Editing Schleswig-Holstein (section)

====Saxon Wars====
[[File:Limes.saxoniae.wmt.png|thumb|The {{Lang|la|[[Limes Saxoniae]]}} border between the [[Saxons]] and the [[Obotrites]], established about 810 in present-day Schleswig-Holstein]]
{{main|Saxon Wars}}
Normalcy in the area vanished with the expansion of the [[Francia|Frankish Empire]] into [[Saxons|Saxony]] from 772 to 804, triggering a generational war on an unprecedented scale for the region. Prior to this, the Franks had spent nearly 20 years, from the late 600s to the early 700s, subjugating and converting the [[Frisian Kingdom]]. Their primary opponent was the formidable Frisian king [[Radbod of Frisia|Redbad]], who fiercely resisted the Franks until his death. Now, the Frisians' neighbors, the Saxons, faced Frankish expansion. The ''casus belli'' was a Saxon raid on the church in [[Deventer]] in January of 772. This conflict, fueled by [[Charlemagne]]'s desire to conquer the Saxons and convert them from their belief in the [[Germanic mythology|Germanic pantheon]] to [[Christianity]], used the Deventer raid as a pretext to wage a war that would ultimately reshape the political and cultural landscape of what would later become Holstein forever. Over the course of 18 campaigns, carried out in three phases over 32 years, Charlemagne aimed to subdue the Saxons and forcibly convert them to Christianity, in what became known as the [[Saxon Wars]].{{cn|date=September 2024}} In retaliation for the raid on the church in Deventer, Charlemagne ordered his troops to destroy the holy pillar [[Irminsul]], near [[Paderborn]] in either 772 or 773—a notorious act that sent shockwaves throughout the Germanic pagan world.{{cn|date=September 2024}} It has been postulated that Irminsul symbolised [[Yggdrasil|Yggdrasil Ash]] - the world tree. Charlemagne then destroyed all Saxon settlements up to the [[Weser|Wesser]] river. After defeating the Saxons and securing [[Hostage diplomacy|hostages]], he turned his attention to northern [[Italy]].{{cn|date=September 2024}} 

For centuries, the Danes and Saxons had regarded each other as kindred peoples, sharing the same belief in the Germanic pantheon and frequently intermarrying, especially among the elite.{{cn|date=September 2024}} Thus, the defeated Saxon warleader [[Widukind]] sought refuge with his father-in-law, Danish king [[Sigfred]]. The ''[[Royal Frankish Annals]]'' mention that Widukind received substantial aid from Sigfred, though the exact nature of this aid is not explicitly stated. However, the chronicles do note that Sigfred and Charlemagne brokered a peace agreement some years later, indicating that Sigfred, upon hearing Widukind's plea, may have mustered his army and joined the war on the side of the Saxons.{{cn|date=September 2024}} In response to the Danes' involvement in the war, Charlemagne seems to have recruited the [[Obotrites]] by promising them the Saxon portion of Holstein.{{cn|date=September 2024}} This alliance with Charlemagne shifted the balance of power in the region. In 782, after another defeat of the Saxons, Charlemagne ordered the mass execution of 4,500 Saxons, an atrocity that became known as the [[Massacre of Verden]]. Following this brutal act, Charlemagne was nicknamed the "Butcher of Saxons" or "Saxonslaughterer."{{cn|date=September 2024}}

In 796, despite Saxony being fully under Frankish rule, the Saxons rose up once more, supported by the Danes. The rebellion was triggered by forced conscription of Saxons for the Frankish [[Avar Wars|wars against the Avars]]. Moreover, Charlemagne, in alliance with the Obotrites, planned to subjugate the Danes, now led by King [[Gudfred|Gudfred Sigfredson]].{{cn|date=September 2024}} However, Gudfred struck first. He expanded the Danevirke, assembled a fleet, mustered an army, and launched attacks on the Obotrites and later Frankish Frisia. But he was slain, either by one of his [[huscarls]] or possibly his own illegitimate son, on the Frisian campaign. The new Danish king, [[Hemming of Denmark|Hemming]], Gudfred's nephew, initiated peace talks, which resulted in the [[Treaty of Heiligen]] in 810. The treaty established the Danish border at the Eider River. Charlemagne retained Saxony, including Holstein, and established the [[Limes Saxoniae]] as a border with the Obotrites. This agreement established firm boundaries between the Franks, Obotrites, and Danes, securing peace in the region.{{cn|date=September 2024}}