Eastphalia
Encyclopedia
Eastphalia is a historical region in northern Germany
, encompassing the eastern part of the historic Duchy of Saxony
, between the Elbe
, Leine
, Saale
and Unstrut
rivers. Today, it covers the southeastern part of the state of Lower Saxony
and the western part of Saxony-Anhalt
.
word fala, found today in place names such as Falbygden
and Falun
, as well as in the northern German town of Fallstedt. The plains of Eastphalia and Westphalia
, divided by the Weser into east and west, stand in contrast to the hilly region to the south, the Central Uplands
. Unlike the name Westphalia, the name Eastphalia gradually fell out of use after the duchy of Saxony was dissolved in 1180.
German linguists
reintroduced the term in the 19th century in the course of researching the Eastphalian language
as a West Low German dialect. With the rise of scientific racism
in the 19th and early 20th century, mention began to be made of a "Phalian" (fälisch) subtype of an "Aryan race
" according to the occult concept of Helena Blavatsky
and her Ariosophic
followers.
's defeat and baptism of Duke Widukind
in 785 during the Saxon Wars
, his lands were integrated into the Frankish Empire
and the Saxons
were increasingly converted to Christianity
. The bishoprics of Halberstadt
and Hildesheim
were established in eastern Saxony, bounded by the Oker
river, in 804 and 815 respectively. The medieval Duchy of Saxony
was divided between the districts of Eastphalia (Ostfalahi), Westphalia and Engern.
The Eastphalian territory at the Harz
mountain range was the hereditary lands of Henry the Fowler, the first Saxon duke to become King of the Romans
in 919, and his descendants of the Ottonian dynasty. They left several Romanesque
abbeys and castles, a cultural landscape that today encompasses three World Heritage Site
s with the medieval town of Goslar
and Quedlinburg
, as well as St. Mary's Cathedral
and St. Michael's Church
at Hildesheim
.
After the duke Henry the Lion
was placed under imperial ban in 1180, Eastphalia was increasingly subdivided into smaller states, such as the duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg
, the imperial city of Goslar
, the bishoprics of Hildesheim and Halberstadt, the Archbishopric of Magdeburg
, Quedlinburg Abbey
as well as the counties of Wernigerode
and Blankenburg
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, encompassing the eastern part of the historic Duchy of Saxony
Duchy of Saxony
The medieval Duchy of Saxony was a late Early Middle Ages "Carolingian stem duchy" covering the greater part of Northern Germany. It covered the area of the modern German states of Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saxony-Anhalt and most of Schleswig-Holstein...
, between the Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
, Leine
Leine
The Leine is a river in Thuringia and Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Aller river and 281 km in length.The river's source is located close to the town of Leinefelde in Thuringia...
, Saale
Saale
The Saale, also known as the Saxon Saale and Thuringian Saale , is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Franconian Saale, a right-bank tributary of the Main, or the Saale in Lower Saxony, a tributary of the Leine.-Course:The Saale...
and Unstrut
Unstrut
The Unstrut is a river in Germany and a left tributary of the Saale. It originates in northern Thuringia near Dingelstädt and its catchment area is the whole of the Thuringian Basin...
rivers. Today, it covers the southeastern part of the state of Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
and the western part of Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...
.
Etymology
The name Ostfalen probably means "east plain". Falen is a Germanic word meaning "flat", "level" and "plain" and is related to the Old SwedishOld Swedish
Old Swedish is the name for two separate stages of the Swedish language that were spoken in the Middle Ages: Early Old Swedish , spoken from around 1225 until 1375, and Late Old Swedish , spoken from 1375 until 1526.Old Swedish developed from Old East Norse, the eastern dialect of Old Norse...
word fala, found today in place names such as Falbygden
Falbygden
Falbygden is a geographical area, centered at the town of Falköping,in southern Sweden, and covered mostly by farmland. It is known for its geology, flora and megalithic culture....
and Falun
Falun
Falun is a city and the seat of Falun Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 36,447 inhabitants in 2005. It is also the capital of Dalarna County...
, as well as in the northern German town of Fallstedt. The plains of Eastphalia and Westphalia
Westphalia
Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...
