Decisive Slavic victory
39-536: Samo According to the contemporary Chronicle of Fredegar , the Battle of Wogastisburg (also called the siege of Wogastisburg ) took place between Slavs ( Sclav, cognomento Winidi ) under King Samo and Franks under King Dagobert I in 631 or 632. The Frankish armies advanced into the area of the Slavic tribal union in three groups - Alamanni , Lombards , and Austrasian Franks . The first two were quite successful, but
78-554: A "violent quarrel in the Pannonian kingdom of the Avars or Huns" during his ninth year (631–32), Dagobert led three armies against the Wends, the largest being his own Austrasian army. The Franks were routed near Wogastisburg ( Latin castrum Vogastisburg ), an unidentified location meaning "fortress/castle of Vogast." The majority of the besieging armies were slaughtered, while the rest of
117-592: A 112 minute long French-Italian comedy, Le bon roi Dagobert ( Good King Dagobert ) was made, based on Dagobert I. The soundtrack was composed by Guido & Maurizio De Angelis , Starring Ugo Tognazzi, Coluche and Michel Serrault. According to the Chronicle of Fredegar Dagobert I had "three queens almost simultaneously, as well as several concubines". The rex Brittanorum Judicael came to Clichy to visit Dagobert I, but opted not to dine with him due to his misgivings about Dagobert's moral choices, instead dining with
156-558: A Ukrainian-funded series The Slavs which was as of September 2024 available on Amazon Video. Dagobert I Dagobert I ( Latin : Dagobertus ; c. 603/605 – 19 January 639) was King of the Franks . He ruled Austrasia (623–634) and Neustria and Burgundy (629–639). He has been described as the last king of the Merovingian dynasty to wield real royal power, after which the Mayor of
195-545: A degree that historian Patrick Geary described the period of their combined rule as the "apogee of Merovingian royal power." Dagobert went down in history as one of the greatest Frankish kings, in spite of his mediocre military record (cf. his defeats by the Saxons and the Wends), having held his lands against the eastern hordes and with noblemen as far away as Bavaria , who sought his overlordship. Only thirty six when he died, Dagobert
234-571: A golden dish weighing some 500 pounds (230 kg). When Charibert and his son Chilperic were assassinated in 632, Dagobert had Burgundy and Aquitaine firmly under his rule, becoming the most powerful Merovingian king in many years and the most respected ruler in the West. In 631, Dagobert led a large army against Samo , the ruler of the Slavic Wends, partly at the request of the Germanic peoples living in
273-476: A male heir or two, while real power lay in the hands of the noble families who exercised feudal control over most of the land. In the 830s, a biography of Dagobert, the Gesta Dagoberti , was written, probably by Hincmar . It is mostly unreliable, but does contain some information based on authentic archival documents. Dagobert was immortalized in the song Le bon roi Dagobert ( The Good King Dagobert ),
312-613: A nursery rhyme featuring exchanges between the king and his chief adviser, Saint Eligius ( Eloi in French). The satirical rhymes place Dagobert in various ridiculous positions from which Eligius' good advice manages to extract him. The text, which probably originated in the 18th century, became extremely popular as an expression of the anti-monarchist sentiment of the French Revolution . Other than placing Dagobert and Eligius in their respective roles, it has no historical accuracy. In 1984,
351-663: A policy of cooperation. This did not prohibit plunder-raids to replenish the dynastic coffers, which Dagobert undertook in Spain for example—one raid there earned him 200,000 gold solidi . Historian Ian Wood claims that Dagobert "was probably richer than most Merovingian monarchs" and cites for example his assistance to the Visigoth Sisenand —whom he aided in his rise to the Visigothic throne in Spain—and for which, Sisenand awarded Dagobert
390-528: A precedent for the burial of future French rulers there. The pattern of division and assassination, which characterized king Dagobert's reign, continued for the next century until Pepin the Short finally deposed the last Merovingian king in 751, establishing the Carolingian dynasty. The Merovingian boy-kings remained ineffective rulers who inherited the throne as young children and lived only long enough to produce
