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42-890: Witzel may refer to: People with the surname [ edit ] Vicelinus (c. 1090–1154), theologian and bishop of Oldenburg Albert Witzel  [ fr ] (1879-1929), American photograph Adolph Witzel  [ de ] (1847–1906), German dentist Frank Witzel (born 1955), German writer, musician Fritz Witzel  [ de ] (born 1932), German motorcycle racer Georg Witzel (1501–1573), German theologian Michael Witzel (born 1943), German-American philologist Morgen Witzel (born 1960), Canadian historian and business theorist Oskar Witzel  [ de ] (1856–1925), German physician Ralf Witzel  [ de ] (born 1972), German politician Walter Witzel  [ de ] (born 1949), German politician Wilson Witzel (born 1968), governor of

84-770: A Saxon vassal, Valdemar allowed the Rani prince Jaromar to rule as a Christian Danish vassal. After Valdemar refused to share Rugia with Henry, the Saxon duke enlisted the aid of the Obotrite confederacy and the Liutizi against the Danes; Valdemar ended the conflict by paying Henry in 1171. Alarmed at the expansion of Henry the Lion's power, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa deposed the Saxon duke and redistributed his lands in 1180/81. The withdrawal of Saxon support left

126-817: A list of the tribes in Central Europe to the east of the Elbe. Among other tribes it lists the Uuilci ( Veleti ) with 95 civitates , the Nortabtrezi ( Obotrites ) with 53 civitates, the Surbi ( Sorbs ) with 50 civitates, the Milzane ( Milceni ) with 30 civitates, the Hehfeldi ( Hevelli ) with 14 civitates and so on. The Great Soviet Encyclopedia classifies the Polabian Slavs in three main tribes,

168-469: A new bell . He is usually represented with a church resting on his left arm; his feast is celebrated on 12 December. Polabian Slavs Polabian Slavs , also known as Elbe Slavs and more broadly as Wends , 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

210-655: A priest and he could begin missionary work among the Slavs. For one reason or another this plan failed and so Vicelinus returned to Bremen, where Bishop Albero ordained him. Hamburg-Bremen's Archbishop Adalbero sent him among the Polabian Slavs , and in the fall of 1126 Henry , Prince of the Obotrites , gave him a church in Liubice , near the site of the later Lübeck . At the death of Henry (22 March 1127) Vicelinus returned to Bremen, and

252-413: A revolt in 1066 led to the murder of Gottschalk and his replacement by the pagan Kruto of Wagria. Gottschalk's son Henry eventually killed Kruto in 1093. From 1140 to 1143 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 at Liubice and Racisburg . Impressed with

294-461: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Vicelinus Vicelinus was born in Hamelin around 1086. Orphaned at an early age, he was raised by his uncle Ludolf, a priest in a neighboring village. He left for Paderborn , where he enjoyed the home and instructions of Hartmann, and soon surpassed his companions and assisted in the management of

336-734: The Baltic Sea in the north, the Saale and the Limes Saxoniae in the west, the Ore Mountains and the Western Sudetes in the south, and Poland in the east. The Polabian Slavs 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 assimilated in

378-759: The Billung March to the north and the Marca Geronis to the south. After Gero 's death in 965, the Marca Geronis was divided into the Northern March , the March of Lusatia , and the Thuringian March , the latter being divided into the marches of Zeitz , Merseburg , and Meissen . Bishoprics such as Magdeburg , Brandenburg , and Havelberg were founded to support the conversion of the Slavs to Christianity . After

420-728: The Franks because of their continuous expeditions into Obodrite lands, with the Obodrites being allies of the Franks against the Saxons . German campaigns against the Slavs began in earnest during the Ottonian dynasty . Henry the Fowler attacked the Slavs in several campaigns with his cavalry. During the reigns of Henry and his son Otto I , several marches were established to guard the eastern acquisitions, such as

462-896: The Obotrites , the Veleti , and the Lusatian Sorbs . The main tribes of the Obotritic confederation were the Obotrites proper ( Wismar Bay to the Schweriner See ); the Wagrians (eastern Holstein ); the Warnabi ( Warnower ) (the upper Warnow and Mildenitz ); and the Polabians proper (between the Trave and the Elbe ). Other tribes associated with the confederation include the Linones ( Linonen ) near Lenzen ,

