Poison test before Charlemagne. A food taster is a person that ingests food (or drink, in which case he/she is a cupbearer) to be served to someone else to confirm that it is safe to eat. The person to whom the food is going to be served is usually an important person or anyone that could be under threat of assassination or harm. Over history, presidents and royal families have hired food tasters or sacrifices, because of the fear of being poisoned. Charlemagne (742-814 AD) 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. He conquered Italy and was crowned Imperator Augustus by Pope Leo III in Rome. His rule is also associated with the Carolingian Renaissance, a revival of art, religion, and culture through the medium of the Catholic Church. Through his foreign conquests and internal reforms, Charlemagne helped define both Western Europe and the European Middle Ages. This image has been colorized.