IMPERIO CAROLINGIO (Carlomagno) 2 - Documental
El Imperio carolingio es un término historiográfico, que es utilizado para referirse al Imperio de los romanos y los francos, la etapa superior del reino franco bajo el gobierno de la dinastía carolingia
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00:00In this video we present to you the most important relic of the Saxons, the legendary Yrminsul.
00:11Carlomagno manages to reach the main relic of the Saxons, the legendary Yrminsul.
00:20It is an imposing tree that, according to the Saxon religion, sustains the whole universe.
00:30It is the most important relic of the Saxons, the legendary Yrminsul.
00:43Bring the torches.
00:46Majesty, with permission.
00:49This is the most sacred place for the Saxons.
00:52Yrminsul is the direct union with their gods.
00:55It is not a small church built by men who can rebuild later.
01:01Every war needs a legitimation.
01:04In this case, the destruction of a pagan sanctuary works perfectly as a legitimation strategy.
01:11Carlomagno's goal is the same from the beginning.
01:15Weakening paganism, extirpating it, erecting Christian altars and Christian churches in the territory of the pagans and introducing Christian organizations.
01:26The conquest of Yrminsul is of great help in its purpose.
01:43Turn it on.
01:55Turn it on.
02:14From the beginning, the goal of Carlomagno's campaign against the Saxons was to obtain a good booty to stimulate his nobles and soldiers.
02:22In the Saxon forests there is a sacrificial cave that hides it.
02:52The Franks knew that the Saxons were hiding a large amount of gold and silver in their sanctuary.
03:09Carlomagno needed a good booty in 772 to reinforce his power and get his nephews out of Lombardy.
03:17Everything was related.
03:20The different campaigns were connected.
03:26At the same time, very far from Saxony, Pope Adrian takes a decision.
03:34Desiderio, you came to me to ask me to confirm the children of the late Carlomagno as his heirs to the Frank throne.
03:42We have reached a conclusion and we trust that it is the right one, with the help of God.
03:48The crown of the kingdom of Carlomagno only has a legitimate heir, King Charles.
03:53In Saxony he is proving that he is the true sword of God.
03:57Even so, King Charles is an usurper, Your Holiness.
04:01Are you sure of your decision?
04:06Have you considered the safety of Rome?
04:12Are you threatening me, dear Desiderio?
04:17My decision is irrevocable.
04:25Master, is it true that Desiderio, angry, came to attack Rome?
04:31Master?
04:34Master?
04:35Master?
04:38Master?
04:41Master?
04:42Yes, yes.
04:44Pope Adrian was between the sword and the wall.
04:49He threatened Desiderio with excommunication, but it was useless.
04:55When he saw himself in danger, he asked King Charles for help.
04:59King Charles.
05:04Write, Johannes.
05:09Pippinus, Charles' father, had already gone to war against the Lombards to help the Pope.
05:21Now Charles had the same reason to declare war.
05:29However, in this campaign he would face greater difficulties.
05:35And the result was also different.
05:39It is likely that in the year 773 or 774, the idea of a war against the Lombards was not supported by everyone.
05:48Especially because Queen Viola Gerberga, the sister-in-law of Charles the Great, had taken refuge there with her children.
05:54And surely she had support among the notable Franks.
05:57I would say that the war against the Lombards required some more preparation and power of conviction than a summer campaign against the Saxons, which could be undertaken almost without risk.
06:27Your Majesty.
06:29Excuse me.
06:31They just informed me that you were here.
06:35I came without warning.
06:37To what do we owe the honor of your visit?
06:43Do you have any doubts?
06:46You are a good interpreter of the human soul.
06:49Well, yes.
06:50You have no doubt.
06:53You are a good interpreter of the human soul.
06:56Well, since the burial of your father you have not returned here.
07:01And you come now that there is a war in Cirnes.
07:05You do not have to be a wise man to interpret the soul of a child.
07:09Your situation is very complicated.
07:12Your father already lost the favor of many princes when he faced the Lombards.
07:17But he won the war.
07:18There were no suitors to the throne of your father sitting at the table of the Lombards.
07:22The children of your brother have many friends in our kingdom.
07:25I should have ... I should not have let them go.
