Wendish Crusade

The Wendish Crusade (German: Wendenkreuzzug) was a

Wendish Crusade
military campaign in 1147, one of the Northern Crusades and
a part of the Second Crusade, led primarily by the Kingdom Part of the Northern Crusades
of Germany within the Holy Roman Empire and directed
against the Polabian Slavs (or "Wends"). The Wends are
made up of the Slavic tribes of Abrotrites, Rani, Liutizians,
Wagarians, and Pomeranians who lived east of the River
Elbe in present-day northeast Germany and Poland.[2]

The lands inhabited by the Wends were rich in resources,

which played a factor in the motivations of those who
participated in the crusade. The mild climate of the Baltic The Capture of the Wends
area allowed for the cultivation of land and livestock. Date 1147
Animals of this region were also thickly furred, supporting
Location Central Europe (Modern day
the dependence on fur trading. Access to the coast line also
Mecklenburg, in Dobin am See, Demmin
developed fishing and trade networks.[3] The land was
and Malchow)
attractive for the resources it boasted, and the crusade of
fered
Result Crusader military victory, successful
an opportunity for noble families to gain part of it.
partial conversion of West Slavs and
By the early 12th century, the German archbishoprics of Niklot and Pribislav agreed to accept
Bremen and Magdeburg sought the conversion to Catholicism
Christianity of neighboring pagan West Slavs through Territorial March of Brandenburg reconquers
peaceful means. During the preparation of the Second changes Havelberg, County of Holstein expels its
Crusade to the Holy Land, a papal bull was issued supporting Wends
a crusade against these Slavs. The Slavic leader Niklot
Belligerents
preemptively invaded Wagria in June 1147, leading to the
march of the crusaders later that summer. They achieved an Crusaders: Wends:
ostensible forced baptism of Slavs at Dobin but were
repulsed from Demmin. Another crusading army marched on Holy Roman Empire Obotrite Confederacy
the already Christian city of Szczecin (Stettin), whereupon Bishopric of Obotrites
the crusaders dispersed upon arrival. Havelberg Wagrians
The Christian army, composed primarily of Saxons and March of Meissen Liutizian Confederacy
Danes, forced tribute from the pagan Slavs and affirmed [1]
March of
Wendish allies:
German control of Wagria and Polabia through colonization, Brandenburg
but failed to convert the bulk of the population immediately
. Duchy of Saxony Duchy of Pomerania
Archbishopric of
Bremen
Contents Archbishopric of
Background Mainz

Holy war Bishopric of

Aftermath Halberstadt

See also County of Holstein

Footnotes Bishopric of Münster
References
 Bishopric of Olmütz
Bishopric of
Background Brandenburg
The Ottonian dynasty supported eastward expansion of the Bishopric of
Holy Roman Empire towards Wendish (West Slavic) lands Merseburg
during the 10th century. The campaigns of King Henry the Jutland-Kingdom of
Fowler and Emperor Otto the Great led to the introduction of Denmark
burgwards to protect German conquests in the lands of the
Zealand/Scania-Kingdom
Sorbs. Otto's lieutenants, Margraves Gero and Hermann
of Denmark
Billung, advanced eastward and northward respectively to
Kingdom of Poland
claim tribute from conquered Slavs. Bishoprics were
established at Meissen, Brandenburg, Havelberg, and Commanders and leaders
Oldenburg to administer the territory. A majority of Wendish Anselm of Havelberg Niklot
tribes had been Christianized from the German conquests, Conrad, Margrave of Pribislav of Wagria
but in 983 they returned to paganism when a great Slavic Meissen Ratibor I of
rebellion reversed the initial German gains.[4] While the Albert the Bear Pomerania
burgwards allowed the Saxons to retain control of Meissen, Henry the Lion
they lost Brandenburg and Havelberg. The Elbe River then Canute V of Denmark
became the eastern limit of German-Roman control. Sweyn III of Denmark
Adalbert II of Bremen
By the early 12th century, the Archbishoprics of Bremen,
Henry I of Mainz
Magdeburg and Gniezno sought the conversion of the pagan
Rudolf I of Halberstadt
Slavs to Christianity through peaceful means: notable
Werner of Münster
missionaries included Vicelin, Norbert of Xanten, and Otto
Reinhard of Merseburg
of Bamberg (sent to Pomerania byBolesław III Wrymouth of
Wiggar of Brandenburg
Poland). Lacking support from the Salian dynasty of the
Henry of Olmütz
Holy Roman Empire, secular Saxon princes seeking Slavic
Adolf II of Holstein
territory found themselves in a military stalemate with their
Unknown Polish Captain
adversaries. Christians, especially Saxons from Holstein, and
pagans raided each other across the Limes Saxonicus, Strength
usually for tribute. Unknown Unknown
Casualties and losses
The idea of a crusade against the Wends first originated in
the Magdeburg Letter, originally sent around 1107 to 1110, Unknown Unknown
in which an anonymous author makes an appeal against the
Wends.[5] The Magdeburg Letter makes the case that the Wends are pagans and that any fight against them is justified and the land
that they inhabit is "our Jerusalem".[6] In the letter no formal spiritual indulgence is offered apart from a general salvation of the soul,
but an emphasis is put on acquiring land. The author says, "these gentiles [pagans] are most wicked, but their land is the best, rich in
meat, honey, corn, and birds; and if it were well cultivated none could be compared to it for the wealth of its produce. So say those
who know it. And so, most renowned Saxon, French, Lorrainers, and Flemings and conquerors of the world, this is an occasion for
you to save your souls and, if you wish it, acquire the best land in which to live."[7] The references made to the wealth of resources in
the Slavic lands would have been especially appealing to those who were motivated by material gain. The Magdeburg letter
established the ideas of a northern crusade and land acquisition that would come to play defining roles of theendish
W Crusade.

