The Dark Secret

We have always been told that Charlemagne (742-814), the Frank Germanic Emperor of Western and Central Europe, who is considered the father of modern Western Europe, was based in Germany.

His family was not based in Germany, but in Gallia Belgica, which is today’s Belgium.

The headquarters of his empire, the mythical Aquisgranum is supposed to be the town of Aachen/Aix-la-Chapelle, in Germany.

1,500,000 tourists go to Aachen every year to see Charlemagne’s grave. However, the underground tomb described by the Latin texts has never been found.

But it is not the only thing that was not found. There is no real archaeological trace of his palace or his capital city, New Rome, in Aachen.

If you ask a guide where Charlemagne’s palace was, you will be told that it was under the city hall. Now, the city hall stands on the other side of the big square, too far away from the cathedral to be connected with an elevated wooden corridor, as indeed it was during the days of the Carolingians.

Instead of a Carolingian chapel, we are presented with a gothic cathedral.

The first chapel built by Charlemagne’s father, Pepin the Short, has not been found.

Where are the Frank military camps, the permanent camp, Campum Longum and Campo Maggio, where Charlemagne’s army used to gather for the year’s campaign?

Where are his familly member’s mausoleums?

I stumbled, by chance, across the mother of all secrets.

The Middle Ages are often called the Dark Ages because lots of things from that time simply do not add up. I tell in my book how I discovered that there is an excellent reason why they don’t.

elisabethdemoreau@gmail.com