07:28God will reward your benevolence.
07:31But I can not let Desiderio do whatever he wants.
07:34It would be a terrible sign of weakness.
07:36Of course there must be consequences.
07:39But measure well your actions.
07:42Use the weaknesses of your enemy.
07:47Desiderio does not seem stupid.
07:49But it is said that he is exceptionally arrogant.
07:53Play with his presumption.
07:55Cross the Alps with your army and negotiate with him.
07:59Negotiate?
08:01That he believes that you are afraid of him.
08:03Behave as if you wanted to avoid the battle by all means.
08:07So he will make mistakes.
08:09Believe me.
08:11Nothing is as useful as pretending to be weak to an enemy.
08:13And what do I do with the undecided nobles?
08:16Well, for a campaign in which Lombard blood will not be spilled,
08:21I am sure you will find enough nobles willing.
08:24And when you are on the road,
08:27and Desiderio despises your offer of peace,
08:31everything will be possible.
08:34You should know if he is a military strategist.
08:37Anyway, I guide men to battle.
08:40Although the battles are a little different.
08:43You will see.
08:50In the summer of 773, the campaign against the Lombards began.
08:55The army of Charlemagne crossed the Alps in two columns.
08:59One through the valley of Aosta,
09:01and the other, led by the king, through Mount Senís.
09:04The two groups would meet in the west of Turin,
09:08in the valley of Susa.
09:10That was the plan.
09:14More than 3,000 people make up this army.
09:18In addition to the regular soldiers, there are about 1,000 members of the royal court.
09:25In the Middle Ages, there were carriages with suspension.
09:29Only simple carts for women and children.
09:34For Queen Hildegard, this means an additional effort.
09:39Charlemagne does not want her to accompany him, and she does.
09:42In the campaign of Italy, he faces the cold of the Alps,
09:45with an advanced pregnancy.
09:48Hildegard's life with Charlemagne was not easy.
09:52He always wanted me to be by his side.
09:55So she, although she was often pregnant,
09:59accompanied him on almost all his trips.
10:02He was also in the campaign against the Lombards of Pavia.
10:05That is, he crossed the Alps in winter,
10:09with Charlemagne, his eldest son, and his stepson Pippin.
10:20Crossing the Alps in the Middle Ages was a very dangerous adventure.
10:27Especially in winter, when snow and ice blocked the roads.
10:32On one occasion, according to legend,
10:35a miracle saved the Franks from a safe death
10:39during an unexpected storm.
10:46In the middle of the Alps,
10:49Charlemagne and his son, Pippin,
10:52crossed the Alps in winter,
10:55with Charlemagne, his eldest son, Pippin.
10:59Legend also tells that Charlemagne
11:02ordered the construction of a temple
11:05in gratitude for the miraculous salvation.
11:13The small church of Saint Benedict of Mals
11:16is one of the few monuments that are preserved from the Carolingian era.
11:21Its founder wanted to immortalize himself in a fresco,
11:24which allows us to know how the noble Franks dressed.
11:29This has a richly decorated sword.
11:33Much has been speculated about his identity,
11:36and the theories range from a noble close to the king,
11:39to Charlemagne's son, Pippin.
11:47It took weeks to cross the Alps.
11:50Desiderio, as expected, rejected the offer of peace.
11:54Charlemagne's plan was going according to plan,
11:56and his soldiers had a strategy.
12:00A problem with the campaign against the Lombards
12:03was to avoid the parades.
12:06According to some sources, a group of Franks surrounded a parade
12:09and attacked the Lombards from behind.
12:12Charlemagne's rapid penetration in northern Italy
12:15could only be carried out if he had the support
12:18of some passers-by from Desiderio.
12:21He could have achieved it through bribes,
12:23or perhaps thanks to a good strategy.
12:31The Lombards expect to attack the Franks from above in the parade,
12:35but they do not realize that there is another detachment of Franks
12:38approaching from behind.
12:42Surprised, Desiderio took refuge with his army
12:45behind the powerful walls of his capital, Pavia.
12:48Years later, a chronicler describes the impressive arrival
12:51of the Frankish army at the gates of Pavia.
12:54Finally, an iron man arrived.
