A magisterial biography of the kind that only be written by someone who, like Janet Nelson, has spent decades immersed in the sources about its subject—in this case of Charles, king of the Franks, or Charlemagne, as he is more commonly known. King and Emperor is a tour de force in both biographical recovery and in taking the reader through the nuts and bolts of how historians do source analysis.

I’ve seen some reviews complaining that even in 500 pages, Nelson can only give us a very limited glimpse as to who Charles was as a person, but I think that misses the point—surely it’s impressive how much Nelson does recover about a person who predates the advent of photography, print, and the regular keeping of personal diaries by centuries. She wrings a lot out of generally impersonal and often stubborn sources, and tries to round out Charles as much as possible by situating him in the context of his family and other personal connections. (I particularly appreciated Nelson’s keeping an eye on the political importance of royal women during this period.) All that said, this will probably be a dense read for the average reader with a passing interest in the Middle Ages.

Still, if you stick with this book, you’ll probably find yourself agreeing with Nelson’s concluding words: “I have made a journey towards the Other. I have not found him — that would be ridiculously too much to hope for. But perhaps I have got nearer to him — and encouraged new generations of historians to get nearer still.” ( )