評論
打印
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
法蘭克人的國王查理曼贏得皇冠，試圖重溫世界帝國的舊夢
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.
普瓦捷戰役將歐洲從穆斯林手中拯救出來，但歐洲內部的敵人--隨羅馬警察的消失而出現的無可救藥的混亂狀態，卻依然存在。它無時無刻地不在威脅著歐洲的安全。的確，北部歐洲那些新近皈依基督信仰的民族，對威望崇高的羅馬主教懷有深刻的敬意。但是當可憐的主教大人遠眺北方的巍峨群山時，卻并無一絲一毫的安全感。天知道又有哪支蠻族部落會突然崛起，在一夜之間跨越阿爾卑斯山，出現在羅馬的城門前。這位世界的精神領袖感覺有必要，且非常有必要，尋找一位刀劍鋒利、拳頭結實的同盟者，以便在危難時刻隨時保護教皇陛下的安全。
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，不僅極其神圣，而且非常務實的教皇們開始苦心積慮，物色起盟友來。很快，教皇將目光投向了一支最有希望的日爾曼部落。這支部落在羅馬帝國覆滅之后便一直占據著西北歐洲，史稱法蘭克人。他們早期的一位國王名叫墨羅維西，在公元451年的加泰羅尼亞戰役中，他曾幫助羅馬人一起擊敗過縱橫歐洲的匈奴人。