12:57It was Charles.
13:00The iron covered everything and reflected the brightness of the sun.
13:10But the Lombards did not give up,
13:13and Charlemagne decided to attack.
13:15A dangerous mission just before winter.
13:26He should have planned to besiege the city from the beginning.
13:29Otherwise, it would not have been possible.
13:32The siege was very long.
13:35It lasted nine months, including those of winter,
13:38because it started in September and ended in June.
13:41They had to have a certain logistical preparation
13:43and technical.
13:50To maintain the enthusiasm of the nobles,
13:53Charlemagne did not stop organizing banquets
13:56in the winter camp.
14:13Your sister has a fever.
14:16When will the child be born?
14:19Only God knows when the child will come into the world.
14:24Do not worry about my brother.
14:27I'm fine.
14:30You should not be here.
14:33I have to go.
14:36I have to go.
14:39I have to go.
14:41You should not be here.
14:44I am the queen.
14:47My duty is to be by my husband's side.
14:53None of us should be here.
15:12Brother-in-law.
15:15What prevents you from enjoying the party?
15:18Majesty.
15:21A battle for the Church and for the Pope
15:24does not give you the right to surrender to sin in that way.
15:27Drink.
15:30Only a good Christian will win this war.
15:33And I do not see anyone here.
15:36While you have fun, my sister is suffering
15:38and she has a son in the store with you.
15:41Be careful with what you say.
15:44Do not party.
15:47And drink with us, Querol.
15:53As the saying goes,
15:56when the river sounds,
15:59water brings.
16:02The contemporaries
16:05were scandalized
16:08for having a son.
16:11It had not been ten years since his death
16:14when it was said that he was in hell,
16:18where a beast bit his genitals
16:21to punish him for ...
16:24Well, it is clear why he was punishing him.
16:35Time passes
16:38and history does not bear fruit.
16:41Charlemagne travels to Rome by surprise
16:44to ask the Pope for an audience
16:47and sees the Holy City for the first time.
16:58Charlemagne was very curious
17:01to see the famous city of Rome.
17:05We know that during the High Middle Ages
17:08the Europeans of the North
17:11showed great interest in Rome,
17:14where they traveled with the hope
17:17to see much larger stone buildings
17:20than those in their countries.
17:26The visit took by surprise
17:29to Pope Adrian I,
17:32as well as the humility and emotion
17:35with which the King of the Franks behaved.
17:39We are in Rome now.
18:00Charlemagne needed a miracle.
18:03He stood in Rome
18:05And he began to climb the stairs, kissing each step.
18:10Then he embraced the Pope and offered him his left hand.
18:16The Pope took him with his right hand and accompanied him inside St. Peter.
18:21It had to be a very intense experience.
18:24Entering the Basilica of St. Peter and feeling all the spirituality of the place is something that Charlemagne did not forget in his life.
18:35Charlemagne wants the papal blessing for his campaign against the Lombards.
18:40For that he gives him a small part of his treasure.
18:45Following the tradition established by his father, he presents himself as protector of the Church and renews a great promise of donation to Adriano I.
18:53One of the reasons for Charlemagne's visit to Rome was to ask for the support of St. Peter and his successor for his campaign against the Lombards.
19:12On the contrary, he explains to us his willingness to make such an important promise of donation.
19:18The regions conquered by the Lombards would become a heritage of St. Peter.
19:32Upon Charlemagne's return, epidemics and hunger had forced Pavia to capitulate.
19:38Praised be Jesus Christ.
19:42Praised be all the saints.
19:45You see, Gerol? We are the true Christians.
19:50Indeed, Majesty. Indeed.
19:54For Charlemagne, the encounter with St. Peter was a miracle that allowed him to return and win the war.
20:09In reality, what really defeated the Lombards was the terrible epidemic that was declared in Pavia and that decimated its population.
20:18However, for the king, a relationship of protection had been established.
20:23He protected St. Peter and his lands and St. Peter protected him.
20:29Each of his triumphs was a confirmation of that belief.
20:36Charles did not ease the pressure until he forced Desiderio to surrender unconditionally through a prolonged siege.
20:44And what happened to King Desiderio?
