Henry (Obotrite prince)
Encyclopedia
Henry was an Obotrite
prince or king (1093–1127) from the Nakonid dynasty; he was regarded by contemporaries as "King of the Slavs" (rex Slavorum). The Obotrite realm reached its greatest area during Henry's rule, extending from the Elbe
to the Oder
and from the Havelland
to the Baltic Sea
.
Henry was the second son of the Obotrite prince Gottschalk, a Christian
who was killed in a pagan
uprising in 1066; Henry and his brother Budivoj
were subsequently raised in Denmark
and Lüneburg
, respectively. The Obotrite lands passed to the leader of the uprising, the pagan Kruto
. While Henry remained passive, the Saxon-supported Budivoj was killed by Kruto at Plön
. Once Kruto reached old age, he was forced to defend against an invasion by Henry with Danish support in 1090. Kruto could not prevent Henry from harrying and plundering the Wagrian coastline. The pressured Kruto agreed to meet with Henry and grant him a portion of the Obotrite realm in 1093. Although Kruto planned to have Henry assassinated during the visit, Henry succeeded in having Kruto killed with the assistance of Kruto's wife Slavina. Marrying the widow, Henry led a Slav-Saxon army to victory in the Battle of Schmilau
in 1093. According to Helmold
, the glare of the setting sun prevented the Slavs from winning the battle.
Instead of Mecklenburg
, Henry chose Liubice
, near the site of the later Lübeck
, to be his residence. It was selected because of its proximity to the Wagri
, the Obotrites
proper, and the Polabians
. Henry remained on good terms with his Danish and Saxon neighbors, especially Duke Lothar von Supplinburg and Adolf I of Holstein
. He invited foreign merchants, especially Saxons
, to Liubice. Helmold
of Bosau reported that Henry encouraged his subjects to engage in agriculture
. The prince allowed the minting
of coins depicting a wall and tower on one side and a double cross on the other.
Helmold records Henry as campaigning against the Rani
, Kissini, Circipani, Liutizi, and Western Pomeranians to render them tributary. He was forced to defend against a surprised seaborne assault by the pagan Rani of Rugia
ca. 1100; after being reinforced by Holsatian
Saxons, Henry forced the Rani to pay tribute. In the winters of 1123/24 and 1124/25 Henry led expeditions against the Rani after they killed his son Woldemar and refused to pay tribute. Henry led 2,000–6,000 men during the first campaign; Saxons from Holstein and Stormarn
marched alongside his Slavic troops. The first winter campaign ended when the Rani priests paid an immense tribute. The second campaign was coordinated with Duke Lothar of Saxony. Henry also suppressed revolts by the Brisani and Hevelli in the winter of 1100/01. While Henry was besieging Havelberg
for a month, his son Mistue plundered the neighboring Linones with 200 Saxons and 300 Slavs.
A Christian, Henry had a chapel built inside his castle as well as a church in the colony of merchants. Keeping in mind the pagan revolt of 1066, Henry did not force Christianity upon his subjects, who remained predominantly pagan. In 1126 Vicelin came to Liubice and asked Henry for permission to preach Christianity amongst the Slavs. After receiving Henry's support, Vicelin returned to Saxony to prepare for the missionary expedition. Henry had granted the Slavic peoples freedom to practice their paganism and he himself and his court were some of the only Christians in his territory. During the missionary's absence, Henry died and was buried in Lüneburg
, though Helmold is silent concerning the manner of his death.
Eastern tribes such as the Hevelli and Liutizi took advantage of Henry's death to assert their independence. Henry's elder sons, Woldemar and Mstivoj (1127), had predeceased him. His younger sons, Canute and Sventipolk (also Svatopluk or Zwentibold), fought over their inheritance. When Canute was killed in 1128 at Lütjenburg
, Sventipolk succeeded in taking over the entire country. Vicelinus finally sent priests to Liubice, but after this was conquered by the Rani and destroyed, the priests fled to Faldera (Neumünster
). Sventipolk was killed in the same year, and his son Swineke was killed in 1129 at Ertheneburg on the Elbe
. Emperor Lothair III
awarded the title "King of the Obotrites" to Canute Lavard
in 1129, but he was murdered in 1131. The Obotrite realm was ultimately partitioned between the pagans Niklot
and Pribislav
.
Obotrites
The Obotrites , also commonly known as the Obodrites, Abotrites, or Abodrites, were a confederation of medieval West Slavic tribes within the territory of modern Mecklenburg and Holstein in northern Germany . For decades they were allies of Charlemagne in his wars against Germanic Saxons and Slavic...
prince or king (1093–1127) from the Nakonid dynasty; he was regarded by contemporaries as "King of the Slavs" (rex Slavorum). The Obotrite realm reached its greatest area during Henry's rule, extending from the Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
to the Oder
Oder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...
and from the Havelland
Havelland
Havelland is a geograhical region and district in Brandenburg, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Ostprignitz-Ruppin and Oberhavel, the city-state of Berlin, the district of Potsdam-Mittelmark, the city of Brandenburg and the state of Saxony-Anhalt .-History:-Geography:Geographically...
to the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
.
