The division of the great Franks was destined, and Charlemagne made a will dividing the kingdom among his three sons. However, his two sons died before him, and his only surviving legitimate son, Louis the Pious, succeeded him.
Louis had three sons, Lothair, Pepin, and Ludwig.
The division of the kingdom had major internal factors. Charlemagne's crazy expansion during his lifetime made it difficult for the Royal City of Aachen to command the entire huge kingdom. At this time, it must be the best choice to divide the kingdom into several pieces and distribute them to the sons. In this way, they will all benefit. It is expected that the conflicts between the brothers will be eliminated, and based on the bond of blood, they can also fight against foreign enemies together.
Charlemagne had drawn up a blueprint for dividing the kingdom, and Louis, who succeeded him, was forced to carry it out at the behest of his three sons.
The eldest son, Lothair, held the largest territory and was the successor king of the Franks and Italy.
The second son, Pepin, led Aquitaine and became the king of the southern part of the kingdom.
The third son, Ludwig, led the west and north of the kingdom and was the King of Bavaria and Saxony.
Louis the Pious had made plans to divide the kingdom early. His sons had already lived their own lives in their respective territories, and the fighting between them had subsided a lot. If this continues, Louis can live the rest of his life peacefully as a de facto king.
Until the birth of that child.
The youngest son Charlie was born. It is a great blessing to have a son in old age. At first, the three brothers didn't think there was anything special about their fourth brother, until the king's father decided on a whim to add a title to the fourth brother, and give part of the territory originally allocated to other sons to Charlie.
The balance of power among the three sons was broken, and the father personally tore up the blueprint he had set for separation. The power of the brothers was weakened. Who can guarantee that the old father will not continue to cut the land on a whim?
Could it be that my younger brother can still become the biggest threat to everyone?
Civil war reignited, and the three sons imprisoned their father and younger brother Charles, while armies continued to wage war against each other.
In order to gain more results on the battlefield and gain confidence at the negotiating table, they are actually looking for external reinforcements.
But when it comes to the civil war in the Frankish Kingdom, what does this have to do with the Baltic world in the north?
The relationship is too great.
In other words, if you win over the Danes to join your own forces to increase your military strength, even if it doesn't work, it can also affect the strength of other brothers. This is what Ludwig did. He was the king of Bavaria and Saxony, and he had both civil and military skills to win over Denmark.
Eskil did voluntarily go to Denmark and further places to spread his faith, but doing so required a lot of financial support. Otherwise, how could he have the money to build a monastery in Hedeby and raise and educate those slave children? The financial backer behind him is Prince Ludwig, who has not yet become king.
If he conquers all the Danes with his faith and becomes the lord of all Denmark, then it is not impossible to recruit a brave army here and sweep away his brothers to become the king of all Franks. Ludwig actually knew very well that the Danes were ferocious beasts that were difficult to tame, but as long as they were tamed, they would be excellent mercenaries in war.
This is a set of "literary" strategies, and you cannot rush for quick success.
Based on the letters sent back by Eskil, Ludwig suddenly learned of the existence of the "Principality of Rus".
"A rapidly rising principality, a very young Duke, and an army that left the Danes helpless. The young Duke of Ross personally killed the King of Denmark, causing great chaos in Denmark..."
The content described in the letter was so bizarre that Ludwig felt that Eskil was bragging. He also claimed that the work of spreading faith in the far north was quite smooth, and claimed that he was only one step away from influencing the young Duke of Ross.
"Bah! We are short of money."
Ludwig was quite generous in providing funds to Eskil, and he learned that Denmark was indeed leaderless now, which made things that were once difficult to handle become easier. For example, everything went well at the monastery in Hedeby, and many Danish Local people have been baptized.
However, it is still too slow to achieve victory simply by relying on "literary" strategies.
At this time, Harald Clark, the former Danish leader under his command, took the initiative to ask for help.
"Give me an army, and I will take my brothers back to my hometown. You make me Duke of Denmark, and I will respect you as king. I will baptize the whole of Denmark and fight for you."
But Harald Clark was already old, and after losing power, he only brought dozens of cronies as mercenaries. Ludwig did not want to use this person. His reputation in Denmark was not good. Even if he were to be sent back, it would be tantamount to a Frankish act of war in the eyes of the Danes.
Ludwig's rejection was very decisive: "You are already old, but your nephew Horik Klarsson is in Flanders. He is more suitable to be the leader of Denmark than you, and he has such strength and ability. Such a wish. The most important thing is that I don’t have to pay an extra silver coin. I just need to ask the earls in the north to provide all support except help."
Indeed, Harald Clark is already old. A great lord has been reduced to a mercenary. Will he die silently in his miserable old age? He had already worn the cross, and it no longer mattered how a soldier died. His master, Ludwig, had given him all the information, so he went to a monastery to retire if he really couldn't lift the axe.
But Horik was young and powerful, and his old subordinates were also brave. He was canonized as Count of Friesland by Ludwig. Of course, this was only a name in name. No one except Ludwig really took this title seriously.
