The see founded for the Obotrite mission and moved to Schwerin by Henry the Lion in 1160.
The bishop holds the 300 hides of Henry's grant of 1171, scattered across Mecklenburg: villages in the lands of Ilow and Warin, the Schelfe north of Schwerin, the Bischofsland Eixen and lands in Pomerania. The later core around Bützow is not yet pinned.
Who holds it
- Name
- Brunward
- Title
- Bishop of Schwerin
- Since
- 1192
- Confidence
- high
Successor of the missionary bishop Berno (d. 14 January 1191); bishop from 1192 to his death on 14 January 1238 (GCatholic). Nothing else is pinned in the sources consulted.
What it holds
- Ten villages in the Land Ilow (near Neubukow) and five in the Land Warin (1171 grant)
- The Schelfe north of Schwerin and holdings around the Schwerin lake
- The Bischofsland Eixen and scattered lands in Pomerania
- The cathedral in Schwerin
How it was acquired
Henry the Lion moved the see to Schwerin in 1160 and granted 300 hides in 1171.
How things stand that morning
Quiet; the bishops kept their independence from Mecklenburg until the Reformation.
Wealth
Estate revenues and tithes.
Threats
- Danish overlordship from 1201
Advocates and rivals
The counts of Schwerin and the Obotrite princes of Mecklenburg; Denmark from 1201.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Endowment from the Höfe und Residenzen handbook; holder from GCatholic.
On the map: Scattered villages are shown as small districts around their modern centres; Eixen and the Pomeranian lands are not drawn.
Primary sources for Mecklenburg
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Chronicle of the Slavs, by Arnold of Lübeck, Arnold of Lübeck (about 1209 to 1210). Arnold continues Helmold and writes from Lübeck, close to Danish, Welf and Baltic affairs. Read online
- Chronicle of the Slavs, by Helmold of Bosau, Helmold of Bosau (about 1167 to 1172). Background only. Read online
- The Danish annals of Lund, Ryd and other houses (12th and 13th centuries; Lund continued to 1307, Ryd to 1288). Short dated entries from Lund, the archbishop's seat, and from Ryd in Schleswig. Read online
- Deeds of the Danes, Saxo Grammaticus (about 1185 to 1208). Saxo was writing at Lund in 1200 under Absalon, who died in March 1201, and his last books are an insider's history of Valdemar I and Knud VI to 1185: the Wendish wars, the taking of Rügen, the submission of Pomerania in 1185, the Danish fleet, Absalon's power and the Danish quarrel with the Empire. Read online
- The saga of the descendants of Knut (the kings of Denmark) (about 1250 to 1260). An Icelandic kings' saga of Denmark that draws on Saxo and Danish tradition and ends in 1187 with Knud VI and Absalon's Wendish wars. Read online
- Pomeranian charter book, volume 1, 786 to 1253 (documents of 786 to 1253, edited 1868). All known charters for Pomerania and Rügen to 1253. Read online
- Charter books of Lübeck and of Hamburg (documents to 1226 (Lübeck vol. 1) and to 1300 (Hamburg vol. 1)). The charters of the two north German towns and of the archbishops of Bremen and Hamburg. Read online
Sources and studies
- Schwerin, Bf.e von (Höfe und Residenzen im spätmittelalterlichen Reich)
- Former Diocese of Schwerin (GCatholic)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.