, divided by the Weser into east and west, stand in contrast to the hilly region to the south, the Central Uplands
Central Uplands
The Central Uplands is one of the three major natural regions of Germany and covers most of the land area of the country. To the north lies the North German Plain or Northern Lowland; to the south, the Alps and the Alpine Foreland.- Formation :...
. Unlike the name Westphalia, the name Eastphalia gradually fell out of use after the duchy of Saxony was dissolved in 1180.
German linguists
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
reintroduced the term in the 19th century in the course of researching the Eastphalian language
Eastphalian language
Eastphalian, or Eastfalian , is a West Low German dialect spoken east of the Weser river in southern parts of Lower Saxony and western parts of Saxony-Anhalt in Germany, including Hanover, Braunschweig, Hildesheim, Göttingen and Magdeburg, an area that roughly corresponds with the historic region...
as a West Low German dialect. With the rise of scientific racism
Scientific racism
Scientific racism is the use of scientific techniques and hypotheses to sanction the belief in racial superiority or racism.This is not the same as using scientific findings and the scientific method to investigate differences among the humans and argue that there are races...
in the 19th and early 20th century, mention began to be made of a "Phalian" (fälisch) subtype of an "Aryan race
Aryan race
The Aryan race is a concept historically influential in Western culture in the period of the late 19th century and early 20th century. It derives from the idea that the original speakers of the Indo-European languages and their descendants up to the present day constitute a distinctive race or...
" according to the occult concept of Helena Blavatsky
Madame Blavatsky
Helena Petrovna Blavatsky , was a theosophist, writer and traveler. Between 1848 and 1875 Blavatsky had gone around the world three times. In 1875, Blavatsky together with Colonel H. S. Olcott established the Theosophical Society...
and her Ariosophic
Ariosophy
Armanism and Ariosophy are the names of ideological systems of an esoteric nature, pioneered by Guido von List and Jörg Lanz von Liebenfels respectively, in Austria between 1890 and 1930. The term 'Ariosophy', meaning wisdom concerning the Aryans, was first coined by Lanz von Liebenfels in 1915 and...
followers.
History
With 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...
's defeat and baptism of Duke Widukind
Widukind
Widukind was a pagan Saxon leader and the chief opponent of Charlemagne during the Saxon Wars. Widukind was the leader of the Saxons against the Frankish king Charlemagne...
in 785 during the Saxon Wars
Saxon Wars
The Saxon Wars were the campaigns and insurrections of the more than thirty years from 772, when Charlemagne first entered Saxony with the intent to conquer, to 804, when the last rebellion of disaffected tribesmen was crushed. In all, eighteen battles were fought in what is now northwestern Germany...
, his lands were integrated into 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...
and the 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...
were increasingly converted to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. The bishoprics of Halberstadt
Bishopric of Halberstadt
The Bishopric of Halberstadt was a Roman Catholic diocese from 804 until 1648 and an ecclesiastical state of the Holy Roman Empire from the late Middle Ages...
and Hildesheim
Bishopric of Hildesheim
The Diocese of Hildesheim is a diocese or ecclesiastical territory of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in Germany. Founded in 815 as a missionary diocese by King Louis the Pious, his son Louis the German appointed the famous former archbishop of Rheims, Ebbo, as bishop...
were established in eastern Saxony, bounded by the Oker
Oker
The Oker is a river in Lower Saxony, Germany, that has historically formed an important political boundary. It is a left tributary of the River Aller, in length and runs in a generally northerly direction.- Course :...
river, in 804 and 815 respectively. The medieval Duchy of Saxony
Duchy of Saxony
The medieval Duchy of Saxony was a late Early Middle Ages "Carolingian stem duchy" covering the greater part of Northern Germany. It covered the area of the modern German states of Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saxony-Anhalt and most of Schleswig-Holstein...
was divided between the districts of Eastphalia (Ostfalahi), Westphalia and Engern.