429-511: A revolt of 623–24 or during one that inevitably followed the Avar defeat in 626, he definitely took advantage of the latter to solidify his position. A string of victories over the Avars proved his utilitas (usefulness) to his subjects and secured his election as rex (king). Samo went on to secure his throne by marriage into the major Wendish families, wedding at least twelve women and fathering twenty-two sons and fifteen daughters. Each year,
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#1732876518588468-586: A sub-kingdom for his son Sigibert had "important long-term implications for the general structure of Merovingian Francia." As king, Dagobert made Paris his capital. During his reign, he built the Altes Schloss in Meersburg (in modern Germany ), which today is the oldest inhabited castle in that country. Devoutly religious, Dagobert was also responsible for the construction of the Saint Denis Basilica at
507-469: Is a very tendentious source, as its name suggests. According mainly to the Conversio , Samo was a Karantanian merchant. The sources Fredegar used to compile his Wendish account are unknown. A few scholars have attacked the entire account as fictitious, but Fredegar displays a critical attitude and a knowledge of detail that suggest otherwise. It is possible that he had an eyewitness in the person of Sicharius,
546-503: Is considered the last of the great Merovingian kings by most historians, but this does not mean there was a major waning in Frankish power, especially in light of the writings of Paul the Deacon and John of Toledo . J.M. Wallace-Hadrill stated that Dagobert "had the ruthless energy of a Clovis and the cunning of a Charlemagne ." Despite having more or less united the Frankish realms, he likely
585-597: Is now common scholarly fare. The last or only Fredegar was the author of a brief account of the Wends including the best, and only contemporary, information on Samo. According to Fredegar, "Samo [was] a Frank by birth [or nation] from the pago Senonago ", which could be present-day Soignies in Belgium or present-day Sens in France . Although he was of Frankish origin, Samo demanded that an ambassador (Sicharius) of Dagobert I ( King of
624-486: The Abbey of Luxeuil . If this is correct, it may explain why he is remarkably free of typical stereotypes of heathen Slavs, and why he was familiar with the Wends as a specifically pagan nation. Few written works have their storyline taking place during Samo's Empire. One of them is the 2018 book Fire Worshipers , by Vladimír Olej. He is a major character (in the first few episodes as an amnesiac stranger going by "Vlad") in
663-558: The Austrasian Franks from the Avar menace. Under the rule of Dagobert's father and like-minded Merovingians, Frankish society during the seventh-century experienced greater integration—the Catholic faith became predominant for instance—and a generally improved economic situation, but there was no initial impetus for the political unification of Gaul. Clothar II did not seek to force his Neustrian neighbors into submission, choosing instead
702-808: The Austrasian nobility forced him to concede these regions to Dagobert. The rule of a Frank from the Austrasian heartland tied Alsace more closely to the Austrasian court. Dagobert created a new duchy (the later Duchy of Alsace ) in southwest Austrasia to guard the region from Burgundian or Alemannic encroachments and ambitions. The duchy comprised the Vosges, the Burgundian Gate , and the Transjura . Dagobert made his courtier Gundoin —who incidentally established monasteries in Alsace and Burgundy —the first duke of this new polity that
741-590: The Austrasians. Despite accepting this agreement, Fredegar reports that it was to little avail since the Wends attacked again the following year. Also in 632, the nobles of Austrasia revolted under the mayor of the palace , Pepin of Landen . In 634, Dagobert appeased the rebellious nobles by putting his three-year-old son, Sigebert III , on the throne, thereby ceding royal power in the easternmost of his realms, just as his father had done for him eleven years earlier. In historian Ian Wood's view, Dagobert's creation of
780-406: The Avar host. He probably based his account on "native" Wendish accounts. Fredegar records the story of the origo gentis (origin of the people) of the Wends. The Wends were Slavs, but Samo was the only king of the Wends , at least according to Fredegar. It has also been suggested that Fredegar's sources may have been the reports of Christian missionaries, especially disciples of Columbanus and