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504-474: The Saxon and Danish heavy cavalry . Religion was an important aspect of Polabian society. Much of their territory was dotted with holy places in nature to which the Slavs could pray and make offerings to Slavic gods . The priesthood was an important class which developed images and objects of worship. Polabian towns often included elaborate temples often visited for offerings and pilgrimages. In contrast, priests in

546-1119: The Uckermark . Smaller tribes included the Došane along the Dosse , the Zamzizi in the Ruppin Land , and the Rěčanen on the upper Havel . Along the lower Havel and near the confluence of the Elbe and the Havel lived the Nelětici, the Liezizi, the Zemzizi, the Smeldingi ( Smeldinger ), and the Bethenici. The middle Havel region and the Havelland were settled by the Hevelli , a tribe loosely connected to

588-698: The knes took overall command. The prince's voivot ensured military service from the warriors and taxes from the peasantry. While the countryside provided land forces, the towns were known for their longships , which were lighter and lower than those used by the Danes and Swedes . From a distance, Polabian fleets resembled those of the Scandinavians, although targets would recognize the Slavs' closely cropped hair and shrieking battle cries when they grew close. Polabian cavalry used small horses which were effective in quick raiding campaigns, but less effective against

630-614: The 1140s, Saxon nobles attempted to expel the "native" Slavs and replace them with Saxon and Flemish settlers. The 1164 Obotrite revolt led by Niklot's son Pribislav convinced Henry the Lion that keeping the Slavs as allies would be less troublesome. The duke returned the Christian Pribislav to power as Prince of Mecklenburg , Kessin , and Rostock , and a vassal of the Saxons. Tactics and weaponry were decisive in Denmark's campaigns against

672-562: The Drevani in the area of the lower Elbe until the early 18th century. A Polabian prince was known as a knez . His power was relatively greater in Slavic society than those of Danish or Swedish kings in their kingdoms, although it was not absolute. He was the general leader of his tribe and was foremost among its nobles, holding much of the forested hinterland and expecting reverence from his warriors. However, his authority largely extended only to

714-745: The Great and were incorporated into the Kingdom of Germany . By the 14th century, the majority of Slavs living there had been Germanized and assimilated. However, the Sorbs , the descendants of the Milceni and the Lusici, have retained their identity within Lusatia , a region divided between the German states of Brandenburg and Saxony . The Slavic language was spoken by the descendants of

756-740: The Leubuzzi who were associated with medieval Poland. Small groups of West Slavs lived on the Main and the Regnitz near Bamberg , in northeastern Bavaria . The Polabian Slavs partly replaced the Germanic tribes who had emigrated by the 6th century during the migration period . According to radiocarbon dating , the first Slavs reached Southwestern Hungary, Suchohrad in Western Slovakia and Prague in Czechia in

798-564: The Liutizi and their Pomeranian supporters vulnerable to the Danish fleet. A Slavic fleet attempting to reclaim Rugia was crushed at the Bay of Greifswald on 19 May 1184. Danish monks engaged in missionary activity in Pomeranian abbeys, and Prince Bogislaw I surrendered to King Canute VI in 1185 to become the Danish king's vassal. Pribislav , a Christian prince of the Hevelli , bequeathed his lands to

840-757: The Redarier south and east of the Tollensesee on the upper Havel . The Redarier were the most important of the Veleti tribes. The Rani of Rügen , not to be confused with the older Germanic Rugians , are sometimes considered to be part of the Veleti. South of the Rani were the Ucri ( Ukranen ) along the Ucker and the Morici ( Morizani , Müritzer ) along the Müritz ; the former gave their name to

882-630: The Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Other uses [ edit ] German name of Vețel , Romania Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Witzel . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Witzel&oldid=1137972233 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Disambiguation pages with surname-holder lists Hidden categories: Short description

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924-660: The Saale. Joachim Herrmann considered that the core Sorbian tribes surely were Colodici, Siusler and Glomaci, and that they also settled and influenced around Magdeburg , Havelland, Thuringia and northeast Bavaria. To the East possibly later included the Lusici of Lower Lusatia and the Milceni of Upper Lusatia , while to the East of them were the Selpoli and the Besunzanen, and on the middle Oder

