As on other occasions, legend gives the credit of the victory to the Holy Lance with which Otto was armed. At first the enemy made headway against the Swabian and Bohemian divisions; but the courage and resource of Conrad, the deposed Duke of Lorraine, who fell in the battle, restored the fortunes of the royal army. The victory was complete; and for three days the scattered remnants of the Hungarian hordes were pursued and killed or taken captive. The victory had far-reaching effects both for the conqueror and the conquered. Germany was for ever relieved of the menace of invasion and the Hungarians gave up their restless mode of life and took to a settled and peaceful existence.
The Hungarians were not the only neighbours of Germany who had sought to take advantage of the civil war. The Wends rose in revolt against German rule. In 954 Margrave Gero and Conrad (it is characteristic of Otto to entrust his recent antagonist with a command) won a victory over the Ukrani. Further north, in the district under the authority of Duke Herman, the trouble was more serious; the duke's nephews Wichmann and Ekbert, who had already attempted without success to raise Saxony in revolt against their uncle, now joined with the Wends. No decisive victory determined the fighting, which continued intermittently and with varying success for a period of two years. It was the news of the defeat of the Hungarians on the banks of the Lech which struck the Wends with awe, and compelled them to make an abject submission. They sent messages offering their accustomed tribute: but Otto was not disposed to let them off so lightly. Accompanied by Liudolf and Boleslav of Bohemia, he ravaged their land as far as Recknitz to the west of the Isle of Rügen. Their leader Stoinef was slain: Wichmann and Ekbert fled the country and took refuge at the court of Duke Hugh in France. In 957 Wichmann again appeared in alliance with the Wends, but he was finally defeated in 958 and received a pardon on taking "a terrible oath never to conspire again against Otto or his kingdom."
In Lorraine also there were signs of trouble, but the wise and statesmanlike rule of Bruno restored and maintained peace. Count Reginar of Hainault was at the root of the disturbance; it was his hostility to Conrad that secured the loyalty of Lorraine during the civil war. Apparently he expected reward for his services, and, failing to get it, he stirred up revolts against the authority of Bruno. The archbishop suppressed two risings in 957 and 959 and, as a precaution against disorder in the future, deemed it advisable to divide the duchy into two units of administration: a certain noble of the country named Godfrey had already been placed over the lower, and Frederick, brother of the
Augsburg. Others have suggested yet other possibilities, e.g. Wallmenich, Die Ungarnschlacht auf dem Lechfeld, chooses the right bank of the river to the south-east of the city and Hadank, Einige Bemerkungen über die Ungarnschlacht, 1908, the right bank to the north-east of the city as the spot.
