Otto I’s Territorial and Cultural Warfare: 10th Century Incompatibility Between Otto and the Slavs
Abstract:
Otto I’s campaigns in the 10th century against the Obodrite Slavs exist under heavy scrutiny from historians, due to the military campaigns in response to revolts and invasions. The decisions by Otto the Great was, however, for the defensive preservation of the kingdom, among the internal problems within the Kingdom of Germany as well as the border problems Otto faced. The young king, after the decisions his father made regarding the Slavs, was put into a position where he had no choice but to fight back against them. The decisions of his kingship were for ending the violence from the Slavs and creating greater connections between the groups, as he already considered the land as belonging to him. That said, the cultural differences between the groups, as far as geography and religion, during this time influenced the degree of Otto’s conflicts with the Slavs, culminating in the assault of their home territory in Recknitz in 955. Sim ilarly, the use of Christianity and new political foundations in the territory heavily occupied by Slavs created dissent, which was unintended from an attempt to allow greater similarities between the two conflicting ethnic groups. The attempt to convert their neighbors to their culture was seen as more of an attack rather than an attempt to meet the Slavs in a way for greater cohesiveness and an end of violence between the groups.