Capture of a Slavic fortress by the Kingdom of Germany in 929
Battle of Lenzen
Henry I the Fowler.
Date
4 September 929
Location
Lenzen, Brandenburg, Germany
Result
German victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of Germany
Duchy of Saxony
Redarii Linonen
Commanders and leaders
Bernhard Thietmar of Merseburg
Unknown
Strength
Unknown
Unknown
Casualties and losses
Heavy
Entire force
v
t
e
Campaigns of Henry the Fowler
Püchen
Gana
Lenzen
Riade
The Battle of Lenzen was a land battle between a Saxon army of the Kingdom of Germany and the armies of the Slavic Redarii and Linonen peoples, that took place on 4 September 929 near the fortified Linonen stronghold of Lenzen in Brandenburg, Germany. The Saxon army, commanded by Saxon magnate Bernhard, destroyed a Slavic Redarii army. It marked the failure of Slavic attempts to resist German king Henry the Fowler's expansionism to the Elbe.
The Saxons had been laying siege to Lenzen, a Slavic fortress, since 30 August. On 3 September the Saxon mounted scouts alerted Bernhard to the presence of a Redarii army nearby. The next day, the Redarii formed up in an infantry phalanx opposite the Saxons, who did likewise.
Bernhard's cavalry feigned retreat to draw out the Redarii, who had no cavalry units of their own, but the wet terrain prevented effective maneuvering. The Saxons launched infantry assaults, with heavy casualties for both sides in the drawn-out combat that went on for the rest of the day. Ultimately, the Saxon cavalry under the command of Count Thietmar of Merseburg was able to outflank the Redarii formation and charge upon them, routing them. The Saxons gave pursuit to completely destroy their opponents, slaughtering the fleeing Redarii en masse. The garrison of Lenzen surrendered the next morning.
The German victory at Lenzen was total, resulting in the suppression of effective Slavic resistance to German rule along the Elbe for the rest of Henry's reign. Sources for the battle include the Deeds of the Saxons[1] by Widukind of Corvey and Chronicon Thietmari by Thietmar of Merseburg.[2][3]
^Bachrach, B. S. (translator), Widukind of Corvey, Deeds of the Saxons, The Catholic University of America Press, Washington, DC, 2004
^Warner, David A. (translator), Ottonian Germany: The Chronicon of Thiemar of Merseburg, Manchester University Press, Manchester 2001
^Thietmar, v. Merseburg., Lappenberg, J. M. (Johann Martin)., Kurze, F. (1889). Thietmari Merseburgensis episcopi Chronicon. Hannoverae: impensis bibliopolii Hahniani.
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