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Charlemagne: Einhard
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Charlemagne took a serious interest in his and others' scholarship and had learned to read in his adulthood, although he never quite learned how to write, he used to keep a slate and stylus underneath his pillow, according to Einhard. His handwriting was bad, from which grew the legend that he could not write. Even learning to read was quite an achievement for kings at this time, most of whom were illiterate.
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Einhard, Charlemagne's biographer, describes him as 6'3.5", short neck, with a slight paunch in his later years. He was strong and towered over other men. He believed in moderation, disliked drunkards, and fasting. Feasting was fine in moderation. A natural person, he disliked fuss and chastised his men for hunting in silks instead of leathers. He genuinely liked people and ideas.
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Perhaps the oldest biography on Charlemagne was written by Einhard, a scholar in Charlemagne's court. Einhard was a man of considerable talents and a product of Charlemagne's education system, which will be discussed later. As a symbol of gratitiude, Einhard wrote "Vita Caroli" or "The Life of Charlemagne." His depictions of war and diplomatic matters always place Charlemagne in a favorable light and they are not always historically accurate.
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Though no description from Charlemagne's lifetime exists, his personal appearance is known from a good description by Einhard, author of the biographical Vita Caroli Magni. He is well known to have been tall, stately, and fair-haired, with a disproportionately thick neck. His skeleton was measured during the 18th century and his height was determined to be 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in [1]), and as Einhard tells it in his twenty-second chapter:
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