Battle of the Boarn
Encyclopedia
The Battle of the Boarn was an eighth century battle between the Franks
and the Frisians
near the mouth of the river Boarn in what is now the Dutch province of Friesland
.
In 734 a Frankish army commanded by Majordomo Charles Martel
invaded Friesland in a campaign that was part of a series of ongoing wars and skirmishes between the Franks and the Frisians. Marching along the river Boarn the Frankish army reached the mouth of the river where it used to flow into the Bordine estuary or Middelsee. This estuary has since silted up and been claimed for agriculture during the 10th to 14th century.
The Frisians commanded by King Poppo
used boats to land their army and surprise the Franks. However, the Frisian army was beaten and Poppo killed. The Franks gained control of the Frisian lands west of the Lauwers
estuary and the Frisians became vassals of the Franks apart from the tribes living in East Frisia
in present day Germany
.
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
and the Frisians
Frisians
The Frisians are a Germanic ethnic group native to the coastal parts of the Netherlands and Germany. They are concentrated in the Dutch provinces of Friesland and Groningen and, in Germany, East Frisia and North Frisia, that was a part of Denmark until 1864. They inhabit an area known as Frisia...
near the mouth of the river Boarn in what is now the Dutch province of Friesland
Friesland
Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...
.
In 734 a Frankish army commanded by Majordomo Charles Martel
Charles Martel
Charles Martel , also known as Charles the Hammer, was a Frankish military and political leader, who served as Mayor of the Palace under the Merovingian kings and ruled de facto during an interregnum at the end of his life, using the title Duke and Prince of the Franks. In 739 he was offered the...
invaded Friesland in a campaign that was part of a series of ongoing wars and skirmishes between the Franks and the Frisians. Marching along the river Boarn the Frankish army reached the mouth of the river where it used to flow into the Bordine estuary or Middelsee. This estuary has since silted up and been claimed for agriculture during the 10th to 14th century.
The Frisians commanded by King Poppo
Poppo (Frisian)
Poppo , also known as Bubo or Bobba, was a king of Frisia from the 8th century. After Aldgisl and Radboud he is the third Frisian ruler mentioned in the literature. He is possibly the last Frisian king...
used boats to land their army and surprise the Franks. However, the Frisian army was beaten and Poppo killed. The Franks gained control of the Frisian lands west of the Lauwers
Lauwers
The Lauwers is a river in the Netherlands. It forms part of the border between the provinces of Friesland and Groningen. From the 730's to Widukind's defeat in 785 it was part of the border of the Frankish Empire....
estuary and the Frisians became vassals of the Franks apart from the tribes living in East Frisia
East Frisia
East Frisia or Eastern Friesland is a coastal region in the northwest of the German federal state of Lower Saxony....
in present day Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.