You joined the army at age fourteen and belong to a cohort of 100. Charlemagne admires the Roman army and tries to make his army as much like a Roman one as he can. As a foot soldier you carry a long shield and learn to form a “shield wall” with your comrades. You wear a chain-link mail tunic, and a pointed iron helmet with a nose guard. Beneath the helmet you wear a neck-protecting chain mail hood that covers your shoulders, too. You carry a spear, a fearsome scramaseax (a long knife that doubles as a short sword), and a small axe.

Between wars or in camp, you chop kindling with your ax. In battle, you throw it. (Don’t try this at home or anywhere else!)

   The Frankish army also has a cavalry like in a Roman army. Charlemagne’s cavalrymen ride in saddles that rise high in front and back and secure their feet in stirrups. As a cavalry man you carry a long hard leather shield on one arm and a long spear or lance couched beneath the other. Beneath your pointed metal helmet you wear a chain-link metal halsbeorg like the foot soldiers do.  

   When Frankish soldiers defeat the Saxons, they command, “Submit to Charlemagne, be baptized Christians, and get a free linen robe, or off with your head!”  The Franks gain many linen-clad Saxon “Christians”, but conversion usually lasts little longer than it takes the Frank army to pack their tents and start home. 

   The Saxon army has only foot soldiers. They carry “broken-back” knives called seaxes (say ‘saxes’). To attack, they yell and run at the enemy en masse. Their women stay behind shouting encouragement, unless the men need help fighting. They know that if their side looses they’ll be taken as slaves. Saxon leaders, if they save their lives by baptism, may become Frank hostages to guarantee no future armed Saxon rebellion. If a rebellion occurs anyway, they’ll be killed. In case of permanent peace, they can go home at last.

Who were the Franks and Saxons?