Joyeuse (pronounced [ʒwaˈjøz]; Old French: Joiuse), is the name traditionally attributed to Charlemagne’s personal sword. The name translates as “joyous”. Charlemagne or Charles the Great, numbered Charles I, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor from 800. He united much of western and central Europe during the Early Middle Ages.