In the same square with Notre Dame was this statue of Charlemagne. Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 to his death in January of 814. Most portraits of Charlemagne make him look like a somehwat kindly old man with robes similar to those scene on priests. However, this statue caught my eye because it is truly frightening in battle gear--reminding me of scenes from the wars in Lord of the Rings. I suspect this battle gear is more true to the times. Charlemagne is regarded not only as the founding father of both French and German monarchies, but also as the father of Europe. His empire united most of Western Europe for the first time since the Romans, and the Carolingian renaissance (a time of revival of art, religion, and culture through the Catholic Church) encouraged the formation of a common European identity.