In the 9th and 10th centuries AD, the mysterious Magyars suddenly appeared, which brought great shock to the Europeans who had not been invaded by nomads for a long time. In particular, the classic Battle of Brenta made all of Italy uneasy with fear. Although their hegemony lasted only a century, the effects of this repercussions lingered over Europe.
Due to their weaker strength, the early Magyars often had to move frequently
As early as around the 3rd century AD, the first Magyars lived in the eastern foothills of the Ural Mountains and were only an unknown nomadic group. According to modern scholars, they actually belonged to the first Turkic tribal confederation to move out, and were closely related to the Huns who later attacked the Roman Empire. Only limited by the remoteness of the region, so the degree and speed of civilization are lagging behind a lot.
Soon, as a result of the westward advance of the Caucasus Hun group, seven tribes of the Magyars began to migrate south. At that time, they were still unknown to the outside world, but they managed to gain a foothold between the western foothills of the Ural Mountains and the Volga River. Except for a brief period of control of the local Avar forces, they were able to maintain peace with the surrounding Bolgar Turks or Alans. By the way, she learns the intricacies of farming, gardening, and cattle raising, and accumulates the necessary skills for the queen's further growth. But in the end, they could only submit to the strongest in the region, and became a minor part of the Khazar Khanate.
Map of the westward migration of the Magyars
By the late 9th century, serious civil strife broke out in the otherwise powerful Khazar Khanate, forcing the Magyars to continue to seek survival space westward. After gaining the support of the three Khazar exiled tribes, the group crossed the Dnieper River and garrisoned the tun. Although they were always able to enslave the weak Slavic villages, they were no match for the Pechenegs, who also belonged to the Turkic-speaking family. The latter were not only happy to expel them from their temporary quarters, but they quickly attracted the attention of the Byzantine Empire and became a priority for the Constantinople authorities. During this period, the Magyars tried to turn their target to Bulgaria, but were unsurprisingly defeated at the Battle of Nanbukh.
Fortunately, the seemingly weak Magyar Alliance soon found its presence in regions further west. From about 862 AD, small groups of Magyar cavalry began to raid the western foothills of the Carpathians from time to time. More than 100 years ago, it was the eastern frontier of Charlemagne's empire and a Slavic vassal established by the Franks after they conquered the Avar Khanate. As a result, the defenses were rather weak and scattered, and they were simply unable to cope with the infiltration attacks of the nomadic invaders. It is through in-depth investigation that the Magyars gradually figured out the basic conditions such as geographical elements. Eventually, after 895 AD, it moved westward, taking into account the Slavic ghettos that had long been struck into doubt.
Early Magyar tribal sacrifices were undergoing religious activities
Before entering Central Europe, the Magyars were largely superior to the two sides of the Ural Mountains
At the end of the 9th century, the Magyars, who had migrated westward, met the Kingdom of East Francia head-on. The latter, as Charlemagne's direct successor, always wanted to occupy the rich northern Italian plain. However, in the pattern of three parts of the world, the local area belongs to the independent Middle Frankish kingdom, and it also has the sacred mission of defending the Holy See. Although it seems to be the weakest on the surface, it can actually involve the interests of all parties to the greatest extent. If you are not careful, you can easily be seized by West Francia on the other side, or simply grow into a new center of power that can override you.
However, more than half of Italy has always been dominated by the Lombard aristocracy. Even if Charlemagne's original kingdom system was outlawed, he would have to rely on a leader with a native background to act as a spokesperson. Externally, it maintained the principle of not taking sides at both ends, and tried its best to prevent the ambitions of the Frankish royal families in the east and west from reconquering. Therefore, after the army of the East Frankish king Arnulf moved south, he proclaimed Berenga, who was born in Italy, as king. But this also led to more ambitions, and a series of wars for the heir to the throne broke out. Although Berenga was able to prevail in the race for the throne, he could not do without the help of Arnulf, who held the title of emperor. It wasn't until he grew up with his wings and gradually came up with the dangerous idea of replacing him that he completely broke with Engong, who had sworn allegiance. Coupled with the fact that the latter was seriously ill and could not travel long distances, he planned to lure the Magyars who had not long arrived on the border. This would allow you to both attack your own political opponents and effectively weaken the barbarian invaders.
The Carolingian kingdom of Italy was simply incapable of dealing with contingencies
In 898, Arnulf's plenipotentiary envoy rushed to the Carpathian Basin to formally form an alliance with the Great Khan Arpad in pagan rituals. Based on the tragic experience of the past, the latter also urgently needs to find a new place to live for future development. So he readily agreed to take his eyes off the Pannonian region for the time being, and launch an all-out attack on the more fertile Po River valley. Moreover, in the whole process of the operation, there is no need for the East Frankish Kingdom to provide any materials and expenses, as long as you can enjoy the spoils of war alone, you are very satisfied. This was followed by an advance team in late autumn and early winter in October, and the first round of attacks was launched against unsuspecting Italy.
It is worth mentioning that the Magyars differed significantly from the Huns or Avars who had previously arrived in Central Europe. Because the latter two had a long period of dormancy on the periphery of civilization before making great strides westward. Either sandwiched in the radiation circle of the two empires of Rome and Persia, or located at the crossroads of the international world, so they have a considerable understanding of conquering cities, operating industries and maintaining complex societies. On the contrary, the relatively late Magyars have long lived in the bitter cold land of poor productivity, and will even be regarded as backward elements by other semi-civilized barbarians. Even if you try to learn during the migration, you will not be able to achieve obvious results due to objective factors such as short time, too much mobility, and low level of objects.
