The
Obotrites , also commonly known as the
Obodrites,
Abotrites, or
Abodrites, were a confederation of medieval
West SlavicThe West Slavs are Slavic peoples speaking West Slavic languages. Czechs, Kashubians, Poles, Slovaks, and Sorbs are the ethnic groups that originated from the original Western Slavic tribes. The societies of the West Slavs developed along the lines of other western European nations by coming into...
tribes within the territory of modern
MecklenburgMecklenburg is a region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin, and Neubrandenburg....
and
HolsteinHolstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
in northern
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
(see
Polabian SlavsPolabian Slavs is a collective term applied to a number of West Slavic tribes who lived along the Elbe, between the Baltic Sea to the north, the Saale and Limes Saxonicus to the west, the Sudetes and Franconia to the south, and Poland to the east. They have also been known as the Elbe Slavs and as...
). For decades they were allies of
CharlemagneCharlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 to his death. He expanded the Frankish kingdoms into a Frankish Empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe...
in his wars against Germanic
SaxonsThe Saxons were a confederation of Old Germanic tribes. Their modern-day descendants in Lower Saxony and Westphalia and other German states are considered ethnic Germans ; those in the eastern Netherlands are considered to be ethnic Dutch; those in north...
and Slavic
VeletiThe Veleti or Wilzi were a group of medieval West Slavic tribes within the territory of modern northeastern Germany; see Polabian Slavs. In common with other Slavic groups between the Elbe and Oder Rivers, they were often described by Germanic sources as Wends...
. In 798 the Obodrites, ruled by prince
DrożkoDrożko or Drażko - kniaź of the Obotrites in the 9th century.* 798 – Drożko defeated Saxons in the battle under Święciana* 808 – Drożko was killed by Gudfred in Reric...
, defeated
SaxonsThe Saxons were a confederation of Old Germanic tribes. Their modern-day descendants in Lower Saxony and Westphalia and other German states are considered ethnic Germans ; those in the eastern Netherlands are considered to be ethnic Dutch; those in north...
in the battle under Święciana. The still heathen Saxons were dispersed by the emperor, and part of their former land in
HolsteinHolstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
, including
HamburgHamburg is the second-largest city in Germany and the sixth-largest city in the European Union...
, was awarded to the Obotrites in 804, as a reward for their victory.
The
Bavarian GeographerThe Bavarian Geographer is a conventional name given by Jan Potocki in 1796 to the author of an anonymous medieval document Descriptio civitatum et regionum ad septentrionalem plagam Danubii ....
, an anonymous medieval document compiled in
RegensburgRegensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
in 830, contains a list of the tribes in Central Eastern Europe to the east of the Elbe.
The
Obotrites , also commonly known as the
Obodrites,
Abotrites, or
Abodrites, were a confederation of medieval
West SlavicThe West Slavs are Slavic peoples speaking West Slavic languages. Czechs, Kashubians, Poles, Slovaks, and Sorbs are the ethnic groups that originated from the original Western Slavic tribes. The societies of the West Slavs developed along the lines of other western European nations by coming into...
tribes within the territory of modern
MecklenburgMecklenburg is a region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin, and Neubrandenburg....
and
HolsteinHolstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
in northern
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
(see
Polabian SlavsPolabian Slavs is a collective term applied to a number of West Slavic tribes who lived along the Elbe, between the Baltic Sea to the north, the Saale and Limes Saxonicus to the west, the Sudetes and Franconia to the south, and Poland to the east. They have also been known as the Elbe Slavs and as...
). For decades they were allies of
CharlemagneCharlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 to his death. He expanded the Frankish kingdoms into a Frankish Empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe...
in his wars against Germanic
SaxonsThe Saxons were a confederation of Old Germanic tribes. Their modern-day descendants in Lower Saxony and Westphalia and other German states are considered ethnic Germans ; those in the eastern Netherlands are considered to be ethnic Dutch; those in north...
and Slavic
VeletiThe Veleti or Wilzi were a group of medieval West Slavic tribes within the territory of modern northeastern Germany; see Polabian Slavs. In common with other Slavic groups between the Elbe and Oder Rivers, they were often described by Germanic sources as Wends...
