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The Saxons (Widukind)

Adds The Saxons under the fierce Widukind to the game.

Direct download link: https://forums.civfanatics.com/resources/the-saxons-widukind.28219/download?version=28931


The Saxons under Widukind are a defensive civ with high faith yields while their cities are defended from foreign religious influence. In the early Medieval Era they gain a military advantage with the Degan and a religious bonus with the Irminsul that compliments their defensive bonuses. To benefit from the faith and attrition, Saxon cities are best founded in great forests. The Rondel improvement is situational, but can provide help in founding an early religion with some science bonuses. Later in the game, the Saxons gain easy access to Artifacts if they built Rondels.


UA - Stellinga:

Units of unfriendly followers and founders of foreign Religions take damage when moving though your forests. Triple Resistance when your cities are captured. Can build Rondel improvements until the Medieval Era.

UB - Irminsul:

Saxon replacement for the Temple. +1 Happiness, forests worked by the city yield +1 Faith while the city does not follow a foreign religion.

UI - Rondel

Saxon unique improvement. Yields +1 Science and +1 Faith before the Medieval Era and requires no prerequisite technology. Can only be built until the the Medieval Era. Rondels in your empire when entering the Medieval Era each have a 75% chance of creating an artifact (up to 5 in total).

UU - Degan:

Saxon Longswordsman. Unlocked with Metal Casting and starts with a promotion that deals +25% attacking damage to units in your territory.

Supported Mods:
- Bingle's Civ IV Leader Traits
- BrutalSamurai's Ethnic Units
- Gedemon's R.E.D.
- Hazel's Map Labels
- Tomatekh's Historical Religions

Thanks to JFD for coding references, JFOliveras and Adrián Scolari for art.

Please comment if you have any gripes or recommendations!


Widukind's name literally translates as "Child of the wood" (i.e. a wolf), more probably a kenning than a proper name. All sources about him stem from his enemies, the Franks, who painted a negative picture, representing him as an "insurgent" and a "traitor". While Widukind was considered the leader of the Saxon resistance by the Franks, his exact role in the military campaigns is unknown. According to the Royal Frankish Annals, the Franks campaigned Saxony in 772, when Charlemagne ordered the destruction of the Irminsul sanctuary.

Widukind was first mentioned by the Annals in 777, when he was the only one of the Saxon nobles not to appear at Charlemagne's court in Paderborn. Instead, he stayed with the Danish king Sigfred. The next year, the Westphalians invaded the Frankish Rhineland and subsequently fought a running battle against Charlemagne's forces and their local allies, while the king was busy in Spain. By 782, Widukind had returned from Denmark and goaded the Saxon nobles into rebellion. From 782 to 784, battles between Saxons and Franks occurred annually, while Charlemagne allegedly had 4,500 rebels executed at the Massacre of Verden. Widukind allied himself with the Frisians but despite that, Charlemagne's winter attacks of 784/785 were successful and Widukind and his allies were pushed back to their homelands.