View source for Widukind

{{Short description|Duke of Saxony from 777 to 785}}
{{For|the tenth-century Saxon historian|Widukind of Corvey}}
{{Infobox noble
| name            = Widukind
| noble family    = House of Odon, possibly progenitor of [[Immedingians]]
| title           = ''[[List of rulers of Saxony|dux Saxonum]]''
| image           = File:Widukind statue, Herford.jpg
| caption         = Modern statue of Widukind in [[Herford]], [[North Rhine-Westphalia]]
| reign           = ?–785
| coronation      = 
| othertitles     = 
| full name       = 
| predecessor     = [[Theoderic, Duke of Saxony|Theoderic]]
| successor       = [[Egbert, Duke of Saxony|Egbert]] 
| father          = 
| mother          = 
| spouse          = 
| birth_date      = Unknown
| birth_place     = 
| death_date      = 807 or 808
| death_place     = possibly [[Enger]], near [[Herford]]
| place of burial = Stiftskirche, Enger
}}

'''Widukind''', also known as '''Wittekind''' and '''Wittikund''',<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-01-07 |title=ALL SAINTS: ⛪ Blessed Wittikund of Westphalia |url=https://saintscatholic.blogspot.com/2019/01/blessed-wittikund-of-westphalia.html |access-date=2023-10-11 |website=ALL SAINTS}}</ref> was a leader of the [[Saxons]] and the chief opponent of the [[Francia|Frankish]] king [[Charlemagne]] during the [[Saxon Wars]] from 777 to 785. Charlemagne ultimately prevailed, organized [[Old Saxony|Saxony]] as a Frankish province, [[Massacre of Verden|massacred thousands]] of Saxon nobles, and ordered conversions of the [[Germanic paganism|pagan]] Saxons to [[Christianity]]. In later times, Widukind became a symbol of Saxon independence and a figure of legend. He is also venerated as a [[Beatification|Blessed]] in the Catholic Church.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-01-07 |title=ALL SAINTS: ⛪ Blessed Wittikund of Westphalia |url=https://saintscatholic.blogspot.com/2019/01/blessed-wittikund-of-westphalia.html |access-date=2023-10-11 |website=ALL SAINTS}}</ref>

==Life==
Very little is known about Widukind's life. His name literally translates as "child of the forest". In the chronicles he is accompanied by [[Abbi (Saxon)|Abbi]] who may have been a close relative.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Lexikon des Mittelalters. 7, Planudes bis Stadt (Rus').|date=1999|publisher=Metzler|isbn=3476017427|location=Stuttgart|oclc=313569328}}</ref> However, it is uncertain how they were related because all sources about him stem from his enemies, the [[Franks]], who painted a negative picture representing him as an "insurgent" and a "traitor". While Widukind was considered the leader of the Saxon resistance by the Franks, his exact role in the military campaigns is unknown.

According to the ''[[Royal Frankish Annals]]'', the Franks campaigned in [[Duchy of Saxony|Saxony]] in 772, when Charlemagne ordered the destruction of the [[Irminsul]] sanctuary. The Saxon Wars continued when [[Westphalia]]n tribes devastated the church of [[Deventer]] and the [[Angria|Angrarii]] laid siege to the Frankish court at [[Fritzlar]]. The king retaliated against the local nobility, enforcing the decree to incorporate the Saxon lands as a Frankish [[March (territory)|march]].

Widukind was first mentioned by the ''Annals'' in 777 when he was the only one of the Saxon nobles not to appear at Charlemagne's court in [[Paderborn]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}} Instead, he stayed with the Danish king [[Sigfred]] (possibly [[Sigurd Hring]]). The next year, the Westphalians again invaded the Frankish [[Rhineland]] and subsequently fought a running battle against the Franks and their local allies while Charlemagne [[Battle of Roncevaux Pass|was busy in Spain]].

By 782, Widukind had returned from [[Denmark]] and goaded the Saxon nobles into rebellion. From 782 to 784, battles between Saxons and Franks occurred annually, while Charlemagne had 4,500 Saxons executed at the [[Massacre of Verden]]. Widukind allied himself with the [[Frisians]] but Charlemagne's winter attacks of 784/785 were nevertheless successful, and the ''dux'' and his allies were pushed back to their homelands. Charlemagne, leading an expedition towards the mouth of the [[Elbe]], learned that Widukind was in the land of the [[Nordalbingia]]ns, on the right bank of the river.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}} In the [[Bardengau]] in 785, Widukind agreed to surrender in return for a guarantee that no bodily harm would be done to him. He and his allies were then baptized, possibly in [[Attigny, Ardennes|Attigny]],<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15618a.htm Kampers, Franz. "Widukind." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 5 Jan. 2013]</ref> with Charlemagne as his [[godparent|godfather]]. Widukind thereby reached a peace agreement and the acknowledgement of the Saxon noble rank by their Frankish overlords.

