John I, Lord of Mecklenburg, nicknamed ''the Theologian'' ( – 1 August 1264) was 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, Schweri ...
from 1234 until his death.
Life
He was the eldest son of
Henry Borwin II, Lord of Mecklenburg.
He ruled Mecklenburg jointly with his brothers, until they decided to divide the territory in 1234. As the eldest son, he received the ancestral homeland. In 1227, he defeated the Danish in the
Battle of Bornhöved, thereby relieving Mecklenburg from Danish suzerainty. However,
Saxe-Lauenburg
The Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg (german: Herzogtum Sachsen-Lauenburg, called ''Niedersachsen'' (Lower Saxony) between the 14th and 17th centuries), was a ''reichsfrei'' duchy that existed from 1296–1803 and again from 1814–1876 in the extreme sou ...
and
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 ...
then began claiming suzerainty over Mecklenburg and he had to wage war against them to retain his sovereignty.
In 1255, his brother
Pribislaw I lost his Lordship of
Parchim-Richenberg after a conflict with Bishop
Rudolph I of
Schwerin
Schwerin (; Mecklenburgian Low German: ''Swerin''; Latin: ''Suerina'', ''Suerinum'') is the capital and second-largest city of the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as well as of the region of Mecklenburg, after Rostock. It ...
. Pribislaw was taken prisoner by the bishop and his brothers divided his territory between themselves, with John I receiving
Sternberg.
John I supported the Church and the settlement of ethnic Germans in Mecklenburg, which was still predominantly Slavic during his reign. In 1262, he concluded an alliance with the
Guelphs
The Guelphs and Ghibellines (, , ; it, guelfi e ghibellini ) were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy.
During the 12th and 13th centuries, rival ...
against
Denmark
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, 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 = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
.
He died in 1264 was buried in the
Doberan Minster
The Doberan Minster is the main Lutheran Church of Bad Doberan in Mecklenburg, Germany. Close to the Baltic Sea and the Hanseatic city of Rostock, it is the most important religious heritage of the European Route of Brick Gothic. It is the rema ...
.
Marriage and issue
John I married Luitgard of Henneberg (1210-1267), the daughter of
Count Poppo VII of Henneberg. With her he had the following children:
*
Henry I Henry I may refer to:
876–1366
* Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936)
* Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955)
* Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018)
* Henry I of France (1008–1060)
* Henry I the Long, Margrave of the ...
, nicknamed "the Pilgrim"
*
Albert I, co-ruler from 1264 or 1265
* Herman, Dean of Schwerin
* Elizabeth, married to
Gerhard I, Count of Holstein-Itzehoe
Gerhard I, Count of Holstein-Itzehoe (1232 – 21 December 1290) was the only count of Holstein-Itzehoe.
Life
He was the second son of Count Adolf IV of Holstein and Heilwig of Lippe.
When his father retired to a monastery in 1238, he ru ...
*
Nicholas III, canon in Lübeck, was co-regent from 1275 to 1283, when Henry I was in captivity in Egypt
* Poppo, died before 1264
*
John II John II may refer to:
People
* John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg (1455–1499)
* John II Casimir Vasa of Poland (1609–1672)
* John II Comyn, Lord of Badenoch (died 1302)
* John II Doukas of Thessaly (1303–1318)
* John II Komnenos (1087–1 ...
, co-regent from 1264 to 1283
External links
*
Genealogical table of the House of Mecklenburg
Lords of Mecklenburg
1211 births
1264 deaths
13th-century German nobility
Year of birth uncertain
{{Germany-noble-stub