Gunzelin III, Count of Schwerin, also known as ''Günzel III of Schwerin'', (d. after 23 October 1274) was Count of

Schwerin Schwerin (; Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch dialect, Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch Low German: ''Swerin''; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Zwierzyn''; Latin: ''Suerina'', ''Suerinum'') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Germ ...

from 1228 until his death.

Life

Gunzelin III was the son of Count

Henry I Henry I or Henri I may refer to: :''In chronological order'' * 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 ...

and his wife, Audacia. He inherited the County of Schwerin when his father died in 1228. As his was still a minor at the time, his mother acted as his guardian and regent. She ensured that he would hold the county of Schwerin as a feudal fief. After the

Battle of Bornhöved (1227) The (second) Battle of Bornhöved took place on 22 July 1227 near Bornhöved in Holstein. Count Adolf IV of Schauenburg and Holstein — leading an army consisting of troops from the cities of Lübeck and Hamburg, Dithmarschen, Holstein, a ...

, Duke

Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), known as Otto the Great ( ) or Otto of Saxony ( ), was East Francia, East Frankish (Kingdom of Germany, German) king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the eldest son o ...

of Brunswick and Luneburg was held captive in Schwerin. As a condition for his release, he had to confirm Gunzelin III as the holder of the fiefs Schwerin held from Brunswick. During this period, all feudal transactions of the County were sealed by both Gunzelin and his mother. On 1 November 1246, they jointly founded

Zarrentin Abbey Zarrentin am Schaalsee, until 2004 simply Zarrentin, is a town in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated on the Schaalsee lake, 19 km southeast of Ratzeburg, and 34 km west of Sch ...

and donated some land to it. On 30 October 1230, Gunzelin III was engaged to Princess Margaret of Mecklenburg and Lord

John I John I may refer to: People Religious figures * John I (bishop of Jerusalem) * John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople * John I of Antioch (died 441) * Pope John I of Alexandria, Coptic Pope from 496 to 505 * Pope John I, P ...

, who had just come of age, was appointed co-guardian. On 21 November 1267, Gunzelin was elected patron of the

Archbishopric of Riga The Archbishopric of Riga (, ) was a Catholic diocese and civil government in Medieval Livonia, subject to the Holy See. It was established in 1186 and ended in 1561. History The diocese was established in 1186 as the Bishopric of Livonia a ...

. During his visit to

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

, he probably also visited the monastery at

Daugavgrīva Daugavgrīva (; ; or ''Ust`-Dvinsk'') is a neighbourhood in North West Riga, Latvia on the left bank of the Daugava river. In this neighbourhood there is a Swedish-built fortress on the Daugava River's left bank, commanding its mouth. Fortre ...

, to which he had donated some land in the village of

Siggelkow Siggelkow is a municipality in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to ...

in 1235. Gunzelin III died in 1274. After his death, his sons Helmold III and Niklot I divided their inheritance. His older son Helmod III received Schwerin, Neustadt and Marnitz and founded the Schwerin-Schwerin. His youngest son Niklot I received Boizenburg, Wittenburg and Crivitz and founded the Schwerin-Wittenburg line.

Marriage and issue

In 1241 in Mecklenburg, Gunzelin III married a member of the

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

– Margaret, the daughter of Henry Borwin II. Gunzelin and Margaret had six children: *

Henry II Henry II may refer to: Kings * Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014 *Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154 *Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...

* Helmold III * Gunzelin, a

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

in Schwerin, and Lord of Daber and Neu-Schwerin * John (d. 1300), also a canon at Schwerin, and later Bishop of Riga * Matilda, married

Abel Abel ( ''Hébel'', in pausa ''Hā́ḇel''; ''Hábel''; , ''Hābēl'') is a biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within the Abrahamic religions. Born as the second son of Adam and Eve, the first two humans created by God in Judaism, God, he ...

, the son of King

of Denmark, and secondly John of Wittenberg * Niklot I

References

* Georg Christian Friedrich Lisch: ''Audacia, Gemahlin des Grafen Heinrich I. von Schwerin'', in: ''Jahrbücher des Vereins für Mecklenburgische Geschichte und Altertumskunde'', vol. 27, essay 6, p. 131-162, Schwerin, 1862
Online
*Wilhelm Grohmann: ''Das Kanzleiwesen der Grafen von Schwerin und der Herzöge von Mecklenburg-Schwerin im Mittelalter'', in: ''Jahrbücher des Vereins für Mecklenburgische Geschichte und Altertumskunde'', vol. 92, essay 1, p. 1-88, Schwerin, 1928
Online
* Georg Christian Friedrich Lisch: ''Die Besitzungen des Klosters Dünamünde in Meklenburg, in: ''Jahrbücher des Vereins für Mecklenburgische Geschichte und Altertumskunde'', vol. 14, p. 70-82, Schwerin, 1849

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gunzelin 03 Schwerin Counts of Schwerin House of Schwerin Rulers of Mecklenburg 13th-century births 1274 deaths