There are no contemporary sources about Widukind's life or death after his baptism. Historian Gerd Althoff assumed that he was imprisoned at a [[monastery]]—a fate that happened to other rulers deposed by Charlemagne. He tried to identify [[Reichenau Abbey]] as a likely location where Widukind may have spent the rest of his life,<ref>Gerd Althoff: ''Der Sachsenherzog Widukind als Mönch auf der Reichenau. Ein Beitrag zur Kritik des Widukind-Mythos.'' In: ''Frühmittelalterliche Studien'', Bd. 17 (1983), S. 251–279. ([http://www.mgh-bibliothek.de/dokumente/a/a047931.pdf online])</ref> but his results are inconclusive and widely rejected.<ref>Eckhard Freise: ''Die Sachsenmission Karls des Großen und die Anfänge des Bistums Minden.'' In: ''An Weser und Wiehen. Beiträge zur Geschichte und Kultur einer Landschaft. Festschrift für Wilhelm Brepohl.'' Minden 1983, S. 57–100, hier: S. 81. ([http://www.mgh-bibliothek.de/dokumente/a/a142466.pdf online]) Ausführlicher Eckhard Freise: ''Widukind in Attigny.'' In: ''1200 Jahre Widukinds Taufe.'' Paderborn 1985, S. 12–45, hier: S. 35ff. ([http://www.mgh-bibliothek.de/dokumente/k/keh01000843.pdf online]).</ref> Alternatively, he may have received a position in the administration of occupied Saxony. The ''Vita Liudgeri'' biography of Saint [[Ludger]] mentions him accompanying Charlemagne on his campaign against the [[Veleti]] leader [[Dragovit]]. According to the 12th-century ''[[Kaiserchronik]]'', he was slain by Charlemagne's brother-in-law [[Gerold, Prefect of Bavaria|Gerold of Baar]].

==Legend==
[[File:Charlemagne, empereur d'Occident, reçoit la soumission de Wittekind, 785, por Ary Scheffer.jpg|thumb|''Charlemagne receiving the submission of Widukind at Paderborn'' ([[Ary Scheffer]], 1840)]]

Numerous legends developed around Widukind's life; he eventually appeared as a saintly figure (becoming "Blessed Widukind") and the builder of many [[Church (building)|churches]]. He was later assumed to have died in 807{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}} or 808{{fact|date=February 2025}}; his [[feast day]] is commemorated on January 7.

According to legend, Widukind experienced a vision that led to his [[Conversion to Christianity|conversion]]. Disguised as a beggar, he was spying on Charlemagne's troop camp during [[Easter]]. He witnessed a priest performing a Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the priest was holding a beautiful child during the consecration. To his astonishment, people would receive [[Communion rite|communion]] and the priest would give the same child to each person. Widukind was dumbfounded by this scene and went to beg outside after the mass. One of the emperor's servants recognized Widukind behind his disguise—due to an odd formation of one of his fingers—and Widukind was captured. He was interrogated and confessed to spying on Charlemagne's camp for the purpose of becoming better acquainted with the Christian faith. He later confessed the divine vision he had seen. The emperor concluded that God had given Widukind the grace of witnessing the divine child, Jesus, behind the Sacred Host of the Mass. Widukind then renounced his worship of pagan idols.<ref>Martin Von Cochem, ''Cochem's Explanation of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass'' (1896)</ref>

==Later perception==

===Medieval===
Since the 9th century, Widukind had been idolized as a mythical hero. Around 1100, a tomb for him was made in [[Enger]]; recent{{when|date=October 2018}} excavations have found that the contents of the tomb are indeed early medieval, but are the remains of a young woman. In 1971, archaeologists discovered three graves in a prominent place in front of the altar. The remains of three men who had died in the early 9th century, two of them about sixty-year-old warriors, the third a young man, were identified after a DNA analysis in 2002 as  half-brothers or maternal cousins and a nephew. The man buried in front of the altar is assumed to be Widukind.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bild-der-wissenschaft.de/bdw/bdwlive/heftarchiv/index2.php?object_id=10100192 |title=Results (summary) of genetical analysis of the skeletons |access-date=2016-03-08 |archive-date=2016-03-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305054434/http://www.bild-der-wissenschaft.de/bdw/bdwlive/heftarchiv/index2.php?object_id=10100192 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  When in the 10th century Saxon kings (of the [[Ottonian]] dynasty) replaced the Frankish kings in [[East Francia]] (the later [[Holy Roman Empire]]), these kings proudly claimed descent from Widukind: [[Matilda of Ringelheim|Matilda]], the wife of [[Henry I the Fowler|King Henry I]], was apparently a great-great-great-granddaughter of Widukind. The [[House of Billung]], to which several Dukes of Saxony belonged, had Matilda's sister among its ancestors and thus also claimed descent from Widukind. The Italian family [[Del Carretto (disambiguation)|Del Carretto]] (and its supposed French branch, family [[Charette (disambiguation)|de Charette]]) also claimed to descend from the hero.

