Eresburg facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eresburg
Obermarsberg
Eresburg
Coordinates	51°27′01″N 8°51′10″E / 51.45028°N 8.85278°E / 51.45028; 8.85278
Type	hill castle
Code	DE-NW
Height	390 m above sea level (NHN)
Site information
Condition	Rampart remains
Site history
Built	before 772

The Eresburg was a very important and large refuge castle for the Saxons, an ancient German tribe. It was located near the modern-day village of Obermarsberg in Germany. This castle was a hill castle, meaning it was built on top of a hill called the Eresberg.

The Eresburg stood about 130 to 150 meters above the Diemel River. This river is a branch of the Weser River. The castle was in the southern part of a Saxon region called Engern, right on the edge of the Duchy of Franconia. This location made it a key spot for defense and control.

History of Eresburg

The Eresburg hill has been used by people for a very long time, even before recorded history. Scientists have found old pottery from a group called the Michelsberg culture here. This shows that people lived on this hill thousands of years ago.

Archaeologists have also found signs of old ditches, walls, and wooden posts near where the collegiate church is today. Using a method called Radio carbon dating, they found that these structures were built during the pre-Roman Iron Age. The wood used for the posts dates back to around 420 to 370 B.C.

Early Theories and Battles

Some older ideas suggested that Eresburg was a border castle for the Cherusci tribe. They even thought that Prince Segestes might have held his daughter, Thusnelda, prisoner here. However, there are no historical records to prove these theories.

Because of its great location on the border, the Eresburg was often attacked. It was a highly desired place to control. In 772 A.D., during the Saxon Wars, the Frankish king, Charlemagne, finally captured it.

Charlemagne and Christianity

After taking the Eresburg, Charlemagne destroyed the Irminsul. This was a very important pagan religious site for the Saxons, located either at the Eresburg or nearby.

In 779, Charlemagne sent Fulda abbot, Sturmius, to this area to spread Christianity. Charlemagne himself spent the winter of 784/785 at Eresburg. He had a church built there, likely on the same spot where the Saxon temple once stood.

Later, in 799, Pope Leo III is believed to have stopped at Eresburg. This was during his journey to Paderborn.

Later Conflicts

In 915, a fierce fight happened at Eresburg. This was a feud between the Saxon Duke Henry the Fowler and the East Francian king, Conrad. The Bishop of Paderborn, Theoderic, is also said to have joined the battle. Also in 915, a German army was defeated by invading Hungarians at Eresburg.

Eresburg and the Irminsul

The Eresburg might have been the place of the Irminsul. This was a special pillar or tree, and it was one of the main pagan religious sites for the Saxons. The old writings from the Royal Frankish Annals in 772 suggest that the Irminsul was either at Eresburg or very close by.

The Annales Petaviani states: "He conquered the Eresburg and found the place which is called Ermensul, and set these places on fire." This means Charlemagne captured Eresburg, and then he found the place called Irminsul. The writer calls the Eresburg site Erisburgo, not Ermensula. The text then says he set "these places" (plural) on fire. This might mean Charlemagne went from Eresburg to the Irminsul site.

Some other historical accounts say Charlemagne was near a spring called Bullerborn, close to Altenbeken. He then went on to conquer and destroy the Irminsul site in the days that followed.

It is also possible that there was more than one Irminsul. So, the question of its exact location might be tricky because there could have been several of them.

Images for kids

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  1646 sketch of the bombardment of the fortress

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  Eresburg and Marsberg around 1670