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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;ancient coin hunter, post: 4515518, member: 87200&quot;]The crowning of Charlemagne on Christmas Day in 800 was in part a reaction to the Byzantine ruler Irene. Until that time the West had looked up to Constantinople for leadership in culture and monetary system (the solidus). The early Germanic rulers of the West claimed to rule in the name of the emperor in Constantinople. Excerpt from Wikipedia&#039;s Irene entry: </p><p><br /></p><p><i>Irene&#039;s alleged unprecedented status as a female ruler of the Roman Empire (there had been women ruling the empire in their own right before, notably Pulcheria) led Pope Leo III to proclaim Charlemagne emperor of the Holy Roman Empire on Christmas Day of 800 under the pretext that a woman could not rule and so the throne of the Roman Empire was actually vacant. </i>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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