Widukind

Widukind (Modern German: Widuking or Wittekind) was a Germanic leader of the Saxons and the chief opponent of the Frankish king Charlemagne during the Saxon Wars from 777 to 785. Charlemagne ultimately prevailed, organized Saxony as a Frankish province and ordered conversions of the pagan Saxons to Roman Catholicism. In later times, Widukind became a symbol of Saxon independence and a figure of legend.

Life

Very little is known about Widukind's life. His name literally translates as "Child of the wood" (i.e. a wolf), more probably a kenning than a proper name. All sources about him stem from his enemies, the Franks, who painted a negative picture, representing him as an "insurgent" and a "traitor". While Widukind was considered the leader of the Saxon resistance by the Franks, his exact role in the military campaigns is unknown.

According to the Royal Frankish Annals, the Franks campaigned Saxony in 772, when Charlemagne ordered the destruction of the Irminsul sanctuary. The Saxon Wars continued when Westphalian tribes devastated the church of Deventer and the Angrarii laid siege to the Frankish court at Fritzlar. The king retaliated against the local nobility, enforcing the consent to incorporate the Saxon lands as a Frankish march.