German Memories In Asia - Roman Era Europe And West Asia

The early events of Jaffna by the PortugueseChristianization were destroyed by similar means.
recalled the historical events in the Roman eraThe best documented form of Germanic
Europe and West Asia.paganism, the10th and 11th century Norse
In the course of the centuries the Roman Empirepaganism with other European and West-Asian
steered into a heavy and lasting crisis.pagan traditions, such as Finnish, Slavic, Baltic,
Constant wars for the defense of borders, risingRoman and Greek were lost from the practice.
military expenditure, excessive taxes, repressiveThe Franks, Alamanni, Anglo-Saxons, Saxons and
laws, rampantly growing bureaucracy andFrisians were christianized forcibly between the
all-present corruption - all this undermined the6th and the 8th century.
loyalty of the Romans and provincial residents toThe Frankish King Charlemagne conquered the
the Roman state.Germanic tribesmen and won in all eighteen
The taxes were so high that many citizens had tobattles which were fought in the areas of
work for the state for most of the year, whilenorthwestern Germany. The result was the
only a little was left for themselves. The Romanincorporation of Saxony into the Frankish realm
citizens had turned into slaves of the state andand their conversion from paganism to Christianity.
they didn't care after sometime whether theirThe King Charlemagne allegedly ordered at the
ruler and oppressor was a Roman or a victoriousBlood court of Verden to behead 4,500 Saxons
Germanic conqueror.who had been caught practising paganism after
Similarily destructive was the new religion,converting to Christianity. The massacre led to
Christianity, starting from 313 A.D., whichtwo straight years of constant warfare (783-785).
disapproved of the old ideals. In 390, RomanIn 783, battles in Saxony saw Saxon women
emperor Theodosius banned the old Pagan religion.throw themselves barebreasted into battle. One
The worship of gods of Jupiter, Juno, Minerva,of them was Fastrada, daughter of a Saxon
Venus and Mars was declared a crime. Led bycount, who, in 784, became Charlemagne's fourth
their bishops, Christian mobs destroyed most ofwife and gradually the Franks gained the upper
the pagan temples, the most beautiful buildings ofhand in Saxony.
ancient times, massacred philosophers andIn 800 A.D. Charlemagne's authority in Western
intellectuals, and destroyed the large library ofEurope was further increased by his coronation as
Alexandria.emperor in Rome and by the establishment of
Even the Germanic paganism, the religion andHoly Roman Empire. He further increased his
mythology of the ancient Germanic nations withruthless christianisation of people who were
the principal gods Odin, Thor and Tyr precedingpractising Paganism.