Frisian kingdom
Encyclopedia
The Frisian Kingdom also known as Magna Frisia, was a kingdom in what is now the Netherlands
and northern Germany
, established around 600 AD. The kingdom came to an end after the Battle of the Boarn
(734) where it was defeated by the Frankish Empire
.
the ancient Frisii
settled in the north and the west of the Low Countries
.
The Frisians consisted of tribes with loose bonds, centered on war bands but without great power. In the second half of the 7th century the Frisian kingship reached its maximum geographic development.
in Latin documents) and frilings, who together made up the "Free Frisians" who might bring suit at court, and the laten or liten with the slaves, who were absorbed into the laten during the Early Middle Ages
, as slavery was not so much formally abolished, as evaporated. The laten were tenants of lands they did not own and might be tied to it in the manner of serf
s, but in later times might buy their freedom.
, the Frisians came in conflict with the Frankish mayor of the palace
Ebroin
, over the old Roman border fortifications. Aldgisl could keep the Franks at a distance with his army. In 678
he welcomed the English bishop
Wilfrid
, who, like him, was not a friend of the Franks.
Under Redbad, the tide turned in favour of the Franks: in 690
the Franks were victorious in the battle of Dorestad
under the mayor of the palace
Pepin of Herstal. Though not all the consequences of this battle are clear, Dorestad
became Frankish again, as did the castles of Utrecht
and Fechten. It is presumed that the influence of the Franks now reached from south of the Oude Rijn to the coast, but this is not entirely clear because the influence of the Frisians over the central river area was not entirely lost. In any case there was an Archbishopric or bishopric
of the Frisians founded for Willibrord
and a marriage was arranged between Grimoald the Younger
the oldest son of Pepin, and Thiadsvind
, the daughter of Redbad, in 711
.
After Pepin died, in 714
, Redbad took advantage of the battle for succession in Frankish lands and regained southern Frisia. He made a treaty with the Frankish mayor of the palace Ragenfrid
so that in 716
his armies could enter the Frankish land as far as Cologne
, where they were victorious in the Battle of Cologne
. The army returned to the north with a large war loot. Redbad made plans to invade the Frankish empire for the second time and mobilised a large army, but before he could do this he fell ill and died in the autumn of 719.
It is not certain who the successor of Redbad was. It is believed that there were troubles with the succession, because the Frankish opponent Charles Martel
could easily invade Frisia and subjugate the land. The resistance was so weak that Charles Martel not only annexed Frisia Citerior ("nearer" Frisia south of the Rhine), but he also crossed the Rhine and annexed "farther" Frisia, to the banks of the river Vlie
.
Charles Martel
sent an army against the Frisians. The Frisian army was pushed back to Eastergoa
. The next year the Battle of the Boarn
took place. Charles ferried an army across the Aelmere with a fleet that enabled him to sail up to De Boarn. The Frisians were defeated in the ensuing battle, and their king Poppo was killed. The victors began plundering and burning heathen sanctuaries. Charles Martel returned with much loot, and broke the power of the Frisian kings for good.
in 734, the Franks annexed the Frisian lands between the Vlie
and the Lauwers
. They conquered the area east of the Lauwers in 785, when Charlemagne
defeated Widukind
. The Carolingians laid Frisia under the rule of grewan, a title that has been loosely related to count
in its early sense of "governor" rather than "feudal overlord
".
The Lex Frisionum
, the "Law Code of the Frisians" was recorded in Latin during the reign of Charlemagne
.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and northern Germany
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...
, established around 600 AD. The kingdom came to an end after the Battle of the Boarn
Battle of the Boarn
The Battle of the Boarn was an eighth century battle between the Franks and the Frisians near the mouth of the river Boarn in what is now the Dutch province of Friesland....
(734) where it was defeated by the Frankish Empire
Carolingian Empire
Carolingian Empire is a historiographical term which has been used to refer to the realm of the Franks under the Carolingian dynasty in the Early Middle Ages. This dynasty is seen as the founders of France and Germany, and its beginning date is based on the crowning of Charlemagne, or Charles the...
.
Migration Period
During the Migration PeriodMigration Period
The Migration Period, also called the Barbarian Invasions , was a period of intensified human migration in Europe that occurred from c. 400 to 800 CE. This period marked the transition from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages...
the ancient Frisii
Frisii
The Frisii were an ancient Germanic tribe living in the low-lying region between the Zuiderzee and the River Ems. In the Germanic pre-Migration Period the Frisii and the related Chauci, Saxons, and Angles inhabited the Continental European coast from the Zuyder Zee to south Jutland...
settled in the north and the west of the Low Countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
.
