Ratibor (or Ratse) (died 1043) was a

prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

of the Obotrite confederacy from the Polabian tribe. His capital was Racisburg, which was named in his honor. After

Saxons The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

killed Prince

Udo Udo is a masculine given name. It may refer to: People Medieval era *Udo of Neustria, 9th century nobleman * Udo (Obotrite prince) (died 1028) * Udo (archbishop of Trier) (c. 1030 – 1078) * Lothair Udo II, Margrave of the Nordmark (c. 1025 � ...

of the Obotrites in 1028, his son

Gottschalk Gottschalk or Godescalc (Old High German) is a male German name that can be translated literally as " servant of God". Latin forms include ''Godeschalcus'' and ''Godescalcus''. Given name * Godescalc of Benevento, 8th-century Lombard duke *Godescal ...

was taken to be raised at the court of

Canute the Great Cnut (; ang, Cnut cyning; non, Knútr inn ríki ; or , no, Knut den mektige, sv, Knut den Store. died 12 November 1035), also known as Cnut the Great and Canute, was King of England from 1016, King of Denmark from 1018, and King of Norway ...

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 ...

. Ratibor led the Obotrite confederacy during Gottschalk's absence. Sven Estridson,

Jarl Jarl is a rank of the nobility in Scandinavia. In Old Norse, it meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. ''Jarl'' could also mean a sovereign prince. For example, the rulers of several of the petty k ...

of Denmark, desired independence from King

Magnus I of Norway Magnus Olafsson (Old Norse: ''Magnús Óláfsson''; Norwegian and Danish: ''Magnus Olavsson''; – 25 October 1047), better known as Magnus the Good (Old Norse: ''Magnús góði'', Norwegian and Danish: ''Magnus den gode''), was King of Norway ...

in 1042. Because Magnus was supported by his brother-in-law, Duke Bernard II of Saxony, Sven achieved an alliance with the Obotrites through the mediation of Gottschalk. However, Ratibor was killed in a siege by Magnus in 1043. In an attempt to avenge their father, his sons were killed in the same year in a battle at Lürschau Heath on 28 September.

References

* 1043 deaths Obotrite princes Year of birth unknown {{Germany-hist-stub