Sigiburg, Westphalia
A.D. 774
Torches crackled and threw strange shadows inside the Ealdorman’s Hall as it filled with the ruckus and commotion of hundreds of Saxon nobles feasting. Each jostled and shoved for a seat at a table closest to the Ealdorman of Westphalia’s table of honor at the head of the long, dark wooden room. Gathered were over three hundred men, the heads of their houses. They came from all over Saxony, and some from beyond; rough and rowdy Nordalbingians, strong Westphalians, gaunt Engrians, and boisterous Eastphalians amassed under one roof for a simple purpose.
At the farthest end of the hall was the Ealdorman’s table. Placed behind a large bond fire where a boar roasted, the table was elevated so as to both allow for a better view, but also to literally elevate the highest of the Saxons. Ealdormen Widukind of Westphalia presided with the other three at his left. Though each of the Ealdormen were equals in rank and stature, it was clear that Widukind of the House Odon held a charisma about him that put him ahead of the others. To Widukind’s right was a guest of honor, the Danish King Sigfred.
The two men spoke through mouthfuls of mutton and ale, thick beards dripping.
“And why not kill the man who takes your role as leader?” Sigfred said as he chewed. “You and I both know it is your right to lead your people.”
Widukind eyed his fellow Ealdormen before speaking. They were entirely distracted by the feast. “We have very old traditions here, my friend. To kill one of the others would mean their people joining the Franks in retaliation. Whoever wins leads, and there is nothing I can, or should do about it.”
Sigfred eyed Widukind with pale grey eyes. “And who will lead besides you? Hessi of Eastphalia? Look at him! His eyes cannot leave that young man at yonder table. Perhaps if he could fuck Karl the Frank out of your lands, he would be a good leader.”
“Don’t speak so loudly, friend!”
“You are my friend, indeed,” Sigfred said before taking a deep gulp of ale. After swallowing he continued, “And that friendship will, perhaps, save you when Karl burns Saxony to the ground again because the wrong man is leading your people. The Saxons need a strong leader to fight off the Franks who would make you their slave. And what is to happen to my people when the Saxon vanguard fails? Will Karl not then march on Denmark and burn our sacred places like he did yours?”
“It is our tradition.” Widukind responded. “What else are we fighting for but to preserve our traditions?”
“In my land, it is tradition for the strong to lead,” Sigfred shot back. “I thought it was the same here.”
“I am strong,” Widukind said slowly. “But not so strong that without the full force of my people can I defeat the Franks. Not so strong that I can withstand my own people, who even now will surely start this war on their own whether the Edhilingui wish it or not. The Ealdormen need to be united, as unbreakable as Thor’s Hammer, to lead this war.”
Sigfred nodded. “I think the time is now.”
Widukind snarled for a moment, then broke his gaze with the Danish King. Quickly, he drew his long seax from its sheath at his belt. All eyes suddenly fell upon him. When he stood, the room fell silent.
“Edhilingui, noble men and Saxons,” His voice was clear and strong, “we are gathered here today as men in bondage.”
The bond fire glowed brightly, roared and cackled as Widukind, Earl of Saxony sparked his people into rebellion.
Excerpt from Post-Roman Germania by Aethelbeart Brunnen:
Chapter 7: The Saxons, Pages 120-121
“Saxony as a unit was comprised of four sub-units, or tribes within the greater Saxon political system. Though the Latin and later Frankish sources attest seemingly exotic names to these peoples (Westphalians, Engrians, Nordalbingians, Eastphalians), their names were actually quite prosaic to the Saxon ear. Linguistic deconstruction reveals that these groups’ titles can be roughly translated to meaning: Men of the Western Field, Men of the Valley, Men of the Northern Elbe, and Men of the Eastern Field. The four tribes, it seems, were more akin to geographic sub-states rather than distinct ethnicities within greater Saxony.
A single Earl, or Ealdorman, ruled their respective tribe through hereditary right. Each Earl was equal to his counter-parts, except for in times of crisis, in which a single Earl would be chosen by drawing lots to lead unilaterally. Such was the case of Widukind during the fateful wars with Karlus Magnus.
Saxon society was, however, extremely rigid compared to their cultural relatives. A strict caste system was enforced where hereditary right and title was more important than merit. At the top, as already stated, were the Earls. Beneath them was the noble class, known as the Edhilingui, which literally means “belonging to a noble family.” This nobility numbered approximated a hundred families per tribe. These families could be quite large, and made for the core military troops in battle. Anthropological and archaeological evidence supports the idea that this elite class was instituted early on in Saxon existence probably by an invading military class, perhaps as early as the Germanic pre-Roman Iron Age between the 4th century B.C. and the 1st century A.D. (to use the Christian calendar), when Germanic tribes seem to have first spread out from Scandinavia after the Nordic Bronze Age. These tribes certainly inhabited their traditional territory by the early 1st century A.D. when a tribe the Romans called the Angrivarii allied themselves with the Cherusci under Arminius. These peoples have now been identified with the Engrians, the central Saxon tribe.
The two middle-classes of Saxon society constitute a degree of ambiguity. The Frilinig, the higher of the two, were freemen who were born free but were not of the noble class. Their counterparts, the Lazzi, were freedmen who were once slaves. These classes are believed to be mostly descended from the original inhabitants of Saxony from before the Saxon migration southward centuries earlier. Though culturally, they were fully Saxon (indeed, they would prove the most fervent and powerful force behind Saxon independency and cultural conservatism), their ancestors were likely either Celtic, possibly Belgic, or some non-Celtic culture heavily influenced by Halstatt Material Culture. They were the most numerous classes, and, unlike in Christian Europe, as freemen they held certain rights such as the right to collect wergild and the right to assemble at the halls of their Gau, the local Edhilingui that ruled the lands in which they lived.
At the very bottom was the slave class. These peoples were often captured during raids. They could be set free, and though there were laws to protect their rights, ultimately their lives were one of servitude. These classes were very rigid, and marrying outside of your caste was highly forbidden.”
