A History of Charlemagne by J.I. Mombert

Author:J.I. Mombert
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jovian Press

BOHEMIAN WAR.—THE ROYAL SONS AND THEIR KINGDOMS.—EXTRANEA.

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CONQUEST OF BOHEMIA.—AFFAIRS OF AQUITAINE and Spain.—Adalric.—Saracen invasion.—Incident of Datus.—Poverty of Louis.—Domanial lands and villas.—Diplomatic intercourse with the Saracens.—Mission of Theodulf and Laidradus.—Theodulf on bribery.—Louis meets his father at Tours.— Alleged prediction of his succession in the imperial throne.—Affairs in Pepin’s kingdom.—The Beneventans.—Defeat of the Byzantines.—Death of Adelchis.—Revolt of the Bretons.—Piracies.—Anecdote.

THE cause of the Bohemian war is obscure. It occurs in point of time as a sequel to the subjugation of the Avars. The Bohemians were bellicose, irritated the Franks, and roused the martial ire of Charles; they took advantage of the misfortunes of their neighbors, the Avars, and so vexed them with perpetual inroads of their territory, that they had to leave it and seek a new home in a more remote region. But as the Avars were now the friends, allies, and subjects of the emperor, and their former territory had become his by the right of conquest, its wanton invasion by the Bohemians was construed as a casus belli, and an insult that could not remain unpunished.

This explanation is offered at its worth; it is only a conjecture proceeding on the hypothesis that the Sclavonians of Bohemia, and the Southern Sclavonians were equally inimical to the Franks, and naturally opposed to their policy of conquest.

But it is not improbable that the war was unprovoked and purely aggressive.

Accordingly the heerbann was called out, and a large army ordered to invade and conquer Bohemia. The Frankish hosts moved in three columns, while a fourth sailed up the Elbe to Magdeburg and devastated the region of Genewana. The first of the three columns, commanded by the young “king” Charles, advanced through Franconia and the Bohemian Forest; the second, composed of Alemannian, Suabian, and Bavarian troops, and commanded by the generals Audulf and Werinarius, approached the hostile country from Bavaria; the third, commanders unknown, moved through Saxony, and after collecting the Saxon and Wendish contingents, proceeded to Werinofelde beyond the Saale, entered the country of the Demelcians with the ultimate destination of reaching Bohemia through the passes of the Ore Mountains. In other words, the plan provided for the simultaneous invasion of Bohemia by the only three practical routes from the north, the south and west.

The third column met and defeated Semela, prince of the Demelcians, took his two sons as hostages, pushed through the Ore Mountains to the champaign country on the Eger, and at that point effected a junction with the two other columns. There the young king held a muster of the entire host, and received the homage of the Sclavonian vassals of the Frankish crown. The three divisions went into camp, and from that base overran the whole country. The Bohemians avoided an engagement, and retreating before the overwhelming number of the Franks, withdrew to the depth of inaccessible and pathless forests.

Beyond the meagre notice that the invading army laid siege to Canburg, an unidentified fortress, the annals, without exception, record not a single warlike achievement; even the result of the siege is unknown.

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