. In 798 the Obodrites, ruled by prince
DrożkoDrożko or Drażko - kniaź of the Obotrites in the 9th century.* 798 – Drożko defeated Saxons in the battle under Święciana* 808 – Drożko was killed by Gudfred in Reric...
, defeated
SaxonsThe Saxons were a confederation of Old Germanic tribes. Their modern-day descendants in Lower Saxony and Westphalia and other German states are considered ethnic Germans ; those in the eastern Netherlands are considered to be ethnic Dutch; those in north...
in the battle under Święciana. The still heathen Saxons were dispersed by the emperor, and part of their former land in
HolsteinHolstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
, including
HamburgHamburg is the second-largest city in Germany and the sixth-largest city in the European Union...
, was awarded to the Obotrites in 804, as a reward for their victory.
The
Bavarian GeographerThe Bavarian Geographer is a conventional name given by Jan Potocki in 1796 to the author of an anonymous medieval document Descriptio civitatum et regionum ad septentrionalem plagam Danubii ....
, an anonymous medieval document compiled in
RegensburgRegensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
in 830, contains a list of the tribes in Central Eastern Europe to the east of the Elbe. The list includes the Nortabtrezi (
ObotritesThe 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...
) - with 53
civitates.
Adam of BremenAdam of Bremen was a German medieval chronicler. He lived and worked in the second half of the eleventh century. He is most famous for his chronicle Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum .-Background:Little is known of his life other than hints from his own chronicles...
referred to them as the
Reregi because of their lucrative trade emporium
RericReric or Rerik was one of the Viking Age multi-ethnic Slavic-Scandinavian emporia on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, located near Wismar in the present-day German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Reric was built around 700, when Slavs of the Obodrite tribe settled the region...
. In common with other Slavic groups, they were often described by Germanic sources as
WendsThe term Wends or Wendish is used in Germanic languages for Slavs living near or within Germanic settlement areas after the migration period...
.
The main tribes of the Obotritic confederation were:
- the Obotrites proper (Wismar Bay to Lake Schwerin
The Schweriner See is a lake in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, northern Germany, located at . Its surface is approximately 61,54 km² and its maximum depth is 52.4 metres.-External links:...
);
- the Wagrians (eastern Holstein
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
);
- the Warnower (the upper Warnow
The Warnow is a river in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany. It flows into the Baltic Sea near the town of Rostock, in its borough Warnemünde....
and MildenitzMildenitz is a municipality in the district Mecklenburg-Strelitz, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany....
);
- the Polabians proper
The Polabians were a constituent West Slavic 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...
(between the TraveThe Trave is a river in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is approximately 124 kilometres long, running from its source near the village of Gießelrade in Ostholstein to Travemünde where it flows into the Baltic Sea. It passes through Bad Segeberg, Bad Oldesloe, and Lübeck, where it is linked to the...
and the ElbeThe River Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It originates in the Krkonose Mountains of northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
).
Other tribes associated with the confederation include:
- the Linonen near Lenzen
Lenzen is a small town in the district of Prignitz, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is part of the Amt Lenzen-Elbtalaue. Lenzen is situated near the Elbe, approx. 20 km northwest of Wittenberge. It was the scene of an early victory by the Germans over the Wends in 929...
,
- the Travnjane near the Trave
The Trave is a river in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is approximately 124 kilometres long, running from its source near the village of Gießelrade in Ostholstein to Travemünde where it flows into the Baltic Sea. It passes through Bad Segeberg, Bad Oldesloe, and Lübeck, where it is linked to the...
,
- the Drevani
The Drevani were a tribe of Polabian Slavs inhabiting Lüchow-Dannenberg. They were a constituent tribe of the Obodrite confederacy. In the 9th century they were conquered by Saxons. The territory where the Drevani lived is also known as the Lüneburger Heide or Wendland and situated south of Hamburg...
in the Hanoverian WendlandLüchow-Dannenberg is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany which is usually referred to as Hannoversches Wendland or Wendland. It is bounded by the districts of Uelzen and Lüneburg and the states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania , Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt .-...
and the northern AltmarkThe Altmark is a region in Germany, between Hamburg and Magdeburg, comprising the northern third of Saxony-Anhalt . The region is rural and widely covered with forests...
