Saxon Wars

A Map of the Saxon Wars

The Saxon Wars were not only an extremely brutal, but also a rather complex chapter of North German history (more on this here). In order to keep an overview of the multitude of events, it is therefore necessary to have a map that clearly shows the many historical sites. So far, however, there is no detailed map with a satisfying level of detail available in the vastness of the Internet (as well as in academic literature).

Pagan Saxon Resistance to Charlemagne’s Mission

The Saxon Wars of the late 8th and early 9th century are among the most brutal and ruthless conflicts of the early Middle Ages. Beginning with the destruction of the sacred Irminsul in 772 the Frankish Empire and its ruler Charlemagne started the invasion of the Saxon homeland, a then proto-democratic tribal confederation located in present-day Northern Germany. The goal was not only to force the country and its people under the Frankish despotism, but also to eradicate all pagan traditions, shown unvarnished in Charlemagne’s famous dictum, that the only choice left for the Saxons would either be baptism or death.