Incursions
Index
Liutizi
[957. The final campaigns of Wichmann against Mieszko of the 'Licicaviki', the Liutizi, the Wagrians, and the Abodrites; he later joined with the Slavs called Wuloini (i.e., from Wollin) against Mieszko, who called in aid from Boleslav of Bohemia.]1
990. In this year the Saxons twice laid waste the Abodrites in a powerful attack. Many of them and especially the most noteworthy were killed, others were murdered in the river. By the grace of God, the Saxons returned with peace and victory. Mieszko and Boleslav, dukes of the Slavs, contended amongst themselves with serious hostility.2
991. King Otto with a large army of Saxons and reinforcements from Mieszko besieged and conquered Brandenburg3. When he was leaving there, a certain Saxon, Kizo, boldly invaded the same burg with the aid of the Liutizi rashly enough against the king’s command, and, with the perseverance of the aforesaid Slavs, altogether unjustly subjugated it to his control contrary to human or divine law. He attempted frequent attacks of robbery in Saxony along the river Elbe. By the grace of God he fled from them into hiding, not as a victor but a like a fugitive thief.4
997. The Slavs, with the treachery innate to them, broke the agreement of the peace that had been achieved and gnawed the Saxon borders with furtive robberies. Provoked against them, the emperor invaded with a large army, conquered, and pillaged Stodorania, which is commonly called Heneldum, a distinguished land among the Slavonic ones, and as a conqueror entered gloriously into Magdeburg, the preeminent burg of the Saxons. In the meantime however, while the august emperor, that is Otto III, passed through Hevaldum laying waste, the assembled Veletabi attacked unexpectedly the province of Bardengau with much plundering and burning. Seeing this, the Westphalians, whom the aforementioned emperor, proceeding on his campaign, had left to guard the province, swiftly and powerfully overtook the Liutizi and, although they were few, they laid low an innumerable multitude of pagans with such great slaughter and seized so much booty from them that the amount neither of that slaughter nor of the booty can in any way be set forth in human speech.5
[1005. Mid-August to mid-September, joined by the Bohemians and the Liutizi, Henry advances an army against the Poles, crossing through the region of Lausitz toward the Oder, where he puts Boleslaw and his forces to flight from Krossen and, laying waste, proceeds toward Poznan. Although Polish garrisons readily abandoned their burgs, Henry's army suffered privation and frequent ambush. Stopping short of Poznan, the two rulers made peace there and the armies returned home.]6
[1005. Jaromir, the Liutizi, and the residents of Wollin complain to King Henry about predations by Boleslaw as a result of the peace agreement; Henry agrees to renounce it. Boleslaw lays waste to Möckern, outside Magdeburg, and takes Zerbst. He then takes the regions of Lausitz, Sorau, and Selpuli and besieges Bautzen.]7
[1009.] The Slavs, who have no fear of God, pillaged both a church located outside the city of Metz and the congregation that served it [implicitly while under the command of the German marcher lord, Dietrich].8
1017. That same year, he [the emperor] again entered Poland with an army.9
1032. ... the emperor [was] at Werben, where he resided for the sake of pacifying the realm against the Liutizi ...10
1034. Many and unaccustomed wars arose between the Liutizi and our men at the fortress of Werben, in which some from our side were killed and many wounded.11
1035. In Lent the burg of Werben was captured from the Liutizi and the garrison of Count Dedi was led away captive. … [The emperor] spent Pentecost at Bamberg, where he ordered his expedition against the Liutizi. … The emperor with a most strong army entered the region of the Liutizi; he laid waste to it far and wide with fires and plundering.12
1036. Expedition to the Liutizi. … The emperor, returning from Liutizia, impatient with autumn pressing, went with an army to Italy and celebrated Christmas in Verona.13
1045. The Slavs who are call the Liutizi were troubling the borders of Saxony; but when the king came there with a force of vassals, they surrendered and promised the customary tribute.14
1056. The Liutizi perpetrated a great slaughter against the Christians, some of whom perished by the sword and others by fleeing into the water. Among them Margrave William was killed.15
1057. The Saxons gathered an army, aggressively attacked the savage people of the Liutizi and inflicted various misfortunes upon them. They subjected them to Roman dominion and, accepting hostages and tribute, returned home.16
1069. On the Lord’s birthday, the king went to Mainz, and soon commanded that an expedition be prepared against the Liutizi that very winter.... The expedition, however suddenly it might have been commanded and undertaken, nevertheless was proven very profitable. For that land of the pagans was full of waters and swamps, but then—namely in the time of winter—it was very much frozen, and therefore an easy road was made for the army for entering and exiting. Consequently, with a light encounter they captured several burgs. Laying waste, they set innumerable villages on fire, and they led away with them immense booty and captives.17
1100. Margrave Udo and many of the Saxons, attacked the barbarians who are called Liutizi and honorably triumphed.18