Christianization Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===== Frankish Empire ===== {{Main|Germanic Christianity|Christianisation of the Germanic peoples}} {{See also|Christianization of the Franks}} The Franks first appear in the historical record in the 3rd century as a confederation of Germanic tribes living on the east bank of the lower Rhine River. [[Clovis I]] was the first [[List of Frankish kings|king of the Franks]] to unite all of the [[Franks|Frankish tribes]] under one ruler.{{sfn|Brown|2003|p=137}} The most likely date of his conversion to Catholicism is [[Christmas|Christmas Day]], 508, following the [[Battle of Tolbiac]].{{sfn|Danuta|1998|pp=29–57}}{{sfn|Padberg|1998|p=48}} He was baptized in [[Rheims]].{{sfn|Padberg|1998|pp=45–48, 53}} <!--Christianity had been present in [[Gaul]] for 300 years then.--> The Frankish Kingdom became Christian over the next two centuries.{{sfn|Lund|2022|p=113}}{{refn|group=note|[[Grave goods]], which of course are not a Christian practice, have been found until that time; see: {{harvp|Padberg|1998|p=59}}}} Saxons went back and forth between rebellion and submission to the Franks for decades.{{sfn|Riché|1993|p=87}}{{sfn|Lund|2022|p=113}} [[Charlemagne]] (r. 768–814) placed missionaries and courts across Saxony in hopes of pacifying the region, but Saxons rebelled again in 782 with disastrous losses for the Franks. In response, the Frankish King "enacted a variety of draconian measures" beginning with the [[Massacre of Verden|massacre at Verden]] in 782 when he ordered the decapitation of 4500 Saxon prisoners offering them baptism as an alternative to death.{{sfn|Riché|1993|pp=105, 161}} These events were followed by the severe legislation of the ''[[Capitulatio de partibus Saxoniae]]'' in 785 which prescribes death to those that are disloyal to the king, harm Christian churches or its ministers, or practice pagan burial rites.{{sfn|Barbero|2004|p=46}} His harsh methods of Christianization raised objections from his friends [[Alcuin]] and [[Paulinus II of Aquileia|Paulinus of Aquileia]].{{sfn|Riché|1993|p=299}} Charlemagne abolished the death penalty for paganism in 797.{{sfn|Paul|2016|p=60}} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page