Page:The history of medieval Europe.djvu/272

 228 THE HISTORY OF MEDIEVAL EUROPE of Henry. By 933 Henry felt strong enough to refuse to pay tribute any longer and defeated the Hungarians; but in the early years of the reign of his successor, Otto I, they continued to invade Germany and even Gaul, until at last he defeated them decisively in 955 in the battle of the Lech- feld. After that they settled down in Hungary; their con- version to Christianity is especially associated with the name of their first king, St. Stephen (997-1038). The poor Slavs during this period were still more invaded than invading, harassed as they were from the east by Condition of the mounted nomads and from the north by the Slavs the Swedish slave-traders. The mortality in the and tenth slave trade at that time was even greater than centuries * n ^ e j a t e r African slave trade with America. About nine Slavs died on the way for every one who was sold as a slave. Yet they continued to increase in popula- tion. They had already freed themselves to a considerable extent from the domination of the Asiatic invaders. In the Balkan States the nomadic element became absorbed in the Slavic population. In Carinthia, Bohemia, and Poland the enslaved peasants had revolted against the rule of the Avars and founded native dynasties, although by Charlemagne's time Carinthia had a German duke. The Wends between the Elbe and Oder, and the Czechs in Bohemia were now able to defend themselves, and also made inroads into German territory. Conrad I had wars with them, Henry I created marks to strengthen his northeastern frontier against them and founded Meissen and Brandenburg, Otto 1 was able to take the aggressive against them. The Magyar invasion and settlement of Hungary had the important re- sult of driving in a wedge which henceforth permanently separated the Slavs to the south of the Danube from those on the northeastern frontier of Germany. In the Balkans the expansion of the Bulgarians is the Reign of most noteworthy event of this period. In the BuT aria° f n * ntn centur y the Y extended their borders to the west and southwest. Boris, their first Christian king, had been obliged to leave his monastic retirement