Ebook: The Conquest of Saxony 782-785 AD: Charlemagne's defeat of Widukind of Westphalia

Charlemagne's conquest of the Saxons was the hardest fought and most protracted of his wars. It involved 18 campaigns spread over 33 years, a great deal of lower-level fighting and the harshest final peace settlement that Charlemagne ever imposed upon a defeated foe. This was also the most important of all Charlemagne's war for the future direction and character of European history and, paradoxically, it also began the long process of uniting the German-speaking peoples. Starting in 772 with a series of raids and incursions, the Carolingian campaign rapidly took on the character of a religious conquest.