.
As allies of the
CarolingianThe Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with its origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...
kings and the empire of their Ottonian successors, the Obotrites fought from 808 to 1200 against the
kings of Denmark, who wished to rule the
Baltic regionThe Baltic region is an ambiguous term that refers to slightly different combinations of countries in the general area surrounding the Baltic Sea.- Etymology :...
independently of the empire. When opportunities arose, for instance upon the death of an emperor, they would seek to seize power; and in 983
HamburgHamburg is the second-largest city in Germany and the sixth-largest city in the European Union...
was destroyed by the Obotrites under their king,
MstivojMistivir, Mistiuis, Mistui, Mistuwoi, Mistiwoi, Mystiwoi, Mistivoj, and Mstivoj , baptised Billung after his probable godfather Hermann Billung, was an Obodrite prince from 965 or 967 until his death...
. At times they levied tribute from the
DanesDanish people are a nation and ethnic group native to Denmark, who speak Danish. This includes people with a Danish ancestral or ethnic identity, whether living in Denmark, emigrants, or the descendants of emigrants, eg: the Danish ethnic minority in Southern Schleswig, a former Danish province.The...
and
SaxonsThe Saxons were a confederation of Old Germanic tribes. Their modern-day descendants in Lower Saxony and Westphalia and other German states are considered ethnic Germans ; those in the eastern Netherlands are considered to be ethnic Dutch; those in north...
. Under the leadership of
NiklotNiklot or Nyklot was a pagan chief of the Slavic Obotrites and an ancestor of the House of Mecklenburg. From 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...
, they resisted a Christian assault during the
Wendish CrusadeThe Wendish Crusade was an 1147 campaign, one of the Northern Crusades and also a part of the Second Crusade, led primarily by the Kingdom of Germany inside the Holy Roman Empire and directed against the Polabian Slavs ....
.
German missionaries such as St
VicelinusSaint Vicelinus was a German bishop of Oldenburg who was considered the apostle of Holstein.Orphaned at an early age, Vicelinus received his primary education at Hemeln, his birthplace...
converted the Obotrites to
ChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented by the revelations in the New Testament....
. In 1170 they acknowledged the suzerainty of the
Holy Roman EmpireThe Holy Roman Empire was a union of territories in Central Europe during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period under a Holy Roman Emperor. The first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was Otto I, crowned in 962. The last was Francis II, who abdicated and dissolved the Empire in 1806 during...
, leading to
GermanisationGermanisation is either the spread of the German language, people and culture either by force or assimilation, or the adaptation of a foreign word to the German language in linguistics, much like the Romanisation of many languages which do not use the Latin alphabet...
and assimilation over the following centuries. However up to the late 15th century most villagers in the Obotritic area were still speaking Slavic dialects (
Polabian languageThe Polabian language is an extinct West Slavic language that was spoken by the Slavs of North-Eastern Germany around the Elbe or Laba River...
), although subsequently their language changed to
GermanGerman is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by...
. The Polabian language survived until the beginning of the 19th century in what is now the German state of
Lower SaxonyLower Saxony lies in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen Bundesländer of Germany...
.
Some of the Obotrites also migrated to the south and settled in the
Pannonian PlainThe Pannonian Plain is a large plain in Central Europe that remained when the Pliocene Pannonian Sea dried out. It is a geomorphological subsystem of the Alps-Himalaya system.The river Danube divides the plain roughly in half...
, where the
BodrogiensisBács-Bodrog County is the name of administrative county of the historic Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is currently in southern Hungary and northern Serbia...
county of the medieval
Kingdom of HungaryThe Kingdom of Hungary , emerged in 1000, when the Principality of Hungary, founded in 896, was recognized as a Kingdom. The form of government was changed from Monarchy to Republic briefly in 1918 and again in 1946, ending the Kingdom and creating the Republic of Hungary...
was named after them.
External links