The population of Cocarescem surrenders on orders of Duke Hermann Billung to a Slavic army led by Wichman the Younger, on the condition they leave all slaves and goods behind.
Barbari vero post proximum pascha irruunt in regionem, ducem habentes Wichmannum ad facinus tantum, non ad imperium. Nullam moram agens sed et ipse dux Herimannus cum presidio militari adest; vidensque exercitum hostium gravem sibique parvas admodum belli copias affore civili bello urgente, arbitratus est consultius differre certamen in dubiis rebus constitutis, multitudinique imperare, quae maxima in unam urbem confluxerat, dum caeteris diffiderent, quoquo pacto possent, pacem expostularent. Quod tamen consilium milites aegre valde tulerunt, et maxime Sigifridus, qui erat bellator acerrimus. Faciunt tamen cives Cocarescemiorum, ut dux imperarat, pacemque eo pacto obtinent, quo liberi cum uxoribus et natis supra murum inermes ascenderent, conditione servili et omni suppellectili in to medio urbis hostibus relicta.
Translation :
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Edition :
Widukindus monachus Corbeiensis - Rerum gestarum Saxonicarum, In: A. Bauer; R. Rau, Quellen zur Geschichte der sächsischen Kaiserzeit (FSGA 8), Darmstadt, 16-183.
Remark :
long-term consequence: This escalates into a massacre of the adult population despite the surrender, described in: "A Slavic army led by Wichmann the Younger kills all the adults at Cocarescem and takes the children and their mothers captives." This was caused by an altercation concerning one woman, described in: "A Slav mistakes a women for his servant and is punched by her husband when he attempts to take her, resulting in a break of peace at Cocarescem."
