| AACHEN | City and spa in Germany; northern capital of the empire of Charlemagne |
| ALBANY | Capital of the Empire State |
| AIXENPROVENCE | City and spa in S.E. France which was the medieval capital of Provence (3-2-8) |
| VICHY | Town and spa in Central France on the River Allier, seat of the collaborationist government under Marshal Petain (5) |
| ALLIER | Department in central France that includes the city and spa resort of Vichy (6) |
| SASSANID | Ancient Persian empire of the 3rd to 7th century A.D. also called the Empire of Iranians (8) |
| GOTHS | The empire of which Germanic people of Scandinavian origin was destroyed by the Huns? (5) |
| AIXLACHAPELLE | French name for Aachen, a German city and spa (3-2-8) |
| ECHOPRAXIA | Regressive Provence city and spa are about to cut irrational copying |
| ROTORUA | City and spa resort on North Island, New Zealand, noted for its geothermal activity (7) |
| PEPINTHESHORT | Who was the father of Charlemagne, deposed Childeric III in 751 and, as King of the Franks, began the Carolingian dynasty? (5,3,5) |
| PEPIN | The Short was the father of Charlemagne and founder of the Carolingian dynasty (5) |
| EMS | Spa in Germany |
| ANTS | "The Empire of the ___" (H.G. Wells short story) |
| SARATOGASPRINGS | Upstate New York city and spa |
| NAIVETE | Back in France, and spa shows a lack of sophistication |
| NOYON | Town in Oise, France; scene of the coronation of Charlemagne (5) |
| OLIVER | Comrade-in-arms of Roland, the nephew of Charlemagne (6) |
| ROMAN | Related to the empire of Julius Caesar |
| USA | Still the empire of broken dreams |