966-560: The Saxon Albert the Bear upon his death, thereby leading to the establishment of the Margraviate of Brandenburg . The Lusatian Sorbs remained independent to a large extent. They were temporarily subdued by Charlemagne , but upon his death the links with the Franks were broken. In a series of bloody wars between 929 and 963 their lands were conquered by King Henry the Fowler and his son Otto

1008-448: The Saxons, today's Oldenburg) in 1149. There he did much for the spiritual and temporal welfare of his diocese. In 1152 he was struck by paralysis and lingered amid much suffering for two years before dying in Neumünster. After in 1330 the Augustine canon-law college moved to Bordesholm his body was transferred there too in 1332, and buried before the main altar . In 1874 the small Catholic parish at Hamelin had his picture engraved on

1050-436: The Slavic territories between the Elbe and the Oder. Despite the efforts of Christian missionaries, most Polabian Slavs saw Jesus as a " German god " and remained pagan . The Obotrite prince Udo and his son Gottschalk expanded their realm by unifying the Obotrite tribes and conquering some Liutizi tribes in the 11th century. They encouraged the establishments of bishoprics to support Christian missionary activity. However,

1092-413: The Travnjane near the Trave , and the Drevani in the Hanoverian Wendland and the northern Altmark . The Veleti , also known as the Liutizians or Wilzians, included the Kessinians ( Kessiner , Chyzzini ) along the lower Warnow and Rostock ; the Circipani ( Zirzipanen ) between the Recknitz , Trebel , and Peene Rivers; the Tollenser east and south of the Peene along the Tollense River; and

1134-434: The Veleti. East of the Hevelli lived the Sprevane of the lower Dahme and Spree rivers. Small tribes on the middle Elbe included the Morizani and the Zerwisti. The Sorbs confederation in the Elbe-Saale region included Citici, Serimunt, Colodici, Siusler, Nizici, Glomaci ( Daleminzier ) and Nisanen who lived along the upper Elbe, while the Chutici, Plisni, Gera, Puonzowa, Tucharin, Weta, and groups of Nelětici lived near

1176-439: The cathedral school. Vicelinus was called to Bremen to act as teacher and principal of the school, and was offered a canonry by Archbishop Frederick of the Archbishopric of Hamburg-Bremen . In 1122 he may have gone to Laon to complete his studies under Abelard . In 1126, Vicelinus decided to travel to Magdeburg, in order to see Norbert of Xanten , who at that time was the archbishop. He hoped that Norbert would ordain him

1218-460: The defeat of Otto II at the Battle of Stilo in 982, the pagan Slavs rebelled against the Germans the following year; the Hevelli and Liutizi destroyed the Bishoprics of Havelberg and Brandenburg, and Obotrites (Mstivoj) destroyed Hamburg. Some Slavs advanced across the Elbe into Saxon territory, but retreated when the Christian Duke of Poland, Mieszko I , attacked them from the east. The Holy Roman Empire retained only nominal control over

1260-450: The eastern Polabian Slavs. The Danes utilized quick coastal and river raids, tactics similar to those of the Vikings . Although they lacked siege experience, the Danes were able to cripple Slavic regions by burning crops and unwalled suburbs. Slav counterattacks were repulsed by crossbows and Norwegian longbows . The Danes occupied Rugia in 1168, conquering the Rani stronghold of Arkona . Similar to Henry's reinstatement of Pribislav as

1302-439: The first-third of the 6th century, and Regensburg of Northeast Bavaria in 568. The earliest dating of Prague -type pottery and sites between Elbe and Saale and Sukow -type in Northeastern Germany was found to be from 590s. However, palynology and other evidence show that the land in Germany became forested and not well resettled by the Slavs, with most material and sites dating since the 8th century. Slavic settlement area

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1344-475: The following centuries; the Sorbs are the only descendants of the Polabian Slavs to have retained their identity and culture. The Polabian language is now extinct. However, the two Sorbian languages are spoken by approximately 22,000–30,000 inhabitants of the region and the languages are regarded by the government of Germany as official languages of the region. The Bavarian Geographer , an anonymous medieval document compiled in Regensburg in 830, contains

