Editing Saxons (section)

== The Saxons and the Arnulfings ==
[[File:Saxe_primitive.JPG|thumb|right|The later [[stem duchy]] of Saxony ({{circa|1000&nbsp;AD}}), which was based in the Saxons' traditional homeland bounded by the rivers [[Ems River|Ems]], [[Eider (river)|Eider]] and [[Elbe]]]]
The continental Saxons appear to have become consolidated by the end of the eighth century, partly as a result of interaction with the powerful Frankish kingdoms. The ancestors of Charlemagne, the [[Arnulfing]]s, took control of the neighbouring Austrasian kingdom of the Franks and sought to assert power over the peoples to the east including not only the Bavarians, Swabians and Thuringians, which were long under Frankish rule, but also the Saxons and Frisians. They also pressured the Saxons and Frisians to convert to Christianity. In 804 the emperor [[Charlemagne]] conquered the Saxons, and incorporated the Saxons into the Frankish empire as a Stem Duchy, similar to the older ones although there is no evidence that it had previously been a single kingdom. The [[Duchy of Saxony]] (804–1296) covered Westphalia, Eastphalia, Angria and Nordalbingia, which is roughly equivalent to Holstein, the southern part of modern-day Schleswig-Holstein state, now bordering on Denmark.
*In the 690s, Bede reported that a people known as the ''Boructuari'' were invaded by the pagan Saxons during a period when the [[Suitbert of Kaiserswerth|Saint Suibert]], an Anglo-Saxon missionary bishop assigned to Frisia at that time, who was doing missionary work in the area. This was probably near Frisia, and the area is widely believed to correspond to the Roman-era [[Bructeri]], who lived had once lived near the [[Lippe]] river.
*From the same report of Bede about English missionaries in the 690s the [[Two Ewalds]] were killed somewhere in Saxony while trying to convert one of the "satraps" of Saxony. The Ewalds apparently had the support of this local ruler, and also [[Pepin of Herstal]] who was the effective ruler of Frankish Austrasia at this time.{{sfn|Springer|2004|pages=131-134}} 
*In 715, not long after the death of Pepin of Herstal, Frankish annals report that Saxons took control of "''Hattuaria''". In later centuries this name was given to the Frankish country near [[Cleves]] and [[Xanten]], between Rhine and Maas, but the area involved in this takeover may have been on opposite side of the Rhine.{{sfn|Springer|2004|page=118}} It is named after a Roman era Frankish tribe, the [[Chattuarii]], who had once been the eastern neighbours of the Bructeri. [[Ammianus Marcellinus]] reported them to be living north of the Rhine in the 4th century.
*In 718, [[Charles Martel]], the son of Pepin, invaded Saxony as far as the [[Weser]]. He campaigned there again in 720, 724, 738, and possibly also in 722 and 728.{{sfn|Springer|2004|page=165}} 
*In the 730s, Bede wrote his ''[[Ecclesiastical History of the English People]]'', which mentions, for example, that the land of the Angles was once between those of the Saxons and Jutes, but was now empty. 
*Also in about this period the ''[[Ravenna Cosmography]]'' was written which uses the same term "Old Saxony" to refer to the apparent continental homeland of the British Saxons who the writer understood to have came from this Old Saxony with their leader named [[Oisc of Kent|Ansehis]]. It describes the lands of the Saxons as lying on the Ocean coast between Frisia and the Danes. It also borders on Thuringia and contains the rivers "Lamizon", "Ipada", "Lippa" and "Limac" (generally interpreted as the [[Ems (river)|Ems]], [[Pader (river)|Pader]], [[Lippe]] and [[Leine]]). This work names its source as a Gothic geographer named Marcomir, who had written an earlier study of Saxony.
*In 743 two of the sons of Charles, [[Pepin the Short]] and [[Carloman, Mayor of the Palace|Carloman]], marched against [[Odilo of Bavaria]], who was nominally a Frankish subject. Carloman then turned north towards Saxony, or a part of it, which had sent troops to support Bavaria. After conquering the ''[[Castle|castrum]]'' of Ho(o)hseoburg forced the Saxon duke (war leader) [[Theoderic, Duke of Saxony|Theoderic]] to surrender at a ''[[placitum]]'' held at that same place.<ref>''Annales Einhardi'' 743, MGH SS I, p. 135.</ref> The brothers [[Saxon Wars|invaded Saxony]] again the next year (744) and Theoderic was captured.<ref>RFA, 743 and 744, p. 38.</ref>
*In 748 Pepin the Short marched through Thuringia to Saxony, during a period when his half brother [[Grifo (noble)|Grifo]] was attempting seize power in Bavaria. The part of Saxony beyond Thuringia where he went is referred to in the [[Annals of Metz]] as "North Swabia" and many of the Saxons there converted to Christianity at this time. The continuation of the [[Chronicle of Fredegar]] claims that they accepted to return to go back to paying a tribute of 500 cows.{{sfn|Springer|2004|pages=171-173}}
*In 751 Pepin was crowned as king, and in 753 he attacked the Saxons northeast of the Rhine in the area of [[Bad Iburg]] and [[Bad Oeynhausen]].{{sfn|Springer|2004|pages=173-174}}
*In 758 Pepin attacked Saxony once more and agreed to a tribute of 330 horses per year from the defeated Saxons.{{sfn|Springer|2004|page=174}}