The Empire of the Mind: Conquest and Colonization in Pagan Saxony
Christopher Landon
This paper examines the Frankish conquest and colonization of Saxony in late eighth early ninth centuries.  Specifically, it traces dissemination adoption a religious political worldview region first decades century, when formerly pagan politically acephalous Saxons had been only recently conquered, Christianized incorporated into Charlemagne’s expanding empire, Saxon people were still very much adjusting to their new place within Christian, multiethnic empire.  texts from century demonstrate that did fact come adopt specifically Christian imperial identity.  How, though, this identity introduced region?  One understudied text half may help illuminate process: Old gospel harmony known as Heliand . The is translation adaptation familiar story life Christ medium Germanic heroic poetry.  far more, however, than straightforward versification, for adapts reshapes important elements its literary exemplars.  most intriguing these transformations occurs on what one historian has called ‘quotidien’ level.  In shepherds, poet substituted ‘horse-boys’; wine, ‘apple-wine’; desert, ‘the forest’.  cumulative effect changes unfamiliar world Roman Palestine looks more like Carolingian Saxony.  It thus doubly significant poem focuses an enormous extent concept practices rule way completely absent Gospels themselves.  Rather being critical rule, at least scholar argued, presents normative picture naturalizing scheme history.
Journal of historical studies