Charlot is a fictionalized form of Charles the Younger (c. 772 – December 4, 811), son of Charlemagne

Charlemagne

Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...

, in the tradition of the Matter of France

Matter of France

The Matter of France, also known as the Carolingian cycle, is a body of literature and legendary material associated with the history of France, in particular involving Charlemagne and his associates. The cycle springs from the Old French chansons de geste, and was later adapted into a variety of...

. His legend may also incorporate elements of Charlemagne's great-grandson Charles the Child

Charles the Child

Charles the Child was the King of Aquitaine from October 855 until his death in 866...

.

He slew the son of Ogier the Dane

Ogier the Dane

Ogier the Dane is a legendary character who first appears in an Old French chanson de geste, in the cycle of poems Geste de Doon de Mayence....

, and was killed in revenge, causing a long period of strife between Ogier and the emperor. In the story of Huon of Bordeaux

Huon of Bordeaux

Huon of Bordeaux is the title character of a 13th century French epic with romance elements. He is a knight who, after unwittingly killing Charlot, the son of Emperor Charlemagne, is given a reprieve from death on condition that he fulfill a number of seemingly impossible tasks: he must travel to...

, it is Huon who kills Charlot. Charlot is possibly based on Charlemagne's real son Charles, who predeceased his father; Auguste Longnon identified him with Charlemagne's grandson Charles the Child

Charles the Child

Charles the Child was the King of Aquitaine from October 855 until his death in 866...

, who died before his father Charles the Bald

Charles the Bald

Charles the Bald , Holy Roman Emperor and King of West Francia , was the youngest son of the Emperor Louis the Pious by his second wife Judith.-Struggle against his brothers:He was born on 13 June 823 in Frankfurt, when his elder...

in a similar situation as Charlot in a fight with a man named Aubouin.