1 Annals of Xanten 845 853 The Annals of the Abbey of Xanten near the mouth of the Rhine River express the difficulties and attitudes facing people in western Europe in the mid ninth century 845 A D Twice in the canton of Worms there was an earthquake the first in the night following Palm Sunday the second in the holy night of Christ s resurrection In the same year the heathen broke in upon the Christians at many points but more than twelve thousand of then were killed by the Frisians Another party of invaders devastated Gaul of these more than six hundred men perished Yet owing to his indolence Charles the Bald the rule of France agreed to give them many thousands of pounds of gold and silver if they would leave Gaul and this they did Nevertheless the cloisters of the most of the saints were destroyed and many of the Christians were lead away captive 846 According to their custom the Northmen plundered eastern and western Frisia and burned down the town of Dordrecht with two other villages before the eyes of Lothair The Emperor who was then in the castle of Nimwegen but could not punish the crime The Northmen with their boast filled with immense booty including both men and goods returned to their own country 846 At this same time as no one can mention or hear without great sadness the mother of all the churches the basilica of the apostle Peter was taken and plundered by the Moors or Saracens who had already occupied the region of Beneventum The Saracens moreover slaughtered all the Christians whom they found outside the walls of Rome either within or without this church They also carried men and women away prisoners They tore down among many others the altar of the blessed Peter and their crimes from day to day bring sorrow to Christians Pope Sergius departed life this year 847 After the death of Sergius no mention of the apostolic see has come in any way to our ears 848 On the fourth of February towards evening it lightened and there was thunder heard The heathen as was their custom inflicted injury on the Christians 849 While King Louis Ludwig the King of Germany was ill his army of Bavaria took its way against the Bohemians Many of these were killed and the remainder withdrew much humiliated into their own country The heathen from the North wrought havoc in Christendom as usual and grew greater in strength but it is revolting to say more of this matter 2 850 On January 1st of that season in the octave of the Lord towards evening a great deal of thunder was heard and a mighty flash of lightening seen and an overflow of water afflicted the human race during this winter In the following summer an all to great heat of the sun burned the earth Leo pope of the apostolic see an extraordinary man built a fortification round the church of St Peter The Moors however devastated here and there the coast towns in Italy 852 The steel of the heathen glistened excessive heat a famine followed There was not enough fodder for the animals 853 A great famine in Saxony so that many were forced to live on horse meat Source James Harvey Robinson ed Readings in European History Boston Ginn Co 1904 I 15861 reprinted in Leon Bernard and Theodore B Hodges eds Readings in European History New York Macmillan 1958 95 96 This text is part of the Internet Medieval Source Book Paul Halsall June 1997
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