===In German nationalism===
Widukind became a hero for [[German nationalism|German nationalists]] in the early 20th century. German neo-pagans saw him as an heroic defender of Germany's traditional beliefs and their [[Germanic deities|gods]], resisting the Middle Eastern religion of Christianity. Christian nationalists also lauded him, linking Charlemagne with the humiliation of French domination after [[World War I]], especially the occupation of the Rhineland, portraying Charlemagne as a "French" invader.<ref name = "glen">Glen W. Gadberry, "An 'Ancient German Rediscovered' The Nazi Widukind Plays of Forster and Kiß", ''Essays on Twentieth-Century German Drama and Theater: An American Reception, 1977-1999'', pp.156-163.</ref>

After the [[Nazi Party]] came to power in 1933, so many plays and other works were written about Widukind that there were complaints that he was becoming a cliché. [[Alfred Rosenberg]] praised him as a hero of German freedom, who finally joined with the founder of the German Reich (Charlemagne). Two important plays about the Saxon leader were produced in 1934, ''Der Sieger'' by [[Friedrich Forster]] and ''Wittekind'' by [[Edmund Kiss]]. The first celebrated the conversion of Widukind, but the second caused controversy because of its explicit anti-Christian message. In that play after the [[massacre of Verden]], Saxon leaders say, "That is what the Christians have done; they feign love, but bring murder!"—a line that led to protests from the audience.<ref name = "glen"/> The play portrays Catholic church leaders planning to destroy German freedom by forcing racial mixture on them, thus turning them into pliable "''[[Untermensch]]en''". Thousands of German maidens are captured and will be forced to mate with "Jews and Moors" unless Widukind converts, which he does only to avoid this horrifying prospect. He gives a speech saying that the survival of the German race was his principal concern, and that future generations will praise him for this when the true spirit of the German people arises once more.<ref name = "glen"/>

===Present===
Many buildings are named after him in the area of [[Enger]], including the [[Widukind-Gymnasium Enger]].

== Sainthood ==
He is called 'Blessed Wittikund' in the Catholic Church and his feast day is celebrated on 7 January.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gachie |first=Laban Thua |date=2019-07-24 |title=Blessed Wittikund of Westphalia - Saint of the Day - January 7 |url=https://catholicreadings.org/blessed-wittikund-of-westphalia-saint-of-the-day-january-7/ |access-date=2023-10-11 |website=Catholic Daily Readings |language=en-US}}</ref> Wittikund apparently saw an apparition of the child Jesus at Christmas mass one time.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gachie |first=Laban Thua |date=2019-07-24 |title=Blessed Wittikund of Westphalia - Saint of the Day - January 7 |url=https://catholicreadings.org/blessed-wittikund-of-westphalia-saint-of-the-day-january-7/ |access-date=2023-10-11 |website=Catholic Daily Readings |language=en-US}}</ref> Following his baptism in 785 AD<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gachie |first=Laban Thua |date=2019-07-24 |title=Blessed Wittikund of Westphalia - Saint of the Day - January 7 |url=https://catholicreadings.org/blessed-wittikund-of-westphalia-saint-of-the-day-january-7/ |access-date=2023-10-11 |website=Catholic Daily Readings |language=en-US}}</ref> he forfeited engaging in warfare and became a prolific founder/restorer of churches;<ref>{{Cite web |title=Latin Saints of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Rome |url=http://orthodoxengland.org.uk/s9centy.htm |access-date=2023-10-11 |website=orthodoxengland.org.uk}}</ref> it was for this reason that he is regarded as a holy person.

==See also==

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Abbi (Saxon)]]
* [[Ambiorix]]
* [[Alaric I]]
* [[Ardaric]]
* [[Arminius]]
* [[Athanaric]]
* [[Boudica]]
* [[Fritigern]]
* [[Gaius Julius Civilis]]
* [[Totila]]
* [[Tribigild]]
* [[Vercingetorix]]
* [[Viriathus]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
* {{cite book|title=Lexikon des Mittelalters|location=München|volume=IX}}
* {{cite book|author=Springer, Matthias|title=Die Sachsen|year=2004|publisher=Kohlhammer |isbn=3-17-016588-7}}
* {{cite book|author=Widukind of Corvey|title=Deeds of the Saxons|year=2015|publisher=CUA Press |isbn=978-0-8132-2693-4}} Trans. Bernard S. Bachrach and David S. Bachrach. Washington D.C.: [[The Catholic University of America Press]].
* {{EB1911|wstitle=Widukind (leader)|display=Widukind|volume=28|page=621}}

{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline}}
* [http://www.widukind-museum-enger.de Widukind Museum, Enger, Germany]

{{S-start}}
{{s-bef|before= [[Theoderic, Duke of Saxony]]}}
{{s-ttl|title= [[Rulers of Saxony]]|years=  –785}}
{{s-aft|after= [[Egbert, Duke of Saxony|Egbert]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:8th-century births]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:Year of death unknown]]
[[Category:Culture of Westphalia]]
[[Category:8th-century dukes in Europe]]
[[Category:8th-century Saxon people]]
[[Category:Dukes of the Saxons]]
[[Category:Saxon warriors]]