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For weekly bonus episodes ad free listening, early access to series and membership of our much loved chat community, go to therestishistory.com and join the club that is therestishistory.com Charles the Prince girded boldly with gleaming arms, tamed this people through numerous blows and a thousand triumphs.
He crushed it down and subjected it to himself with brandished sword he dragged the battalions of those who in the depths of forests worshipped stock and stone into heavenly kingdoms.
Afterwards he poured over with the salvation bringing dew of baptism, the untaught Saxons and sent them to the stars of heaven and led the new children of Christ into his hall.
So that was a fellow called Paullinus.
He was a scholar from northern Italy.
Lovely poem.
I think it's a banger.
And Paullinus, not just a bishop, but a saint, Tom.
He becomes one in due course.
Not when he's written that poem, to be fair.
But it's all in the future.
Exactly.
You get your sainthood party as a reward for that.
Beautiful poem.
Yes.
Like the poet laureate.
So he writes this poem in the year 7 60, and we are in the realm of Charlemagne, Charles, the great warlord of the west, great king, great emperor, as we will discover as this story continues.
So, Tom, give us a little bit of context.
Charlemagne has been joint king of the Frankish Empire for nine years with his brother Carloman.