From 1140-43 Holsatian nobles advanced into Wagria to permanently settle in the lands of the pagan Wagri. Count Adolf II of
Holstein and Henry of Badewide took control of Polabian settlements which would later become Lübeck and Ratzeburg; Vicelin was
subsequently installed as bishop at Oldenburg. Adolf sought peace with the chief of the Obodrite confederacy, Niklot, and
agria.[8]
encouraged German colonization and missionary activity in W
The fall of Edessa in Syria in 1144 shocked Christendom, causing Pope Eugenius III and St. Bernard of Clairvaux to preach a Second
Crusade to reinforce Outremer. While many south Germans volunteered to crusade in the Middle East, the north German Saxons
were reluctant. They told Bernard of their desire to campaign against the Slavs at a Reichstag meeting in Frankfurt on 13 March
1147. The Wends were seen as a threat to Christendom as they were apostates, meaning the crusade against them would be
justified.[9] Approving of the Saxons' plan, Pope Eugenius III issued a papal bull known as the Divina dispensatione on 11 April
1147. As part of the bull, Eugenius III fulfilled and validated a promise made by Bernard that the same indulgences would be offered
to those who crusaded against the Wends as those who went to fight in the Middle East. These indulgences offered a complete
forgiveness of sin, meaning there was to be no difference between the spiritual rewards of the different crusaders.[10] Those who
volunteered to crusade against the Slavic pagans were primarily Danes, Saxons, and Poles,[11] although there were also some
Bohemians.[12] In preaching the Crusade, Bernard feared that those who participated were doing so only for the possible material
gain. In an effort to persuade crusaders to focus on spiritual conversion, Bernard said, "We prohibit completely that a truce be made
for any reason with these people [Wends] either for money or tribute, until such time as, with the aid of God either their religion or
their nation shall be destroyed," which was an condition added to the papal bull.[13] The German monarchy took no part in the
crusade, which was led by Saxon families such as the Ascanians, Wettin, and Schauenburgers.[14] Papal legate Anselm of Havelberg
was placed in overall command.

Holy war
Upset at Adolf's participation in the crusade, Niklot preemptively invaded Wagria in
June 1147, and, along with the Wagrians, murdered newly settled Fleming and
Frisian villages, leading to the march of the crusaders in late summer 1147. By
attacking first, Niklot gave further justification for the Crusade as he legitimized the
Wends as a serious threat to the Christendom. After expelling the Obodrites from his
territory, Adolf signed a peace treaty with Niklot. The remaining Christian crusaders
targeted the Obodrite fortDobin and the Liutizian fort Demmin.

The forces attacking Dobin included those of the Danes Canute V and Sweyn III,
Archbishop Adalbert II of Bremen, and Duke Henry the Lion of Saxony. Avoiding
pitched battles, Niklot ably defended the marshland of Dobin. One army of Danes
was defeated by Slavs from Dobin, while another had to defend the Danish fleet
from Niklot's allies, the Rani of Rügen. Henry and Adalbert maintained the siege of Henry's duchies Saxony and Bavaria
Dobin after the retreat of the Danes. When some crusaders advocated ravaging the
countryside, others objected by asking, "Is not the land we are devastating our land,
and the people we are fighting our people?"[3] The Saxon army under Henry the Lion withdrew after Niklot agreed to have Dobin's
garrison undergo baptism.

The Saxon army directed against Demmin was led by several bishops, including those of Mainz, Halberstadt, Münster, Merseburg,
Brandenburg, Olmütz, and Bishop Anselm of Havelberg. While their stated goal was to achieve the conversion of the pagans, most
also sought additional territory and tithe for their dioceses; Abbot Wibald of Corvey went in the hopes of acquiring the island of
Rügen. The Demmin campaign also included the secular margraves Conrad I and Albert the Bear, who hoped to expand their
marches. A Royal Polish contingent wanted to add to the Bishopric of Lebus. Marching from Magdeburg, Albert the Bear recovered
Havelberg, lost since the 983 Slavic rebellion. The crusaders then destroyed a pagan temple and castle at Malchow. After an
unsuccessful siege of Demmin, a contingent of crusaders was diverted by the margraves to attack central Pomerania instead. They
reached the already Christian citySzczecin, whereupon the crusaders dispersed after meeting with Bishop Adalbert of Pomerania and
Christian duke Ratibor I of Pomerania.

