Slavs and Germans on the Frontier

Incursions

Lamp


844. Louis crushed the Abodrites in battle, who had been preparing to defect from his allegiance; as their king Goztomuizli had been killed, he had the land and people which God had brought under his yoke ruled by duces.1
858. Louis... returned to Frankfurt, and, after he had discussed and dealt with many things of importance for the kingdom with his men, decided that three armies should be sent to different frontiers of his kingdom. The first, under Carloman his eldest son, he sent against the Moravian Slavs and Rastiz; a second under Louis, his younger son, against the Abodrites and Linones; the third was sent under Thaculf against the Sorbs who refused to obey his commands.2
902. The Slavs laid waste to Saxony.3
931. King Henry subjugated the Abodrites.4
934. King Henry was in 'Wocronin' with an army.5
975. Emperor Otto burned up and laid waste the Bohemians.6
977. The emperor went with a large army against the Bohemians and burned up a large part of the land with fire. 7
986. King Otto while still a little boy came to Slavia with a large army of Saxons. Mieszko came to him there with a very great multitude, and obtained from him a camel and many other presents, and also put himself under his power. Proceeding together, they laid waste to that whole land with fires and much pillage.8
987. The Saxons again laid waste to Slavia. Whence compelled, they put themselves under the king’s control and the castles along the Elbe were restored.9
992. King Otto with a strong force of his own men again went to Brandenburg10. Henry, duke of the Bavarians, came to him, as did Boleslav, prince of the Bohemians, with a huge multitude in aid to the king. But Boleslaw, the son of Mieszko, not at all able to come himself to the lord king (for indeed a powerful war against the Russians threatened him), sent his warriors sufficiently loyal to him in service to the king. Yet the lord king, trusting the promises of the Slavs to be good, and not wishing to resist his princes, again granted them peace and from there returned home. But they, in their customary way, lied in everything. 11
1015. The emperor again went with an army against the Poles.12
1017. That same year, he [the emperor] again entered Poland with an army.13
1040. In autumn the king declared a war in the Bohemian realm, where he returned having lost many of his force without the outcome of success.
1041. King Henry, having entered Bohemia a second time, accepted the surrender of its duke, named Bretislav, and made his land tributary to him.14
1056. The Liutizi perpetrated a great slaughter against the Christians, some of whom perished by the sword and others by fleeing into the water. Among them Margrave William was killed.15