ABSTRACT
Following the introductions to the Franks and Saxons in Chapters 1 and 2, this third chapter chronicles Franco-Saxon interactions from Antiquity up through the reign of Charlemagne’s father, Pippin III. The first sections discuss Franco-Saxon relations with the Roman Empire, as well as Franco-Saxon participation in North Sea piracy and the Anglo-Saxon settlement of England. The final two sections cover Franco-Saxon conflicts during the Merovingian and Carolingian eras, demonstrating that, by the reign of Charlemagne, the Franks had long viewed the Saxons as a subservient and treasonous people. That Frankish political perspective was coupled with increasingly hostile religious tensions following the actions of Charles Martel (Charlemagne’s grandfather), who promoted the destruction of pagan cult sites and conversion of defeated enemies.
