Henry Borwin III, Lord of Rostock ( – 1 August 1278) was a member of the

House of Mecklenburg The House of Mecklenburg, also known as Nikloting, is a North German dynasty of Polabian Slavs, Polabian origin that ruled German revolution, until 1918 in the Mecklenburg region, being among the longest-ruling families of Europe. Queen Juliana o ...

. He ruled the Lordship of Rostock jointly with his brothers from 1226 to 1234, then ruled alone until his death. He was the second youngest son of Henry II Borwin, who became Lord of

Rostock Rostock (; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Roztoc''), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (), is the largest city in the German States of Germany, state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the sta ...

in 1225. Since Henry Borwin III was still a minor when his father died in 1226, his brother Nicholas I acted as regent until 1234. During this period, Mecklenburg again became a

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

of the Duchy of Saxony. In 1234, the brothers divided Mecklenburg among themselves; Hernry Borwin III received the Lordship of Rostock. Henry Borwin III came into conflict with the emerging

Hanseatic The Hanseatic League was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Growing from a few Northern Germany, North German towns in the ...

cities of

and

Wismar Wismar (; ), officially the Hanseatic City of Wismar () is, with around 43,000 inhabitants, the sixth-largest city of the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and the fourth-largest city of Mecklenburg after Rostock, Schwerin and ...

. He also waged war on his brothers. After the overthrow of

Pribislaw I Pribislaw I, Lord of Parchim-Richenberg (between 15 February and 3 June 1224 – after 12 February 1275), was Lord of Parchim-Richenberg from 1238 to 1256. He was the youngest son of Prince Henry Borwin II, Lord of Mecklenburg of Mecklenburg ...

, Henry Borwin gained control of a part of Parchim-Richenberg. During a war against Pomerania, he conquered

Circipania Circipania () was a medieval territory in what is now northeastern Germany. The name derives from Latin ''circum'' (around) and ''Pane'' (the Peene River). The region was enclosed roughly by the upper Recknitz, Trebel and Peene rivers, the west ...

, including the cities of

Gnoien Gnoien is a small town in the Rostock (district), Rostock district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated 40 km southeast of Rostock. Famous people * Bernd Olbricht (born 1956), canoeist. * Friedrich Heyser (1857 - 192 ...

and Kalen, in 1236. He assisted

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

in the war against

Holstein Holstein (; ; ; ; ) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider (river), Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost States of Germany, state of Germany. Holstein once existed as the German County of Holstein (; 8 ...

. Henry Borwin III died in 1278 and was buried in

Doberan Bad Doberan () is a town in the Rostock (district), district of Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It was the capital of the former Bad Doberan (district), district of Bad Doberan. In 2012, its population was 11,427. Geography Bad Doberan ...

Marriage and issue

In 1237, he married Sophia of Sweden (died before 24 June 1241), the daughter of King

Eric X of Sweden Erik Knutsson (; – 10 April 1216), sometimes known as Eric X, was King of Sweden between 1208 and 1216. Also known as ''Erik the Survivor'' (), he was, at his accession to the throne, the only remaining son of King Knut Eriksson and his quee ...

. They had four children: * John (died before 27 October 1266), co-regent with his father from 1262 *

Waldemar Waldemar, Valdemar, Valdimar, or Woldemar is an Old High German given name. It consists of the elements ''wald-'' "power", "brightness" and ''-mar'' "fame". The name is considered the equivalent of the Latvian name Valdemārs, the Estonian name ...

, lord of Rostock (1278-1282) * Henry, died young * Eric, also died young

Sources

* Lords of Mecklenburg Lords of Rostock 13th-century births 1278 deaths Year of birth uncertain 13th-century German nobility {{Germany-noble-stub