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Article: Blair wins the Charlemagne Prize.(UK Prime Minister Tony Blair)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- History Today
- Article date:
- May 1, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 History Today Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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ON ASCENSION DAY, May 13th, Tony Blair will become the third British prime minister and the fourth British statesman to receive, in Aachen, the annual Charlemagne Prize, which is awarded to the statesman, of whatever ever nationality, who has done most for promoting European unity.
Aachen, the 'Rome of the North', was the favourite city and seat of Charlemagne (742-814), first of the Western emperors. It was in this delightful little city, with its hot springs and Roman remains, that he set about his titanic task of bringing back order to the Europe that had fallen apart with the fall of the Roman Empire itself. He did not hesitate to use the awesome name of Rome ...