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Obotrites
The Obotrites ( la, 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). 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 Bornhöved (798). The still heathen 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 German House of Mecklenburg. Obotritic confederation The Bavarian Geographer, an anonymous medieval document com ...
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Thrasco (Obotrite Prince)
Thrasco (Latin: Thrasucon, Drascon) (fl. 795 – 810) was the Prince ( knyaz) of the Obotrite confederation from 795 until his death in 810. He succeeded his father, Witzlaus II, who had been ambushed and killed by the revolting Saxons. Thrasco defeated the Saxons in the battle on Schwentine River in 798. He was murdered in Reric in 810. Thrasco had a son, Cedragus, the Obotrite prince from 819 to 826. Background The Obotrites were a Slavic tribe that lived on the shores of the Baltic sea on the areas of nowadays Mecklenburg and Holstein. Thrasco's father, Witzlaus II (r. 747-795), assumed power in 747, shortly after the death of his father Aribert II (r. 724–747). As allies to Frankish King Charlemagne, Witzlaus II marched against the Saxons in Magdeburg in 782 and devastated their army (see Saxon wars, middle phase). The Franks issued a blood court, and massacred 4,500 Saxon captives at Verden. This provoked the nearby Slavic tribe of Veleti, which hated the Franks ...
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Polabian Slavs
Polabian Slavs ( dsb, Połobske słowjany, pl, Słowianie połabscy, cz, Polabští slované) is a collective term applied to a number of Lechitic ( West Slavic) tribes who lived scattered along the Elbe river in what is today eastern Germany. The approximate territory stretched from the Baltic Sea in the north, the Saale and the '' Limes Saxoniae''Christiansen, 18 in the west, the Ore Mountains and the Western Sudetes in the south, and Poland in the east. They have also been known as Elbe Slavs (german: Elbslawen) or Wends. Their name derives from the Slavic ''po'', meaning "by/next to/along", and the Slavic name for the ''Elbe'' (''Labe'' in Czech and ''Łaba'' in Polish). The Polabian Slavs started settling in the territory of modern Germany in the 6th century. They were largely conquered by Saxons and Danes since the 9th century and were subsequently included and gradually assimilated within the Holy Roman Empire. The tribes were gradually Germanized and assimila ...
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Pribislav Of Mecklenburg
Pribislav (german: Pribislaw; died 30 December 1178) was an Obotrite prince and the first Prince of Mecklenburg (1167–1178). Life Pribislav was one of three sons of the Obotrite chieftain Niklot, who was killed in 1160 during a joint campaign by Duke Henry the Lion of Saxony and King Valdemar the Great of Denmark. The territory of the Obotrites was largely partitioned between Saxon lords, but Pribislav continued to fight against Henry from the fortification at Werle on the River Warnow near Rostock, the only territory remaining to Pribislav and his brother Wertislav. Niklot's sons engineered a widespread revolt against Saxon rule in 1163. While Wertislav and much of the Slavic nobility were imprisoned by Henry during the siege of Werle, Pribislav destroyed many of the former Obotrite castles including Mecklenburg where all the male Fleming (settlers from Flanders) defenders were slaughtered. After Pribislav recaptured Malchow and Quetzin, Henry the Lion suppressed the r ...
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Nordalbingia
Nordalbingia (german: Nordalbingien) (also Northern Albingia) was one of the four administrative regions of the medieval Duchy of Saxony, the others being Angria, Eastphalia, and Westphalia. The region's name is based on the Latin name ''Alba'' for the Elbe River and refers to an area predominantly located north of the Lower Elbe, roughly corresponding with the present-day Holstein region. Situated in what is now Northern Germany, this is the earliest known dominion of the Saxons. Geography According to the 1076 '' Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum'' by chronicler Adam of Bremen, Nordalbingia consisted of three tribal areas ('' Gaue''): *Dithmarschen, stretching along the coast of the North Sea from the mouth of the Elbe River to the Eider River in the north *Holstein proper, situated on the Stör River, a right tributary of the Elbe * Stormarn on the north bank of the Elbe, including the present-day area of Hamburg. The Nordalbingian tribes were allied with the S ...
