Great Frisian Empire

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Great Frisian Empire around 716

The Greater Frisian Empire is the name of a Frisian kingdom that reached its greatest extent between 650 and 734. The empire is also known by the Latin name Magna Frisia .

location

The dominion of the Frisians extended over a wide stretch of coast on the North Sea from Bruges , over the Rhine-Maas delta to the Weser . The core area was between today's IJsselmeer and the Ems . Residences were probably Utrecht and Dorestad .

history

During the time of the Great Frisian Empire, there were repeated conflicts with the Franconian Empire to the south . While the Great Frisian Empire under King Aldgisl still lived largely in peace with the Franks , there were repeated conflicts with the Franks under Aldgisl's successor, Radbod . The wars were mainly fought over the control of the Rhine-Meuse delta , which was ruled by the Frisians. In the battle of Wijk bij Duurstede , on the banks of the Rhine , he was defeated by the ruler of the Franconian Empire, Pippin the Middle , and had to cede the western part of the empire to the Franks. In the Franconian-ruled areas, Willibrord began missioning the pagan Frisians from 690 onwards .

After the death of Pippin the Middle, Radbod gathered his troops and in 716 recaptured the previously lost territories in a battle against the Frankish caretaker Karl Martell . Radbod died in 719 and was succeeded by Poppo . Under his rule, the Franks began to recapture western Friesland and by 720 all of the former Frisian parts of the country west of the Vlie were again in Franconian hands.

In 734 Karl Martell sent his troops again to Friesland, and the battle of the Boorne broke out , in which the Franks were able to destroy the Frisian troops. Poppo was killed in the battle and the Franks also annexed the Frisian area between the Vlie and the Lauwers .

The Franconian Empire, Friesland as the conquest of the Franks, 734

The Frisians only had a much smaller area of ​​dominion. Over time, he was absorbed in the ever-growing Franconian empire.

Ruler

It is not known exactly what title the rulers of the Great Frisian Empire had. In French-language literature, the early rulers of the Frisians are called dukes, in Anglo-Saxon literature they are usually listed as kings.

Surname Reign from Remarks
Finn of Friesland 6th century Proven only by saying
... ...
Audulf ± 600 - ± 630
... ± 630-654
Aldgisl 654-680
Radbod 680-719
Poppo 719-734

literature