Ramiro II’s Military Expansion and Frontier Consolidation…

The Viets, following recognition from the Chinese to form an independent state in 939, attack the Chams to the south.

Masakado, of the Taira family, has been gradually expanding his territory from his center in the eastern region of Kanto; in 939, he declares himself emperor of Kanto, establishing a government modeled after that at Kyoto.

Petar may have had to also face the incursions of the Magyars, who had been defeated and forced into Pannonia by his father in 896.

Perhaps after an initial defeat, Petar had come to terms with the enemy and now uses Magyar groups as his allies against Serbia.

Various Magyar clans and chieftains appear to have begun to settle in what was still Bulgarian territory north of the Danube, where they may have become Bulgarian federates, enjoying independence from the Árpád dynasty.

This arrangement paves the way for the eventual loss of the region to the Magyars, although that will happen over the half-century following Petar's death.

Petar apparently allows these groups to cross Bulgaria and raid imperial territories in Thrace and Macedonia, perhaps as an underhanded reaction against Constantinople’s support for the Serbian rebellion.

Palestine, after a brief restoration of 'Abbasid authority, comes under the rule of the Ikhshidids, an Egyptian-based dynasty of Sogdian origins.

A small Jewish enclave at Tiberias plays an important spiritual role in the far-flung Jewish community.

Tiberias had been revitalized in 749, after Bet Shean was destroyed in an earthquake.

An imposing mosque, ninety meters long by seventy-eight meters wide, resembling the Great Mosque of Damascus, was raised at the foot of Mount Berenice next to a Christian church, to the south of the city, as the eighth century ushered in Tiberias's golden age, when the multicultural city may have been the most tolerant of the Middle East.

Jewish scholarship flourishes from the beginning of the eighth century to the end of the tenth, when the oral traditions of ancient Hebrew, still in use today, are codified.

One of the leading members of the Tiberian Masoretic community is Aaron ben Moses ben Asher, who refines the oral tradition now known as Tiberian Hebrew.

Ben Asher is also credited with putting the finishing touches on the Aleppo Codex, the oldest existing manuscript of the Hebrew scriptures.

Most of Leo VII’s bulls are grants of privilege to monasteries, especially including the Abbey of Cluny.

Leo had called for Odo of Cluny to mediate between Alberic and Hugh of Italy, Alberic's stepfather, the King of Italy.

Odo had been successful in negotiating a truce after arranging a marriage between Hugh's daughter Alda and Alberic.

Leo VII has also appointed Frederick, Archbishop of Mainz, as a reformer in Germany.

Leo had allowed Frederick to drive out Jews that refused to be baptized, but he has not endorsed the forced baptism of Jews.

As pope, Leo VII reigns for only three years.

After his death in July 939, he is interred at St. Peter's Basilica.

• ....Ledesma, securing key strategic points along the Douro Valley.
• He founds and repopulates frontier strongholds, including ...

...Osma and ...

...Clunia, reinforcing Christian defenses against Al-Andalus. Through these efforts, Ramiro II strengthens Christian rule and lays the foundation for further expansion into Muslim-controlled Iberia.

The Second Rebellion Against Otto I and the West Frankish Involvement (c. 939)

Following his initial reconciliation with Otto I, Eberhard of Franconia begins planning a second rebellion, seeking to dethrone Otto and replace him with his younger brother, Henry. This revolt sparks a wider conflict by drawing in King Louis IV of West Francia and his vassal, Gilbert, Duke of Lorraine, leading to a major confrontation between East and West Francia.

Eberhard’s Second Rebellion Against Otto I

• Eberhard, Duke of Franconia, once a loyal supporter of Otto I, becomes disillusioned with Otto’s rule and begins conspiring to place Henry, Otto’s younger brother, on the throne.
• To strengthen his cause, Eberhard allies with Gilbert, Duke of Lorraine, who is married to Otto’s sister, Gerberga of Saxony, but has sworn fealty to King Louis IV of West Francia.
• Henry, Otto’s brother, is exiled from Germany and flees to the court of Louis IV, who sees this as an opportunity to reclaim Lorraine, which had been lost to East Francia in 925.

West Francia Enters the Conflict

• Louis IV of West Francia joins the rebellion, hoping to restore his control over Lorraine, which had been ruled by East Francia since Henry the Fowler’s conquest.
• With Henry and Gilbert now leading a pro-Carolingian faction in Lorraine, Otto seeks support from Hugh the Great, Count of Paris, who is both:
  • The most powerful noble in West Francia.
  • Otto’s brother-in-law, as he is married to Otto’s sister, Hedwige.

The Campaign: A Two-Front War

1. Henry Captures Merseburg and Plans to Join Gilbert in Lorraine

   • Otto’s exiled brother, Henry, leads an army to capture Merseburg, a strategic fortress in Saxony.
   • He then plans to merge forces with Gilbert in Lorraine, creating a unified front against Otto.

2. Otto Besieges Henry and Gilbert at Chevremont (Near Liège)

   • Before Henry and Gilbert can join forces, Otto moves quickly to besiege them at Chevremont near Liège.
   • If successful, Otto could crush the rebellion before it fully materializes.

3. Louis IV Seizes Verdun, Forcing Otto to Shift Focus

   • While Otto is occupied at Chevremont, Louis IV marches into Lorraine and captures Verdun, further solidifying his control over contested territory.
   • This forces Otto to abandon the siege of Chevremont and turn his army against Louis IV, opening up a new phase in the war.