The King had ordered the torching of every village they passed, and the fires that burned as a consequence had lit the night, and the path of the advancing Frankish army. The Saxons were retreating, falling back deeper into the forests of their homeland, an obvious attempt to lure the Franks in, and bait that Karloman was happy to take them up on. If he could defeat the Saxons on home ground, crush their resistance here, he could ground them down until they were no more. Once the army was scattered and broken, he could crush the country and people at his leisure.
Three loud blasts of the warning horns breached the night and woke him groggily from sleep.
“Saxons!” The cry went up and the Franks rushed to their stations to defend the camp.
For the King, the hours that followed were ones of confusion, putting out fires, patching up breaches in fortifications or army lines, and killing the odd Saxon who broke through.
Only in the morn was the true cost of the ambush clearly. Several hundred Frankish warriors had fallen in the night, security of their camp had been breached, and they were within enemy territory with the rest of the army too far away to the west to render immediate assistance.
“It was my own damn fault,” Karloman ruefully admitted to his generals, “We were cocky and moved too fast too soon because I wasn’t heedful enough of what might be waiting for us. I think we should adopt a more deliberate pace when we make west for Paderborn today, Thoughts?”
It spoke volumes as to the mood in the room when they all murmured assent. The King had made an error true, but it was salvageable if he learned from it. Likewise, they appreciated the fact that he didn’t give them a bollicking by pointing out that none of them had been willing to recommend a slower, more deliberate pace east either.
“The Saxons caught us on the hop and we paid for it last night,” Karloman continued, “It must not happen again. Every night we camp we must do so properly fortified, and with no natural hiding places that the enemy can use to spring an ambush upon us. We’ll pull up stakes and move east today, up to Paderborn, but we’ll sit and wait for the rest of the army to catch up in mid-June before we move further.”
Paderon, Saxony.
The mood in the Saxon camp meanwhile, was jubilant, even Theodoric seemed buoyed by it, with renewed confidence in his people’s chances.
“And the longer Karloman waits, the more time we have to gather support and show the tribes we can throw back the Franks,” Theodoric smiled at Wichimann, “I underestimated you, my son, the strategy of enticing Karloman this far east ahead of the rest of his force was a good one. You baited the trap, and he walked into it.”
For Wichimann, his father’s support lightened his mood considerably, “He’s not beaten yet father, he’ll be marching here next I’m sure of it,” Wichimann replied thoughtfully, “But yes, a victory is a victory still.”
“If we marshal at Paderborn, we’ll throw the Franks back here.” Theodoric said thoughtfully, “This is the strongest fortress we have, the Franks who were here prior to our rising up have been driven out and the locals will be willing to keep us supplied. Continue harrying and harassing Karloman, but let him come to us. We’ll let him have his pitched battle, but on our ground, on our terms, like we should have done the first time round,”
“Aye father,” Wichimann gave a lopsided grin, “let’s finish it.”
By June 15th, the Frankish army was camped outside Paderborn, having repulsed two further Saxon attempts. Karloman had learned from the first assault, and been ready for them the following times.
But the Saxon horde that gathered at Paderborn was ready, well-motivated, and fighting for their freedom. On the 16th and 17th, they offered battle to the slightly outnumbered Frankish army, and both times they were refused.
What is Karloman waiting for? His reinforcements might even the numerical odds, but they won’t surpass them, and our scouts reports they should have already arrived days ago?
On the 18th, the Saxon army formed for battle again, and the Franks answered this time…
Karloman’s force had entered battle with a refused right flank, pushing the Saxons into the funnel to attack the left, the King himself commanded the cavalry reserve, as was by now his want, placed on the right.
The heavier Frankish infantry clashed with the Saxon huscarls, led by Wichimann, on the left of their line. Two large charges were repulsed, and the Frankish archers fired over the heads of their own forces to punch holes into the lines of the advancing huscarls. But the Saxon light horse then advanced, trying to lure the Frankish right out of their line.
The Frankish right did not advance, but the cavalry reserve did, Karloman committed himself and his troops to charge the Saxon horse.
Outnumbered but bolstered by the King’s presence, the Frankish horse fell into the bloody melee for several long minutes, finally putting the Saxons to flight. In the distance, through the stains of blood and the haze of the afternoon dust, Karloman could see Theodoric riding up to try and rally his fleeing horsemen.
It might have worked too, had the Frankish reinforcements not shown their hand at that moment. Working in tandem to move through the thick, forested regions, they had emerged in the afternoon of the 18th, as they had planned, behind and to the left of the Saxon line, smashing into the rear at precisely the moment Theodoric had set to rally his horse.
With their reserve line buckling, Wichimann’s surviving men also began to turn and run, abandoning their assault on the hard-pressed Frankish left.
If there was one sadness to the triumph with which Karloman greeted the end of that day, it was the inability to capture Theodoric himself. Several Saxon tribal chiefs were dead or captured, of which Wichimann himself was the most prominent of the latter. The Saxon remnants had fled back into the fort at Paderborn and would put up further fighting, and no doubt Theodoric would attempt to rally others, but a decisive victory had been won.
The siege towers went up the following day, and the ram the day after, as the Frankish men had set to besiege the stronghold…
Chronicles of the Saxons: The Last Gasp, by PHD Amelia Statton, University of Montenotte, circa 1800
The Second of the Saxon peoples conflict with the newly united Frankish peoples was a far more bloody and extensive one than the first. Karloman and his forces showed no mercy, the clemency he had shown at the end of the previous conflict was now gone. The reasons for this abrupt change of policy towards the Saxons are speculative, but it is likely that the Franks were irritated by a new revolt so soon after the peace that they had forced on the Saxons at swordpoint and sought to make an example of the price that would be paid for broken agreements…
Regardless, Karloman’s forces raced ahead over the Rhine before even the entirety of his army was gathered. This may seem reckless, even foolhardy, but the King’s confidence had likely been buoyed by his previous victories and made him confident of his chances.
Misfortune and near-disaster followed, followed by a turn of fortune…
Battle of Paderborn, June 18th 772 anno domini. This battle was one of the most decisive engagements of the Second Saxon War.
OOC: Finished this yesterday, but felt it more fitting that we start the new year with a new post. Here's to a happy 2021 for everyone! Thanks to all my wonderful readers who've been so supportive and encouraging of this AAR all the way through so far.
Happy New Year:_
