The Wendian State
 | |
| Capital | Veligrad (a.k.a. Mecklenburg), later Lübeck |
|---|---|
| Other languages | slavic |
| Ethnic groups | Obotrites, Lutici, pomeranian |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Demonym(s) | Wendian |
| Nakonid dynasty | |
| History | |
• Established | 1040s |
• Disestablished | 1129 |
The Wendian State (Obodrit principality, Wendian state/kingdom, Wendian tribal union) - early feudal state association of Polabian Slavs (Wends), existing since the year 1040 approximately until 1129.[1][2]
It was located on the coast of the Baltic Sea between the rivers Oder and Elbe. The state included tribal unions of obodrites, Lutici and a part of Pomeranians. Unification of Slavic tribes under one princely authority was necessary to reflect the aggression of Saxons and Danes. The state got its name from the Wends, the German name for the Western Slavs in the early Middle Ages.[3]
History
The territory has long been ruled by the Nakonid dynasty.
In 1043, the obodrite prince Gottschalk, who had lived in exile in Denmark in his youth, took part in the English campaigns of Cnut the Great. He also was married to a Danish princess. Both of those instances allowed him to return to his country with a Danish army provided by Sweyn Estridsen, and suppressed the resistance of the local tribal nobility.
In the 1050s, he pursued a policy of conquest in the neighbouring Slavic lands: some Lutici and Linones were laid under tribute. At that time, the state machinery emerged in a primitive form.
Under Gottschalk, new towns, churches and monasteries were built. At the request of the duke, bishops were appointed in Mecklenburg, Oldenburg and Ratzeburg. In 1066, the nobility led a movement against the prince's Christian entourage: Gottschalk was killed at the Battle of Lenz on the Elbe, and the missionaries and converts were banished or executed.[3]
Gottschalk's youngest son Henry strengthened the state at the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries. He was paid tribute by the Brizans and Hevelli. Henry moved with his family from Mecklenburg to Old Lübeck, which grew into an early town centre with settlements of merchants and craftsmen.
The new capital became the residence of Christian priests. After Henry's death, feuds broke out. Since the end of the 12th century, the Duchy of Rostock, Mecklenburg and other principalities, which were dependent on the Duke of Saxony, developed on the basis of the Duchy of Obodritz. In the thirteenth century, these principalities underwent Germanisation.
Known dukes
- Gottschalk (ruled 1031-1066)
- Kruto (1066-1093)
- Henry (1093 - 1127)
See also
References
- ↑ Грацианский, Н.П. (1942). "Заэльбские славяне в борьбе с немецкой агрессией в Х—ХII вв". Исторический журнал (in russian). Saint Petersburg, USSR. 8.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)
- ↑ Brankack, J. (1957). "Zur frühen Geschichte der Westslawen zwischen Elbe/Saale und Oder". «Geschichte in der Schule» (in german).CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Joachim Herrmann (1970). Die Slawen in Deutschland (in German). Berlin: Akademie-Verlag GmbH.
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