1386-498: The late 1150s, King Valdemar the Great of Denmark enlisted the aid of Duke Henry the Lion of Saxony against the Slavs; their cooperation led to the death of the Obotrite prince, Niklot , in 1160. The two Christian lords distributed much of the conquered territory among their vassals. When Niklot's exiled son, Pribislav , engineered an Obotrite rebellion, the pair retaliated by occupying Demmin and warding off Pribislav's Liutizian allies. After conquering Wagria and Polabia during

1428-566: The peasantry. With the exception of Arkona on Rügen , few Polabian towns on the Baltic coast were built near the shore, out of concern for pirates and raiders. While not highly populated compared to Flanders or Italy , the Polabian towns were relatively large for the Baltic region, such as in comparison to those of Scandinavia. The majority of Polabian Slavs were peasants in small villages who engaged in agriculture (rich in grains, flax) and animal husbandry (poultry, cattle). Some villagers were fishermen, beekeepers, or trappers. Farmland

1470-472: The success of the First Crusade , Saxons began calling for a crusade against their Slav neighbors. The Wendish Crusade of 1147, concurrent to the Second Crusade , was largely unsuccessful, resulting in devastation to the Liutizi lands and forced baptisms . The campaign did secure Saxon control of Wagria and Polabia , however. The Obotrites were largely at peace with the Saxons during the following decade, although Slavic pirates raided Denmark. Beginning in

1512-405: The territory controlled by his governor, or voivod . Each voivod governed small territories based around fortifications. Princely power often differed between tribes. The Obodrite prince Henryk was able to maintain a sizable army ca. 1100 at the expense of the towns, and the importance of knez within the Obodrites only increased after his death. The prince of the Rani , on the other hand,

1554-417: Was appointed pastor at Wippenthorp . This gave him an opportunity to work among the Wagrians and neighbouring Obotrites. Vicelinus's preaching gathered crowds of eager listeners, and many priests aided him in founding the new monastery ( Latin : novum monasterium ) in 1127, which became eponymous for Wippenthorp as Neumünster . This monastery of Canons Regular followed the Rule of St. Augustine , and

1596-678: Was divided into a unit called a kuritz ( Latin : uncus ), for which peasants paid grain taxes to the voivot . Polabian society developed during the 9th and 10th centuries under pressure from the Holy Roman Empire and the Vikings of Scandinavia . They were often forced to pay tribute to the kings of Denmark , Catholic bishops, and imperial margraves . Polabian society became militarized and its leaders began organizing armed forces and defenses. Many Polabian magnates lived in forest fortresses, while towns were inhabited by warriors and burghers . The magnates often raided Germanic territories or engaged in piracy. In times of large-scale war,

1638-504: Was largely stable by the 8th century. Charlemagne enlisted the Obotrites as allies in his campaign against the rebellious Saxons of Holstein . Many of the Slavic tribes became dependencies of the Carolingian Empire and the Franks created the Sorbian March to defend against the Sorbs . Einhard in Vita Karoli Magni describes an expedition into Slavic territory led by Charlemagne himself, in 798. The Veleti noted as Wilzi (referred to themselves as Welatabians ) were invaded by

1680-415: Was liberally endowed by the archbishop. Wars among the tribes in 1137 caused the missionaries to abandon their labours for two years. Vicelinus sent two priests to Liubice, but with little success. In 1134 he founded a second canonry at Segeberg. Some years later Vicelinus established a house at Hogersdorf . In Harsefeld Hamburg-Bremen's Archbishop Hartwig I made him Bishop of Starigard (or Aldinborg by

1722-420: Was limited by the local senate , which was led by the high priest at Cape Arkona ; the Rani knez was essentially first among the tribe's landowners. The power of the prince and his governors was often restricted by the river towns, known to chroniclers as civitates , especially within the territory of the Veleti. Polabian towns were centered on small earthworks arranged in circles or ovals. The gord

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1764-411: Was situated at the highest altitude of the town and held a barracks, citadel, and princely residence. It was often protected by a moat, walls, and wooden towers. Below the gord , but still within the town walls, was the urbs or suburbium , which held the residences for the nobility and merchants. The towns often held wooden temples for Slavic gods within the urbs . Outside of the walls were homes for

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