Confederation of West Slavic tribes in present-day northern Germany (8th century ? 1167)
The
Obotrites
(
Latin
:
Obotriti, Abodritorum, Abodritos…
) or
Obodrites
, also spelled
Abodrites
(
German
:
Abodriten
), were a
confederation
of medieval
West Slavic
tribes within the territory of modern
Mecklenburg
and
Holstein
in northern
Germany
(see
Polabian Slavs
).
[1]
For decades, they were allies of
Charlemagne
in his wars against the Germanic
Saxons
and the Slavic
Veleti
. The Obotrites under Prince
Thrasco
defeated the
Saxons
in the
Battle of Bornhoved (798)
. The still-
Pagan
Saxons were dispersed by the emperor, and the part of their former land in
Holstein
north of
Elbe
was awarded to the Obotrites in 804, as a reward for their victory. This however was soon reverted through an invasion of the
Danes
. The Obotrite regnal style was abolished in 1167, when
Pribislav
was restored to power by Duke
Henry the Lion
, as Prince of Mecklenburg, thereby founding the Germanized
House of Mecklenburg
.
Obotritic confederation
[
edit
]
The
Bavarian Geographer
, an anonymous medieval document compiled in
Regensburg
in 830, contains a list of the tribes in Central Eastern Europe to the east of the Elbe. The list includes the Nortabtrezi (Obotrites) - with 53
civitates
.
Adam of Bremen
referred to them as the
Reregi
because of their lucrative trade emporium
Reric
. In common with other Slavic groups, they were often described by Germanic sources as
Wends
.
The main tribes of the Obotritic confederation were:
[2]
Other tribes associated with the confederation include:
[2]
History
[
edit
]
As allies of the
Carolingian
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 region
independently of the empire. When opportunities arose, for instance upon the death of an emperor, they would seek to seize power; and in 983
Hamburg
was destroyed by the Obotrites under their king,
Mstivoj
. At times they levied tribute from the
Danes
and
Saxons
. Under the leadership of
Niklot
, they resisted a Christian assault during the
Wendish Crusade
.
German missionaries such as
Vicelinus
converted the Obotrites to
Christianity
. In 1170 they acknowledged the suzerainty of the
Holy Roman Empire
, leading to
Germanisation
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 language
), although subsequently their language was displaced by
German
. The Polabian language survived until the beginning of the 19th century in Hanoverian Wendland, eastern Lower Saxony (bordering modern Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania).
[3]
The ruling clan of the Obotrites kept its power throughout the Germanisation and ruled their country (except during a short interruption in
Thirty Years' War
) as
House of Mecklenburg
until the end of monarchies in Germany in
November Revolution 1918
. Previously, the Obodrites were dominated by the
Naconids
; Eastern (Far) Pomerania was ruled by the
Pomeranian House
(Grifichi).
List of Obotrite leaders
[
edit
]
Ruler
|
Reign
|
Notes
|
Witzlaus
|
??ca. 795
|
Thrasco
|
??ca. 795?810
|
Slavomir
|
??810?819
|
Ally of the Frankish Empire. In 816, he joined the rebellion of the
Sorbs
. Eventually captured and abandoned by his own people, being replaced by Ceadrag in 818.
|
Ceadrag
|
819?after 826
|
Ally of the Frankish Empire. He rebelled against the Franks with alliance with the Danes, but later was reconciled with Franks.
|
Selibur
|
Nako
|
954?966
|
Nako and his brother Stoigniew were defeated at the
Raxa river (955)
by
Otto I
, after which Stoigniew was beheaded and Nako accepted Christianity, resulting in thirty years of peace.
|
Mstivoj
and Mstidrag
|
966?995
|
Sons of Nako. They abandoned Christianity and revolted against the Germans (
Great Slav Rising
).
|
Mieceslas III
|
919?999
|
in 995 defeated by
Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor
.
|
Mstislav
|
996?1018
|
Udo
or Przybigniew
|
1018?1028
|
Ratibor
|
1028?1043
|
Gottschalk
|
1043 to 1066
|
Budivoj
|
1066 and 1069
|
Kruto
|
1066?1069 and 1069?1093
|
Henry
|
1093?1127
|
Canute & Sviatopolk
|
1127?1128
|
Sviatopolk
|
1128?1129
|
Zwinike
|
1129?1129
|
Canute
|
1129?1131
|
Great-great-great-great-grandson of Mstivoj
|
Niklot
|
1131?1160
|
Born around 1090. Also ruled the subdued Polabian Slav tribes of
Kessinians
and
Circipanians
.
|
Pribislav
|
1160?1167
|
Last Obotrite prince. Accepted Saxon suzerainty in 1167.
|
The rulers of Obotrite lands were later the
dukes and grand dukes of Mecklenburg
.
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
Compared to the original old
Slavic religion
, the pagan religion of
Polabian Slavs
was "reformed" (improved) by wooden temples and priesthood as a high social class with political influence. Almost every Polabian tribe had its own pagan cult of a deity of military function or some version of the supreme god, whose high priests had sometimes military retinue and were equal to the chiefs or politically stronger. This made a pagan cults more organized and the
Polabian Slavs
more resistant to
Christianization
than other Slavic peoples who had less organized paganism and was practiced as a
folk religion
. It also caused the creation of a local
theocracies
.
References
[
edit
]
Literature
[
edit
]
- Herrmann, Joachim (1970).
Die Slawen in Deutschland
(in German). Berlin: Akademie-Verlag GmbH.
- Muller-Wille, Michael (2002). "Zwischen Kieler Forde und Wismarbucht: Archaologie der Obodriten vom spaten 7. bis zur Mitte des 12. Jahrhunderts." In:
Bericht der Romisch-Germanischen Kommission
, vol. 83, pp. 243?264.
- Turasiewicz A., Dzieje polityczne Obodrzycow od IX wieku do utraty niepodległo?ci w latach 1160?1164, Warszawa, 2004,
ISBN
83-88508-65-2
(in Polish)
External links
[
edit
]
Works related to
Geographus Bavarus
at Wikisource
|
---|
|
The tribes are listed according to the original names and order
|