The Magyars (Hungarians), Eurasian nomads who had originally served as mercenaries under Emperor Arnulf, after his death in 899 had begun to campaign in the Kingdom of Italy and East Francia.
In 906, they had broken up Great Moravia and one year later destroyed a Bavarian army under Margrave Luitpold at the Battle of Pressburg.
A Magyar army invading the German duchy of Saxony in 924 had defeated King Henry I in the field, but an Árpád prince—possibly Zoltán—captured near Pfalz Werla had allowed Henry to negotiate for terms.
A truce of nine years, during which annual tribute was required of the Germans, had been declared in 926.
During the truce, Henry has reorganized the defenses of his Saxonian duchy and subdued the Polabian Slavs in the east.
At an 926 assembly, Henry had secured the construction of new castles and the authorization of a new form of garrison duty: the soldiery are organized into groups of nine agrarii milites (farmer-soldiers), one of which is doing guard duty at any given time while the other eight work the fields.
In time of invasion, all nine can man the castles.
Once he believed the necessary reforms had been made, Henry had secured the support of the church in reneging on tribute payments in 932.
Allegedly he had a dead dog thrown down in front of the Magyar negotiators, which amounts to a declaration of war.
In preparation for the campaign, Henry has levied mounted contingents from every region and stem duchy of the German kingdom, though only French chronicler Flodoard of Reims records the Bavarian presence.
The Magyars had besieged an unknown town but attempted to withdraw in the night because Henry and his army have camped in the neighborhood at Riade.
Henry sends forward a small contingent of foot soldiers with a few cavalrymen as a screen for his main army.
The king had learned what to expect from the preceding struggles, where the rapidity of the Magyar light cavalry and archers had brought them success.
He confronts their onset with lightly armored combatants at first, followed by a massed heavy cavalry attack.
According to Widukind of Corvey, the Magyar forces readily fled at the coming of Henry's horsemen and the victorious German troops declared Henry emperor on the battlefield.
The exact location of the battle is unknown and several municipalities in Central Germany claim to be the site of the combat, among them Kalbsrieth, at the confluence of Unstrut and Helme, and the Hunnenfeld near Riethgen.
However the place of Riade rendered by Widukind denotes the army camp of King Henry, probably not identical with the battlefield.
The Magyars, who will not dare to make a further raid on East Francia in Henry's lifetime, will again invade Germany in 954 during a rebellion instigated by Duke Liudolf of Swabia; they will be finally defeated the following year by Henry's son and successor King Otto I at the Battle of Lechfeld.