Henry was the second son of the Obotrite prince Gottschalk, a Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
who was killed in a pagan
Slavic mythology
Slavic mythology is the mythological aspect of the polytheistic religion that was practised by the Slavs before Christianisation.The religion possesses many common traits with other religions descended from the Proto-Indo-European religion....
uprising in 1066; Henry and his brother Budivoj
Budivoj
Budivoj, Buthue, or Butue was the eldest son of Gottschalk, an Abodrite prince, by a mistress. He allied with the Dukes of Saxony in order to recover the power and position of his father, lost since Gottschalk's death to the pagan Kruto.-Meaning of the name:Budivoj or Budziwoj is an old Slavic...
were subsequently raised in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and Lüneburg
Lüneburg
Lüneburg is a town in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is located about southeast of fellow Hanseatic city Hamburg. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, and one of Hamburg's inner suburbs...
, respectively. The Obotrite lands passed to the leader of the uprising, the pagan Kruto
Kruto
Kruto , son of Grin or Grinus, was a prince of Wagria. James Westfall Thompson believed his family belonged to the Rani of Rugia....
. While Henry remained passive, the Saxon-supported Budivoj was killed by Kruto at Plön
Plön
Plön is the district seat of the Plön district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and has about 13,000 inhabitants. It lies right on the shores of Schleswig-Holstein's biggest lake, the Great Plön Lake, as well as on several smaller lakes, touching the town on virtually all sides...
. Once Kruto reached old age, he was forced to defend against an invasion by Henry with Danish support in 1090. Kruto could not prevent Henry from harrying and plundering the Wagrian coastline. The pressured Kruto agreed to meet with Henry and grant him a portion of the Obotrite realm in 1093. Although Kruto planned to have Henry assassinated during the visit, Henry succeeded in having Kruto killed with the assistance of Kruto's wife Slavina. Marrying the widow, Henry led a Slav-Saxon army to victory in the Battle of Schmilau
Battle of Schmilau
The Battle of Schmilau was a battle between a coalition of Christian forces and pagan Slavic Obotrites in 1093.Henry, a Christian Obotrite prince raised in Denmark after the murder of his father Gottschalk, avenged his father's death by killing the pagan Obotrite chief Kruto in 1093...
in 1093. According to Helmold
Helmold
Helmold of Bosau was a Saxon historian of the 12th century and a priest at Bosau near Plön. He was a friend of the two bishops of Oldenburg in Holstein, Vicelinus and Gerold , who did much to Christianize the Polabian Slavs.Helmold was born near Goslar...
, the glare of the setting sun prevented the Slavs from winning the battle.
Instead of Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg Castle
Mecklenburg Castle was a medieval castle and a residential capital of the Nakonid and Nikloting dynasties of the Obotrites. It was located just south of the modern village Dorf Mecklenburg, seven kilometres south of the Bay of Wismar in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The only remnants of the...
, Henry chose Liubice
Liubice
Liubice, also known by the German name Alt-Lübeck , was a medieval West Slavic settlement near the site of modern Lübeck, Germany. Liubice was located at the confluence of the Schwartau with the Trave across from Teerhof Island, approximately four kilometres north of Lübeck's island old town...
, near the site of the later Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
, to be his residence. It was selected because of its proximity to the Wagri
Wagri
The Wagri, Wagiri, or Wagrians were a tribe of Polabian Slavs inhabiting Wagria, or eastern Holstein in northern Germany, from the ninth to twelfth centuries. They were a constituent tribe of the Obodrite confederacy....
, the Obotrites
Obotrites
The Obotrites , also commonly known as the Obodrites, Abotrites, or Abodrites, were a confederation of medieval West Slavic tribes within the territory of modern Mecklenburg and Holstein in northern Germany . For decades they were allies of Charlemagne in his wars against Germanic Saxons and Slavic...
proper, and the Polabians
Polabians (tribe)
The Polabians were a constituent Lechitic tribe of the Obotrites who lived between the Trave and the Elbe. The main settlement of the Polabians was Racisburg , named after their Prince Ratibor...
. Henry remained on good terms with his Danish and Saxon neighbors, especially Duke Lothar von Supplinburg and Adolf I of Holstein
Adolf I of Holstein
Adolf I was the first Count of Schauenburg from 1106 and the second Count of Holstein from 1111. He made an important contribution to the colonisation and Germanisation of the lands north of the Elbe....
. He invited foreign merchants, especially Saxons
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
, to Liubice. Helmold
Helmold
Helmold of Bosau was a Saxon historian of the 12th century and a priest at Bosau near Plön. He was a friend of the two bishops of Oldenburg in Holstein, Vicelinus and Gerold , who did much to Christianize the Polabian Slavs.Helmold was born near Goslar...
of Bosau reported that Henry encouraged his subjects to engage in agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. The prince allowed the minting
Mint (coin)
A mint is an industrial facility which manufactures coins for currency.The history of mints correlates closely with the history of coins. One difference is that the history of the mint is usually closely tied to the political situation of an era...
of coins depicting a wall and tower on one side and a double cross on the other.
