History of the Germans Ep. 1: Henry the Fowler (919-936) - A New Beginning
The year is 919 AD and things are not going well. The mighty empire of Charlemagne has splintered into a multitude of puny kingdoms. Its feeble rulers are being pushed around by their formidable barons. The frontiers are breached. In the north the Vikings and Danes are ransacking towns and villages along the coasts and even deep inland. In the east the Slavs are burning Hamburg. And in the south the most terrifying of them all, the Magyars, a steppe tribe like the Huns and the Mongols, are marauding all the way from Bavaria to Northern Spain.
Cometh the time, cometh the man/woman?
Takeaways:
- The podcast introduces the tumultuous historical context of East Francia in 919 AD.
- Henry, Duke of Saxony, was elected king amidst a fractured political landscape.
- Henry's strategic alliances with other dukes significantly strengthened East Francia's unity.
- The Holy Lance was obtained by Henry, believed to provide divine support in battles.
- Henry's military reforms transformed the peasant infantry into a professional fighting force.
- The victory against the Hungarians in 933 marked a pivotal moment for Henry's reign.
Chapters:
- 00:04 - Introduction to the History of the Germans
- 00:27 - The Crumbling Kingdoms of 919 AD
- 04:24 - The Election of Henry the Fowler
- 06:16 - Unifying the Kingdom: Henry's Strategy
- 27:07 - The Battle Against the Hungarians
- 30:42 - Henry's Legacy and Final Reforms
- 32:23 - Outro and Next Episode Preview
The music for the show is Flute Sonata in E-flat major, H.545 by Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach (or some claim it as BWV 1031 Johann Sebastian Bach) performed and arranged by Michel Rondeau under Common Creative Licence 3.0.
As always:
Homepage with maps, photos, transcripts and blog: www.historyofthegermans.com
If you wish to support the show go to: Support • History of the Germans Podcast
For do it yourself merchandise go to: Merchandise • History of the Germans Podcast
Facebook: @HOTGPod
Threads: @history_of_the_germans_podcast
Bluesky: @hotgpod.bsky.social
Instagram: history_of_the_germans
Twitter: @germanshistory
To make it easier for you to share the podcast, I have created separate playlists for some of the seasons that are set up as individual podcasts. they have the exact same episodes as in the History of the Germans, but they may be a helpful device for those who want to concentrate on only one season.
So far I have:
Salian Emperors and Investiture Controversy
Fredrick Barbarossa and Early Hohenstaufen
The Holy Roman Empire 1250-1356
The Reformation before the Reformation