20:47Do not be impatient, Johannes.
20:50Write.
20:53The campaign against the Lombards ended with the conquest of Italy, the excommunication of King Desiderio, the expulsion of Italy from his son Adalgiso,
21:07and the return of the goods stolen by the Lombards to Adriano, the Pope of the Church of Rome.
21:18The Lombards defeated the Lombards.
21:27Gerberga and his sons, the heirs of Charlemagne, fell into the hands of Charlemagne after the defeat of the Lombards and were sent to exile.
21:47No!
21:50No!
21:53No!
21:56No!
21:59No!
22:18Naturally, the historian can wonder about the fate of Charlemagne's nephews.
22:26And since there is no trace of them, it is possible to think that Charlemagne could have wanted his death, that he could have caused it.
22:36But there is no indication that it was so.
22:40In addition, the Carolingians, unlike the Merovingians, did not kill their rivals.
22:45Even so, that option cannot be completely discarded.
22:55Charlemagne has achieved it.
22:58From now on he can be called Rex Francorum et Langobardorum, King of the Franks and the Lombards.
23:06He already controls all of Western Europe.
23:09But peace is still far away.
23:15Majesty, the Saxons have rebelled under the command of Viducindo.
23:22They are setting fire to the Christian churches.
23:27My crown.
23:29After the victory over the Lombards, Charlemagne did not face the Saxons again.
23:52And he did it in a way never seen before.
23:56It was so brutal that it seemed that he had lost his mind.
24:00This shows that perhaps Charlemagne did not accept the defeats as he could have believed reading Heginard.
24:12Charlemagne's counterattack is cruel and ruthless.
24:25The Saxon warriors of Viducindo have no chance against the Franks.
24:55Lord, cleanse my sins. Have mercy on my soul.
25:24And purify it.
25:30Charlemagne wanted to convert the Saxons to true Christianity.
25:36And the oaths of loyalty to him were included in the package.
25:41After swearing loyalty to him, the rebellion was an act of perjury and treason.
25:50Any kind of revenge was justified.
25:56Some pretty horrible things happened.
25:59But I think in Charles's mind and the mind of contemporaries, breaking an oath to the king was something intolerable.
26:19The fiercest rival of Charlemagne was the caudillo Saxon, Viducindo.
26:49I, Viducindo, swear revenge. For all the gods.
27:09Viducindo, who was for a few years the greatest rival of Charlemagne in Saxony, belonged to the nobility of Westphalia.
27:28From the year 778, he was the engine of resistance against the Franks.
27:35Viducindo distanced himself from the other noble Saxons, who had reached an agreement with Charlemagne and relied on the middle and lower classes.
27:46If he had been successful, he could have founded a Saxon kingdom.
27:53Do you know the Greek saying that says, have the Frank as a friend, but not as a neighbor?
28:08Everyone trembled before the strength and determination of the great Charles.
28:13And rightly so. As soon as he finished his victory over the Lombards and the Saxons, he undertook his next adventure.
28:24For about 30 years, he was in war almost uninterruptedly.
28:31But let's leave this now. Let's go eat with our friend the abbot Santor, okay?
28:40I'm hungry.
28:41Yes, and I ...
28:45Preventing a safe victory, Charlemagne retires to his winter barracks.
28:51Come on, Roldán. Show that you are capable. Are you a good warrior? Come on, show it.
29:00Majesty, everyone knows that I am invincible. Let the clemency reign.
29:11What's wrong? Have you lost your mind? Are you getting old? You are so weak.
29:41You look tired.
29:55They have asked me to help the governor of Zaragoza in his fight against the emir.
30:03A campaign against the emir of Cordoba?
30:08Zaragoza wants to be independent.
30:14The governor will open the doors of the city to me and I will achieve victory.
30:23Carlos, your subjects, your soldiers and your nobles are tired of war and with permission.
30:34I am too.
30:52Between Paderborn and Zaragoza there are about 1700 kilometers.
30:57If we add all their displacements during their campaigns or between their palaces, Charlemagne traveled more than the terrestrial circumference.
31:09Military rulers were always in motion because, due to the conditions of communication of the time, they had to be seen in the different regions of their territory.
