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In the Early Middle Ages
Early Middle Ages

The Early Middle Ages is a period in the history of Europe following the fall of the Western Roman Empire spanning roughly five centuries from AD 500 to 1000....
, Dorestad was one of the biggest, most important and flourishing trading places of Northwestern Europe.

It was situated where the Rhine
Rhine

File:Swiss Grand Canyon.jpgThe Rhine is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe, at , with an average discharge of more than ....
 and Lek
Lek River

The Lek is a river in the western Netherlands of some 60 km in length. It is the continuation of the Nederrijn after the Kromme Rijn branches off at the town of Wijk bij Duurstede....
 rivers meet south of Utrecht
Utrecht (city)

Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands province of Utrecht . It is located in the North-Eastern end of the Randstad, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands, with a population of 300,030....
 in the Netherlands
Netherlands

The Netherlands is a country that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands is located in North-West Europe, and bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east....
. In Roman times a Roman fortress was built here, nowadays it is situated near the modern town of Wijk bij Duurstede
Wijk bij Duurstede

Wijk bij Duurstede is a municipality and a city in the central Netherlands....
. Between 600 and around 719 Dorestad was often fought over between the Frisians
Frisians

The Frisians are an ethnic group of Germanic people living in coastal parts of The Netherlands and Germany. They are concentrated in the Dutch provinces of Friesland and Groningen and, in Germany, East Frisia and North Frisia....
 and the Franks
Franks

The Franks or Frankish people were a West Germanic ethnic group first identified in the 3rd century as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River....
.

Dorestad was a North Sea trading center between the seventh century and the middle of the ninth century, primarily handling goods from the Middle Rhineland
Rhineland

The Rhineland is the general name for the land on both sides of the river Rhine in the west of Germany. After the collapse of the First French Empire in the early 19th century, the German-speaking regions at the middle and lower course of the Rhine were annexed to the kingdom of Prussia....
.






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In the Early Middle Ages
Early Middle Ages

The Early Middle Ages is a period in the history of Europe following the fall of the Western Roman Empire spanning roughly five centuries from AD 500 to 1000....
, Dorestad was one of the biggest, most important and flourishing trading places of Northwestern Europe.

It was situated where the Rhine
Rhine

File:Swiss Grand Canyon.jpgThe Rhine is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe, at , with an average discharge of more than ....
 and Lek
Lek River

The Lek is a river in the western Netherlands of some 60 km in length. It is the continuation of the Nederrijn after the Kromme Rijn branches off at the town of Wijk bij Duurstede....
 rivers meet south of Utrecht
Utrecht (city)

Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands province of Utrecht . It is located in the North-Eastern end of the Randstad, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands, with a population of 300,030....
 in the Netherlands
Netherlands

The Netherlands is a country that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands is located in North-West Europe, and bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east....
. In Roman times a Roman fortress was built here, nowadays it is situated near the modern town of Wijk bij Duurstede
Wijk bij Duurstede

Wijk bij Duurstede is a municipality and a city in the central Netherlands....
. Between 600 and around 719 Dorestad was often fought over between the Frisians
Frisians

The Frisians are an ethnic group of Germanic people living in coastal parts of The Netherlands and Germany. They are concentrated in the Dutch provinces of Friesland and Groningen and, in Germany, East Frisia and North Frisia....
 and the Franks
Franks

The Franks or Frankish people were a West Germanic ethnic group first identified in the 3rd century as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River....
.

Dorestad was a North Sea trading center between the seventh century and the middle of the ninth century, primarily handling goods from the Middle Rhineland
Rhineland

The Rhineland is the general name for the land on both sides of the river Rhine in the west of Germany. After the collapse of the First French Empire in the early 19th century, the German-speaking regions at the middle and lower course of the Rhine were annexed to the kingdom of Prussia....
. Wine
Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage often made of fermentation grape juice. The natural chemical balance of grapes is such that they can ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes or other nutrients....
 was among the major products traded at Dorestad, likely from vineyards south of Mainz
Mainz

Mainz is a city in Germany and the capital of the Germany States of Germany of Rhineland-Palatinate. It was a politically important seat of the Prince-elector of Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman Empire fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine River and formed part of the northernmost frontier of th...
.

The place was widely known because it had a mint
Mint (coin)

A mint is an industrial facility which manufacturing coins for currency.The history of mints correlates closely with the history of coins. One difference is that the history of the mint is normally related in a fashion that more closely ties to the political situation of an era....
. Around 640, the master of the mint in Dorestad was Madelinus. Later, sceat
Sceat

Sceattas were small, thick silver coins minted in England, Friesland and Denmark in Anglo-Saxon England times, commonly referred to as the Dark Ages....
tas and Carolingian coins were minted there.

Because of its success as a trading place, according to medival christian written sources Dorestad drew the attention of Vikings, who frequently raided the place (834
834

Events...
, 835
835

Events...
, 836
836

Events...
, 844
844

Events...
, 857
857

Events...
 and 863
863

Events...
). Vikings were involved in the first raid in 834. The raid of 857 was led by Rorik of Dorestad. Dorestad became the capital of the Viking Kingdom of Dorestad, which lasted from 850
850

Events...
 to 885
885

Events...
.

Dorestad became in decline around 850 and shrunk down to a small agricultural site. However, in 896 king Zwentibold
Zwentibold

Zwentibold was the illegimate son of the Holy Roman Emperor Arnulf of Carinthia. In 895 his father granted him the Kingdom of Lotharingia, which he ruled until his death....
 of Lotharingia
Lotharingia

Lotharingia or Duchy of Lorraine was a short-lived kingdom in western Europe, the aggregate of territories belonging to Lothair, King of Lotharingia , who received it in 855 from his Carolingian father, Lothair I , Carolingian Empire....
 mentions in a document still the rights and priviliges
Privilege

A privilege—etymologically "private law" or law relating to a specific individual—is a special entitlement or immunity granted by a government or other authority to a restricted group, either by birth or on a conditional basis....
 of Dorestad. The remains of Dorestad have been partially washed away by the river.

Further reading

  • Navis II project,