819-554: The Franks ) put on Slavic clothes before entering his castle. All other sources for Samo are derived from Fredegar and are much more recent. The Gesta Dagoberti I regis Francorum ("Deeds of King Dagobert I of the Franks") was written in the first third of the 9th century. The Conversio Bagoariorum et Carantanorum ("Conversion of the Bavarians and Karantanians") from Salzburg (the Bavarian ecclesiastic centre), written in 871–72,
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#1732876518588858-623: The Franks. He later gave the Aquitaine to Charibert as a "consolation prize." In 629, Dagobert concluded a treaty with the Byzantine emperor Heraclius , which entailed enforcing the compulsory baptism of Jews throughout his kingdom. Besides signing this treaty, Dagobert also took steps to secure trade across his empire by protecting important markets along the mouth of the Rhine at Duurstede and Utrecht , which in part explains his later determination to defend
897-518: The Huns [Avars] came to the Slavs, to spend the winter with them; then they took the wives and daughters of the Slavs and slept with them, and among the other mistreatments [already mentioned] the Slavs were also forced to pay levies to the Huns. But the sons of the Huns, who were [then] raised with the wives and daughters of these Wends [Slavs] could not finally endure this oppression anymore and refused obedience to
936-523: The Huns and began, as already mentioned, a rebellion. When now the Wendish army went against the Huns, the [aforementioned] merchant Samo accompanied the same. And so the Samo’s bravery proved itself in wonderful ways and a huge mass of Huns fell to the sword of the Wends. The most well-documented event of Samo's career was his victory over the Frankish royal army under Dagobert I in 631 or 632. Provoked to action by
975-551: The ambassador of Dagobert I to the Slavs. According to Fredegar, the "Wends" had long been subjects and befulci of the Avars . Befulci is a term, cognate with the word fulcfree found in the Edict of Rothari , signifying "entrusted [to guard]", from the Old German root felhan, falh, fulgum and Middle German bevelhen . Fredegar appears to have envisaged the Wends as a military unit of
1014-479: The eastern territories and also due to Dagobert's quarrel with him about the Wends having robbed and killed a number of Frankish merchants. While Dagobert's Austrasian forces were defeated at the Wogastisburg , his Alemannic and Lombard allies were successful in repelling the Wends. Taking advantage of the situation at the time, the Saxons offered to help Dagobert if he agreed to rescind the 500 cow yearly tribute to
1053-403: The first recorded political union of Slavic tribes , known as Samo's Empire ("realm", "kingdom", or "tribal union"), ruling from 623 until his death in 658. According to Fredegarius , the only contemporary source, Samo was a Frankish merchant who unified several Slavic tribes against robber raids and violence by nearby settled Avars , showing such bravery and command skills in battle that he
1092-515: The king's referendary St. Audoen . The Chronicle of Fredegar names three queens. Nanthild , Wulfegundis, and Berchildis, but none of the concubines. In 625/6 Dagobert married Gormatrude, a sister of his father's wife Sichilde . The marriage was childless. After divorcing Gormatrude in 629/30 he made Nanthild , a Saxon servant ( puella ) from his personal entourage, his new queen. She gave birth to Clovis II (b. 634/5) later king of Neustria and Burgundy. Shortly after his marriage to Nanthild,
1131-705: The main fighting force was defeated in a three-day siege near a place referred to as Wogastisburg . The site of the siege cannot be successfully located because the source, Fredegar's chronicle, gives no geographical specifications. Thus a lot of places claim to be connected with the battle (usually based on linguistic parallels and some excavations), such as Rubín hill near Podbořany ( Bohemia ), Úhošť hill near Kadaň ( Bohemia ), Bratislava ( Slovakia ), Trenčín ( Slovakia ), Beckov ( Slovakia ), Váh river = Voga ( Slovakia ), Staffelberg near Bad Staffelstein ( Upper Franconia ), Burk near Forchheim ( Upper Franconia ), Vienna , Augustianis and other places along
