The division of the huge Franks was destined. Charlemagne made a will and divided the kingdom among his three sons. However, two sons died before him, and the only surviving legitimate son, Louis the Pious, inherited the throne.
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, dividing the kingdom into several pieces and dividing them among his sons must have been the best choice, so that they
They have all benefited, and hopefully 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, had to carry it out at the request 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, controlled the west and north of the kingdom and was the King of Bavaria and Saxony.
Louis the Pious made a plan to divide the kingdom early. His sons have lived their own lives in their respective territories, and the fighting between them has subsided a lot. If this continues, Louis can still calm down as a de facto king.
Live out the rest of your life.
Until the birth of that child.
The youngest son Charlie was born. It is a great blessing to have a son at such an old age. At first, the three brothers did not think that their fourth brother was anything special, until the king's father decided on a whim to add the fourth brother to the title, and the territory originally allocated to other sons had to be cut off.
Part to Charlie.
The balance of power between the three sons has been broken, and the father personally tore up the blueprint he had set for separation. The power of the brothers has been 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 resumed, and the three sons imprisoned their father and younger brother Charles, while armies continued to fight 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 forces and increase your military strength, even if it doesn't work, you can also undermine 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.
Esquier indeed voluntarily went 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 backers behind him
It was Prince Ludwig who had not yet become king.
If he conquers all the Danes by relying on his faith and becomes the lord of all Denmark, then it is not impossible to recruit a brave army here and sweep away the brothers and become the king of all Franks. Ludwig actually knows Denmark very well.
Man is a ferocious beast that is difficult to tame, but as long as he is tamed, he will become an excellent mercenary 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 a large 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 converting 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."
However, Harald Clark was already old. After he lost power, he only brought dozens of cronies as mercenaries. Ludwig did not want to use this man. His reputation in Denmark was not good. Even if he was let back, it would not look good to the Danes.
Come to be equivalent to Frank's war behavior.
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 has already worn a cross, and it no longer matters how a soldier dies. His master Ludwig also gave him the full details.
, that is, if he really couldn’t lift the ax anymore, he would go to a monastery to retire.
But Horik was young and powerful, and his old subordinates were also brave. He was named Count of Friesland by Ludwig. Of course, this was only a name in name. No one except Ludwig really took this title seriously.
.
It is true that Horik is not a real feudal noble. The real Friesland Earl family exists safely. Horik's "Friesland Earl" occupied the city of Durist, a small coastal town that was once ordinary, but now it is
Being run as a Viking city and a den for pirates to sell stolen goods was naturally what Ludwig 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 provided to his master.
This young man with a round face and a plump face is much more sensible than his uncle.
But what is extremely ironic is that this man is also a practicing Christian.
Horik has been 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 titular earl for Prince Ludwig of the Franks? Besides, why should Denmark accept the rule of the Franks?
Such thoughts were 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 the horror has been circulated. The Danes could not recognize a man who surrendered to the Franks as their leader. The Danes were eager for revenge. To be honest, 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, 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 go of the leaderless Denmark, and if he wanted to intervene, he would definitely participate.
He did not dare to act rashly, for fear that if he led 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 lacks is 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 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, which 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 broad sense) is the domain of Prince Ludwig. The imprisoned Louis the Pious is unable to exercise any authority. Ludwig is the uncrowned king of the northern and eastern borders of the kingdom.
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's hands, the real Counts of Flanders, Count of Hamburg, and Count of Bremen, these northern lords, received the news and accepted very strange orders.
The great nobles were ordered to stand still, and Horik, who would definitely take action after waiting for a while, led his troops back to Denmark to fight for power.
Whether it was a fool's errand 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 in exile for many years, would gain power.
Continue to be a hound loyal to yourself.
A big drama is going on in Durist Port. 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 a problem for Ludwig.
Prince Xi strongly supports it. 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 Island and turned them into toys.
The five hundred Viking warriors who frequently carry out raids are a formidable force in Northern Europe in today's era. Of course, Horik is not the only one with this wealth. He does not hesitate to use local resources. Some Flanders, Saxons, and Franks
Join his team.
Especially the Saxons, these people have realized that Chief 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 nobility, and they could not forget Charlemagne's deliberate killing of their people. Open resistance had failed, and a large number of Saxons escaped across the Schleswig Wall and entered 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 are pure villains, criminals of 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 were entrenched in Durist, and the nearby Flemish villages not only had to pay tithes to the orthodox earls, but also paid higher tributes to Horik. The former would imprison those who did not pay taxes, and the latter
The solution for villages that refused to pay or defaulted on tribute was to capture people as slaves.
No, an altar has been 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 protectors 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 adequate. The advantage is that its production cost is not expensive. The regular infantry of the Frankish Kingdom are widely equipped with it, especially the pirate troops. After living here for many years, a group of Danish grass-roots soldiers
The bandits also began to become Frankish.
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, throwing axes, and bows, 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 classic Vikings. Most of them wear burqas, a few wear cowhide to make makeshift armor, and most of them have no armor. They are a group of light warriors.
Infantry, if there is a battle, the numerical advantage can be relied upon to take advantage.
The Frankish and Flanders gangsters with the smallest number are equipped with a variety of equipment. One of 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 executioners were pure Frankish gangsters.
After all, there is still a sterling silver cross hanging on his chest. Horik is a little afraid and dare not do anything here. But this time he will land in Denmark, go straight to the Robard tribe, the overlord of the strait, and control and conquer all of Denmark.
, and even exert 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, and 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 big 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. 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. They saw
They are all pirates who make a lot of money and are happy to take revenge. If these people live a happy life, you can also imitate them.
Finally, a team of up to 2,000 soldiers gathered in the bay in more than 100 long boats.
A white quilted abstract raven flag flutters on the Horik flagship.
Many old, young, women and children are still staying in Durist, and the strong men are out in force. Horik has already planned to take this group of women and children, mainly Saxons, to Denmark after the incident is completed. After all, these people are already his future rulers.
Basic disk.
As for the loss of Durist Port as a result, it doesn't matter if it is lost. Once the personnel and materials are evacuated, 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 earl will abide by Prince Ludwig's orders, and the earl's army will guard the territory and stand still. He hopes that the great pirate Horik will be killed in Denmark, but the priest hopes that Horik will succeed, so that the Christianization of all Denmark will be possible.
All parties have evil intentions, and they all feel that they can use each other to achieve their wishes and gain huge benefits.
A group of sea wolves from the west are heading towards Denmark. Horik's momentum is fierce, and the terrifying fleet continues to move north.
All merchant ships entering and leaving the fjord and entering the inland river 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 deployed 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...