The corpse of Charlemagne was found in the year 1000 by the emperor Otto III, nearly two centuries after it had been hastily interred. All those present marveled at the corpse's striking appearance, for the revered emperor looked as though he were still living. Fully clothed in ceremonial garb and wearing his imperial crown, Charlemagne was found seated upright on a gilded chair; thus he appeared to the spectators in the then-conventional guise of a Maiestas Domini, or "Lord-in-Majesty."

This work focuses on a wholly new explanation for the dramatic appearance of Charlemagne's body by studying various historical traditions and cultural contexts (most largely unexplored by medievalists). The secular sources and applications of the persistent medieval theme of the Maiestas Domini are also explored. Chapters examine such topics as Charlemagne's legacy and its role in Alfred Rethel's mural paintings (Karlsfresken); the early medieval "Lord in Majesty" and the example of Saint Foy at Conques; Saint Foy as both an imperial effigy and an apocryphal figure; a study of Charlemagne and Constantine; Roman-Imperial funerary ceremonies with wax "body replicas"; contexts for and the meaning of Charlemagne's Karlsgrab; and the Carolingian and Ottonian "Lords-in-Majesty." Numerous illustrations are included.