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Charlemagne, king of the Franksearly Germanic people who invaded and eventually ruled Gaul (present-day France) between the A.D. 200s and the mid-800s, was the greatest ruler in Europe in the centuries following the fall of the Roman empire. In a long reign that lasted from A.D. 768 to 814, he conquered most of western Europe and converted many of its paganterm used by early Christians to describe non-Christians and non-Christian beliefs peoples to Christianity. In 800 he became the "Emperor of the Romans." Under Charlemagne's rule, Europe experienced a great revival in learning and the arts, which had declined dramatically after the collapse of Rome. The legends that grew up around Charlemagne focus on his military and political skills and on his moral conduct.