Salvete Omnes,
Between August 8 and 12 the forces of East Frankia aided by their Slavic vassals battled, broke and annihilated the invading horde Magyars aided by their Slavic Pannonian subjects, who had been besieging the Swabian fortress-town Augsburg on the river
Lech. The town controlled the Brenner Pass.
King Otto I led a coalition of Christian German and Bohemian princes against the Magyar host led by war chiefs horka Bulscu, and the
Arpad's grandsons princes Lel and Sur.
The invading Magyar army consisted of two divisions:
1. mounted division of perhaps 20 thousand horse archers and Magyar elite armored cavalry
2.. more than 10 thousand infantry with wagon train and war machines with a protective screen of horse archers .
They crossed the Enns River on the 1st of July 955, and the 'pedestrian' second division slowly moved towards Augsburg (making some 11 km daily towards their destination). The mounted division crossed the Alpine rivers much faster and having reached Bavarian lands started usual pillaging and mayhem. They did not besiege castles and walled towns but took monasteries and defenseless villages etc. They crossed the Lech river into Swabia where they caused more destruction, taking with them provisions and cattle etc, thus denying the East Frankian army logistic support; all it seem in their preparation for the Augsburg Lechfield (7km wide flats) showdown.
Circa August 1-2 the Magyar pedestrian division approached Augsburg from the east- defended by bishop Urlich - and during the following week they caused destruction to the local undefended buildings and settlements, getting ready for a general attack. On the 8th they stormed the gates and walls, but were repulsed by the defenders. On the morning of the 9th the general attack was developing when the news of the incoming Christian army reached Bulscu and Lel, the principal Magyar commanders. They broke off the attack and moved their army across the Lech onto the flats of Lechfeld.
The Christian forces of East Frankia concentrated at Ulm and consisted of 8 legion (divisions) -
3 Saxon divisions - the so called royal army under king Otto I - perhaps 3000 loricati miles, including some *Slavic subjects and Franks.
3 Bavarian division (perhaps 3000 horse loricati)- king Heinrich was sick in Ratisbon/Regensburg, so the name of the Bavarian commander is unknown.
2 Swabian divisions - under duke Burchard III
1 Frankonian division - under duke Conrad I the Red - the cream de la creme of the miles of East Frankia, perhaps 1000 strong
1 1000 strong Bochemian (Czech) division plus another Czech division under prince Boleslav I the Cruel still marching towards Regensburg; and that marching division was to play important role in destroying routed Magyars,
When Magyar army left the siege and crossed the Lech the miles from Augsubrg left the fortress town and joined king's army.
So on the 10th of August the 7 legions of Ottonian forces quickly marched across the Rauhen Forst forested area while the last one, the Bohemian legion in protection of their wagon train, was ambushed by the Magyars. Soon Swabians turned around and came to aid the Bohemian legions engaging attacking Magyars, while on the other side of the Rauhen Forst the remaining Ottonian legions came onto the plain and started making orderly battle preparations. Duke Conrad the Red's legion, under king Otto's orders, returned across Rauhen Frost and rescued embattled 3 legions, massacring the Magyars in process. Main Magyar army did not come to the aid of their divisions fighting on the other side of Rauhen Frost. Soon the surviving Bohemian, Swabian and victorious Frankonians under Conrad the Red emerged from the Rauhen Frost and rejoined king's army.
Otto, holding Saint Maurice's holy lance, gave a rallying speech and then led his army into the battle. Mounted loricati must have broken through the Magyar horse archers and much less numerous elite armored lancers, and caused the Magyar horse to retreat and eventually to abandon the field and to attempt crossing the rive, while the Magyar infantry was surrounded and cut off from the river.
The chronicler Gerhard, who was present watching the action on the walls of Augsburg, wrote that the large disciplined Magyar cavalry forces crossed the river and appeared to be moving towards the bridge on the Danube river.
Soon the royal forces in pursuit of the enemy crossed the Lech and took the Magyar camps. But Otto I ordered his forces not to pursue the retreating the Magyars, sensing a rouse, so common among the steppe warriors and their way of war. Then king Otto I entered Augsburg and a strong tempest with furious rain followed. The rains continued for the next several days, swelling rivers and making horse army of the Magyars dissolve and wither away.
For the next two days the wild hunt for the remaining Magyars raged across he Bavarian Danubian lands.
Here the most important role belonged to the 2nd Bochemian legion under duke Boleslav, awaiting at Regensburg. These royal allies got orders to prevent the Magyars from passing by Regensburg, and they promptly attacked retreating along the Danube Magyars, crushing, killing and taking some captive. Among the taken were prince Lel , then hork Bulscu and prince Sur. Duke Heirich I of Bavaria, while laying on his dying bed at Regensburg, ordered them to be hung. Captured Magyar warriors were hunted down and massacred. It was a total victory through and through, say the X century and later chroniclers.
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| Lel's horn |
*Perhaps it is worth noting is that the freshly subdued Polabian Slavs of southern Polabia - the Chitici under their own duke Kuchawica - also came to aid of Otto I, being part of one of the Saxon divisions of this mostly Christian army.
Valete
