A New Hope

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In 714, Pepin died. If you’ve been paying attention, you know this meant an opportunity for the Frisians. It also meant a chance at redemption for Redbod. Ever since his defeat at the Battle of Dorestad in 690, he’d been laying low. It’s unclear where he was. Some say he was in the modern province of Friesland. Others that he was in Heligoland—an island in the North Sea that’s so small it’s basically just a big rock with houses on it. But wherever he was, he was under the Frankish radar, and preparing for his grand vengeance. When Pepin died, he knew his chance had come.

(Historical side note—Popular legend holds that Redbod, the pagan’s pagan, almost converted to Christianity. He even went to a river to be baptized. According to the story, he stood on the windy banks of the river, kingly shawl wrapped around his leathered torso, eyes wild behind his swirling mass of beard and hair. Around him was a small group of monks and priests, his noblemen, and a throng of peasants eager to follow whatever example their king set. Before stepping into the river, however, Redbod turned to Willibrord, the great bishop of Utrecht, and asked if any of his ancestors are in the Christian heaven. Willibrord said they certainly were not, and waved Redbod into the water. Instead, Redbod stopped. He then shoved Willibrord aside and marched up the embankment. Facing his people, the great king thrust his hands toward the sky, proclaiming he would rather be in hell with his ancestors, than in heaven with his enemies. That was the closest the Kingdom of Frisia came to being Christian.)

Redbod quickly marshalled an army of angry Frisians. He then made an alliance with Ragenfrid, the leader Neustria and Burgundy. They marched down the Rhineland, where they met an ill-prepared Charles Martel at the Battle of Cologne. The Frisians routed the Franks, driving Martel into full retreat, and conquering all the southern Rhinelands for Frisia.

Charles Martel went on to have a successful military career. He won myriad campaigns, and even defeated the invading Umayyad caliphate at the Battle of Tours, which most historians list as one of the most important battles in world history.

But that day at Cologne, Charles Martel, the mighty hammer of Europe, lost to the Frisians. It was the only military defeat of Martel’s life, and the high-water mark of the Frisian empire.

If only it could have lasted…..