The Eastphalian territory at the Harz
Harz
The Harz is the highest mountain range in northern Germany and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The name Harz derives from the Middle High German word Hardt or Hart , latinized as Hercynia. The legendary Brocken is the highest summit in the Harz...
mountain range was the hereditary lands of Henry the Fowler, the first Saxon duke to become King of the Romans
King of the Romans
King of the Romans was the title used by the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire following his election to the office by the princes of the Kingdom of Germany...
in 919, and his descendants of the Ottonian dynasty. They left several Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
abbeys and castles, a cultural landscape that today encompasses three World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
s with the medieval town of Goslar
Goslar
Goslar is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Goslar and located on the northwestern slopes of the Harz mountain range. The Old Town of Goslar and the Mines of Rammelsberg are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.-Geography:Goslar is situated at the...
and Quedlinburg
Quedlinburg
Quedlinburg is a town located north of the Harz mountains, in the district of Harz in the west of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. In 1994 the medieval court and the old town was set on the UNESCO world heritage list....
, as well as St. Mary's Cathedral
St. Mary's Cathedral, Hildesheim
St. Mary's Cathedral in Hildesheim, Germany, is an important medieval Catholic cathedral, that has been on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list since 1985....
and St. Michael's Church
St. Michael's Church
St. Michael's Church may refer to:-Albania:*Basilica of Saint Michael, in Arapaj*St. Michael's Church, Berat*St. Michael's Church, Menshat*St. Michael's Church, Moscopole*St. Michael's Monastery Church, Nivan-Germany:* St. Michael, Fulda...
at Hildesheim
Hildesheim
Hildesheim is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the district of Hildesheim, about 30 km southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste river, which is a small tributary of the Leine river...
.
After the duke Henry the Lion
Henry the Lion
Henry the Lion was a member of the Welf dynasty and Duke of Saxony, as Henry III, from 1142, and Duke of Bavaria, as Henry XII, from 1156, which duchies he held until 1180....
was placed under imperial ban in 1180, Eastphalia was increasingly subdivided into smaller states, such as the duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Brunswick-Lüneburg
The Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , or more properly Duchy of Brunswick and Lüneburg, was an historical ducal state from the late Middle Ages until the late Early Modern era within the North-Western domains of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, in what is now northern Germany...
, the imperial city of Goslar
Goslar
Goslar is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Goslar and located on the northwestern slopes of the Harz mountain range. The Old Town of Goslar and the Mines of Rammelsberg are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.-Geography:Goslar is situated at the...
, the bishoprics of Hildesheim and Halberstadt, the Archbishopric of Magdeburg
Archbishopric of Magdeburg
The Archbishopric of Magdeburg was a Roman Catholic archdiocese and Prince-Bishopric of the Holy Roman Empire centered on the city of Magdeburg on the Elbe River....
, Quedlinburg Abbey
Quedlinburg Abbey
Quedlinburg Abbey was a house of secular canonesses in Quedlinburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was founded in 936 on the initiative of Saint Mathilda, the widow of Henry the Fowler, as his memorial...
as well as the counties of Wernigerode
County of Wernigerode
The County of Wernigerode was a county of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Harzgau region of the former Duchy of Saxony, at the northern foot of the Harz mountain range...
and Blankenburg
County of Blankenburg
The County of Blankenburg was a state of the Holy Roman Empire. Its capital was Blankenburg, it was located in and near the Harz mountains.-County of Blankenburg:...
.
Subdivisions
Eastphalia consisted of several Gaue (shires). The exact list of Gaue is not known for sure and differs among authorities. From North to South, the Gaue were (where available, modernized names are used):- BardengauBardengauThe Bardengau was a medieval county in the Duchy of Saxony. Its main town was Bardowick; other important towns were Lüneburg and Oldenstadt ....
around LüneburgLüneburgLüneburg is a town in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is located about southeast of fellow Hanseatic city Hamburg. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, and one of Hamburg's inner suburbs...
(sometimes considered part of Engern, not Eastphalia) - DrevaniDrevaniThe Drevani were a tribe of Polabian Slavs settling on the Elbe river in the area of the present-day Lüchow-Dannenberg district of Lower Saxony, Germany....
(a Slavic tribe) - Choina (sometimes considered part of Drevani)
- OsterwaldeOsterwaldeOsterwalde is a medieval shire in the Eastphalia region of the Duchy of Saxony. In present-day terms, it is located in northern Saxony-Anhalt. It was bordered by the River Ohre to the west and by the River Dumme to the north; its eastern borders are unclear; it possibly reached all the way to the...
