On the Story of Samo

 

Of all the stories about the early Slavs, the story of Samo’s state is perhaps the most curious.  The story comes in two parts.  First, Samo, apparently a Frankish merchant, heads off to the Slavs who are in middle of a rebellion against the Avars and leads them to victory over the former overlords.

Then he reigns over them for many years leading them to further glory by refusing to submit to and ultimately defeating the army of the Frankish King Dagobert.

There is, perhaps, only one and only one source for this story of the “first” Slavic polity –  Book IV of the Fredegar’s Chronicle.  We will now present the entire Samo story and all the other parts of that book that relate to Wends, Slavs and Samo (though the principal years that relate to the two episodes are 623 and 630 in chapters 48 and 68, respectively).  We note first that Samo was not the first recorded Slavic king with his own kingdom as the southern Slavs had had several (and that is not even counting Boz of the Antes) quasi-states with their (explicitly noted by the chroniclers) own territory before Samo rolled in, as already mentioned here.  Further, it behooves us to say that “traces” of Samo may have survived outside of the chronicles – a topic which we will come back to later in this post – for now the story of Samo, in full, as related by Fredegar (manuscript pictures: Bibliotheque National de France, Latin manuscript 10910). (The years are given after the chronicle – some commentators question, e.g., whether the revolt happened in 623 or only after the Avar defeat at Constantinople in 626).

 Samo in Fredegar’s Chronicle

Book IV, Section 48 (Year 623)

English:

“In the fortieth year [of the rule of Chlothar?/Theuderich?], a certain Samo of the nation of the Franks from Sennonago [Sens in France? Soignies in Belgium?] together with a group of merchants went to trade with the Slavs who are called Wends.  The Slavs had at that point already risen up against the Avars that were known as Huns and their King Khagan.  Already in the olden days were the Wends used by the Huns as the so-called befulci [besulci?] so that when the Huns took the field against a nation, they themselves would stand in muster in front of their camp but the Wends would fight.  If the Wends won, the Huns would come forth to claim the booty; but if the Wends lost, they would regroup/gather new forces with the Huns’ help/protection.  They were called besulci by the Huns because they walked before the Huns and had to endure a double battle in any combat.”  [this may refer to the “motivational” influence of the Avars behind the Wends back]

“Each year, the Huns came to the Slavs, to spend the winter with them; then they took the wives and daughters of the Slavs and slept with them, and among the other mistreatments [already mentioned] the Slavs were also forced to pay levies to the Huns.  But the sons of the Huns, who were [then] raised with the wives and daughters of these Wends could not finally endure this oppression anymore and refused obedience to the Huns and began, as already mentioned, a rebellion.  When now the Wendish army went against the Huns, the [aforementioned] merchant Samo accompanied the same.  And so the Samo’s bravery proved itself in wonderful ways and a huge mass of Huns fell to the sword of the Wends.  Since these recognized Samo’s bravery they elected/raised him [to be] their king and he ruled happily thirty-five years long.  Many battles did the Wends fight under his rule and each time thanks to him did they remain victors.  Samo had twelve Wendish wives with whom he raised twenty-two sons and twenty-five daughters.”

Latin:

“Anno 40 regni Chlotharii, homo quidam, nomine Samo, natione Francus, de pago Sennonago plures secum negotiantes ascivit, ad exercendum negotium in Sclavos , cognomento Winidos, perrexit. Sclavi jam contra Avares, cognomento Chunos , et regem eorum Gaganum coeperant rebellare. Winidi Befulci Chunis fuerant jam ab antiquitus, ut cum Chuni in exercitu contra gentem quamlibet aggrediebant, Chuni pro castris adunato illorum exercitu stabant, Winidi vero pugnabant; si vero ad vincendum praevalebant, tunc Chuni praedas capiendum aggrediebant; sin autem Winidi superabantur, Chunorum auxilio fulti vires resumebant. Ideo Befulci vocabantur a Chunis, eo quod duplici in congressione certaminis vestita praelia facientes ante Chunos praecederent Chuni ad hiemandum annis singulis in Selavos veniebant; uxores Selavorum et filias eorum stratu sumebant; tributa super alias oppressiones Sclavi Chunis solvebant. Filii Chunorum, quos in uxores Winidorum et filias generaverant , tandem non sufferentes hanc malitiam ferre et oppressionem, Chunorum dominationem negantes, ut supra memini, coeperant rebellare. Cum in exercitu Winidi contra Chunos fuissent aggressi, Samo negotians, de quo memoravi superius, cum ipsis in exercitu perrexit, ibique tanta ejus fuit utilitas, ut mirum fuisset, et nimia multitudo de Chunis gladio Winidorum trucidata fuisset. Winidi cernentes utilitatem Samonis, eum super se eligunt regem, ubi triginta quinque annos regnavit feliciter. Plura praelia contra Chunos suo regimine Winidi gesserunt, suo consilio et utilitate Winidi semper superarunt. Samo duodecim uxores ex genere Winidorum habebat, de quibus viginti duos filios et quindecim filias habuit.”

