Andorra · The Legend of Charlemagne (Karl der Große)

Charlemagne (747/748–814) was King of the Franks from 768 and was crowned emperor in Rome in 800. Under his rule, an empire emerged that encompassed large parts of Western and Central Europe. Along its southern border, the Franks conducted campaigns against Muslim-ruled territories on the Iberian Peninsula. The border zone established south of the Pyrenees, later known as the Spanish March, was intended to provide military protection for the Frankish Empire. It was in this historical context that the Andorran tradition concerning Charlemagne developed.

No contemporary evidence is known of the emperor personally founding Andorra. The story is instead to be understood as a legend of origins and freedom. It connects the political independence of the Pyrenean valleys with a respected medieval ruler and with the Franks’ struggle against Muslim powers. Andorra’s national anthem also takes up this tradition: “El Gran Carlemany” refers to Charlemagne as the father of the country and attributes its liberation to him. The legend is therefore part of the state’s self-image, regardless of whether its individual details can be historically verified.

Andorra’s actual political order developed gradually during the Middle Ages. The competing rule of the Bishop of Urgell and the Counts of Foix was decisive. Agreements of 1278 and 1288 regulated their joint rights and formed the basis of the later co-principality. Today, the Bishop of Urgell and the President of France are the two co-princes.

Albrecht Dürer’s depiction is not an authentic portrait of Charlemagne. It was created around seven centuries after his death and shows him as an idealized emperor bearing the symbols of power. Dürer produced the panel painting for Nuremberg, where the Imperial Regalia were kept. His depiction shaped the later conception of the ruler’s appearance. The coin issue therefore does not refer to a substantiated founding event, but to a national origin legend that remains rooted in the anthem and historical culture to this day.