Page 50 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - The Netherlands

48  INTRODUCING THE NE THERLANDS

Frisians, Franks and Saxons

When the Romans withdrew at the end of the 4th century,
the Low Countries, like the rest of Europe, experienced a Deventer
great migration of peoples. By around 500, the Frisians Dorestad
had spread their territory southwards to the great rivers,
while the Saxons lived east of the IJssel and the Franks had Maastricht
settled in the area south of the great rivers. Approximately
two centuries later, the Franks took over the whole region Kamerijk
as far as the Lauwerszee. With the spread of Christianity The Low Countries (AD 700)
under Charlemagne, the entire area of the Netherlands Frisians
became Christian. After Charlemagne’s death, the region Franks
belonged first to the Middle Kingdom of Lothair, and Saxons
then, from 925, to the German Empire.
The Life of St Boniface
Two episodes in the life of the
Anglo-Saxon missionary
Boniface are illustrated here:
on the left, he is shown
baptizing a convert; on the
right, his martyrdom is
depicted. In 716 and 719,
Boniface went on missionary
expeditions to Friesland. He
was subsequently made
bishop and later archbishop. In
753, he embarked on a further
missionary expedition to
Friesland, which resulted in his
Widukind death the following year.
In 785, Charlemagne defeated
the Saxons led by Widukind. This
The staff is one of Boniface’s
event led to the east of Holland constant possessions. He was
finally being incorporated into reputed to have used it to make a
Charlemagne’s empire. spring well up.

Early Medieval Pottery
For the Frisians, pottery
was an important
barter good, along A convert
being baptized.
with cattle and dye.
Fibula from
Dorestad
Relief showing a
295 Constantius Chlorus defeats the Franks at Roman galley
the battle of the Rhine delta, but allows them
to remain in the Betuwe, where they are used 600–700 Dorestad becomes an
to defend the frontiers important trading settlement
AD 200 400 500 550 600 650
350–400 Romans 500 The territory of the Frisians stretches Frankish denarii
leave the Low from the Zwin in Zeeland Flanders to the
Countries mouth of the Weser in Germany

048-049_EW_Netherlands.indd 48 16/01/17 12:02 pm
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Starsight history template “UK” LAYER
(Source v1.2)
Date 7th January 2013
Size 125mm x 217mm