Battle of Birten

The battle took place in March 939 on the left bank of the Rhine at Birten, near the town of Xanten, which now lays in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany.

He was confronted with numerous conflicts within the Old Saxon royal family and East Francian nobility, and thus faced a number of looming crises in the first five years of his reign.

Wichmann the Elder also rebelled because his younger brother Herman had been given military command of the northern reaches of the Duchy of Saxony over him, though he later reconciled with Otto.

Thankmar was beseigned by Otto at Eresburg, and although he tried to surrender on July 28, 938, was killed by a soldier named Maincia.

According to the account of Liutprand of Cremona, Otto realized he would be unable to bring all his troops across the river before the battle started, and recalled the Biblical story of Moses praying for help when the Israelites were facing the Amalekites.