Book IV, Section 58 (Year 628)

[speaking of Dagobert in the seventh year of his reign]

English:

“…And so great was the fear that he aroused among all the people that they all in humility submitted to his rule and even peoples, who lived on the border to the Avars and the Slavs willingly requested that he come to [rule over] them and he hoped confidently that the Avars and the Slavs and the other peoples all the way to the borders [of the Byzantine Kingdom] to rule…”

Latin:

“...Timorem vero sic fortem sua concusserat utilitas, ut jam devotione arriperent suae se tradere ditioni, ut etiam gentes, quae circa limitem Avarorum et Sclavorum consistunt, eum prompte expeterent, ut ille post tergum eorum iret feliciter, et Avaros et Sclavos caeterasque gentium nationes usque manum publicam suae ditioni subjiciendum fiducialiter spondebat…”

Book IV, Section 68 (Year 630) 

English:

“In this year, merchants trading in Samo’s kingdom were killed and their property robbed by the Slavs that went by the name Wends.  This was the reason behind the falling out between Dagobert and the King of the Slavs Samo.  Dagobert sent an emissary Sycharius to Samo with the demand, to intervene, on account of the murder and theft committed by his [subjects/ people] on the Frankish merchants, as justice would demand it.  Because Samo did not even want to see Sycharius and would not let [Sycharius] before him, therefore, [Sycharius] put on Slavic garb and appeared before Samo and proclaimed to [Samo] all that he was supposed to proclaim. [i.e., he made the above-described demands for justice to be dispensed by Samo]  But Samo did not, for such are the pagan and haughty ways of bad people, recompense/undo what his [subjects/people] had done, and only committed himself to conduct judicial proceedings to resolve these and similar disputes between the two sides.  To that Sycharius replied in unfortunate words/threats, as is the manner of boisterous emissaries, which words/threats he was not empowered [by Dagobert] to use, that Samo and his entire people were  subjects of Dagobert’s.  Hurt [by these words] the King replied: “The country that we possess and we ourselves are Dagobert’s but only if he wants to keep friendship with us.”  To which Sycharius said: “It is not possible, that Christians, servants of God, should be friends with dogs.”  And then Samo replied: “If you are servants of God and we are God’s dogs then it is permitted us when you continually act against His will that we bite you.”  And with these words they threw Sycharius out.”

“When Dagobert found out about this he raised a great army out of all Austrasia [northern France – province of the Merovingian Empire] against Samo and the Wends and sent it to take the field divided in three parts.  At the same time, the Langobards raided [a/the] Slavic country to support Dagobert.  The Slavs prepared themselves to resist but the Alemanic army under Duke Crodobert  on a victory over them [Slavs] in the place where it breached their territory, and so too the Langobards won a victory; and both, Alemans and Langobards led away with them a huge multitude of prisoners.  But as the Austrasians headed towards Wogastisburg, where the main force of the Wendish forces was, there came to a three-day long battle, in which the greater part of Dagobert’s army fell to the sword, and leaving all their tents and all their belongings behind they went fleeing home.  Since that time, the Wends raided Thuringia and other Frankish provinces.  Yes, even Dervanus, the duke of the Sorbs, a people of the Slavic tribes, who until then to the Frankish Kingdom belonged, went over to Samo.  And by the way the Wends did not win their victory over the Franks thanks to their bravery but rather on the account of bad faith of the Austrasiers since they hated Dagobert for having constantly exploited them.”

