Hersfeld was founded by Saint Sturm, a disciple of Saint Boniface, in 736–742. Because its location rendered it vulnerable to attacks from the Saxons, however, he transferred it to Fulda. Some years later, in or about 769 after the defeat of the Saxons by the Franks, Lullus, archbishop of Mainz, re-founded the monastery at Hersfeld. Charlemagne (who had recently succeeded to the Frankish royal crown) and other benefactors provided endowments, and in 775 gave it the status of a Reichsabtei "imperial abbey" (i.e., territorially independent prince-abbacy within the Empire).