Charlemagne lived from 742 to 814. His birth place is unknown but some guesses are Liege in present day Belgium and Aachen in present day Germany. His parents were Bertrada of Laon and Pepin the Short. He had one younger brother named Carloman. After Carloman's death in 771 Charlemagne became the sole ruler of the Franks. Once Charlemagne became King his goal was to unit all of Europe and change them all to Christianity. Charlemagne had multiple wives and possibly 18 children. He encouraged his children's education but loved his daughters so much that he made sure they did not marry while he was alive. A pope named Leo III crowned Charlemagne emperor on December 25, 800. Charlemagne was known to be highly energetic and enjoyed many sports including hunting, horseback riding, and swimming. He spent most of his time in Aachen because it had warm springs. During the final four years of his life he suffered from fevers multiple time and gained a limp. In 1813 he crowned his son Louis the Pious King of Aquitaine but Louis soon became the sole emperor when Charlemagne died in January 814. Charlemagne's empire was soon divided up between his heirs but by the late 800s it had dissolved. Charlemagne's empire covered most of Western Europe at the time of his death. Charlemagne had two titles because he was King of the Franks and Emperor of the Romans. So, he ruled to groups of people, the Franks and the Romans.