Latin:

“Eo anno Sclav, cognomento Winidi, in regno Samonis negotiantes, Francorum cum plurimam multitudinem interfecissent et rebus exspoliassent, hoc fuit initium scandali inter Dagobertum et Samonem regem Sclavinorum . Dirigensque Dagobertus Sicharium legatarium ad Samonem, petens ut negotiantes quos sui interfecerant, et res quas illi cite usurpaverant cum justitia faceret emendare Samo nolens Sicharium videre, nec ad se eum venire permitteret; Sicharius vestes indutus ad instar Sclavinorum cum suis ad conspectum pervenit, Samoni universa quae injuncta habebat nuntiavit. Sed ut habet gentilitas et superbia pravorum, nihil a Samone quae sui admiserant est emendatum, nisi tantum placita vellens instituere, ut de his et aliis intentionibus, quae inter has partes ortae fuerant, justitia redderetur in invicem. Sicharius, sicut stultus legatus, verba improperii quae injuncta non habuerat, et minas adversus Samonem loquitur, eo quod Samo et populus regni sui Dagoberto deberent servitium. Samo respondens jam saucius [Clar., caucius] dixit: Et terram quam habemus Dagoberti est, et nos sui sumus, si tamen nobiscum disposuerit amicitias conservare. Sicharius dicens: Non est possibile, ut Christiani Dei servi cum canibus amicitias collocare possint, Samo e contrario dixit: Si vos estis Dei servi, et nos sumus Dei canes, dum vos assidue contra ipsum agitis, nos permissum accepimus vos morsibus lacerare. Ejectus est Sicharius de conspectu Samonis. Cum haec Dagoberto nuntiasset. Dagobertus superbiter jubet de universo regno Austrasiorum contra Samonem et Winidos movere exercitum: ubi tribus turmis phalangae super Winidos exercitus ingreditur, etiam et Langobardi solatione Dagoberti idemque hostiliter in Sclavos perrexerunt. Sclavi his et aliis locis e contrario praeparantes, Alamannorum exercitus cum Chrodoberto duce in parte qua ingressus est victoriam obtinuit. Langobardi itidemque victoriam obtinuerunt; et plurimum numerum captivorum de Sclavis Alamanni et Langobardi secum duxerunt. Austrasii vero cum ad castrum Wogastisburc , ubi plurima manus fortium Winidorum immoraverant, circumdantes, triduo praeliantes, plures ibidem de exercitu Dagoberti gladio trucidantur, et exinde fugaciter omnes tentoria et res quas habuerunt relinquentes, ad proprias sedes revertuntur. Multis post haec vicibus Winidi in Thoringiam et reliquos vastando pagos in Francorum regnum irruunt. Etiam et Deruanus dux gentis Urbiorum , qui ex genere Sclavinorum erant, et ad regnum Francorum jam olim aspexerant, se ad [Al., se et] regnum Samoni cum suis tradidit. Istamque victoriam quam Winidi contra Francos meruerunt, non tantum Sclavinorum fortitudo obtinuit, quantum dementatio Austrasiorum, dum se cernebant cum Dagoberto odium incurrisse, et assidue exspoliarentur.”

Book IV, Section 72 (Year 630) 

English:

“In the same year there arose a great discord in Pannonia in the Kingdom of the Avars that are called Huns.  There was a quarrel between an Avar and a Bulgar over the succession to the throne.  Both collected huge armies and fought with one another.  Finally, the Bulgars lost.  Nine thousand of them with wives and children were driven then out of Pannonia and turned now to Dagobert to give them permanent places to live within the country of the Franks.  Dagobert bade them for the time being to spend the winter by the Bavarians until he had time to take counsel with the Franks what should happen with them next.  Once they have settled in the houses of the Bavarians, he issued, after the council of the Franks, an order to the Bavarians that they should in one night, each in his own house, kill these Bulgars together with their women and children.  And that order was immediately carried out by the Bavarians so that only Alciocus with 700 men, women children survived from the Bulgars and saved themselves by escaping to the territory of the Wends where he with his people lived for many years with Wallucus, the duke of the Wends.”

