TheKarolus magnus et Leo papa (Classical Latin:[ˈkarɔlʊzˈmaŋnʊsɛtˈlɛ.oːˈpaːpa],Ecclesiastical Latin:[ˈkaːroluzˈmaɲɲusɛtˈlɛːoˈpaːpa];lit. 'Charles the Great and Pope Leo'), sometimes called thePaderborn Epic or theAachen Epic, is aCarolingian Latinepic poem of which only the third of four books is extant. It recounts the meeting ofCharlemagne, king of the Franks, withPope Leo III, in AD 799.

Carl Erdmann first brought historians' attention to the Paderborn Epic in 1951, when he argued that it was written before June 800.^[1] The epic may have been written in 799, but probably in the decade after, certainly before Charlemagne's death in 814.^[2] Henry Mayr-Harting suggests that the court held atAachen in 802 is the most plausible context of composition.^[3]

Janet Nelson says that "one of [Charlemagne's counsellors] surely wrote this poem,"^[4] and it may have been written by his own biographer,Einhard.^[5] Francesco Stella has argued for the authorship ofModoin, whose debt toVirgil in his description of Aachen elsewhere equals that of the Paderborn poet.^[6] It was familiar toErmold the Black, who may have used it for the hunt scene in the fourth book of hisCarmina in honorem Hludovici, an epic poem in honour of Charlemagne's sonLouis the Pious.^[7]

The first two as well as the final books do not survive. Helene Scheck argues that the original, complete poem "recounted Charlemagne's ascendancy" and that consequently "it would seem that the first two sections offer background on Charlemagne's rise and the poem would reach its culmination in the coronation of Charlemagne."^[8] Although it must have been more widely disseminated in Ermold's time, the only surviving copy is the single-book fragment preserved in a late ninth-century manuscript.^[9]

The conventional title,Karolus Magnus et Leo Papa, derives from the first modern edition byErnst Dümmler in 1881.^[10] A more recent edition by F. Brunhölzl was published under the titleDe Karolo rege et Leone papa in 1966^[11] and re-published in 1999.^[12] Given that the poem as it now exists is not a complete work, Dieter Schaller points out that giving the work any title that translates to "Charlemagne and Pope Leo" is rather inaccurate, as such a move over-emphasizes the importance of merely one of the many events in the larger work.^[8]

The Paderborn Epic's hunt scene probably describes an actual hunt in the spring of 799, although it is "highly stylized". The importance of women in Charlemagne's court is highlighted by the order of his retinue: QueenLuitgard, followed by sonsCharles andPippin, and then the "brilliant order of girls" (puellarum… ordo coruscus)Rotrude,Bertha, Gisela, Ruodhaid,Theodrada, and Hiltrud.^[13] During the hunt, Charlemagne stops to take a nap and dreams that Leo has been attacked and his eyes and tongue cut out.^[14]

Historically, Leo was wounded severely during an attack on 25 April 799, but his eyes and tongue were saved by Charlemagne'smissi dominici.^[15] The poet nevertheless mentions the mutilation five times and seven times describes a miraculous healing. The miracle was used to attest Leo's saintliness amidst accusations of adultery by his enemies. By August 799, Charlemagne's adviserAlcuin of York had burned a letter about Leo's adulteries, perhaps convinced of his innocence by the miraculous healing.^[14]

The meeting atPaderborn was probably the first time that an imperial coronation was discussed for Charlemagne, and it is no coincidence that its verse epic is "replete with imperial phraseology".^[3] The poet compares Charlemagne toAeneas, forefather of the Romans, and calls himaugustus andEuropae venerandus apex, pater optimus ("revered pinnacle of Europe; best father").^[3][16][17] The poet also likens Charlemagne's capital ofAachen to a "second Rome" and a "Rome-to-be".^[17]

The city of the poem is generally identified with Charlemagne's capital, although it is not explicit in the poem and the city might in fact be Paderborn itself, whose church was consecrated in 799.^[18] The poet alludes to theconversion of the Saxons and praises terror as a means to an end: "What the contrary mind and perverse soul refuse to do with persuasion / Let them leap to accomplish when compelled by fear" (Quod mens laeva vetat suadendo animusque sinister /Hoc saltim cupiant implere timore coacti).^[19]

• 9th-century books in Latin
• Epic poems in Latin
• Carolingian historical texts in Latin
• Cultural depictions of Charlemagne

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