Context:

The episode opens with a reading from this primary source biography written by the Frankish scholar and courtier shortly after Charlemagne's death, describing the Merovingian kings

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Mentioned as the classical work that Einhard modeled his biography of Charlemagne on; specifically noted that the monastery at Fulda had a complete collection which Einhard read as a young boy

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Described as 'one of the great historians of this process' regarding the transformation of Gaul under Charles Martel; a lengthy quote is read about Charles Martel's destruction of the independent power of Frankish bishops

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Described as 'the great historian of late antiquity' and quoted for his memorable phrase about the Pope hearing 'the crash of falling masonry' as ancient Rome crumbled around him

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Referenced when discussing the 717 siege of Constantinople by Umayyad forces, noting this siege was 'one of the models for Tolkien's portrayal of the siege of Minas Tirith'

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Described as 'the great historian of Frankish Germany' who wrote about the massacre at Canstadt, comparing its effect on the Alemanni landholding class to what Hastings did to the Anglo-Saxons

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Brief dismissive reference to Dan Brown's theory that the Merovingian bloodline continued to the present day, alluding to his conspiracy thriller works