Charles IV, Czechia's Pater Patriae (Czech Republic, Germany)

Charles IV was born in 1316. In 1347 he became King of Bohemia and in 1349 he was crowned King of the Romans. In 1355 he became King of Italy and the first King of Bohemia to be crowned Holy Roman Emperor. When he was crowned as King of Burgundy in 1365 he became the personal ruler of all the kingdoms of the Holy Roman Empire. He died in 1378. In the Czech Republic he is still today considered as Pater Patriae.

Charles IV was a patron of arts and culture and Prague became his capital. There he established the New Town and commissioned famous buildings like the Charles Bridge or the Saint Vitus Cathedral. Also in Prague he founded in 1348 the first university of Central Europe, the Charles University. Due to this efforts Prague soon became the cultural and intellectual centre of Central Europe.

Karlštejn Castle was founded in 1348 by Charles IV and was used to house the Imperial Regalia, the Bohemian crown jewels, holy relics and other royal treasures.

In 1356 he promulgated the Golden Bull, which fixed important aspects of the constitutional structure of the Holy Roman Empire like the election of the king.

Henry the Lion, his cities and his tomb (Germany)

Henry the Lion was a member of the House of Welf born in 1129. In 1142 he became Duke of Saxony. In 1152 he had a big influence on the coronation of his cousin Frederick I Barbarossa as German King. For his part the thankful cousin helped Henry to become Duke of Bavaria in 1156. In the following years he established a king-like position in Northern Germany, which was viewed with mistrust by the other Saxon leaders. Henry also supported Frederick during his first Italian campaigns, but their relation worsened when Henry denied help in 1176. Frederick was defeated and Henry had to go to exile in England. Henry the Lion died in 1195.

Henry the Lion Fountain in Braunschweig

In the city of Braunschweig Henry the Lion built a centre of ducal representation. Important buildings of the period are the Brunswick Cathedral, the Dankwarderode Castle and the Brunswick Lion.

Also the city of Lübeck was supported by Henry the Lion. Actually there was a conflict with the city, but when it was destroyed by fire in 1158 Henry helped to rebuilt the city and fostered its overseas trade.

The Nazi Regime considered Henry the Lion as pioneer of the German eastward expansion and the Brunswick Cathedral became a destination of the völkisch pilgrimage. Henry's tomb was thus desecrated in 1935.

Frederick I Barbarossa (Germany)

Frederick I Barbarossa was born in 1122. His father was a member of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, while is mother came from the House of Welf. He became Duke of Swabia in 1147, German King in 1152 and Holy Roman Emperor in 1155. His reign was influenced by his conflicts with the Lombard League and the Pope. Later he prepared the Third Crucade, but before he reached his destination, he drowned in the Saleph River in 1190.

Otto I the Great (Germany)

Otto I the Great was born in 912. After his father's death in 936 he became Duke of Saxony and German King and continued his father's work of unifying all German tribes into a single kingdom. His reign was marked by a expansion of the king's powers at the expense of the aristocracy and the Ottonian Renaissance of arts and architecture. In 955 he ended the Hungarian invasions of Western Europe, which earned him a reputation as a savior of Christendom. In 961 he conquered the Kingdom of Italy and in 962 he was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope John XII. To resolve his conflict with the Byzantine Empire he married his son to the Byzantine princess in 972. He died in 973. 

In 968 he founded the Archbishopric of Magdeburg. The Cathedral of Magdeburg is today home to the grave of Otto I the Great.

Charlemagne and Widukind (Austria, Germany)

Charlemagne was born in 742. He became King of the Franks in 768 and lead the Frankish Kingdom to its biggest expansion. He operated as protector of the papacy, removed the Lombards from power in northern Italy and fought against the Muslims in Spain. His rule also spurred the Carolingian Renaissance. In 774 he became King of Italy. In 800 he was crowned by Pope Leo III the first Holy Roman Emperor since the fall of the Western Roman Empire. During his reign he united big parts of Western Europe and is today known as Pater Europae. Charlemagne died in 814.

Albrecht Dürer's Charlemagne from the collection of the
Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna

Around 796 Charlemagne started the construction of a chapel for his palace in Aachen. The church, which later became the Aachen Cathedral, is one of the most important Carlolingian monuments and was constantly enlarged over the centuries. In 814 Charlemagne was buried in the church and between 936 and 1531 thirty German Kings were coronated in the cathedral. In 1978 the Aachen Cathedral was one of the first twelve sites to be listed as World Heritage of the UNESCO.

In 772 Charlemagne started the first attempt to conquer Saxony. These Saxon Wars ended after 32 years and eighteen battles in 804, when the last rebellion of disaffected tribesmen was crushed. Afterwards Saxony was incorporated into the Frankish realm and the Saxons were forcible converted to Catholicism.

Widukind was a leader of the Saxons and Charlemagne's chief opponent during the Saxon Wars. In 785 he surrendered to Charlemagne and was baptised. Later many legends developed around Widukind's life.

Theodora I and Justinian I (Italy, Turkey)

Theodora I was born around 500. During her early years she worked as actress, but in 525 she married Justinian I and thus became empress of the Byzantine Empire in 527. Theodora proved herself a worthy and able leader, when she saved her husband's throne by convincing him to stay in Constantinople during the Nika riots. Later she participated in Justinian's legal and spiritual reforms and had a big influence on the increase of the rights of women. Theodora I died in 548. 

Justinian I was born around 482. He was adopted by his uncle Justin, a member of the imperial guard, who ensured the boy's education. Justin became Byzantine Emperor in 518 and Justinian his close confidant. When Justin died in 527, Justinian became emperor himself. He is considered to have been one of the most important emperors of the Late Antiquity, as his reign marked a blossoming of Byzantine culture and a reviving of the empire's greatness. But he is also said to have caused to beginning of the Middle Ages. He died in 565.

Justinian was also a prolific builder. For example the Hagia Sophia and the Basilica Cistern were built during his reign.

Emperor Justinian I reconquered many former territories of the Western Roman Empire including Italy, Dalmatia, Africa and southern Hispania.

During the Gothic War (535 - 554) the Byzantine Empire reconquered big parts of Italy from the Ostrogoths. Justinian's general Belisarius quickly conquered Sicily and Dalmatia. In 536 they captured Naples and Rome, in 537 Ariminum. In 540 the Ostrogothic capital Ravenna was captured. In 541 the new Ostrogothic King Totila started a try to restore the Gothic realm and was quite successful at the beginning, but was already killed during a new Byzantine campaign starting in 551. Also after this conquest the Byzantine Empire was not able to hold Italy for a long time. Three years after Justinian's death mainland Italy was conquered by the Lombards and no new attempts to reconquer it were made.

The Church of San Vitale in Ravenna was begun in 527 and was finished in 548, after the city was captured by the Byzantine Empire. It is one of the most important examples of early Christian Byzantine architecture in Europe and houses the largest and best preserved Byzantine mosaics outside of Istanbul. It is also the only major church from the period of the Emperor Justinian I to survive until today. As one of the Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna it is since 1996 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.