of barbarians were ready to cross the Alps and begin a new attack on Rome. It was necessary-very necessary-for the spiritual head of the world to find an ally with a strong sword and a powerful fist who was willing to defend His Holiness in case of danger.
普瓦捷战役将欧洲从穆斯林手中拯救出来，但欧洲内部的敌人--随罗马警察的消失而出现的无可救药的混乱状态，却依然存在。它无时无刻地不在威胁着欧洲的安全。的确，北部欧洲那些新近皈依基督信仰的民族，对威望崇高的罗马主教怀有深刻的敬意。但是当可怜的主教大人远眺北方的巍峨群山时，却并无一丝一毫的安全感。天知道又有哪支蛮族部落会突然崛起，在一夜之间跨越阿尔卑斯山，出现在罗马的城门前。这位世界的精神领袖感觉有必要，且非常有必要，寻找一位刀剑锋利、拳头结实的同盟者，以便在危难时刻随时保护教皇陛下的安全。
And so the Popes, who were not only very holy but also very practical, cast about for a friend, and presently they made overtures to the most promising of the Germanic tribes who had occupied north-western Europe after the fall of Rome. They were called the Franks. One of their earliest kings, called Merovech, had helped the Romans in the battle of the Catalaunian fields in the year 451 when they defeated the Huns.
于是，不仅极其神圣，而且非常务实的教皇们开始苦心积虑，物色起盟友来。很快，教皇将目光投向了一支最有希望的日尔曼部落。这支部落在罗马帝国覆灭之后便一直占据着西北欧洲，史称法兰克人。他们早期的一位国王名叫墨罗维西，在公元451年的加泰罗尼亚战役中，他曾帮助罗马人一起击败过纵横欧洲的匈奴人。