King Redbad was a powerful ruler of Frisia, a region located in what is now the Netherlands and parts of Germany, during the late 7th and early 8th centuries. He was born in the mid-7th century and ruled from about 680 until his death in 719 or 721.
Redbad was a member of the royal house of the Frisians, who were a seafaring people and one of the few Germanic tribes that successfully resisted the Frankish expansion to the north. He is known for his successful military campaigns against the Franks, including a major victory in the Battle of the Boarn in 689, which halted Frankish expansion in Frisia.
Redbad was also a patron of the arts and education, and his reign is associated with a period of cultural flourishing in Frisia. He is said to have established a school at his court and to have invited scholars and poets from across Europe to visit him.
In addition to his military and cultural achievements, it is said that Redbad was nearly baptised but refused when he was told that he would not be able to find any of his ancestors in Heaven after his death. He said he preferred spending eternity in Hell with his pagan ancestors than in Heaven with a pack of beggars.
Redbad’s legacy remains significant in the Netherlands, where he is remembered as a hero of Frisian resistance and a symbol of cultural and political independence. There have been several films and TV series made about him, including the 2018 Dutch historical epic “Redbad.”