Questions about Old Saxony

Short answers, pulled from the story.

When was the first known mention of Saxones recorded in Ptolemy's Geographia?

The first known mention of a tribe called Saxones appears in Ptolemy's Geographia written in the 2nd century. This text places them north of the lower River Elbe in what is now Western Holstein.

What social restrictions governed marriage and rank among Old Saxons during the Middle Ages?

Old Saxons imposed the death penalty on any man who married above his rank while severely condemning men who married below their station. Bastardy was not tolerated within these communities and intermarriage between Saxons and other Germans was frowned upon.

Which year marks the traditional date for the Adventus Saxonum invasion of Britain?

The traditional date for this invasion is 449 and is known as the Adventus Saxonum. Archaeological evidence suggests little long-term conflict occurred following the collapse of Roman defences on the Rhine in 407.

On what date did Ewald the Black die after being tortured by pagan Saxons?

This event is understood to have happened on the 3rd of October 695 when both bodies were cast into the Rhine at Aplerbeck near Dortmund. Two priests called Ewald the Black and Ewald the Fair set out from Northumbria to convert the Old Saxons in 690.

How many kindred groups divided the tribal lands of Old Saxony according to Adam of Bremen?

The tribal lands were roughly divided into four kindred groups including Angrians Westphalians Eastphalians and Nordalbingians. These groups occupied specific territories along rivers such as the Weser Ems and Lippe within the broad plain of Old Saxony.

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