Aftermath
The Wendish Crusade achieved mixed results. While the Saxons affirmed their possession of Wagria and Polabia, Niklot retained
control of the Obodrite land east of Lübeck. The Saxons also received tribute from Niklot, enabled the colonization of the Bishopric
of Havelberg, and freed some Danish prisoners. However, the disparate Christian leaders, mostly Canute and Sweyn, regarded their
counterparts with suspicion and accused each other of sabotaging the campaign.

According to Bernard of Clairvaux, the goal of the crusade was to battle the pagan Slavs "until such a time as, by God's help, they
shall either be converted or deleted".[15] However, the crusade failed to achieve the conversion of most of the Wends. In preaching
the Crusade, Bernard had urged to not make truce or accept any form of tribute, but the crusaders did receive tribute from Niklot as
mentioned, which contributed to Bernard's perception of the crusade as a failure. The Saxons achieved largely token conversions at
Dobin, as the Slavs returned to their pagan beliefs once the Christian armies dispersed; Albert of Pomerania explained, "If they had
come to strengthen the Christian faith ... they should have done so by preaching, not by arms".[16] There was no Wendish clergy
established nor any Christian literature translated into the language of the Wends.[17] Without any institutions in place, the forced
conversion of the Wends was not sustainable. The only successful conversions were achieved by the Danes. The Danes recaptured the
island of Rugen in 1168 and was able to re-Christianize it through the establishment of churches and by allowing Prince Jaromit of
Rugen to remain in power after he fully accepted Christianity.[18] The Danes were able to be successful through their method of
encouraging Christianity rather than focusing solely on controlling the newly acquired land.

The countryside of Mecklenburg and central Pomerania was plundered and depopulated with much bloodshed, especially by the
troops of Henry the Lion.[8] Of Henry's campaigns, Helmold of Bosau wrote that "there was no mention of Christianity, but only of
money".[8] The Slavic inhabitants also lost much of their methods of production, limiting their resistance in the future.[19] In this
way, the Crusade could be viewed as a success in terms of its successful acquisition of Slavic lands as it encouraged colonization by
German peasants. It also began a long-lasting crusade against the Wends that lasted the rest of the twelfth century. By the 1160s, most
of the Wends had come under the control of the Saxons or the Danes. However, in 1180 when Henry the Lion and Emperor Frederick
I Barbarossa had a falling out, the Danes were able to assert political control over a majority of the region.[20] The effects of the
Wendish Crusade was long-lasting through the impacts it had on extending political and colonial power in the Baltic region.

See also
Quantum praedecessores
Northern Crusades

Footnotes
1. Band I 1.Abt, 3. Teil of Siebmachers Grosses Wappenbuch, Nuremberg, 1916
2. Phillips, Johnathan. The Second Crusade: Extending the Frontiers of Christendom
. p. 228.
3. Christiansen, The Northern Crusades, 8.
4. Murray. Crusades: An Encyclopedia. p. 1265.
5. Dragnea. Divine Vengeance and Human Justice in TheWendish Crusade of 1147. p. 51.
6. Dragnea. Divine Vengeance and Human Justice in TheWendish Crusade of 1147. p. 52.
7. Dragnea. Divine Vengeance and Human Justice in TheWendish Crusade of 1147. p. 53.
8. Barraclough, The Origins of Modern Germany, 263.
9. Dragnea. Divine Vengeance and Human Justice in TheWendish Crusade of 1147. pp. 58–63.
10. Murray. Crusades: An Encyclopedia. p. 1266.
11. Davies, Europe: A History, 362.
12. Herrmann, Die Slawen in Deutschland, 326.
13. Dragnea. Divine Vengeance and Human Justice in theWendish Crusade of 1147. p. 62.
14. Herrmann, Die Slawen in Deutschland, 328.
15. Christiansen, The Northern Crusades,53.
16. Christiansen, The Northern Crusades,54.
17. Fletcher. The Barbarian Conversion. p. 450.
18. Fletcher. The Barbarian Conversion. pp. 448–449.
19. Herrmann, Die Slawen in Deutschland, 327.
20. Murray. The Crusades: An Encyclopedia. p. 1268.

References
Barraclough, Geoffrey (1984). The Origins of Modern Germany. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. p. 481.
ISBN 0-393-30153-2.
Christiansen, Eric (1997).The Northern Crusades. London: Penguin Books. p. 287.ISBN 0-14-026653-4.
Davies, Norman (1996). Europe: A History. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 1365.ISBN 0-06-097468-0.
Dragnea, Mihai. Divine Vengeance and Human Justice in theWendish Crusade of 1147.Collegium Medievale 2016:
Accessed April 20, 2018.http://ojs.novus.no/index.php/CM/article/view/1366/1351
Fletcher, Richard. The Barbarian Conversion. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1998.
Herrmann, Joachim (1970).Die Slawen in Deutschland. Berlin: Akademie-Verlag GmbH. p. 530.
Murray, Alan V., ed. 2006. Crusades: An Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, Accessed April 22, 2018.
Phillips, Johnathan (2007).The Second Crusade: Extending the Frontiers of Christendom . New Haven, London: Yale
University Press.

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