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Witzlaus (Obotrite Prince)
Witzan (died in 795 in Liuni) also known by name ''Witzan'' was prince of the confederation of Obotrites. As an ally of Charlemagne in his war against Saxons Witzan marched his army against Magdeburg in 782 and destroyed it completely. This provoked war with nearby Slavic nation of Wiltzi (Veléti). In the war Obotrites allied with Franks, Sorbs, Frisians fought against Wiltzi and Danes. After restoration of Saxon rebellion Witzan marched again against them and was killed in ambush by 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 ... in Liuni. Bibliography * Labuda G., ''Wican'' :''Słownik Starożytności Słowiańskich'', t. VI, Wrocław 1980, (całość), p. 415 {{DEFAULTSORT:Witzlaus Of Obotrites 8th-century Slavs 795 deaths Obotrite princes Year ...
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Oldenburg In Holstein
Oldenburg in Holstein () is a town at the southwestern shore of the Baltic Sea. The nearest city is Lübeck. The town belongs to the (historical) region of Holstein, today in the state Schleswig-Holstein of Germany. Oldenburg was the chief town of the Wagrians, one of the Slavic peoples that migrated as far west as the river Elbe in or after the 6th century (see Völkerwanderung), also known as Wends and Obotrites. They arrived about A.D. 700 and the Pomeranian/ Kashubian (Slavic) name was ' or ', meaning "Old Settlement", "Old Castle", "Old City/Town"; the German name ' is of Low German origin and carries the same meaning. The Obotrites were allies of Charlemagne. Emperor Otto I established the bishopric of Oldenburg under Adaldag, archbishop of Hamburg. To the Northern Germanic Vikings, the city was known as ', i.e. "the burned houses", indicating the bellicose times. For centuries, Starigard/Oldenburg remained the Slavic competitor of Hedeby on the Baltic trad ...
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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), former Queen of the Netherlands (1948–1980), was an agnatic member of this house. Origin The family was established by Pribislav, an Obotrite (Slavic) prince who converted to Christianity and accepted the suzerainty of Saxon Duke Henry the Lion (r. 1142–1180), his fallen father's enemy, and became the Lord of Mecklenburg (derived from ''Mikla Burg'', "big fortress", their main fortress). The Obotrites were subsequently Germanized. The main branch of the house was elevated in 1347 to ducal rank. Coats of arms Each field in the coat of arm symbolizes one of the seven high lordly dominions of the state of Mecklenburg: upper-left quarter: Duchy of Mecklenburg, upper-right quarter: Lordship of Rostock, middle-left quarter divi ...
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Battle Of Bornhöved (798)
In the Battle of Bornhöved (german: Schlacht auf dem Sventanafeld) or, possibly ‘’’*Vir·Gento·Vedo’’’, on the field of ''Sventanafeld'' (''Sventanapolje'' or " Schwentine field") near the village of Bornhöved near Neumünster in 798 the Obodrites, led by Drożko, allied with the Franks, defeated the Nordalbingian Saxons. Background The situation before the battle resulted from the migrations that occurred during 6th and 7th centuries onto the territory of Holstein. In the process Danes settled the northern part, Slavic Obodrites the eastern part (Wagria) and Saxons from the south migrated into western Holstein. The battle was part of the effort by the Frankish emperor, Charlemagne, to conquer and convert Old Saxony. The battle The allied forces of Obodrites led by Drożko and Franks led by legatus Eburisus defeated Nordliudi (the 'Northern people') - in other words the Saxons. According to the chronicle, the Saxons lost 4,000 warriors and were force ...
