Editing Henry the Fowler (section)

==Rule==
[[File:Heinrich-der-finkler-darbringung-der-kaiserkrone.jpg|thumb|Legend of the German crown offered to Henry while fixing his birding nets, by [[Hermann Vogel (German illustrator)|Hermann Vogel]] (1854–1921)]]
Henry became Duke of Saxony after his father's death in 912. An able ruler, he continued to strengthen the position of his duchy within the weakening kingdom of [[East Francia]], and was frequently in conflict with his neighbors to the South in the [[Duchy of Franconia]].

On 23 December 918 [[Conrad I of Germany|Conrad I]], king of East Francia and Franconian duke, died. Although Henry had rebelled against Conrad I between 912 and 915 over the lands in [[Thuringia]], Conrad recommended Henry as his successor. Kingship now changed from the Franks to the [[Saxons]], who had suffered greatly during the conquests of Charlemagne and were proud of their identity. Henry, as Saxon, was the first non-Frank on the throne.

Conrad's choice was conveyed by his brother, duke [[Eberhard III of Franconia]] at the [[Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire)|Imperial Diet]] of [[Fritzlar]] in 919. The assembled Franconian and Saxon nobles elected Henry to be king with other regional dukes not participating in the election. Archbishop Heriger of [[Archbishopric of Mainz|Mainz]] offered to [[Anointing|anoint]] Henry according to the usual ceremony, but he refused – the only king of his time not to undergo that rite – allegedly because he wished to be king not by the church's but by the people's acclaim.

Henry, who was elected to kingship by only the Saxons and Franconians at Fritzlar, had to subdue the other dukes.

Duke [[Burchard II of Swabia]] soon swore fealty to the new king, but when he died, Henry appointed a noble from Franconia to be the new duke.

Duke [[Arnulf of Bavaria]], lord over a realm of impressive extent, with ''de facto'' powers of a king and at times even named so in documents, proved a much harder nut to crack. He would not submit until Henry defeated him in two campaigns in 921.

[[File:Der Finkenherd in Quedlinburg.jpg|thumb|upright|''Finkenherd'' (finch trap) at [[Quedlinburg]], built around 1530 at the legendary place of the king's bird trapping]]
In the short remnant of a more lengthy text, "[[Fragmentum de Arnulfo duce Bavariae]] ([[:de:Fragmentum de Arnulfo duce Bavariae|de]])", the author gives a very lively impression of the disconcert Henry's claims caused in Bavaria:
The piece abruptly starts with a clause. It relates that Henry I (''Saxo Heimricus''), following the advice of an unnamed bishop, had invaded the Bavarian kingdom (''regnum Baioariae'') in a hostile way. Decidedly, it hints at the unlawfulness of this encroachment, namely in that [[Duchy of Bavaria#Younger stem duchy|Bavaria]] was a territory in which none of Henry's forefathers had ever possessed even a foot (gressum pedis) of land. This was also the reason – by God's will (Dei nutu) – for him having been defeated in this first campaign. This can be seen as proof that Henry did campaign against Bavaria, and Arnulf, more than once.
In the second chapter, the unknown chronicler hints that Henry's predecessor on the throne, [[Conrad I of Germany|Conrad I]], had also invaded Bavaria in an equally unlawful and hostile (non regaliter, sed hostiliter) fashion. Conrad is said to have marauded through the land, murdering and pillaging, having made many children orphans (orphanos) and women widows (viduas). [[Ratisbon]], the duke's seat, was set to light and looted. After Conrad committed all these crimes (peccatis), it reports that divine providence (divino nutu) forced him to withdraw. The reason for this is not mentioned.
The last section is a eulogy to Duke Arnulf who is described as a glorious leader (gloriosus dux), being blessed by heaven (ex alto) with all kinds of virtues, brave and dynamic. He alone had saved his people from the scourge of the Saxons (de sevienti gladio paganorum) and given them back their freedom.
This panegyric to the Bavarian duke is unparalleled for its time and underlines his position of power in the southeast of the East Frankish realm, so endangered by disintegration, so that "Arnulf ... nearly [found] the same resonance in the scarce historiography of his time, as did King Henry".

Henry besieged Arnulf's residence at Ratisbon and forced the duke into submission. Arnulf had crowned himself as king of Bavaria in 919, but in 921 renounced the crown and submitted to Henry while maintaining significant autonomy and the right to mint his own coins.

In his time, the king was considered ''[[primus inter pares]] (first among equals)''. The king and princes formulated policies together and the position of the monarchy could only be consolidated gradually. Even under Otto the Great and later monarchs, consensus building would remain important.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Loud |first1=Graham A. |last2=Schenk |first2=Jochen |title=The Origins of the German Principalities, 1100–1350: Essays by German Historians |date=6 July 2017 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-317-02200-8 |page=49 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nkwrDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA49 |access-date=9 March 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Peters |first1=Edward |title=Europe and the Middle Ages |date=2004 |publisher=Pearson Prentice Hall |isbn=978-0-13-096772-5 |page=190 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nJ8hAQAAIAAJ |access-date=9 March 2022 |language=en}}</ref> 

