Charlemagne
Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great and Charles I, was the king of Franks (768), king of Italy (774), and first emperor after the collapse of the Roman Empire (800). One improvement provided under Charlemagne's ruling was the simplifying of currency, which led to more efficient trading. Charlemagne put all of Europe on the same currency: silver. Education also flourished with the help of Charlemagne, as this was a priority for him. He built many schools around Europe which homed some of the finest teachers of academics and religion during the Middle Ages. Already recognized as king, on Christmas day 800 A.D., Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne emperor of the Romans. When Charlemagne died in 814 A.D., Louis the Pious took his place. The empire once again fell as a result of Louis the Pious' sons quarreling for the throne.