Battle of Bornhöved (798)
Encyclopedia
In the Battle of Bornhöved on the field of Sventanafeld (Sventanapolje or "Schwentine
field") near the village of Bornhöved
near Neumünster
in 798
the Obodrites, led by Drożko
, allied with the Franks
, defeated the Nordalbingia
n Saxons
.
. In the process Danes
settled the northern part, Slavic Obodrites the eastern part (Wagria) and Saxons from the south migrated into western Holstein
. The battle was part of the effort by the Frankish emperor, Charlemagne
, to conquer and convert Old Saxony
.
The allied forces of Obodrites lead by Drożko
and Franks
lead by legatus Eburisum defeated Nordliudi. According to the chronicle, Saxons lost 4 thousands warriors and were forced to escape from the battlefield.
in the battle broke finally the resistance of the Nordalbingian Saxons to Christianisation. Charlemagne
decided to massacre Nordalbingian Saxons and deport them; their areas in Holstein
become sparsely populated and were given to Obodrites. The limit of influence between Denmark
and the Frankish Empire
was successfully established on the Eider River
in 811. This boundary was to remain in place almost without a break for the next thousand years. In 818 the Limes Saxoniae
- fortified line to protect Frankish-Saxon territories from further attacks of Obodrites from Ostholstein
- was mentioned for the first time.
Schwentine
The Schwentine is a river in the North German state of Schleswig-Holstein. It is approximately 62 kilometres long and rises on the hill of Bungsberg, the highest point in the state, near the village of Kasseedorf in Ostholstein. It then runs from its source to Kiel where it flows into the Kiel...
field") near the village of Bornhöved
Bornhöved
Bornhöved is a municipality in the district of Segeberg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated approx. 15 km east of Neumünster.Bornhöved is part of the Amt Bornhöved....
near Neumünster
Neumünster
Neumünster is an independent town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, which has a total of four independent towns.-Current Situation:Neumünster station is major railway junction with lines running in six directions, including the important Hamburg-Altona–Kiel and Neumünster–Flensburg lines.Near...
in 798
798
Year 798 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 798 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* Coenwulf of Mercia invades Kent, deposes and...
the Obodrites, led by Drożko
Drozko
Drożko or Drażko - kniaź of the Obotrites in the 9th century, son of Witzlaus II of Obotrites...
, allied with the Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
, defeated the Nordalbingia
Nordalbingia
Nordalbingia was one of the four administrative regions of the medieval Duchy of Saxony, the others being Angria, Eastphalia, and Westphalia....
n Saxons
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
.
Background
Situation before the battle was result of the migrations that occurred during 6th and 7th centuries on the territory of HolsteinHolstein
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
. In the process Danes
Danes
Danish people or Danes are the nation and ethnic group that is native to Denmark, and who speak Danish.The first mention of Danes within the Danish territory is on the Jelling Rune Stone which mentions how Harald Bluetooth converted the Danes to Christianity in the 10th century...
settled the northern part, Slavic Obodrites the eastern part (Wagria) and Saxons from the south migrated into western Holstein
Holstein
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
. The battle was part of the effort by the Frankish emperor, 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...
, to conquer and convert Old Saxony
Old Saxony
Old Saxony is the original homeland of the Saxons in the northwest corner of modern Germany and roughly corresponds today with the contemporary Lower Saxony, Westphalia and western Saxony-Anhalt....
.
The Battle
| „Nordliudi contra Thrasuconem, ducem Abodritorum, et Eburisum legatum nostrum conmisso proelio, acie victi sunt. Caesa sunt ex eis in loco proelii quattuor milia, ceteri qui fugerunt et evaserunt, quanquam multi et ex illis cecidissent, de pacis condicione tractaverunt.” |
| Annales Laurissenses 798. |
The allied forces of Obodrites lead by Drożko
Drozko
Drożko or Drażko - kniaź of the Obotrites in the 9th century, son of Witzlaus II of Obotrites...
and Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
lead by legatus Eburisum defeated Nordliudi. According to the chronicle, Saxons lost 4 thousands warriors and were forced to escape from the battlefield.
Results
The victory of CharlemagneCharlemagne
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 battle broke finally the resistance of the Nordalbingian Saxons to Christianisation. 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...
decided to massacre Nordalbingian Saxons and deport them; their areas in Holstein
Holstein
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
become sparsely populated and were given to Obodrites. The limit of influence between Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and the Frankish Empire
Frankish Empire
Francia or Frankia, later also called the Frankish Empire , Frankish Kingdom , Frankish Realm or occasionally Frankland, was the territory inhabited and ruled by the Franks from the 3rd to the 10th century...
was successfully established on the Eider River
Eider River
The Eider is the longest river of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. The river starts near Bordesholm and reaches the southwestern outskirts of Kiel on the shores of the Baltic Sea, but flows to the west, ending in the North Sea...
in 811. This boundary was to remain in place almost without a break for the next thousand years. In 818 the Limes Saxoniae
Limes Saxoniae
The Limes Saxoniae , also known as the Limes Saxonicus or Sachsenwall , was a limes or border between the Saxons and the Slavic Obotrites, established about 810 in present-day Schleswig-Holstein....
- fortified line to protect Frankish-Saxon territories from further attacks of Obodrites from Ostholstein
Ostholstein
Ostholstein is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Stormarn, Segeberg and Plön, the Baltic Sea and the city of Lübeck.-History:...
- was mentioned for the first time.