Charlemagne reçoit la soumission de Widukind à Paderborn

This painting depicts Charlemagne receiving the submission of Widukind at Paderborn. Widukind, a Saxon leader, was one of Charlemagne’s main opponents during the long Saxon Wars at the end of the 8th century. After years of revolts and military campaigns, his submission symbolizes the victory of Carolingian power over the Saxons and the forced integration of Saxony into Charlemagne’s empire, together with the Christianization of the region. The work thus stages a major episode in Carolingian expansion, in a solemn and dramatic vision characteristic of 19th-century history painting.