Magyars making tents
But in the field of military warfare, the primitive style of the Magyars is very beneficial to themselves. Due to the lack of inherent knowledge and the ability to attack the city, they pay more attention to conducting strict advance reconnaissance. In addition to the indispensable looting, it is also necessary to carefully study the topography along the way. They often deliberately split up in groups to explore different routes, keeping in mind elements such as woodland, mountains and rivers. In addition, these elite soldiers observe, analyze, and incorporate local customs to estimate the strength of resistance they may encounter. The plains on the banks of the Brenta River, which later became the decisive battleground, were excavated during this round of raids.
Italians, by contrast, lack the necessary awareness of the impending danger. After all, after the fall of the Avar Khanate, all of Western Europe was free from the invasion of the nomadic tribes of the East for a long time. Therefore, the external invasion mainly comes from the sea at both ends, and the Nordic Vikings and North African Muslims play the leading roles. The rest of the conflict was mostly infighting, and was highly concentrated in the Carolingian branches of Charlemagne's descendants. It is no wonder that Berenga I had no idea about the incoming offender, not only did he not know the true intentions of the other party, but he even knew the name of Magyars.
A heavily armed Magyar noble warrior
The image of a Magyar aristocrat riding a galloping horse
In the summer of 899 AD, the 5,000 cavalry of the Great Khan Apad crossed the Pannonian region and rushed into the Apennine Peninsula along the Aquileia Avenue, established by the ancient Romans. For the past year, they have been working hard for this operation, preparing enough arrows to be consumed in many battles. At the same time, there were also partial divisions who made a detour to the north to assist as planned. From the Danube valley through the periphery of the Alps, they coordinated with the main forces to form a flanking attack on the target area.
According to the results of the previous year's exploration, the Magyars were always able to use the quickest path to maneuver at high speed. At the same time, the siege of the densely populated cities of Aquileia, Verona, Milan and Pavia was abandoned, and the surrounding countryside was content to be plundered. But there are also those who destroy small towns like Feltre and loot monasteries that are more likely to fall, showing a deep understanding of the local landscape. There was even a reconnaissance detachment that went straight to the St. Bernard Pass to the west in case possible reinforcements arrived from Saxony or Bavaria.
The armies of the Kingdom of Italy were largely inherited from the Frankish Empire
Faced with such a critical situation, Berenga had to hurriedly collect feudal weapons from the lords in various places, and waited for most of them to assemble in September before hurrying to the eastern front. With the exception of a few Carolingian-style Frankish military aristocrats, most of the members were actually Lombards, and there were also some free militias in native towns. In addition, the feudal lord often brought a team of servants to the battle, so the size of the whole army soon reached 15,000 people. But as a very typical medieval feudal army, it is a small number of noble cavalry that can be regarded as the mainstay after all. Some of them were also happy to go their own way, charging as soon as they encountered the enemy scouts, and almost entangled the Magyar rearguard, who had no time to escape. However, he still had to wait for the rest of the people to arrive, thus missing this good opportunity to destroy the enemy locally.
At the same time, the Magyars had implemented a strategy of distraction as planned, using various methods to show weakness to the Italian army. On the one hand, they kept their armours light and kept in touch with their opponents with a large number of light cavalry wearing almost no armor. On the other hand, the previously scattered detachments were quickly gathered and retreated to the battlefield area that had already been selected to stand by. During this period, he was also forced to stop by a small number of Lombard cavalry, and almost suffered losses due to poor high-intensity melee combat. Fortunately, the whole army was completely superior to the opponent's mobility, and thus successfully crossed the Brenta River before the rearguard force was annihilated.
The Magyar hussars were constantly harassing and seducing the Franks
The Magyars then sent envoys to Belenga, hoping to give up all their booty in exchange for a safe departure. But the complacent latter had already been arbitrarily convinced that he was just facing a group of weak horse thieves with little strength. Therefore, he refused very simply, and asked the other party to go back and prepare for the battle. He then ordered to camp on the banks of the river in the difficult terrain to rest, hoping to reserve enough strength for the final blow. However, because his subordinates were generally tired of the long pursuit, they could only indulge in the all-night drinking revelry, thus creating almost all the necessary conditions for the unfortunate fiasco that followed.
On the night of September 24, the Magyar cavalry, which had endured for a long time, finally showed its strength. Their numbers had long exceeded the initial 5,000 in size, so they could calmly divide into relatively independent groups of left, center, and right, and quietly approach the fortified camp of the Italians. Although many of Berenga's subordinates moved a hangover comparable to suicide to the periphery despite military restrictions, they were never aware that the enemy was slowly approaching them. waited until a tight arrow suddenly came from all directions, and then began to flee inward in a panic.
A very typical image of Magyar hussars
But more barbarian warriors have launched a simultaneous attack, easily dismantling barricades and other makeshift fortifications to slaughter sleepy-eyed foes. The dignified King of Italy had to change his clothes with the soldiers around him, and only by luck escaped from the terrible encirclement. His army of 15,000 was basically wiped out, and even the cowards who surrendered directly would be punished on the spot. Many others managed to get out of the woodland outside, only to realize that the main camp had also fallen. In addition, if you don't have time to put on armor and find a shield, you will inevitably be easily killed by the nomadic athletes.
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