“Come not between the Magyar and his wrath. For Death is a fearful thing and must be avoided.”
- Playwriter György Szemereyné (✝ 27 February 1774 AD)
Excerpt: The Carolingian World and how it functioned – Godwin Albertsson, Whitewell Publishing (AD 1899)
Initially, the Magyar troops moved into the Bavarian region between the Danube and the Alps to Freising, where they probably set up their main camp at the Dachau gravel plain [1]. From there, they started with the siege of the city of Regensburg.
This siege of Magyars is quite unusual considering their previous behavior on the battlefield, their usual tactics of quickly conquering or bypassing large cities didn’t apply here. Apparently, they were not interested in a quick raid and the profitable sacking of towns, but they were trying to gain lasting control over the stem duchy of Bavaria. It can also be assumed that they were called for help by some of Lothair III's domestic opponents which he had accumulated over his reign. The city was poorly fortified, and the Magyars knew that from the previous raids. Yet, the inhabitants managed to repel the Magyars. The most fiercely contested place was the southern gate of the city whose defense was personally monitored by Bishop Tuto of the city who had held the city against the Pannonians in 914. It was only when one of the leaders of the Magyars fell that the attackers stopped attacking.
The names of leaders of the Magyars weren’t delivered by contemporaries as historical records stopped after the death of Árpád, leader of the Magyar tribes, somewhere between 910 and 917 [2] with a man named Zoltán following his steps, although that as well is uncertain.
The following night, Bishop Tuto sent an envoy to Lothair III informing the emperor of the current situation. The next day the Hungarians appeared at the gates with a siege engine. Otakar II of Chiemgau, opposing a continued presence of Lothair III, had warned the Magyars of the approaching Frankish army who now gathered for the battle before the gates. For their part, the inhabitants of the city sent every man they could to distract the Magyars from the approaching Franks.
The decisive battle, about the course of which almost nothing is known, was fought according to the contemporary sources near the Lechfeld in Augschburg. It is assumed that the Hungarians, in accordance with the tactics of the steppe peoples, had avoided a head-on collision with the much better equipped Bavarians and instead had continually pressured them with quick rider attacks, in which they showered their opponents with a hail of arrows from afar. Yet, the Franks seem to have succeeded in encircling the Magyar army and forced them to retreat, although at a heavy cost of lives. According to other, less popular, opinions, three different battles are said to have taken place near Regensburg instead of only one with the Frankish army divided according to their respective origins, with the Bavarian and Swabian army marching separately north and south of the Danube, with the help of a Moravian army fighting off the Magyars at the other gates of the city. According to this interpretation, the final demise of the Moravian Empire is also connected with the Battle of Regensburg as this army was missing in the final defense of Great Moravia against the Bohemian tribal union and the Magyars.
Either way, the Eastern and Northern Marches of Bavaria had to be abandoned by the Magyars without a new confrontation after the battle with the raids in this area largely came to a standstill and the Magyar territory was again open to Carolingian advances. Duke Louis I of Bavaria was able to contractually prevent new incursions into Bavaria for some months, but Lothair III managed to provoke the Magyars with new “latent danger” for the coming months and has sent multiple envoys demanding that the March of Pannonia should be returned to the Carolingian Empire. The Magyars, thus, shifted their focus onto Bohemia in which disastrous raids were conducted as many archaeological findings near Prague prove.
Meanwhile, Lothair III demanded that Wenceslaus I of Bohemia, who had submitted to Lothair III in 926 at Regensburg, returned to the court of Lothair III to return a Bavarian army he received from the emperor. Yet, Wenceslaus I not only returned it but also asked the emperor if it may be possible to support his mentor against the Magyars who were now becoming an active threat against the young duchy.