The Frisians consisted of tribes with loose bonds, centered on war bands but without great power. In the second half of the 7th century the Frisian kingship reached its maximum geographic development.
Social classes
The earliest Frisian records name four social classes, the ethelings (nobilesNobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
in Latin documents) and frilings, who together made up the "Free Frisians" who might bring suit at court, and the laten or liten with the slaves, who were absorbed into the laten during the Early Middle Ages
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages was the period of European history lasting from the 5th century to approximately 1000. The Early Middle Ages followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire and preceded the High Middle Ages...
, as slavery was not so much formally abolished, as evaporated. The laten were tenants of lands they did not own and might be tied to it in the manner of serf
SERF
A spin exchange relaxation-free magnetometer is a type of magnetometer developed at Princeton University in the early 2000s. SERF magnetometers measure magnetic fields by using lasers to detect the interaction between alkali metal atoms in a vapor and the magnetic field.The name for the technique...
s, but in later times might buy their freedom.
History of wars
The exact title of the Frisian rulers depends on the source. Frankish sources tend to call them dukes; other sources often call them kings. Only three Frisian rulers are named in written sources.Aldgisl
Under the rule of the king AldgislAldgisl
Aldegisel, Aldegisl, Aldgillis, Aldgisl, Aldgils or Eadgils was the ruler of Frisia in the late seventh century contemporarily with Dagobert II and a very obscure figure...
, the Frisians came in conflict with the Frankish mayor of the palace
Mayor of the Palace
Mayor of the Palace was an early medieval title and office, also called majordomo, from the Latin title maior domus , used most notably in the Frankish kingdoms in the 7th and 8th centuries....
Ebroin
Ebroin
Ebroin was the Frankish mayor of the palace of Neustria on two occasions; firstly from 658 to his deposition in 673 and secondly from 675 to his death in 680 or 681...
, over the old Roman border fortifications. Aldgisl could keep the Franks at a distance with his army. In 678
678
Year 678 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 678 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.- Asia :* April 27 – Japanese Emperor Temmu holds...
he welcomed the English bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
Wilfrid
Wilfrid
Wilfrid was an English bishop and saint. Born a Northumbrian noble, he entered religious life as a teenager and studied at Lindisfarne, at Canterbury, in Gaul, and at Rome; he returned to Northumbria in about 660, and became the abbot of a newly founded monastery at Ripon...
, who, like him, was not a friend of the Franks.
Redbad
690
Year 690 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 690 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.- Asia :* Beginning of Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty in China...
the Franks were victorious in the battle of Dorestad
Battle of Dorestad
The Battle of Dorested was an Seventh century battle between the Franks and the Frisians. The battle took place around 690 by the capital city of the Frisians close to the Rhine. The Franks were victorious in the battle under the mayor of the palace Pepin of Herstal...
under the mayor of the palace
Mayor of the Palace
Mayor of the Palace was an early medieval title and office, also called majordomo, from the Latin title maior domus , used most notably in the Frankish kingdoms in the 7th and 8th centuries....
Pepin of Herstal. Though not all the consequences of this battle are clear, Dorestad
Dorestad
In the Early Middle Ages, Dorestad was the largest settlement of northwestern Europe. It was a large, flourishing trading place, three kilometers long, situated where the rivers Rhine and Lek diverge southeast of Utrecht in the Netherlands near the modern town of Wijk bij Duurstede...
became Frankish again, as did the castles of Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
and Fechten. It is presumed that the influence of the Franks now reached from south of the Oude Rijn to the coast, but this is not entirely clear because the influence of the Frisians over the central river area was not entirely lost. In any case there was an Archbishopric or bishopric
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
of the Frisians founded for Willibrord
Willibrord
__notoc__Willibrord was a Northumbrian missionary saint, known as the "Apostle to the Frisians" in the modern Netherlands...
and a marriage was arranged between Grimoald the Younger
Grimoald the Younger
Grimoald II , called the Younger, was the mayor of the palace of Neustria from 695. He was the second son of Pepin of Heristal and Plectrude and his father placed him in the office of mayor of the palace in the Neustrian kingdom in 695, when he was still young.He married Theudesinda , daughter of...
the oldest son of Pepin, and Thiadsvind
Thiadsvind
Thiadsvind also known as Theudesinda or Theodelinda was the daughter of the Friesian king Redbad. In 711 she was married to Grimoald the Younger the eldest son of Pepin of Herstal. The marriage was officiated by archbishopric or bishopric of the Frisians Willibrord. They had two sons: Theudoald...