31:21This also happens during the first half of the reign of Charlemagne.
31:26We must also take into account all the displacements due to military issues.
31:31And even in times of peace, there could always be an expedition of punishment to make someone reason.
31:39I am at the limit of my strength.
31:42But I worry about you.
31:45You have changed a lot.
31:48God knows that the Carlos with whom I married was not a lamb.
31:52But I was not blind of fury, not even if I had gotten into this uncertain war.
31:56Hildegard, I have no choice.
32:00I do it because I love you.
32:03Hildegard, I have no choice.
32:07I do it in the name of the Lord.
32:11Listen to me.
32:13I beg you, don't go.
32:20God will protect me.
32:24You don't have to come with me.
32:27Some of my men will escort you on your return.
32:33I have to go.
32:47When Charlemagne arrived in Zaragoza, the situation had changed completely.
32:52The governor who had asked him for help against the emir of Cordoba had been overthrown.
32:57The city gates were closed.
33:04Ah!
33:07Ah!
33:10Charlemagne does not refuse to give up.
33:13For months he puts Zaragoza close to failure.
33:17It is the first defeat of his military career.
33:21It is true, the soldiers are weak.
33:25And there is no provision or enough water for weeks.
33:28Many have fallen ill and the insurrection can no longer ...
33:30Silence, Margrave Roldán! How dare you!
33:44The situation is so desperate.
33:47The provisions have run out and there is nothing left in the surroundings.
33:52The nobles ... the nobles ...
33:55They do not see it possible to keep the siege.
34:02Thank you for your sincerity.
34:05But tell me ...
34:08Where is my luck?
34:13Announce the withdrawal for tomorrow.
34:17You, Roldán, will protect the rear during the march.
34:21The withdrawal of Charlemagne from the Iberian Peninsula had serious consequences.
34:27He destroyed the defenses of the Christian city of Pamplona and allowed his looting.
34:51With his brutal attack on the Basques, Charlemagne did not cause a hard reprisal.
34:57Some Basque warriors attacked the French rear in the grineos.
35:02And they killed the last man.
35:09The death of Charlemagne was not the end of the war.
35:13But it was the beginning of a new war.
35:17Ah!
35:20The death of Margrave Roldán marked the bitter end of Charlemagne's adventure in the Iberian Peninsula.
35:26The attack of the Basques was the attack of a Christian people.
35:30They must have been furious because Charlemagne, after the failure of Zaragoza, decided to loot Pamplona.
35:36Looting the Christian city of Pamplona was a blunder, it must be said.
35:41That's why the Basques were so furious.
35:44A contemporary author says that the defeat was like a cloud that covered Charlemagne's soul forever.
35:52Why did it affect him so much?
35:55He had lost the loot he hoped to obtain in the conquered cities.
36:01Which was, in a sense, the economic objective of the campaign.
36:06But there is something else.
36:09Some of his closest companions, including Roldán, died in the battle.
36:17It was a terrible blow to faith and the honor of Charlemagne.
36:22He saw his closest companions die, the ones he trusted.
36:27The campaign of Spain, and what remains between us, was a debacle.
36:34Has anyone written about the mistakes of the Roman Caesars?
36:39No.
36:41And I'm not going to do it either.
36:44No one is infallible, Johannes.
36:47Not even the best Christian of all rulers.
36:53My mission is to present his life as an example for future generations.
36:59Therefore, I will write, King Charles crossed the Pyrenees,
37:07took all the cities and castles he besieged,
37:13and retreated without losses.
37:17In his retreat, he managed to survive the treacherous attack of the Basques.
37:22It is likely that Eginardo had the intention to inform
37:27with veracity in his biography of Charlemagne.
37:31I do not know any passage that the current investigation
37:35considers incorrect, or said plainly, where he has lied.
37:40But like all narrators, he selected the material he wanted to include
37:45and how to present it.
37:47In addition, understandably, he tries to present Charlemagne
37:51under the most favorable light possible.
37:55He feels veneration for Charlemagne,
37:59and that also conditions his writing,
38:03but there are no clashes with the truth.
38:07Pedro Eginardo was not the only one who silenced
38:11or reinterpreted the defeat of Charlemagne in Spain.