Horik is indeed not a real feudal noble, and the genuine Friesland Earl family exists safely. Horik's "Count of Friesland" occupied the city of Durist, which was once an ordinary coastal town. Now it is run into a Viking city and a den for pirates to sell stolen goods. This is naturally the reason why. What Derwig wanted to see.
Because Horik, the "Queen Pirate", robbed much of his brother Lothair's territory, and part of the looted property and military supplies would be supplied to his master.
This young man with a round face and a plump face is much more sensible than his uncle.
What is extremely ironic is that this man is also a practicing Christian.
Horik is eager to take his brothers back to his hometown in Denmark for more than a day or two!
"I was destined to be the King of Denmark, but I ended up where I am now."
How can you enjoy being the King of Denmark by being a figurehead for Prince Ludwig of the Franks? Besides, why should Denmark accept Frankish rule?
Such thoughts are not due to his unruly character, but because Charlemagne was expanding to the north and wanted to annex Denmark thirty years ago. The Frankish army killed innocent people indiscriminately, and the neighboring Saxons suffered the most severe persecution. The memory of terror has been circulated. The Danes could not recognize a man who surrendered to the Franks as their leader. The Danes were eager for revenge. Realistically speaking, they were also eager to rob the Franks of their wealth.
Horik has been working diligently to help Ludwig fight against his brother Lothair. As for his true thoughts in his heart, Ludwig does not know.
News that Horik is about to return to Denmark has been circulating for a long time, but there has been no news of any action in two years? Could it be just a boring threat?
He was waiting, waiting for his master Ludwig's promise. He concluded that his master would not let the leaderless Denmark go, and he would definitely participate if he wanted to intervene.
He did not dare to act rashly, for fear that if he took his brothers north, his wealth and personnel in Durist would be accepted by Ludwig's army.
The next parchment document was quickly delivered to the coastal port of Durist. The mellow Horik unfolded the document himself, glanced at it and rolled it up happily.
Because Ludwig made a promise to restrain the army and subordinate lords and not interfere with his dream of counterattacking Denmark.
Everything is ready! What Horik lacked was the prince's promise.
A group of pirates who had been entrenched for a long time decided to leave. The local Flemish people noticed the strangeness of the Normans and were already secretly celebrating.
The great Frankish nobles knew about the Danes and some other tribes in the north, but the majority of the people had no idea about the outside world that was a day's walk from the village.
The Flanders in the north of the kingdom had long been ruled by the expanding Franks, and they had all been converted. Although their culture, customs, and language were very similar to those of their neighboring Saxons, their obedience was visible to the Frankish king.
Today, Flanders (the Netherlands in the wider sense) is the domain of Prince Ludwig. Imprisoned, Louis the Pious was unable to exercise any authority. Ludwig was the uncrowned king of the kingdom's northern and eastern borders.
A group of hungry wolves that have been raised for a long time are finally starting a new activity. Horik's Viking army is already sailing their longships and heading north directly along the warm south.
When Ludwig's order was passed to Horik, the real Earls of Flanders, Hamburg, and Bremen, the great northern lords, received the news and accepted very wonderful orders.
The great nobles were ordered to stand still, and Horik, who was determined to take action, led his troops back to Denmark to fight for power.
Whether it was a stupid move or a brilliant plan, it was an arrow from the bow. Prince Ludwig issued a decree. He could only pray to God that this nominally very devout believer, the Danish Horik who had been exiled for many years, would win the powerful meeting. Continue to be a true hunting dog.
A big drama is taking place in Port Durist. The so-called pious Horik actually wants to sacrifice the blood of slaves to Odin according to Danish etiquette.
This round-faced and stocky leader has five hundred pirates under his command, all of whom are blood-lickers. The main targets of their attacks are merchant ships from the fiefdoms of Prince Lothair and Prince Pepin. This kind of thing is naturally Ludwig's fault. I hope the prince will give you strong support. Due to its geographical advantages, sneak attacks on the British Kingdom of Wessex have become more frequent in recent years. They have kidnapped many peasant women from the British Isles and turned them into toys.
The five hundred Viking warriors who frequently carried out raids were a formidable force in Northern Europe in today's era. Of course, Horik's wealth was not limited to this, and he did not hesitate to use local resources. Some Flemish, Saxon, and Frankish people joined him.
Especially the Saxons, these people have realized that the leader Horik only pretended to convert, and this man did not really become a dog of the Franks.
A considerable number of Saxons were eager to get rid of the control of the Frankish nobles, and they could not forget Charlemagne's deliberate killing of their people. Open resistance had failed and large numbers of Saxons escaped across the Schleswig Wall into Denmark.
Some Saxons learned that the exiled Danish nobleman Horik had taken possession of Flanders, so they brought their families and surrendered.
Horik easily recruited up to 900 Saxon warriors because he publicly promised that the Saxon people under his command would start a new life in Denmark after his great work was completed.
