King Charlemagne of France had already conquered much of Western Europe, and Pope Leo III had little power, locked in competition with the Eastern Orthodox Church and Empress Irene, and hated by his people. On December 25, 800 CE, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne the king of the Roman empire, which set up the Holy Roman Empire, where Popes and monarchs ruled in tandem or opposition. The millennium the Holy Roman Empire ruled in the West facilitated many fractures, as well as much power for the Church.