Bloody Verdict of Verden
Encyclopedia
The Massacre of Verden, Bloodbath of Verden, or Bloody Verdict of Verden (German
Blutgericht von Verden) was a massacre
of 4,500 captive rebel Saxons
in 782. During the Saxon Wars
, the Saxons rebelled against Charlemagne
's invasion and subsequent attempts to Christianize
them from their native Germanic paganism
. The massacre is recorded as having occurred in what is now Verden
in Lower Saxony
, Germany
. In 1935, landscape architect Wilhelm Hübotter designed a memorial that was built at a possible site for the massacre. Some scholars have attempted to exonerate Charlemagne of the massacre since, but these attempts have been generally rejected.
records that, after Charlemagne lost two envoys, four counts, and around twenty nobles in battle with the Saxons, Charlemagne responded by massacring 4,500 rebelling Saxons in what is now Verden. Regarding this massacre, the entry reads:
says that, regarding Charlemagne, the massacre "produced perhaps the greatest stain on his reputation". In his survey on scholarship regarding Charlemagne, Barbero comments on attempts at exonerating Charlemagne and his forces from the massacre:
Barbero comments that the incident would be little more than a footnote in scholarship were it not for controversy in German circles due to Nationalistic sentiment during World War II
in Germany, and concludes that "in reality, the most likely inspiration for the mass execution of Verden was the Bible", citing the biblical tale of the total extermination of the Amalekites and conquest of the Moabites by David
(after the Moabites were defeated, two out of three are recorded as having been stretched out and killed) and commenting that, in turn, Charlemagne likely "wanted to act like a true King of Israel". Barbero further points out that, a few years later, a royal chronicler, commenting on Charlemagne's treatment of the Saxons, records that "either they were defeated or subjected to the Christian religion or completely swept away."
In 1935, landscape architect Wilhelm Hübotter was commissioned to build the Sachsenhain (German "Grove of the Saxons") in Verden, a monument to commemorate the massacre consisting of 4,500 large stones. The monument was used as both a memorial to the event and employed as a meeting place for the Schutzstaffel
.
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
Blutgericht von Verden) was a massacre
Massacre
A massacre is an event with a heavy death toll.Massacre may also refer to:-Entertainment:*Massacre , a DC Comics villain*Massacre , a 1932 drama film starring Richard Barthelmess*Massacre, a 1956 Western starring Dane Clark...
of 4,500 captive rebel Saxons
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
in 782. During the Saxon Wars
Saxon Wars
The Saxon Wars were the campaigns and insurrections of the more than thirty years from 772, when Charlemagne first entered Saxony with the intent to conquer, to 804, when the last rebellion of disaffected tribesmen was crushed. In all, eighteen battles were fought in what is now northwestern Germany...
, the Saxons rebelled against Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
's invasion and subsequent attempts to Christianize
Christianization
The historical phenomenon of Christianization is the conversion of individuals to Christianity or the conversion of entire peoples at once...
them from their native Germanic paganism
Germanic paganism
Germanic paganism refers to the theology and religious practices of the Germanic peoples of north-western Europe from the Iron Age until their Christianization during the Medieval period...
. The massacre is recorded as having occurred in what is now Verden
Verden
Verden can refer to:* Verden an der Aller, a town in Lower Saxony, Germany* Verden, Oklahoma, a small town in the USA* Verden , a district in Lower Saxony, Germany...
in Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
, 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...
. In 1935, landscape architect Wilhelm Hübotter designed a memorial that was built at a possible site for the massacre. Some scholars have attempted to exonerate Charlemagne of the massacre since, but these attempts have been generally rejected.
Attestations
An entry for the year 782 in the Royal Frankish AnnalsRoyal Frankish Annals
The Royal Frankish Annals or Annals of the Kingdom of the Franks ,are annals covering the history of early Carolingian monarchs from 741 to 829. Their composition seems to have soon been taken up at court, providing them with markedly official character...
records that, after Charlemagne lost two envoys, four counts, and around twenty nobles in battle with the Saxons, Charlemagne responded by massacring 4,500 rebelling Saxons in what is now Verden. Regarding this massacre, the entry reads:
- When he heard this, the Lord King Charles rushed to the place with all the Franks that he could gather on short notice and advanced to where the Aller flows into the Weser. Then all the Saxons came together again, submitted to the authority of the Lord King, and surrendered the evildoers who were chiefly responsible for this revolt to be put to death—four thousand and five hundred of them. This sentence was carried out. Widukind
WidukindWidukind was a pagan Saxon leader and the chief opponent of Charlemagne during the Saxon Wars. Widukind was the leader of the Saxons against the Frankish king Charlemagne...
was not among them since he had fled to Nordmannia. When he had finished this business, the Lord King returned to Francia.
Legacy
Historian Alessandro BarberoAlessandro Barbero
Alessandro Barbero is an Italian historian, novelist and essayist. He attended the University of Turin where he studied literature and Medieval history. He won the 1996 Strega Prize, Italy's most distinguished literary award, for Bella vita e guerre altrui di Mr. Pyle gentiluomo. His second novel,...
says that, regarding Charlemagne, the massacre "produced perhaps the greatest stain on his reputation". In his survey on scholarship regarding Charlemagne, Barbero comments on attempts at exonerating Charlemagne and his forces from the massacre:
- Several historians have attempted to lessen Charles's responsibility for the massacre, by stressing that until a few months earlier the king thought he had pacified the country, the Saxons nobles had sworn allegiance, and many of them had been appointed counts. Thus the rebellion constituted an act of treason punishable by death, the same penalty that the extremely harsh Saxon law imposed with great facility, even for the most insignificant of crimes. Others have attempted to twist the accounts provided by sources, arguing that the Saxons were killed in battle and not massacred in cold blood, or even that the verb declare (to decapitate) was a copyist's error in place of delocare (to relocate), so the prisoners were deported. None of these attempts has proved credible.
Barbero comments that the incident would be little more than a footnote in scholarship were it not for controversy in German circles due to Nationalistic sentiment during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in Germany, and concludes that "in reality, the most likely inspiration for the mass execution of Verden was the Bible", citing the biblical tale of the total extermination of the Amalekites and conquest of the Moabites by David
David
David was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary...
(after the Moabites were defeated, two out of three are recorded as having been stretched out and killed) and commenting that, in turn, Charlemagne likely "wanted to act like a true King of Israel". Barbero further points out that, a few years later, a royal chronicler, commenting on Charlemagne's treatment of the Saxons, records that "either they were defeated or subjected to the Christian religion or completely swept away."
In 1935, landscape architect Wilhelm Hübotter was commissioned to build the Sachsenhain (German "Grove of the Saxons") in Verden, a monument to commemorate the massacre consisting of 4,500 large stones. The monument was used as both a memorial to the event and employed as a meeting place for the Schutzstaffel
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
.
See also
- Capitulatio de partibus SaxoniaeCapitulatio de partibus SaxoniaeCapitulatio de partibus Saxoniae is a legal code issued by Charlemagne and imposed upon the Saxons during the Saxon Wars in 785...
, a law code imposed by Charlemagne in 785 that prescribes death for Saxon pagans refusing to convert to Christianity - Blood courtBlood courtBlood Court or high justice in the Holy Roman Empire referred to the right of a Vogt to hold a criminal court inflicting bodily punishment, including the death penalty.Not every Vogt held the blood court...
- List of massacres in Germany