To understand this move, one should remember that Carolingian influence on Bohemia can’t be understated; because the Carolingian Empire always was a serious threat to Bohemia and because the loose association of tribes and especially the small Central Bohemian fields under direct Přemyslid rule did not stand a chance against Carolingian troops, Wenceslaus I's predecessors had submitted to Duke Louis the Good already in 895 and were committed to continue to pay tribute to free themselves from the sovereignty of Great Moravia which was seen as the greater evil. In Wenceslaus I's time, it was primarily intended as a Bavarian pledge of protection from the Thuringians and Franconians, which played an increasingly important role in the association of tribal duchies. Frankish raids into the "barbaric" east opened up a new source of income for many rogue Thuringian counts as they plundered the duchy to gain wax, horses, and slaves. The Bohemian upper class itself had already entered the lucrative slave market a decade ago by raiding the Vistulans [3], which brought Caliphal, Bulgar, and Rhomaian money into the country. This money was used to sponsor rebellions and raids against the secluded Bohemian duke whose reign relied on Bavarian support. The Magyar storm, however, meant that the duke was unable to pay more tributes to Louis the Good, if the Magyars continue to weaken his role in the region. Missionary efforts from Bavaria in Bohemia sponsored by Wenceslaus I were also threatened by these pillagers.
It should, therefore, be understandable that Wenceslaus I had an active interest in the survival and well-being of Bavaria and the Carolingian Empire as a whole.
After the Magyars had raided the Bohemian countryside, they returned to the Eastern March by February 932 to fight a decisive battle again the Carolingians to establish their dominance over Bavaria.
The emperor gathered his Bavarian retinue and hurriedly departed from Augschburg, sending envoys to the other stem duchies of Francia and the Italian marches to recruit soldiers in the name of the empire. Lothair III would encounter Wenceslaus I and his entourage on the go, the latter informing Lothair III that he was already unsuccessfully ambushed by the Magyars. Initially, it seems that they have avoided the direct confrontation against the Magyars, but then set up their troops on in a strategically favorable position near the Wenzelbach. Although the sources are vague about the exact location of the Wenzelbach, it is clearly stated by Hermann of Metz, our most important chronicler of the 10th century, that a Bavarian army moved from “Carinthia to Salzburg to Osterland” to get to the Wenzelbach. Another hint might be the name of the site of the battle itself. It is commonly accepted that Wenzel is the Germanized version of Wenceslaus with bach usually describing a creek or a brook, although it is sometimes used to describe a river. Thus, one can assume that the site was at least partially under the control of the Bohemian duke. It is sometimes proposed that the Wenzelbach was a fortress constructed by Wenceslaus I in an effort to defend his duchy. Nonetheless, it is nowadays assumed that the site was somewhere between Linz and Krems, cities located near the Danube.
The Emperor’s personal magnetism was undimmed, and the morale of the Carolingian army was high. Lothair III carried around his Holy Lance he had acquired from Burgundy, signifying his confidence in victory. His forces were probably about 10,000 men strong, with Wenceslaus providing another 1000 men. Many noblemen were present, with Duke Louis the Good and Duke Erchanger II of Swabia playing the most prominent role in the ensuing battle and raising the morale once again.
Yet, it did suffer a heavy hit after the Saxon troops did not come to the agreed meeting point, causing confusion and frustration among the Carolingian army.
Little is known about the chain of events of the actual battle. An encouraging speech by Lothair III and him rushing forward to attack the Magyars appear to be fiction. After all, we learn from the sources that he commanded his troops from behind. That the soldiers attended mass, surrounded by relics, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to have been a lie, as it has been delivered that such martial masses, which certainly emulated those of Charlemagne during his Saxon Wars, were held during the Meridian Campaign of Lothair III as well. Therefore, the prevailing theory reconstructed the battle like this:
The Battle at the Wenzelbach started on the morning of August 6, the feast day of the transfiguration of the Lord, after the Frankish and Bohemian soldiers assured loyalty to one another in case of an ambush and set off for the battlefield. A route towards the Wenzelbach was chosen to get a better view of the immediate surrounding which was covered by trees to protect the marching army from the arrows of the Magyars. Yet, in a surprising turn of events, a Magyar scouting force managed to bypass the Bohemian army at the forefront and rolled up from behind, causing panic and chaos in the Franconian and Swabian units which had left behind their supplies in their attempt to flee. The Magyars started looting these supplies after their success, which prompted Duke Erchanger II of Swabia to ride back with his cavalrymen to attack the disarrayed Magyar horsemen. His charge, however, was an utter failure; after a faint retreat of the Magyars forced Erchanger II to enter the open field, he was fatally hit in the chest by an arrow after which a brutal slaughter of the Swabian unit followed. This further encouraged Wenceslaus I to move towards the aforementioned Wenzelbach. Violent skirmishes between the troops of the Christians and Pagans started soon after.