1170-466: The middle Danube etc. In fact, there is no conclusive evidence for any of these locations and it is even possible that the term Wogastisburg referred only to a kind of temporary encampment rather than a permanent settlement, in which case establishing a definite location would be impossible. This article about a battle is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Samo Samo ( c. 600 – c. 658 ) founded
1209-475: The palace rose as the political and war leader. Dagobert was the first Frankish king to be buried in the royal tombs at the Basilica of Saint-Denis . Dagobert was the eldest son of Chlothar II and Haldetrude (575–604) and the grandson of Fredegund . Chlothar had reigned alone over all the Franks since 613. In 622, Chlothar made Dagobert king of Austrasia , almost certainly to bind the Austrasian nobility to
Battle of Wogastisburg - Misplaced Pages Continue
1248-576: The ruling Franks. As a child, Dagobert lived under the care of the Carolingian dynasty forebears and Austrasian magnates, Arnulf of Metz and Pepin of Landen . Chlothar attempted to manage the unstable alliances he had with other noble families throughout much of Dagobert's reign. When Chlothar granted Austrasia to Dagobert, he initially excluded Alsace , the Vosges , and the Ardennes , but shortly thereafter
1287-557: The site of a Benedictine monastery in Paris. He also appointed St. Arbogast bishop of Strasbourg . Dagobert was beloved in many ways according to Fredegar, who wrote that "He rendered justice to rich and poor alike," adding that, "he took little sleep or food, and cared only so to act that all men should leave his presence full of joy and admiration." Such images do not fully convey the power and domination wielded by Frankish kings like Dagobert, who along with his father Chlothar, reigned to such
1326-521: The troops fled, leaving weapons and other equipment lying on the ground. In the aftermath of the Wendish victory, Samo invaded Frankish Thuringia several times and undertook looting raids there. The Sorbian prince Dervan abandoned the Franks and "placed himself and his people under Samo's realm". In 641, the rebellious duke of Thuringia , Radulf , sought an alliance with Samo against his sovereign, Sigebert III . Samo also maintained long-distance trade relationships. On his death, however, his title
1365-575: The year of Fredegar's arrival has been questioned on the basis that the Wends would have most likely rebelled after the defeat of the Avar khagan at the First Siege of Constantinople in 626. The Avars first arrived in the Pannonian Basin and subdued the local Slavs in the 560s. Samo may have been one of the merchants who supplied arms to the Slavs for their frequent revolts. Whether he became king during
1404-481: Was elected "King of the Slavs" ( Latin : rex Sclavorum ). In 631, Samo successfully defended his realm against the Frankish Kingdom in the three-day Battle of Wogastisburg . The dates for Samo's rule are based on Fredegar, who says that he went to the Slavs in the fortieth year of Chlothar II (i.e., 623–24) and reigned for thirty five years. The interpretation that places the start of Samo's reign in
1443-473: Was not expecting unitary rule to continue given the diverging interests of the Austrasian and Neustrian Franks, atop those of the Aquitanians and Burgundians. Upon Dagobert's death in 639, Pepin of Landen was able to recoup his position at Metz. Meanwhile, Dagobert was buried in the abbey of Saint Denis Basilica, Paris , the first Frankish king to be buried there. Dagobert's interment at Saint-Denis established
1482-475: Was not inherited by his sons. Ultimately, Samo can be credited with forging a Wendish identity by speaking on behalf of the community that recognised his authority. The main source of written information on Samo and his empire is the Fredegarii Chronicon , a Frankish chronicle written in the mid-7th century (c. 660). Though theories of multiple authorship once abounded, the notion of a single Fredegar
1521-731: Was to last until the end of the Merovingian dynasty. While Austrasian rulers such as Chlothar and Dagobert controlled these regions through part of the seventh-century, they eventually became autonomous kingdoms as powerful aristocratic families sought separate paths across their respective realms. Upon the death of his father in 629, Dagobert inherited the Neustrian and Burgundian kingdoms. His half-brother Charibert , son of Sichilde , claimed Neustria but Dagobert opposed him. Brodulf, brother of Sichilde, petitioned Dagobert on behalf of his young nephew, but Dagobert assassinated him and became sole king of
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