(SalzwedelSalzwedelSalzwedel of Altmarkkreis Salzwedel, and has a population of approximately 21,500. Salzwedel is located on the German Framework Road.-Geography:...
) - Gretinge (HohneHohneHohne is a municipality in the state of Lower Saxony in Germany, east of the county town of Celle. It includes the three former parishes of Hohne, Helmerkamp and Spechtshorn...
) - Mulbeze
- BalsamgauBalsamgauThe Balsamgau was an early medieval Gau in the Eastphalia region of the Duchy of Saxony. It was centered on Stendal and located on the West bank of the River Elbe. Other towns in the Balsamgau include Arneburg, Döbbelin, Elversdorf, Windberge...
(StendalStendalStendal is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is the capital of Stendal District and unofficial capital of the Altmark. Its population in 2001 was 38,900. It is located some west of Berlin and around east of Hanover...
) - Flutwidde
- Astfala (HildesheimHildesheimHildesheim is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the district of Hildesheim, about 30 km southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste river, which is a small tributary of the Leine river...
) - DerlingauDerlingauThe Derlingau was an early medieval county of the Duchy of Saxony.-Geography:The Derlingau approximately consisted of the area between the river Oker in the west and the Lappwald forest in the east. It was bordered by : Bardengau, Gau Osterwald, Nordthüringgau, Harzgau, Salzgau, Hastfalagau, Gau...
(EvessenEvessenEvessen is a municipality in the district of Wolfenbüttel, in Lower Saxony, Germany....
) - NordthüringgauNordthüringgauThe Nordthüringgau was an early medieval county in the Eastphalia region of the Duchy of Saxony. It was bounded by the River Elbe in the east, by the River Bode in the southwest, the Lappwald in the west, and the Drömling forest in the northwest...
- Gudingau (ElzeElzeElze is a town in the district of Hildesheim, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Leine, approximately west of Hildesheim. The municipality of Elze also comprises the villages of Esbeck, Mehle, Sehlde, Sorsum, Wittenburg and Wülfingen.Elze is one of the oldest settlement in the...
) - Valothungo (sometimes considered part of Gudingau)
- Scotelingo (sometimes considered part of Gudingau)
- AringoAringoAringo is a frazione in the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy....
(sometimes considered part of Gudingau) - Flenithi (sometimes considered part of Gudingau)
- SuilbergauSuilbergauSuilbergau, also known as Suilbergi, and Sülberggau, was an early medieval county in the province of Eastphalia, in the Duchy of Saxony.-Geography:...
- Ambergau (sometimes considered part of Salzgau)
- Salzgau (SalzgitterSalzgitterSalzgitter is an independent city in southeast Lower Saxony, Germany, located between Hildesheim and Braunschweig. Together with Wolfsburg and Braunschweig, Salzgitter is one of the seven Oberzentren of Lower Saxony...
) - Densigau (sometimes considered part of Salzgau)
- HarzgauHarzgauThe Harzgau was a medieval 'gau' county near the northeastern Harz mountains in the Eastphalia region of the Duchy of Saxony. It included the towns of Halberstadt, Quedlinburg, and Osterwieck, and was bounded by the Oker in the west, by the Großer Graben in the north, the Bode in the east, and the...
(HalberstadtHalberstadtHalberstadt is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt and the capital of the district of Harz. It is located on the German Half-Timbered House Road and the Magdeburg–Thale railway....
) - SchwabengauSchwabengauThe Schwabengau was an early medieval shire in the Eastphalia region of the Duchy of Saxony. It is located in present-day Saxony-Anhalt....
- HassegauHassegauThe Hassegau was an early medieval shire in the Eastphalia region of the Duchy of Saxony. It was located in the corner between the Saale , Unstrut , and Wipper rivers; its most important town was Merseburg...
(MansfeldMansfeldMansfeld is a town in the Mansfeld-Südharz district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river Wipper, 10 km northwest of Eisleben....
) - Friesenfeld (sometimes considered part of Hassegau)