General Notes

GWC pp 42-3 "With the accession of the Saxon dynasty to the throne in91
9, Germany embarked upon a period of rapid growth and expansion.  In the t
enth century, unutterably bright in retrospect, the manifold undertakin
gs of the Germans were like the rush of flowers in the spring.  From HEN
RY I to OTTO III, a vigorous dynasty established the primacy of Germa
ny in Europe. . . . Of all [of this dynasty's] objectives, the loftiest w
as the impossible dream of OTTO III of renovating the Roman imperium; t
he most heroic was the destruction of the armed might of the Hungarians a
nd their domestication; and the most enduring was the extension of Germani
c, Christian, and Roman civilization into east-central Europe.  If the Sax
on arrow really was aimed too high, it nevertheless sped further than th
at of any other European people.
The efforts of HENRY I, duke of Saxony and king (919-36), to rever
se the drift toward decentralization and establish Saxon hegemony over a
ll of Germany encountered stout resistance from the dukes, especially tho
se of Swabia and Bavaria.  The rest of Germany resented the determinati
on of the only recently civilized Saxons to rule regions that had be
en in contact  with Greco-Roman culture for a thousand years.  Nevertheles
s, Henry I constructed castles and fortifications, strengthened his feud
al levies, bound the clergy to himself with landed fiefs and endowments, a
nd established a corps of royal administrators exempt from surveillan
ce by the stem dukes.  He also built a powerful Hausmacht upon extensive c
rown lands in Saxony and Franconia.  While abolishing the ducal authori
ty in both of these areas, Henry I also dismissed the dukes of rebellio
us Swabia (926) and Bavaria (935).
Henry's military successes took the heart out of the ducal Fron
de in the south.  In 925 he regained Lorraine the old care of the Caroling
ian Empire and the kingdom of Lothaire.  In Lorraine, Germany not only acq
uired a duchy with a concentration of wealthy towns and the reformist mona
stery of Gorze but a western border protected by difficult terrain.  The f
rontier at this point was to remain unchanged for three centuries.  This a
ccession also freed the Saxon dynasty for the tasks of driving back the Sl
avs and establishing German sway over northern Italy.  A series of victori
es in 928-9 intimidated them for the rest of the reign.  The push also bro
ught the Germans control of the town of Branibor, the future Brandenbur
g, and paved the way for the establishment of new sees between the Saale a
nd Elbe.  In 934 Henry I beat back the Danes and founded the Schleswig Mar
ch against them.  The trading town of Haithabu was annexed, and suffrag
an bishops were appointed to sees that were opened in Schleswig, Aarhus, a
nd Ripen.  New heathen lands were thus brought into the German-Christian p
ale.  The expulsion of Danes and Slavs from portions of the south Baltic s
hore made possible establishment of two great march provinces, the Billu
ng (Mecklenburg) and Brandenburg, which in the future served as bases of o
peration against the Slavic tribes.
Most celebrated of all Henry's victories was that on the Unstrut Riv
er on March 15, 933, over the fierce Magyars.  The blow dealt them resound
ed throughout Europe.  The supremacy of German heavy, armored cavalry w
as established, and the stem dukes were cowed.  By detaching Magyar land
s, Henry augmented his Hausmacht.  After Unstrut, Henry I was regard
ed as the paradigm of European monarchs.  In June 935 King Rudolf of Burgu
ndy solemly presented him at Ivois with the Holy Lance, which was thoug
ht to confer upon him imperial power and the overlordship of Upper Burgun
dy and Italy.
In reality it was Henry who founded the German monarchy.  He had bui
lt a centralized power, encroached upon the rights of the stem duchies, a
nd soldered the prelates to the royal cause.  His deeds, which made him t
he paladin of Christendom,