Henry Borwin III, Lord of Rostock ( – 1 August 1278) was a member of the

House of Mecklenburg The House of Mecklenburg, also known as Nikloting, is a North German dynasty of Slavic origin that ruled until 1918 in the Mecklenburg region, being among the longest-ruling families of Europe. Queen Juliana of the Netherlands (1909–2004), ...

. He ruled the Lordship of Rostock jointly with his brothers from 1226 to 1234, then ruled alone until his death. He was the second youngest son of Henry II Borwin, who became Lord of

Rostock Rostock (), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (german: link=no, Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock), is the largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the state, c ...

in 1225. Since Henry Borwin III was still a minor when his father died in 1226, his brother Nicholas I acted as regent until 1234. During this period, Mecklenburg again became a

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an Lord, overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a for ...

of the Duchy of Saxony. In 1234, the brothers divided Mecklenburg among themselves; Hernry Borwin III received the Lordship of Rostock. Henry Borwin III came into conflict with the emerging

Hanseatic The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=German language, Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Norther ...

cities of

and

Wismar Wismar (; Low German: ''Wismer''), officially the Hanseatic City of Wismar (''Hansestadt Wismar'') is, with around 43,000 inhabitants, the sixth-largest city of the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and the fourth-largest city ...

. He also waged war on his brothers. After the overthrow of

Pribislaw I Pribislaw I, Lord of Parchim-Richenberg (between 15 February and 3 June 1224 – after 12 February 1275), was Lord of Parchim-Richenberg from 1238 to 1256. He was the youngest son of Prince Henry Borwin II, Lord of Mecklenburg of Mecklenburg. ...

, Henry Borwin gained control of a part of

Parchim-Richenberg The Lordship (or Principality) of Parchim-Richenberg (german: (Fürstentum) Herrschaft Parchim-Richenberg) was a short-lived state of the Holy Roman Empire which existed during the 13th century. It arose from the first partition of Mecklenburg afte ...

. During a war against Pomerania, he conquered

Circipania Circipania (german: Circipanien, Zirzipanien) was a medieval territory in what is now northeastern Germany. The name derives from Latin ''circum'' (around) and ''Pane'' (the Peene River). The region was enclosed roughly by the upper Recknitz, Treb ...

, including the cities of

Gnoien Gnoien is a small town in the Rostock district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated 40 km southeast of Rostock. Famous people * Bernd Olbricht (born 1956), canoeist. * Friedrich Heyser Friedrich Wilhelm Theodor He ...

and

Kalen Kalen is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Kalen Ballage (born 1995), American football player *Kalen Damessi (born 1990), Togolese international footballer *Kalen DeBoer, American football coach and former player *Kalen Porter ( ...

, in 1236. He assisted

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

in the war against

Holstein Holstein (; nds, label=Northern Low Saxon, Holsteen; da, Holsten; Latin and historical en, Holsatia, italic=yes) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of German ...

. Henry Borwin III died in 1278 and was buried in Doberan.

Marriage and issue

In 1237, he married Sophia of Sweden (died before 24 June 1241), the daughter of King

Eric X of Sweden Eric "X" (Swedish: ''Erik Knutsson''; Old Norse: ''Eiríkr Knútsson''; – 10 April 1216) was the King of Sweden between 1208 and 1216. Also known as ''Eric the Survivor'' (Swedish: "Erik som överlevde"), he was, at his accession to the thro ...

. They had four children: * John (died before 27 October 1266), co-regent with his father from 1262 *

Waldemar Waldemar, Valdemar or Woldemar is an Old High German given name. It consists of the elements ''wald-'' "power", "brightness" and ''-mar'' "fame". The name is considered the equivalent of the Slavic name Vladimir, Volodymyr, Uladzimir or Włod ...

, lord of Rostock (1278-1282) * Henry, died young * Eric, also died young

External links

Genealogical table of the House of Mecklenburg
Lords of Mecklenburg Lords of Rostock 13th-century births 1278 deaths Year of birth uncertain 13th-century German nobility {{Germany-noble-stub