Henry I, Lord of Mecklenburg (nicknamed ''the Pilgrim'', – 2 January 1302) ruled

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; ) 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, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg, Wismar and Güstrow. ...

from 1264 to 1275 and from 1299 until his death.

Background

He was the eldest son of 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 ...

. After his father's death, he at first ruled jointly with his brother Albert I. After Albert died in 1265, John ruled alone. Around 1259 he married Anastasia ( – 15 March 1317), the daughter of Duke

Barnim I Barnim I the Good ( 1217/1219 – 13 November 1278), from the Griffin dynasty, was a Duke of Pomerania (''ducis Slauorum et Cassubie'') from 1220 until his death. Life Son of Duke Bogislaw II and Miroslava of Pomerelia, he succeeded to the Duc ...

of Pomerania.

Life

From 1266 onwards, he required the Jews in

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 ...

to pay protection money. In the same year, he started the "bread and wine donation" programme, in which 20 churches in the Ilow area would be supplied with communion wine and wafers by the City Hall in Wismar. For many churches in the area, this decree is the first time they are mentioned in a document.This decree is included in the ''Wismarschen Weinregister von 1479'', Mecklenburg Deed Book, 1059, 2622 In 1270, he undertook a

crusade The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...

against

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

, which had not been

Christianized Christianization (or Christianisation) is a term for the specific type of change that occurs when someone or something has been or is being converted to Christianity. Christianization has, for the most part, spread through missions by individu ...

at the time. In 1271, he made a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

to the

Holy Land The term "Holy Land" is used to collectively denote areas of the Southern Levant that hold great significance in the Abrahamic religions, primarily because of their association with people and events featured in the Bible. It is traditionall ...

. This pilgrimage is considered a Crusade according to

Thomas Fuller Thomas Fuller (baptised 19 June 1608 – 16 August 1661) was an English churchman and historian. He is now remembered for his writings, particularly his ''Worthies of England'', published in 1662, after his death. He was a prolific author, and ...

in his ''Historie of the Holy Warre''. Along the way, Henry was taken prisoner and deported to

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

, where he was held in captivity by the Mamluks for 27 years. During his absence, Mecklenburg was ruled by his brothers John II and Nicholas III, after a fight between his brothers and cousins about the regency and the guardianship of his children. After John II died in 1283, Nicholas III ruled alone, until

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 ...

came of age in 1290. Henry I returned to Mecklenburg via

Morea Morea ( or ) was the name of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The name was used by the Principality of Achaea, the Byzantine province known as the Despotate of the Morea, by the O ...

and

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

in 1298. In 1299, he formally resumed his reign, although he probably left the business of government mostly to his son Henry II. Henry I died in 1302 and was buried in the ducal crypt in the

Doberan Minster The Doberan Minster is the main Lutheranism, 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 ...

Issue

* Ludgarda (ca. 1260-1261 - bef. 14 December 1283), wife of

Przemysł II Przemysł II ( also given in English and Latin language, Latin as ''Premyslas'' or ''Premislaus'' or in Polish as '; 14 October 1257 – 8 February 1296) was the Duke of Poznań from 1257–1279, of Greater Poland from 1279 to 1296, of Kraków fr ...

Greater Poland Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; ), is a Polish Polish historical regions, historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed by Kalisz, the oldest city in Poland. The bound ...

. * Henry II "the Lion" (ca. 1267 - 1329). * John III (ca. 1266 - 1289).

Footnotes

References

* *

External links

* House of Mecklenburg Lords of Mecklenburg 1230s births 1302 deaths Year of birth uncertain {{Germany-noble-stub