Heavy losses at the Wenzelbach forced Lothair III to deploy the heavy cavalry swiftly. But the Magyar cavalry withdrew and placed themselves under the protection of their archers.
Louis the Good was killed in this first phase of the fighting after his troops were cornered by the Magyars. However, Lothair III managed to maintain morale by showing the fighting army Louis’ corpse and stating that his sacrifice shouldn’t have been in vain.
At the end of the battle, the Frankish units, especially the Saxons and the remaining Franconians, were on the retreat – and so numerous (at least around 10,000 men according to Hermann) that the scouting force which just had slain Erchanger II initially assumed they would attack again when the riders rushed towards their camp. Hermann of Metz reports of the brave resistance of some Bohemians, who could no longer turn the battle. Gerhard of Augschburg reports “that those who saw the Magyars coming from the body of Erchanger who ruled Swabia believed that they would continue looting during the struggle until they saw that they were passing their army to hurry to the remaining army at Wenzelbach.” Therefore, one might assume that some Carolingian military leaders had managed to flee the battle and avoid complete annihilation, or that the retreat was only faked to lure the Magyar warriors out of their positions how the Carolingian army had already succeeded in the Battle at Graz. If the latter was actually the case, the plan certainly did not work out this time.
Thus, the Bavarian army and Lothair III’s personal guards were fighting alone. At this moment, a Magyar commander gave a signal to his cavalry and they charged the Carolingian flanks which were fighting on the hill. The Magyar light cavalry could charge at incredible speed, and could successfully attack, retreat, regroup and attack again. This mobility gave them an upper hand on the Carolingian heavy cavalry, resulting in a rout of the Carolingians. They attacked the flanks and rear of the Franks who rested at the Wenzelbach and started encircling it. The main body of the Magyar army resumed the attack against the Carolingian front, while at the same time extending its flanks to join with the cavalry and completely surround them. The army of Lothair III was caught in a trap and could not escape. Recoiling from the assaults that came from all directions, the Frankish army gathered in an unwieldy mass, unable to use their weapons freely. The morale in the Carolingian camp finally collapsed completely in the face of a now uncertain outcome in a battle that seemed almost won after Erchanger II rode towards the scouting force. The Bohemians retreated cautiously, fearing the Magyars who may pursue them. The Annals of St Gallen even report a second battle in which the Magyars defeated the departing Bohemians.
A trap laid by the Magyars – Hermann of Metz reports great cowardice among the Magyars – could have been decisive for the battle so that the Carolingian army was attacked from all sides by the dangerous bows of the horsemen. However, this event is not mentioned in other contemporary sources, where one could have assumed that fighting started after Wenceslaus I had reached the Wenzelbach. Overall, it seems likely that the Magyar horsemen had learned from their previous defeat and followed a new tactic to counter that of the emperor at the Battle of Graz, where, to get the Magyar horsemen within range of his heavy cavalry, he lured them by presenting the nomads only lightly armored men. This implies that the same men who were present at Graz had fought at Wenzelbach.
