His conquests (in Italy in 773-774, in the Saxons in 772-804, in Spain in 777 and others) led to the creation of one of the most powerful empires of that time. Smart, energetic, cruel and purposeful ruler. Charlemagne displayed outstanding talents as a commander and administrator. He strengthened the central government with all his might, patronized the Catholic Church, carried out judicial, military and other reforms.
War with the Saxons
One of Charles' most stubborn and lengthy military campaigns was his war with the Saxons. He started this war in 772, ostensibly to protect Christian missionaries in pagan Saxony. The Saxons put up strong resistance. Karl conducted successful punitive sorties against them. The Saxons were defeated, but each time they revolted, as soon as Charles's troops left. Karl achieved a decisive victory only in the campaign of 783-786, but even after that, individual uprisings continued for another 13 years.
Hike to Italy
The Lombard king Dysederius laid siege to Rome. Pope Adrian turned to Charles for help, and he rushed to Italy. Dysederius tried to take refuge in his capital Pavia, but Charles besieged it and took it by storm. Dysederius was taken prisoner, and the crown of the Lombards Karl in 774 hoisted his own head.
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War in spain
In 777 Charles undertook a campaign against the Emir of Cordoba. At first, the expedition was successful - the half of Charles's power fell to Navarre, Aragon and Catalonia. But on the way back, the troops of the Duke of Gascon Lopus attacked the rearguard of Charles's army. In this unequal battle, Charles's nephew, the young Margrave of the Breton Marc Roland, fought heroically and died. He and his men detained the enemy in the Ronsevad Gorge and gave the Franks a chance to retreat.
Defeat of Benevent, Bavaria and Avars
In 786, a serious threat to the power of the Franks appeared. The Duke of Bavaria, together with the Duke of Benevent, decided to oppose Charles, calling on the fierce Avars as allies. Having inflicted crushing defeats on both dukes, Charles also attacked the Avars, who were defeated and fled to the Danube. Karl's struggle with the Avars dragged on for many years, since these descendants of the Huns, avoided big battles, hid in the mountains, forests and swamps, incessantly attacking the Frankish troops with small indefatigable and elusive cavalry detachments. The war with the Avars was completed only in 796 by Karl's son Pepin, but complete reconciliation followed only in 804.
Karl's last wars: operations against Byzantium and the fight against the Vikings
At the beginning of the 9th century, Charlemagne entered into a struggle with Byzantium. During 803-810, Charles's troops conducted constant operations on territory in Italy. Soon the enemy surrendered, and with the Romans accepted an honorable peace, recovering almost all of the lost lands. In return, the Byzantine emperor Nicephorus I recognized Charlemagne as sovereign of the Western Roman Empire. In the last years of Karl's reign, his state faced a new enemy - the Vikings. In 809-812 the Vikings (called Normans in Western Europe) made several trips along the Elbe. But this raid was successfully repelled. Until Karl's death, the Vikings did not manage to achieve military success on the territory of his state.