===Wars over Lotharingia===
[[File:Lotharingia-959.svg|thumb|Map of Lotharingia in the 10th century]]
{{Main|Lotharingia}}
In 920, the king of [[West Francia]], [[Charles the Simple]], invaded and marched as far as [[Pfeddersheim]] near [[Worms, Germany|Worms]], but retreated when he learned that Henry was organizing an army.{{sfn|Poole|1926|p=180}} On 7 November 921, Henry and Charles met and concluded the [[Treaty of Bonn]], in which Henry was recognized as the east Frankish king and Charles rule in Lotharingia was recognized.{{sfn|Bachrach|2012|p=19}} Henry then saw an opportunity to take [[Lotharingia]] when a civil war over royal succession began in West Francia after the coronation of King [[Robert I of France|Robert I]].{{sfn|Bachrach|2012|p=21}} In 923 Henry crossed the Rhine twice, capturing a large part of the duchy.{{sfn|Bachrach|2012|pp=21–22}} The eastern part of Lotharingia was left in Henry's possession until October 924.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}

In 925 Duke [[Gilbert, Duke of Lorraine|Gilbert of Lotharingia]] rebelled. Henry invaded the duchy and besieged Gilbert at [[Zülpich]] (Tolbiac), captured the town, and became master of a large portion of his lands. Allowing Gilbert to remain in power as duke, Henry arranged the marriage of his daughter Gerberga to his new vassal in 928. Thus he brought that realm, which had been lost in 910, back into the kingdom as the fifth stem duchy.

===Wars with Magyars===
The threat of Magyar raiders improved his situation, as all the dukes and nobles realized that only a strong state could defend their lands against barbarian incursions.

In 919 Henry was defeated by the Magyars in the [[Battle of Püchen]], hardly escaping from being killed in battle, managing to take refuge in the town of Püchen.{{efn|Rex autem Avares sepenumero insurgentes expulit. Et cum in uno dierum hos inpari congressu ledere temptaret, victus in urbem, quae Bichni vocatur, fugit; ibique mortis periculum evadens, urbanos maiori gloria, quam hactenus haberent vel comprovinciales hodie teneant, et ad haec muneribus dignis honorat."'' English translation from the Latin: ''The king drove away the Avars [Magyars], who attacked his country repeatedly. And when he once, with insufficient forces, dared to attack them, he was defeated and fled in a city, with the name Bichni [Püchen]. Because he there escaped death, so he gave the citizens the same greater privileges than they had before, and which have no match among their countrymen until this day, and besides that, he gave them rich presents too."{{sfn|von Holtzmann|1935|p=21}}}}

In 921 the [[Magyars]] once again invaded East Francia and Italy. Although a sizable Magyar force was defeated near [[Bleiburg]] in the Bavarian [[March of Carinthia]] by Eberhard and the Count of Meran and another group was routed by [[Liutfried]], count of Elsass (French reading: [[Alsace]]), the Magyars continued raiding East Francia.

Henry, having captured a Hungarian prince, managed to arrange a ten-year truce in 924, though he agreed to pay annual tribute. By doing so he and the dukes gained time to build new fortified towns and to train a new elite cavalry force.{{sfn|Leyser|1982|p=13}} Henry built fortified settlements as a defense against Magyar and Slav invaders. In 932 Henry refused to pay the annual tribute to the Magyars. When they began raiding again, Henry, with his improved army in 933 at the [[Battle of Riade]], crushed the Magyars so completely that they never returned to the northern lands of Henry's kingdom.{{sfn|Steinberg|2014|p=5}}

===Wars with Slavs===
During the truce with the Magyars, Henry subdued the [[Polabian Slavs]] who lived on his eastern borders. In the winter of 928 he marched against the Slavic [[Hevelli]] tribes and seized their capital, [[Brandenburg an der Havel|Brandenburg]]. He then invaded the [[Glomacze]] lands on the middle [[Elbe]] river, conquering the capital Gana (Jahna) after a [[Siege of Gana|siege]], and had a fortress (the later [[Albrechtsburg]]) built at [[Meissen]]. In 929, with the help of Arnulf of Bavaria, Henry entered the [[Duchy of Bohemia]] and forced Duke [[Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia|Wenceslaus I]] to resume the annual payment of tribute to the king.{{sfn|Krofta|1957|p=426}}

Meanwhile, the Slavic [[Veleti|Redarii]] had driven away their chief, captured the town of [[Walsleben, Saxony-Anhalt|Walsleben]] and massacred its inhabitants. Counts Bernard and Thietmar marched against the fortress of [[Lenzen]] beyond the Elbe, and, after fierce [[Battle of Lenzen|fighting]], completely routed the enemy on 4 September 929. The [[Sorbs|Lusatians]] and the [[Ukrani]] on the lower [[Oder]] were subdued and made tributary in 932 and 934, respectively.{{sfn|Poole|1926|p=185}} In conquered lands Henry did not create [[March (territory)|march]] administration, which was implemented by his successor Otto I.

===Wars with Danes===
Henry also pacified territories to the north, where the [[Denmark|Danes]] had been harrying the [[Frisians]] by sea. The monk and chronicler [[Widukind of Corvey]] in his ''Res gestae Saxonicae'' reports that the Danes were subjects of Henry the Fowler.<ref>{{cite web |last=Gannholm |first=Tore |title=First churches on Gotland as described in GUTA LAGH |url=https://www.academia.edu/35828016}}</ref> Henry incorporated into his kingdom territories held by the [[Wends]], who together with the Danes had attacked Germany, and also conquered [[Schleswig]] in 934.{{sfn|Steinberg|2014|p=5}}