Helmold records Henry as campaigning against the Rani
Rani (Slavic tribe)
The Rani or Rujani were a West Slavic tribe based on the island of Rugia and the southwestern mainland across the Strelasund in what is today northeastern Germany....
, Kissini, Circipani, Liutizi, and Western Pomeranians to render them tributary. He was forced to defend against a surprised seaborne assault by the pagan Rani of Rugia
Rügen
Rügen is Germany's largest island. Located in the Baltic Sea, it is part of the Vorpommern-Rügen district of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.- Geography :Rügen is located off the north-eastern coast of Germany in the Baltic Sea...
ca. 1100; after being reinforced by Holsatian
Holstein
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
Saxons, Henry forced the Rani to pay tribute. In the winters of 1123/24 and 1124/25 Henry led expeditions against the Rani after they killed his son Woldemar and refused to pay tribute. Henry led 2,000–6,000 men during the first campaign; Saxons from Holstein and Stormarn
Stormarn
Stormarn is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Segeberg and Ostholstein, the city of Lübeck, the district of Lauenburg, and the city-state of Hamburg.-History:...
marched alongside his Slavic troops. The first winter campaign ended when the Rani priests paid an immense tribute. The second campaign was coordinated with Duke Lothar of Saxony. Henry also suppressed revolts by the Brisani and Hevelli in the winter of 1100/01. While Henry was besieging Havelberg
Havelberg
Havelberg is a town in the district of Stendal, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the Havel, and part of the town is built on an island in the centre of the river. The two parts were incorporated as a town in 1875...
for a month, his son Mistue plundered the neighboring Linones with 200 Saxons and 300 Slavs.
A Christian, Henry had a chapel built inside his castle as well as a church in the colony of merchants. Keeping in mind the pagan revolt of 1066, Henry did not force Christianity upon his subjects, who remained predominantly pagan. In 1126 Vicelin came to Liubice and asked Henry for permission to preach Christianity amongst the Slavs. After receiving Henry's support, Vicelin returned to Saxony to prepare for the missionary expedition. Henry had granted the Slavic peoples freedom to practice their paganism and he himself and his court were some of the only Christians in his territory. During the missionary's absence, Henry died and was buried in Lüneburg
Lüneburg
Lüneburg is a town in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is located about southeast of fellow Hanseatic city Hamburg. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, and one of Hamburg's inner suburbs...
, though Helmold is silent concerning the manner of his death.
Eastern tribes such as the Hevelli and Liutizi took advantage of Henry's death to assert their independence. Henry's elder sons, Woldemar and Mstivoj (1127), had predeceased him. His younger sons, Canute and Sventipolk (also Svatopluk or Zwentibold), fought over their inheritance. When Canute was killed in 1128 at Lütjenburg
Lütjenburg
Luetjenburg is a town of the district of Ploen, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is located approx. northeast of Ploen, and east of Kiel.-History:thumb|left|Lütjenburg um 1895...
, Sventipolk succeeded in taking over the entire country. Vicelinus finally sent priests to Liubice, but after this was conquered by the Rani and destroyed, the priests fled to Faldera (Neumünster
Neumünster
Neumünster is an independent town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, which has a total of four independent towns.-Current Situation:Neumünster station is major railway junction with lines running in six directions, including the important Hamburg-Altona–Kiel and Neumünster–Flensburg lines.Near...
). Sventipolk was killed in the same year, and his son Swineke was killed in 1129 at Ertheneburg on the Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
. Emperor Lothair III
Lothair III, Holy Roman Emperor
Lothair III of Supplinburg , was Duke of Saxony , King of Germany , and Holy Roman Emperor from 1133 to 1137. The son of Count Gebhard of Supplinburg, his reign was troubled by the constant intriguing of Frederick I, Duke of Swabia and Duke Conrad of Franconia...
awarded the title "King of the Obotrites" to Canute Lavard
Canute Lavard
Canute Lavard was a Danish prince. Later he was the first Duke of Schleswig and the first border prince who was both a Danish and a German vassal, a position leafing towards the historical double position of Southern Jutland...
in 1129, but he was murdered in 1131. The Obotrite realm was ultimately partitioned between the pagans Niklot
Niklot
Niklot or Nyklot was a pagan chief or prince of the Slavic Obotrites and an ancestor of the House of Mecklenburg. From 1130 or 1131 until his death he was chief of the Obotrite confederacy, the Kissini, and the Circipani. At the same time he was Lord of Schwerin, Quetzin, and Malchow...
and Pribislav
Pribislav (Wagrian prince)
Pribislav was a 12th century prince of the West Slavic Obotrites with his power base in Wagria.Pribislav was the son of Budivoj...
.