Dorestad 1.95

Dorestad was an early medieval emporium, located in the southeast of the province of Utrecht in the Netherlands, close to the modern-day town of Wijk bij Duurstede. The township was established at the base of the former Roman fortress of Levefanum in the 7th century, and was situated near the northernmost branch of the Rhine which splits into the Lek and the Kromme Rijn.HistoryThe settlement was included in the northeastern shipping routes due to its proximity to the fork in the Rhine, with access to Germany (via the Lek) and to England, northern France, the northern Netherlands, northern Germany, and Scandinavia (via the Kromme Rijn. Initially, the Frankish Carolingian Empire and the Frisians fought for control of the territory. However, the Franks gained control of the Frisian Coast in 719.Dorestad flourished between the 7th century and the mid- 9th century. The settlement was well known for minting coins under the control of several Frankish rulers. It is generally believed that the township reached its peak around the 820s and the 830s and declined considerably thereafter. It is thought that the decline occurred because of Viking invasions as well as a decline in the economy.