Pribislav's son holds the land of Mecklenburg round the old castle south of Wismar Bay, with Ilow, the Cistercian abbey of Doberan his father founded, and the coast between the Ratzeburg border and the Warnow.
The Danes captured him in the wars with his cousin and made him their vassal, taking Rostock from him; he gets it back as a fief in 1200. He is Otto IV's brother-in-law through his wife Mathilde.
Who he is
- Name
- Henry Borwin I
- Title
- lord (prince) of Mecklenburg
- Since
- 30 December 1178
- Born
- not pinned
- Family
- see Mecklenburg
- Confidence
- medium
de.wikipedia Heinrich Borwin I.
Overlord
Canute VI of Denmark
What it holds
- Mecklenburg castle
- Ilow castle
- Wismar Bay and the coast to the Warnow
- the advocacy of Doberan abbey (not checked)
How it was acquired
Inherited from Pribislav (1178).
Allies and rivals
Danish crown; rival cousin Nicholas of Rostock.
How things stand that morning
Danish vassal, without Rostock.
Wealth
Land, tribute, the bay harbour at Wismar.
Military
Mecklenburg and Ilow castles.
Threats
- Holstein and Ratzeburg raids
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- 1200, after 25 MayBorwin receives Rostock back as a Danish fief (de.wikipedia).Depends on: Nicholas's death at Waschow
Places of note
- Mecklenburg castle: princely castle
- Doberan abbey: Cistercian house of the princes
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: de.wikipedia; the division of lands with Nicholas in 1200 is not pinned.
On the map: Rough; the western edge toward Ratzeburg and the lands south (Sternberg, Parchim) are not pinned. Doberan and Kröpelin are left out: they belong to the later lordship of Rostock (1227) and their holder in 1200 is not pinned.
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
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.