, the daughter of Redbad, in 711
711
Year 711 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 711 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 :* April 30 – Ummayad troops led by...
.
After Pepin died, in 714
714
Year 714 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 714 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.- Asia :* February 28 – An earthquake strikes...
, Redbad took advantage of the battle for succession in Frankish lands and regained southern Frisia. He made a treaty with the Frankish mayor of the palace Ragenfrid
Ragenfrid
Ragenfrid was the mayor of the palace of Neustria and Burgundy from 715, when he filled the vacuum in Neustria caused by the death of Pepin of Heristal, until 718, when Charles Martel finally established himself over the whole Frankish kingdom.His original centre of power was the Véxin...
so that in 716
716
Year 716 was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 716 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.- Asia :* Inal Khan succeeds Kapagan Khan and Bilge...
his armies could enter the Frankish land as far as Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, where they were victorious in the Battle of Cologne
Battle of Cologne
The Battle of Cologne was fought near the city of Köln in the year 716. The battle is known chiefly as the first battle of Charles Martel's command and is the only defeat of his life....
. The army returned to the north with a large war loot. Redbad made plans to invade the Frankish empire for the second time and mobilised a large army, but before he could do this he fell ill and died in the autumn of 719.
It is not certain who the successor of Redbad was. It is believed that there were troubles with the succession, because the Frankish opponent Charles Martel
Charles Martel
Charles Martel , also known as Charles the Hammer, was a Frankish military and political leader, who served as Mayor of the Palace under the Merovingian kings and ruled de facto during an interregnum at the end of his life, using the title Duke and Prince of the Franks. In 739 he was offered the...
could easily invade Frisia and subjugate the land. The resistance was so weak that Charles Martel not only annexed Frisia Citerior ("nearer" Frisia south of the Rhine), but he also crossed the Rhine and annexed "farther" Frisia, to the banks of the river Vlie
Vlie
The Vlie or Vliestroom is the seaway between the Dutch islands of Vlieland, to its southwest, and Terschelling, to its northeast. The Vlie was the estuary of the river IJssel in medieval times...
.
Poppo
In 733733
Year 733 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 733 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 :* Leo III the Isaurian withdraws the...
Charles Martel
Charles Martel
Charles Martel , also known as Charles the Hammer, was a Frankish military and political leader, who served as Mayor of the Palace under the Merovingian kings and ruled de facto during an interregnum at the end of his life, using the title Duke and Prince of the Franks. In 739 he was offered the...
sent an army against the Frisians. The Frisian army was pushed back to Eastergoa
Eastergoa
Eastergoa was one of the seven areas and one of the three gaue that lay within the borders of the today's Frisian province of Friesland in The Netherlands.- Area :...
. The next year the Battle of the Boarn
Battle of the Boarn
The Battle of the Boarn was an eighth century battle between the Franks and the Frisians near the mouth of the river Boarn in what is now the Dutch province of Friesland....
took place. Charles ferried an army across the Aelmere with a fleet that enabled him to sail up to De Boarn. The Frisians were defeated in the ensuing battle, and their king Poppo was killed. The victors began plundering and burning heathen sanctuaries. Charles Martel returned with much loot, and broke the power of the Frisian kings for good.
After the Frankish conquest
After the Battle of the BoarnBattle of the Boarn
The Battle of the Boarn was an eighth century battle between the Franks and the Frisians near the mouth of the river Boarn in what is now the Dutch province of Friesland....
in 734, the Franks annexed the Frisian lands between the Vlie
Vlie
The Vlie or Vliestroom is the seaway between the Dutch islands of Vlieland, to its southwest, and Terschelling, to its northeast. The Vlie was the estuary of the river IJssel in medieval times...
and the Lauwers
Lauwers
The Lauwers is a river in the Netherlands. It forms part of the border between the provinces of Friesland and Groningen. From the 730's to Widukind's defeat in 785 it was part of the border of the Frankish Empire....
. They conquered the area east of the Lauwers in 785, when 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...
defeated 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...
. The Carolingians laid Frisia under the rule of grewan, a title that has been loosely related to count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
in its early sense of "governor" rather than "feudal overlord
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
".
The Lex Frisionum
Lex Frisionum
Lex Frisionum, the "Law Code of the Frisians", was recorded in Latin during the reign of Charlemagne, after the year 785, when the Frankish conquest of Frisia was completed by the final defeat of the Frisian king Radboud. The law code covered the region of the Frisians...
, the "Law Code of the Frisians" was recorded in Latin during the reign of 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...
.