Nicholas I, Lord of Mecklenburg (also known as ''Niklot I''; before 1164 – 25 May 1200, near Waschow, now part of

Wittendörp Wittendörp is a Municipalities of Germany, municipality in the administrative district of Ludwigslust-Parchim in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The municipality has a seat in the Amt of Wittenburg (Amt), Wittenburg from where it is administere ...

), was the ruling Lord of

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; nds, label=Low German, Mękel(n)borg ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin ...

from 1178 until his death. He was the son of Wertislaw, 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 ...

and Prince of the

Obotrites The Obotrites ( la, Obotriti, Abodritorum, Abodritos…) or Obodrites, also spelled Abodrites (german: Abodriten), were a confederation of medieval West Slavs, West Slavic tribes within the territory of modern Mecklenburg and Holstein in norther ...

. He fought together with the Danes and

Frederick I Frederick I may refer to: * Frederick of Utrecht or Frederick I (815/16–834/38), Bishop of Utrecht. * Frederick I, Duke of Upper Lorraine (942–978) * Frederick I, Duke of Swabia (1050–1105) * Frederick I, Count of Zoller ...

against

Henry the Lion Henry the Lion (german: Heinrich der Löwe; 1129/1131 – 6 August 1195) was a member of the Welf dynasty who ruled as the duke of Saxony and Bavaria from 1142 and 1156, respectively, until 1180. Henry was one of the most powerful German p ...

. Between 1183 and 1185, he fought a war against his cousin Henry Borwin I. Nicholas received support from the Danes; Henry Borwin I received no outside support. King

Canute VI of Denmark Canute VI (; c. 1163 – 12 November 1202) was King of Denmark (1182–1202). Contemporary sources describe Canute as an earnest, strongly religious man. Background Canute VI was the eldest son of King Valdemar I and Sophia of Polotsk. H ...

noticed this lack of support and used the opportunity to strengthen his position on the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...

coast. In 1185, Nicholas I and Henry Borwin I had to accept Canute VI as their

liege lord Homage (from Medieval Latin , lit. "pertaining to a man") in the Middle Ages was the ceremony in which a feudal tenant or vassal pledged reverence and submission to his feudal lord, receiving in exchange the symbolic title to his new position (inv ...

. In return, Canute enfeoffed Nicholas I with the

Lordship of Rostock The Lordship or Principality of Rostock (german: Herrschaft (Fürstentum) Rostock) was a States of the Holy Roman Empire, state of the Holy Roman Empire in the 13th and early 14th centuries. It arose from the first partition of Mecklenburg after t ...

. On 25 May 1200, Nicholas I and Henry Borwin fought the

Battle of Waschow A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

, as part of a war against Count

Adolf III of Holstein Adolf III, Count of Schauenburg and Holstein (1160 – 3 January 1225) was the ruler of the Counties of Schauenburg and Holstein. He is particularly remembered for his establishment of a new settlement for traders on the banks of the Alster near th ...

. The Mecklenburg side won, and secured the area that is now southwestern Mecklenburg. However, Nicholas I fell in this battle.

External links

Genealogy of the House of Mecklenburg
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholas 01 Mecklenburg Lords of Mecklenburg Lords of Rostock 12th-century births 1200 deaths 12th-century German nobility