38:14Others turned the humiliation suffered in the Pyrenees
38:18into a true heroic epic.
38:22An example is in the Cantar de Roldán.
38:26The manuscript Stricker, from the 13th century,
38:30preserved in San Galo, illustrates this story.
38:34The various miniatures show what happened like a movie.
38:44According to legend, the Margrave Roldán
38:47was carrying an elephant, a horn with which he could ask for help
38:51to Charlemagne, but the help came late,
38:54and the king could only mourn the death of his friend.
39:08The oldest edition of the Cantar de Roldán
39:11is in the Oxford Manuscript of the 12th century.
39:16It is the original text of the epic history.
39:23The philologist Wolf Steinsick has translated it from ancient French.
39:35In the Cantar de Roldán, Charlemagne is not a brilliant hero.
39:39According to the text, he is a ruler of 200 years,
39:43surrounded by young and dynamic nobles.
39:47Every time he finds himself in a complex situation,
39:50he shaves his beard and begins to cry without knowing what to do.
39:54Then he goes to God, who gives him his help.
39:58In the Cantar de Roldán, he ends up exclaiming,
40:01how painful my life is.
40:04He is not the typical hero,
40:06but the text is a heroic narrative.
40:11The victory of Christianity over the unfaithful,
40:15and the victory of the faithful vassals over the traitors.
40:32While Charlemagne returns from Spain,
40:34a new rebellion of the Saxons breaks out.
40:38This time, the warriors of the noble Viduquindo
40:41annihilate the Franco occupiers.
40:54Viduquindo is becoming the greatest nightmare of Charlemagne.
41:05No other war was so long, so exasperating and painful for the Francos.
41:13It would have been possible to put an end to it much earlier,
41:20if it had not been for the betrayal of the Saxons.
41:25Well, Master Johannes, you can continue.
41:29You can continue.
41:33It is difficult to know how many times the Saxons were besieged
41:40and submitted to the king.
41:43How many times they swore to abandon idolatry and embrace Christianity.
41:48But they were increasingly in a hurry to break the promise.
41:54Here we are.
41:56Keep writing.
42:00In this war, many noble Francos and Saxons fell.
42:06Among them, the highest dignitaries.
42:17He will be sentenced to death penalty to whoever celebrates a funeral according to the pagan custom,
42:23handing over the body to the flames.
42:30And he will die who offers a human victim to the devil
42:36and according to the pagan custom, the presence before the idols as an offering.
42:42He will die who takes the church by assault and with violence,
42:47or who hands it over to the flames.
42:50Also who murders a bishop, a priest, or a deacon.
43:00After the defeat against the Saxons in the year 782,
43:05Charlemagne faced a serious problem.
43:09Many Francos had died and he needed to be legitimized.
43:14As he had only achieved one victory, he decided to adopt a drastic measure.
43:20He decided to give up his position as a bishop
43:25As he had only achieved one victory, he decided to adopt a drastic measure.
43:30He ordered the execution of about 4,500 Saxons.
43:36Charlemagne took an exemplary measure of inaudible cruelty.
43:41He led Verden to the leaders of the Saxon insurrection
43:45and ordered them to be beheaded and thrown into the river.
43:48There is no doubt about the number of 4,500 executed,
43:54which is mentioned in a passage of difficult reading of the annals of the empire.
43:59It is a very high figure and from experience,
44:03we know that in medieval sources the figures of military events are exaggerated.
44:09What cannot be denied is that a great massacre took place
44:14with a very high number of victims.
44:17If you want to preserve life, tell me where your boss is.
44:21Where is Viducrindo?
44:24Give it to me!
44:31No!
44:34No!
44:37No!
44:40No!
44:43No!
44:45No!
44:49For Charlemagne, Viducrindo was a serious problem.
44:53Viducrindo was successful in his war against the Franks,
44:57but when Charlemagne appeared, the Saxon fled the confrontations.
45:03That behavior was very offensive to Charlemagne,
45:07since he considered that form of war as a personal challenge,
45:11not to say an insult.
45:15Charlemagne still could not find a way to end the furious resistance of the Saxons.
45:45© transcript Emily Beynon