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Topic: Raxa, Battle on the

Raxa, Battle on the

Years: 955 - 955

The Battle on the Raxa river (German: Schlacht an der Raxa) is fought on October 16, 955 over control of the Billung march (in present-day Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, northeast Germany) between the forces of Otto I of Germany allied with the Rani tribe on one side, and the Obotrite federation under Nako and his brother Stoigniew (Stoinef, Stoinneg, Ztoignav) with their allied and tributary Slav neighbors on the other.

The Raxa river is identified with either the Recknitz or the Elde river.

The German victory over the Slavs follows up on the August victory at the Lechfeld over the Magyars and marks the high point of Otto's reign.

A thirty-year peace follows, only ending with the Slavic revolt in 983.

“History is important. If you don't know history it is as if you were born yesterday. And if you were born yesterday, anybody up there in a position of power can tell you anything, and you have no way of checking up on it.”

—Howard Zinn, You Can't Be Neutral ... (2004)