Verden (district)
Verden () is a "Kreis" (district) in the centre of Lower Saxony, Germany. Adjoining it are (from the northwest clockwise) the districts of Osterholz, Rotenburg, Heidekreis, Nienburg and Diepholz, as well as the city of Bremen.
Massacre of Verden
An entry for the year 782 in the first version of the "Royal Frankish Annals" ("Annales Regni Francorum") records a Saxon rebellion, followed by a Frankish victory in the battle of the Süntel before Charlemagne arrived and put down the rebellion. Charlemagne ordered the execution of 4,500 Saxons near the confluence of the Aller and the Weser, in what is now Verden. Regarding the massacre, the entry reads: