When Charlemagne went to Rome for his coronation, only maybe 20000 inhabitants remained. To reach the Pope's dwellings, you had to ride for miles across the imm

When Charlemagne went to Rome for his coronation, only maybe 20000 inhabitants remained. To reach the Pope's dwellings, you had to ride for miles across the immense ruins of a former million-people city, a sight that stroke deeply the Franks.