Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross is a symphonic metal concept album by actor and singer Christopher Lee.

This was Lee's first full-length album in the genre, having previously worked with such bands as Rhapsody of Fire and Manowar.

It tells the story of Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor, to whom Lee can trace his ancestry.

[citation needed] The album features two bands and a number of guest vocalists playing the different roles in the story.

[3] A heavy metal follow-up album, titled Charlemagne: The Omens of Death, was released in 2013.