Anyhow, all theories and speculation had one in common. The battle was over, with heavy casualties inflicted on the Carolingians. Lothair III had lost a great legacy recklessly, chasing after the pipe dream of a defeat of the Pagan Magyars and other phantasms. His lifeless body was found near the Wenzelbach with an open wound near his diaphragm. The Holy Lance and his body were recovered by a Bavarian scouting unit two days after the initial battle. Due to these circumstances, many scholars assume that the Magyars did not recognize Lothair III on the battlefield nor did they seem to have open interest in looting the corpses they have left behind. Lothair III was buried unceremoniously in the Tegernsee Abbey of St. Pölten in September 932. The burial of this remarkable figure ended the Frankish Empire.
~
Lothair's feet made convulsive movements. He had not moved them, but in his mind, he was running, and running, and running. He was at the castles, he held his father’s cold and swarthy hand, he saw his mother crying then his wife, he looked up again and suddenly saw the sky. The Lord! He coughed. He saw a red stain somewhere, but he didn’t pay much attention to it. His mind was running, processing, cheering. He was in Limoges, Arles, Pavia, Rome, the great cities of this side of the world. He felt his power even after he has lost it, like a memory of dry hay combusting into flames. It was blood leaking from his ribs. There was a disruption. Whether in his mind or his body, he didn’t know. He liked the power, he didn’t want to give it away, it was too early, wasn’t it? His mind was running. Christendom against which the hordes of Islam dashed themselves in vain! He thought how ten minutes ago – or was it years – there had still been something in his heart as he wondered whether he would achieve something in his life. Ah, he had fallen! He was in the lands of the Lombards, he was defeating a Greek. He restored the true Roman Empire and reclaimed its legacy. Much had changed in him since that first day of his rule. His mind was running, processing, cheering. He looked down and saw the green hills and a lonely tree stump. The foul smell of iron penetrated his nose.
The voice inside his head was still pouring forth its tale of might and right, but the sky had interrupted his chain of thought. Some two clouds were passing by, like feathers in the wind. One of them approached him. Lothair, sitting in a blissful dream, paid no attention to his loss of consciousness. He didn’t know that this stream of thought wasn’t coherent, he didn’t notice. There was no iron to smell there. He was still running, processing and cheering. His index finger on the left hand twitched. The pain in his chest moved far away, a scream somewhere in the forest behind him. He was back in Aquitania, with everything gained, his soul victorious over his enemies. He knew he was unpopular in the mosaic South and the tribal North. He tried. He collected homages and pledges. He renewed the system. He knew his sons were too young. His beloved children. He coughed. He thought he loved them. Didn’t he? Charles was in Italy. Louis is there, too. His mind was running, processing, but stopped cheering. Henry and Odo are still in Regensburg. His mind raged against the dying light. He saw the young face of Odo. Odo had the beautiful eyes of Johanna. His children are too young, he noticed. They will kill him. He had lost. But what did he lose? His mind was running and processing down a black corridor, with the feeling of bliss and terror, and a never lived life at his front. A future he will never see. He coughed again. There was blood. He was wounded. Badly. He was terrified.
Lothair III, the last ruler of the Carolingian Empire, gazed up at the sky for one last time. He closed his eyes and tried to change this outcome somehow. This couldn’t be it. He was afraid. He didn’t want to be in the hands of God. He didn’t want to lose control. Yet, he had lost. Everything. Lothair saw one final ray of light. Then, one final, slow, and shaky breath.
Then, his mind stopped running and processing.
The Battle of Wenzelbach as depicted by fundamentalist painter Harald Blanik, painted in 1874.
SUMMARY:
6 August 932: The Battle of Wenzelbach. Lothair III is defeated by the Magyars, reigniting the Hungarian invasions into Bavaria and Bohemia. Lothair III passes away without having an appointed successor.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] The Munich Gravel Plain IOTL.
[2] IOTL, many pieces of information regarding the Hungarians in their early years in the Carpathian basin stemmed from the De Administrando Imperio written by OTL Emperor Constantine VII which, as you can tell, wasn’t written ITTL. Thus, this world knows even less about the Magyars than our one.
[3] The butterflies continue to flap their wings…
OOC: I wanted to thank those who have nominated me for the 2020 Turtledoves, it's definitely an honor for me!
, one of the bad things of do TLs in mobile.
