See also the article Plank (area) ----
The Frisons are a Germanic Peuple pertaining on the plan ethnolinguistic to the branch westic. These people were undoubtedly formed tardily, in IIe century of our era, and could be confused, at the origin, with his closer neighbors: the Angles, the Saxon Jutes and .
At VIIIe century, the Anglo-Saxon of the island of Brittany preserved the memory of this common origin: it was, according to Bède Worthy the, the factor which started the sending of Christian missions English on the Germanic continent of VIIe until IXe century.
Towards 250, probably following a rise of water, the Clippings had to give up their easily flooded grounds protected by “hillocks”; the interior of the continent being difficult to them access because of the movements of other Germanic ethnos groups, they badgered with Saxon the maritime borders with the Roman Empire. This one was agitated by the important political crisis of the medium of IIIe century, in particular in Gaulle and in the island of Brittany: several currencies struck under the brief imperium of César Postume (260 - 261) and decorated of a galère show the importance which Roman maritime defense against these pirates had at this time.
To the beginning of Ve century, the pirates clippings carried out forwardings of plundering on the coasts of the North Sea until the English Channel; it is at this time that some of them had to form at least temporary establishments on the coast in the south-east of the island of Brittany, then taking part in the massive invasion of this province by the Anglo-Saxon (source: Procope de Césarée), invasion that historiography traditionally places towards 450.
Become the dangerous neighbors of the kingdoms Mérovingiens after Clovis had subjected the Rhenish Francs, the Clippings benefitted from the disorders related to the successions at the time of the first Mérovingiens. Thierry I {{er}} (v. 485 - 534) faced them and a tribute (515) imposed to them. But these pagan extended to the west around Utrecht and of Dorestad.
Thereafter and during the whole of the period mérovingienne, the Clippings benefitted from the internal conflicts which mobilized the military capacities of the frank kingdoms in order to preserve their independence: in 716, the mayor of the palate neustrien Ragenfred asked them even for a truce to overcome the Austrasie.
At the beginning of VIIe century, whereas the richness of the Francs were primarily land, the tradesmen and the pirates clippings maintained the relations with the Scandinavian world and controlled the majority of the southernmost coasts of the North Sea: the latter was known for this reason under the name of “Friesian sea” and the territories dominated by the Clippings formed a “large Plank then” ( magna frisia ), extending from the the Scheldt until the Weser and which one is unaware of about all as soon as one moves away from the littoral and the rivers.
Ultimately, the christianization of the Western Plank was the fact of the Anglo-Saxon missionaries, supported then relayed by the military capacity frankly. It lasted of the end of the period mérovingienne until the end of IXe century.
Following Wilfrid of York which spent the year 678 on the Friesian coast following a shipwreck, English monks left on the continent to convert their frêres remained pagan as of the end of VIIe century and during first half of VIIIe century. They spoke a language close to that about the Clippings, which did not prevent the latter from resisting with heat the religion of their enemies. Thus, two named missionaries Hewald underwent martyrdom in Plank during the autumn 690 (source: Bède Worthy the, ecclesiastical History of the English people ).
In parallel, the Francs undertook the military conquest of the Plank. The Clippings were subjected first once under the reign of Radbod by Pépin II of Herstal: the mayor of the palate austrasien founded then évêché frankly of Utrecht, with the head of which it placed the English missionary Willibrord (death in 739) in 696. The franque aristocracy divided the grounds of the Clippings in several great fields, but this excessive policy caused Friesian resistance.
Once died Pip, the Clippings were temporarily released from the yoke austrasien after having concluded an peace agreement with Neustriens and following the victory from the latter over Austrasiens.
Nevertheless, Charles Martel, the son of Pip, faced them shortly after and overcame again Radbod at the time of the wars which it carried out to restore the capacity of the Francs at the borders of their kingdom (717 - 719).
Until 754, the efforts of the English missionary Winfrid, i.e. Holy Boniface, involved the conversion of many Clippings without the Plank being christianized for as much. The company of this last ran up in particular against the hostilities between Radbod and Charles Martel (v. 715), then with the unpopularity of the frank capacity. After having évangélisé the Bavarian and the Thuringes, Winfrid undergoes in its turn martyrdom with the hands of the Clippings with Dokkum, close to Groningue, in 755.
The annexation of the Eastern Plank (the area extending from the Zuiderzee to the mouth of the Weser) by the Francs was acquired, seemingly, only after 782, even 785. It is on this last date that Widukind, the chief of the pagan resistance of the Saxons was subjected to Charlemagne. Nevertheless, the political situation remained tended still several years for the Francs.
Capitulary the of partibus saxonis , which establishes the division of Saxony conquered by Charlemagne in 787, involved the general rising of Saxon against the Francs. With the call of Saxon, the pagan remained Clippings were raised in their turn. They also underwent the bloody reprisals of the franque army.
The Frisons, which lived a time under the Danish domination of the Viking S after the collapse of the Carolingian capacity (879 - 882), became then the subjects of the Saxon king Henri Ier the Bird-catcher in 925.
Parcelled out in several political entities after having been a time dominated by the évêché imperial one of Utrecht, most of the Plank fell gradually under the cut from the counts de Hollande from XIIe century until XIVe century: it is at that time that Dutch asserted itself on it gradually like dominant language.
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