The years 775 to 776 from the Annals of the Kingdom of the Franks

These annals constitute what is unquestionably the most important single source for the political and military history of
the reign of Charlemagne. They are known as the Annales regni Francorum, and in English they are sometimes
referred to as the Royal Frankish Annals. The work itself covers the years 741 to 829, and is a compilation of at least
three different authors. The section below is the annals for the years 775 and 776, in which the young king and his
armies were fighting in Saxony as well as in other places.
775 AD
Then the pious and illustrious lord king Charles held the assembly at the villa called Dren, from where he
undertook a campaign into Saxony. He captured the castrum of Syburg, rebuilt Eresburg and reached the
river Weser at the place called Braunsberg, where the Saxons, who intended to defend the bank of the river,
were arraying themselves for battle. By the help of the Lord and the exertions of the Franks the Saxons were
put to flight; the Franks seized both banks and many Saxons were killed there. Then the lord king Charles
divided his army and himself advanced with the men whom he had chosen to the river Oker. All the Saxon
Eastphalians [Austreleudi] came there with Hessi, gave hostages as he was pleased to demand and swore
oaths of fidelity to the above-said lord king Charles. Similarly, when the most gentle king returned from
there the Angrarians came with Bruno and their other optimates to the district called Bucki [Bckegau] and
there gave hostages, like the easterners [Austrasii].
On his return from there the aforementioned king joined up on the river Veser with the other part of his
army, which was holding the bank as ordered. The Saxons had fought a battle with them at the place called
Lidbach [Lbbecke] where, by the will of God, victory had fallen to the Franks, who had killed a great
number of those Saxons. When the lord king Charles heard of this he fell upon the Saxons a second time
with the army. He inflicted no less slaughter on them and won much booty from the Westphalians, who gave
hostages like the other Saxons. Then the lord king Charles returned home with God's help to Francia; he had
taken hostages, acquired abundant booty and three times brought about carnage among the Saxons.
When he then heard that Rodgaud the Lombard was betraying his faith, breaking all oaths and seeking to
rouse Italy to rebellion, the lord king Charles undertook a campaign to those parts with a number of Franks.
And he celebrated the Lord's birthday at the villa called Scladdistat [Slestat]. And the count of the years
changed to
776 AD
Then the lord king Charles entered Italy and proceeded to Friuli. Rodgaud was killed and the lord king
Charles celebrated Easter in the city of Treviso. He distributed all the captured cities - Cividale, Treviso and
the others which had rebelled - among Franks and returned to Francia, once again successful and victorious.
Then came a messenger reporting that the Saxons were in rebellion; they had abandoned all their hostages,
broken their oaths and induced the Franks at the castrum of Eresburg, by means of destructive siege-engines
[mala ingenia] and fraudulent assurances, to evacuate this. With Eresburg thus deserted by the Franks, the
Saxons destroyed its walls and works. Moving on from there, they planned to deal similarly with Syburg; but
with the Lord's help the Franks resisted them manfully and they accomplished nothing. For since they were
unable to deceive the defenders in this castrum by assurances as they had done those in the other castellum,
they began to array their troops for battle and to prepare the siege-machinery so that they could capture the
fortress by main force; but by God's will the catapults which they had set up did more harm to them than to
those within the fortress. And when they saw that they were getting nowhere they also prepared hurdles for
an attack by storm upon the castellum. But God's might, as is right, overcame theirs, and one day, when they
had made ready for the assault upon the Christians inside the castrum, God's glory appeared manifest above
the building which housed the church there. This was witnessed by a large number of people, both inside and
outside, many of whom are still alive today; and they say that they saw the likeness of two shields, red in
colour and flaming and moving to and fro over the church. And when the pagans outside saw this sign they
were thrown into immediate disorder. Struck by great terror, they began to flee to their camp; and as the
whole multitude of them became seized by the panic and caught up in the flight, so some killed others and
were themselves in turn killed. For those whose fear caused them to look back impaled themselves upon the
spears borne on the shoulders of those fleeing in front of them, while others suffered from various blows
which they struck each other and were condemned by divine vengeance. How greatly God wrought His
might upon them for the deliverance of the Christians defeats description; but the greater their terror grew,
the more the Christians were strengthened and praised almighty God, Who vouchsafed to make manifest His
power over His servants. And when the Saxons fled from that place and the castrum had been saved, the
Franks pursued and killed them as far as the river Lippe; and the Franks returned victorious.
And after the lord king Charles had arrived at Worms and heard about all these matters he summoned the
assembly to that city. And when he held the general assembly there a decision was swiftly reached, with
God's help; and moving with extreme speed he surprised the Saxons and penetrated their barricades and lines
of defence. The penetrated their barricades and lines of defence. The Saxons were all thoroughly terrified
and came from every quarter to the place where the Lippe rises; they all surrendered their country, by means
of a pledge, into the hands of the Franks, promised to become Christians and subjected themselves to the
dominion of the lord king Charles and the Franks. And then the lord king Charles and the Franks rebuilt the
castrum of Eresburg once again, and another castrum on the Lippe; and there the Saxons came, with their
wives and children, a multitude without number, and were baptised and gave hostages, as many as the
aforesaid lord king demanded of them. And after the above-said castella had been completed and the Franks
had stationed scarae to live in them and guard then, the lord king Charles returned to Francia.
This text was first translated in Charlemagne: Translated Sources, by P.D. King (Kendal, 1987). We thank
Professor King for his permission to include these items.