Although the Carolingian Dynasty ended short, it became a successful empire in only a short amount of time impacting and influencing the history of western culture. A vast amount of power that the Carolingians gained came from the alliances that they had, which allowed them to expand and conquer gaining much land and wealth. There were many great leaders that lead and brought success to the Carolingian Dynasty, but the years that Charlemagne ruled were known as the greatest and most successful years of the Dynasty.  He was able to unify his kingdom and bring massive power to his people by educating them. After the death of Charlemagne, there was no successor that was as great as him, leading to the decline of the Carolingians eventually bringing a devastating end to the empire.

Sources

http://historymedren.about.com/od/charlemagnestudyguide/p/sg_timeline.htm

http://eawc.evansville.edu/chronology/mepage.htm

http://www.timelineindex.com/content/view/1501

http://timerime.com/en/timeline/377658/Carolingian+Empire/