As for the handful of Franks in the team, they were pure villains, criminals in the kingdom, and simple bandits.
Horik relied on the protection of Prince Ludwig and had been serving as the royal pirate. It was normal for him to have another group of bandit troops under his command.
A group of people entrenched themselves in Durist, causing the nearby Flemish villages to not only pay tithes to the orthodox earls, but also pay higher tributes to Horik. The former will imprison those who do not pay taxes, while the latter's method for villages that do not pay or default on tribute is to capture people as slaves.
No, an altar was set up on the pier.
It was clear that the sea breeze was gentle, but the five Flemish farmers were shivering and blindfolded and ordered to kneel down.
There were armed men standing around the altar. Most of them wore iron helmets that covered their entire faces, and a few of them had neck guards made of iron rings.
A large number of soldiers wore Frankish-style armor, which was based on locally available cowhide. After leather treatment, iron sheets were placed and fixed with rivets.
The defensive power of this kind of iron-leather armor is just fine. The advantage is that its production cost is not expensive. It is widely equipped by the regular infantry of the Frankish Kingdom, especially the pirate troops. After living in this place for many years, a group of Danish bandits began to Frankize.
Similarly, their so-called "Norman" name also began to spread to the surrounding areas, especially the Flanders. When thinking of the Normans, they think of pirates and forest bandits.
Armed with spears, swords, throwable hand axes, and bows and arrows, Horik's Viking brothers are a useful mercenary force.
It's just that the equipment of the more numerous Saxons is much worse, and they are even more like the classic Vikings. Most of them wore burqas, a few wore cowhide as makeshift armor, and most had no armor. They are a group of light infantry, and if there is a battle, their numerical superiority can be relied upon to take advantage.
The Frankish and Flanders gangsters, the smallest in number, have a variety of equipment. One of the good things about them is that they have no wives and children. They only want to be happy, and they are really ruthless in killing people and stealing goods.
No, when Horik decided to sacrifice five poor people to Odin, the executioner was a pure Frankish gangster.
After all, there was a sterling silver cross hanging on his chest. Horik was a little afraid and didn't dare to do anything here. But this time they will land in Denmark, go straight to the Robard tribe, the overlord of the strait, control and conquer the whole of Denmark, and even exert their power over Norway. That is Odin's territory, and actions must be approved by the god Odin!
The round-faced Horik held his iron sword high and walked menacingly around the temporary altar.
He shouted directly in the Danish language of his hometown: "We have had enough! Now all the conditions are ripe, Odin's warriors, raise the raven flag, I will take you back to Denmark, we will all become rich... …”
People were shouting and cheering, banging their bucklers, and stamping their feet as hard as they could.
In the midst of extreme noise, Horik signaled to the Frank gangsters who were preparing to do something: "God Odin needs blood! Take action!"
The ax fell suddenly, and the head rolled cleanly to the ground.
The madmen who licked the blood from the edge of the knife loved this horrifying bright red the most, and their cheers reached their peak!
Horik gathered 1,700 adult warriors, many of whom were veteran pirates.
There were more than 200 young people, and what they heard and heard were the stories of pirates going to sea to make money. There were no Christian monks preaching here in Durist, so the young people felt that the outsider Lord Horik was trustworthy. What they saw were pirates who made a lot of money and took revenge. If these people lived a happy life, they could follow suit.
Finally, a team of up to 2,000 men gathered in the bay in more than 100 long boats.
A white cloth-stitched abstract raven flag flew from the Horik flagship.
Many young, old, women and children remained in Durist, and the strong men went out in force. Horik had already planned to take this group of mainly Saxon women and children to Denmark after the event was completed. After all, these people were already the basis of his future rule.
As for the loss of Durist Port because of this, it doesn't matter if it is lost. Once the personnel and materials are evacuated afterwards, the port will not matter.
This port is already in decline, and everything will be better when it resumes its rule over Hedeby.
Overnight, the Norman pirate problem that troubled the real Count of Flanders ended? Maybe so.
The count will abide by Prince Ludwig's orders, and the count's army will guard the territory and stand still. He wished that the great pirate Horik would be killed in Denmark, but the priest hoped that Horik would succeed, thus making the Christianization of all Denmark possible.
The forces on all sides have evil intentions, and they all feel that they can use the other party to achieve their wishes and gain huge benefits.
A group of western sea wolves are heading towards Denmark, Horik's momentum is fierce, and the terrifying fleet continues to move north.
All the merchant ships that entered and exited the fjord and entered the inland city of Hamburg were hiding. The Count of Hamburg ordered the merchant ships to enter the harbor to take shelter. Farmers were ordered to take refuge in the city, and the army set up a defensive posture outside the city.
The count did nothing else.
The earl could not guarantee whether the pirate Horik, who held a large army, would suddenly become a bad dog biting his master. As a military noble, defense was necessary.
The count watched helplessly as the fleet rushed towards the northernmost part of the Jutland Peninsula, and then he took a deep breath...
