In the Early Middle Ages, Dorestad was one of the most important and flourishing cities in the Netherlands. The Early Middle Ages is a period in the History of Europe following the fall of the Western Roman Empire spanning roughly five centuries from AD 500 The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands
It was situated where the Rhine and Lek rivers meet[1], south of the city of Utrecht, near the modern town of Wijk bij Duurstede, on the remains of an ancient Roman fortress. The Rhine (Rhein Rijn Rhin Reno Rain Rhenus is one of the longest and most important Rivers in Europe at 1320 kilometres (820 mi with an average discharge The Lek is a River in the western Netherlands of some 60 km in length Wijk bij Duurstede is a Municipality and a City in the central Netherlands. Between 600 and 850, Dorestad was often fought over between the Frisians and the Franks. The Frisians are an ethnic group of Germanic people living in coastal parts of The Netherlands and Germany. The Franks or Frankish people (Franci or gens Francorum) were West Germanic tribes first identified in the 3rd century as an Ethnic group
The city was a North Sea trading center between the late seventh century and the middle of the ninth century[1], primarily handling goods from the Middle Rhineland[1][2]. The Rhineland ( Rheinland in German) is the general name for the land on both sides of the river Rhine in the west of Germany. Wine was among the major products traded at Dorestad, likely from vineyards south of Mainz. Wine is an Alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of Grape juice Mainz (ˈmaɪ̯nʦ (Mayence is a City in Germany and the capital of the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. [2]
The city was widely known because it had a mint. A mint is an industrial facility which manufactures Coins for Currency. From about 635, the master of the mint in Dorestad was Madelinus. Later, sceattas were minted there. Sceattas (singular sceat, not sceatta) were small thick silver Coins minted in England, Frisia and Jutland
Because of its success as a trading city, Dorestad drew the attention of Vikings, who frequently raided the city (834, 835, 844, 857 and 863). A Viking is one of the Norse ( Scandinavian Explorers Warriors Merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas Events By Place Europe The Vikings first raid Dorestad (present-day Netherlands) Events By Place Europe Ragnar Lodbrok rises to power (approximate date Events By Place Europe Rhodri ''Mawr'' ('the Great' becomes king of Gwynedd. Events By Place Europe The Vikings raid Dorestad. Byzantine Empire Michael III Events By Place Europe Constantine I succeeds as king of Scotland (or 862 Historians think that approximately 7000 Vikings were involved in the first raid in 834. The raid of 857 was led by Rorik of Dorestad. Rorik or Hrørek was a Jutish Viking, who ruled over different parts of Friesland between 841 and 873 Dorestad became the capital of the Viking Kingdom of Dorestad, which lasted from 850 to 885. Events By Place Asia Emperor Montoku succeeds Emperor Nimmyō as Emperor of Japan. Events By Place Europe The Vikings besiege Paris. Godfrith the Sea King is killed in Lobith.
Dorestad declined in importance as a trading center after the damming of the Rhine to prevent flooding, and was of little importance after 863.
References
- ^ a b c MacKay, Angus; David Ditchburn (1997). Atlas of Medieval Europe. Routledge, 57. Routledge is a publisher of non-fiction academic books and journals ISBN 0415019230.
- ^ a b Hodges, Richard; David Whitehouse (1983). Mohammed, Charlemagne and the Origins of Europe. Cornell University Press, 99. ISBN 0801492629.
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