Latin:

“Eo anno in Abarorum , cognomento Chunorum, regno in Pannonia surrexit vehemens intentio, eo quod de regno certarent, cui deberetur ad succedendum, unus ex Abaris et alius ex Bulgaris; collecta multitudine uterque in invicem pugnarunt. Tandem Abari Bulgaros superant. Bulgaris superatis, novem millia virorum cum uxoribus et liberis de Pannonia expulsi, ad Dagobertum expetunt, petentes ut eos in terra Francorum ad manendum reciperet. Dagobertus jubet eos ad hiemandum Bajoarios recipere, dummodo pertractaret cum Francis quid exinde fieret. Cumque dispersi per domos Bajoariorum ad biemandum fuissent, consilio Francorum Dagobertus Bajoariis jubet ut Bulgaros illos cum uxoribus et liberis unusquisque in domo sua in una nocte Bajoarii interficerent, quod protinus a Bajoariis est impletum. Nec quisquam ex illis remansit Bulgaris, nisi tantum Altioeus cum septingentis viris, et uxoribus cum liberis, qui in marca Winidorum salvatus est. Post haec cum Walluco duce Winidorum annis plurimis vixit cum suis.”

Book IV, Section 74 (Year 631) 

English:

“In the tenth year of the rule of Dagobert it was reported to him that an army of Wends raided Thuringia.  He left, therefore, with his forces from Metz and crossed the Ardennes towards Mainz in order to cross the Rhein there.  In addition to dukes and counts he also had the choicest cohort of brave men from Neustrien and Burgundy.  There appeared now emissaries of the Saxons in front of Dagobert asked him to exempt them form the taxes that they [noarmally] paid to the [Frankish] state.  In exchange for that they promised with great zeal and success to defend [against the Wends] and the Franksih country on the Wendish border to protect.  Dagobert fulfilled this request, after a/the council of the Neustrasier and the Saxon emissaries gave their promise, in accordance with their custom by hitting [their] weapons, for the entire Saxon nation.  Though, the promise was not successful, the taxes that they used to pay remained unpaid in accordance with Dagobert’s order.  Chlotar the Old had required them to pay annual taxes of 500 cows which taxes Dagobert now exempted them from.”

Latin:

“Anno 10 regni Dagoberti, cum ei nuntiatum fuisset exercitum Winidorum Thoringiam fuisse ingressum, cum exercitu de regno Austrasiorum de Mettis urbe promovens, transita Ardenna, Magantiam magno cum exercitu aggreditur , disponens Rhenum transire, scaram de electis viris fortibus de Neuster et Burgundia cum ducibus et grafionibus secum habens. Saxones missos ad Dagobertum dirigunt, petentes ut eis tributa quae fisci ditionibus dissolvebant indulgeret: ipsi vero eorum studio et utilitate Winidis resistere spondent, et Francorum limitem de illis partibus custodire promittunt. Quod Dagobertus, consilio Neustrasiorum adeptus, praestitit Saxonibus qui his petitionibus suggerendum venerant. Sacramentum, ut eorum mos erat , super arma placata [Al. placita] pro universis Saxonibus firmant. Sed parum haec promissio sortitur effectum, tamen tributum Saxones, quod reddere consueverant, praeceptione Dagoberti habent indultum. Quingentas vaccas inferendales annis singulis a Chlothario seniore censiti reddebant, quod a Dagoberto cassatum est.”

Book IV, Section 75 (Year 632) 

English:

“The eleventh year of the reign of Dagobert.  Since the Wends on the orders of Samo continued their wild raids and would often come raiding out of their own country into the Frankish Kingdom and devastated Thuringia and other provinces, therefore, did Dagobert come to the town Metz and made, after a determination of the clergy and the nobles of his country, his son Sigebert into King of Auster and gave him the town Metz as his seat.  And to the Bishop of Koln Chunibert and to Duke Adigisel he left the affairs in Sigebert’s Kingdom and palace.  He also left a sufficient treasury for his son and granted him all that his high honor required.  All these nominations he reaffirmed with specially prepared certificates.  From that time was the Frankish Kingdom through the zeal of the Austrasier sufficiently protected.”