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Radegast (god)
Radogost is, according to medieval chroniclers, the god of the Polabian Slavs, whose temple was located in Rethra. In modern scientific literature, however, the dominant view is that ''Radogost'' is a local nickname or a local alternative name of the solar god Svarozhits, who, according to earlier sources, was the chief god of Rethra. Some researchers also believe that the name of the town, where Svarozhits was the main deity, was mistakenly taken for a theonym. A popular local legend in the Czech Republic is related to Radogost. Sources The first source mentioning this theonym is the '' Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum'' by Adam of Bremen: The elderly Bishop John, captured with other Christians in the city of Mecklenburg, was kept alive to be exhibited in triumph. And consequently, lashed with whips for having confessed to Christ, he was then paraded in each of the cities of the Slavs to be mocked, as he could not be forced to renounce the name of Christ, his h ...
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Svarozhich
Svarozhits (Latin: Zuarasiz, Zuarasici, Old East Slavic: Сварожиць, Russian: Сварожиц), Svarozhich (Old East Slavic: Сварожичь, Russian: Сварожич) is a Slavic god of fire, son of Svarog. One of the few Pan-Slavic gods. He is most likely identical with Radegast, less often identified with Dazhbog. Etymology The theonym ''Svarozhits'' comes from the theonym '' Svarog'' with the suffix ''-its'', ''-ich''. According to most scholars, ''Svarog'' is related to the word '' svar'' "quarrel", '' svariti'' "to quarrel, argue", and cognate words are Old English ''andswaru'' (→ English ''swear''), Old Norse ''sverja'' "to swear", or Sanskrit ''svarati'' (स्वरति) "to sing", "to sound", "to praise". An affinity has also been suggested with Old High German ''gi-swerc'' "storm clouds", Old English ''sweorc'' "darkness, cloud, fog", Dutch ''zwerk'' "cloud, cloudy sky", and Indian '' svárgas'' "heaven". It has also been suggested that Svar ...
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Živa (mythology)
Živa, Zhiva (Latin ''Siwa'') is a goddess of the Obodritic tribe of the Polabian Slavs. The goddess so appears only in the '' Chronicle'' of Helmold of Bozov. He described the strengthening of the pagan cult during the reign of Niklot: In the original name is spelled as ''Siwa'' (Copenhagen copy), in later manuscripts as ''Siwe'' ( Lübeck), ''Silue'' (Vienna), ''Synna'' ( Szczecin). The Copenhagen, Lübeck and Szczecin manuscripts indicate that the name contained the grapheme ''w'' (''v''); the Szczecin notation (''Synna'') was created as a result of frequent ''u'' → ''n'' replacement and reflected the form ''*Syuua'', while the double ''u'' = ''w'', which indicates the original form ''*Sywa'' (''*Syva''). The Viennese transcript is the most distorted in relation to the original. Scholars agree on the etymology of this theonym. It is read as the Slavic feminine adjective ''*Živa'' "Alive, Live, Living". ''Živa'' is also a personal name attested in several Slavic languag ...
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Wagria
WagriaArnold, Benjamin (1991). ''Princes and territories in medieval Germany'', Cambridge University Press, Cambridge and New York, p. 156. . (german: Wagrien, ''Waierland'' or ''Wagerland'') is the northeastern part of Holstein in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, corresponding roughly to the districts of Plön and Ostholstein. The word "Wagria" is derived derived from the Slavic Lechites tribe of Wagri, which meant "those who live by the bays". Geography In the Middle Ages, and as still shown on early modern maps, Wagria was bordered on the north and east by the Baltic Sea from the Kiel Fjord to Lübeck Bay, and inland by the rivers Schwentine and Trave. Today, Wagria generally refers just to the Oldenburg Peninsula (''Oldenburgische Halbinsel'') in Ostholstein. The highest elevation in the peninsula is the Bungsberg at 168 metres. History The Lechitic (Slavic) root of the name, ''Wagria'', meant not only the so-called, present-day Wagrian peninsula, but the ...
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