Latin:

“Anno 11 regni Dagoberti, cum Winidi jussu Samonis fortiter saevirent, et saepe transcenso eorum limite regnum Francorum vastandum, Thoringiam et reliquos pagos ingrederentur, Dagobertus Mettis urbem veniens, cum consilio pontificum seu et procerum, omnibusque primatibus regni sui consentientibus, Sigibertum filium suum in Austeris regem sublimavit, sedemque Mettis civitatem habere permisit. Chunibertum Coloniae urbis pontificem, et Adalgiselum ducem palatium et regnum gubernandum instituit. Thesaurum quod sufficeret filio tradens, condigne, ut decuit, eum hujus culmine sublimavit, et quodcunque eidem largitus fuerat, singillatim praeceptionibus roborandum decrevit. Deinceps Austrasii eorum studio limitem et regnum Francorum contra Winidos utiliter defensasse noscuntur.”

Book IV, Section 77 (Year 633) 

English:

“Radulf, the son of Chamar, whom Dagobert made Duke of Thuringia, fought many times against the Wends, defeated them and expelled them.  This made him arrogant and he took every opportunity to act in a hostile manner towards Duke Adalgisel and already then was preparing to rebel against King Sigebert.  He acted according to the proverb: ‘He who loves war, always looks for/thinks of conflict.'”

Latin:

“Radulfus dux illius Chamari, quem Dagobertus Thoringiae ducem instituit, pluribus vicibus cum exercitu Winidorum dimicans, eosque victos vertit in fugam. Hujus victoriae superbia elatus, et contra Adalgiselum ducem diversis occasionibus inimicitias tendens, paulatim contra Sigibertum jam tunc coeperat rebellare. Sed, ut dictum est, sic agebat: Qui diligit rixas, meditatur discordias.”

Book IV, Section 87 (Year 640) 

English:

[In this year Radulf came to open rebellion.  Sigebert crossed the Rhine to attack him and initially won but then suffered a great loss at a battle at Radulf’s wood-protected camp that stood overlooking the river Unstrut.  Thereafter, Sigebert was allowed to withdraw and go home.  And, thereupon…]

“Radulf full of overconfidence/arrogance called himself King of Thuringia, became friends with the Wends and had a peaceful relationship with the other neighboring peoples.  Officially, he recognized Sigebert’s as his sovereign but in practice he opposed stingily/at every turn his rulership.”

Latin:

“Radulfus superbia elatus ad modum regis in Thoringia se esse censebat, amicitias cum Winidis firmans, caeterasque gentes, quas vicinas habebat, cultu amicitiae obligabat. In verbis tamen Sigiberto regimen non denegabat, sed in factis fortiter ejusdem resistebat dominationi.”

Conclusion 

No one knows what happened to Samo.  If you look at the “learned” sources they will say that he ruled until 658.  There is, however, no proof of this.  All we  know is that Fredegar said Samo came to power in 623 and ruled for 35 years.  That and only that is the source of the year 658.  In Fredegar’s chronicle no mention is made of Samo after the events of the year 632 where his Wends were raiding Thuringia.  Fredegar’s Chronicle ends on the year 642 and that is, as they say, that.

However, there are other interesting signs of Samo’s story to be found elsewhere.

One example given is the Saint Catherine’s rotunda in the town of Znojmo.  Its frescoes (oldest in the Czech Republic)  date to 1134 (the rotunda is about 100 years older) and show the ancient rulers of the Czech lands (Znojmo is in Moravia but more or less).

The first name shown is Zamo (the next three cannot be read and then we get Moimir I, the first historical ruler of  Great Moravia – between c 820-846).

You can look at the rotunda here.

And then there are the names of some of the (legendary) Polish rulers, e.g. Siemo-wit or Ziemo-mysl.

There is, of course, also the question of the meaning of befulci which we will not touch save to say the meaning seems to be basically “cannon fodder”.

Then there is the question of the location of Wogastisburg.  While a lot of people are pointing at the Czech Republic, the constant mention of the Thuringians and Wends suggests a different answer perhaps.  One that points to the Veleti or Obodrites – it is in the territory of these that we find today’s Wolgast (or maybe it’s Znojmo…).  In any event, let us “REMEMBER [THE VICTORY AT] WOGASTISBURG!”

Oh, yes, and there is the issue of the origin of the name Samo (which, interestingly, translates roughly into “by myself”)

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