Borwin's cousin and long-time rival holds Rostock and Kessin on the lower Warnow as a vassal of the Danish king.
He will be killed at Waschow on 25 May 1200, fighting for the Danes against Adolf of Dassel.
Who he is
- Name
- Nicholas (Niklot) I
- Title
- lord of Rostock
- Since
- not pinned (after the Danes took Rostock from Borwin)
- Born
- not pinned
- Family
- son of Wertislav (Pribislav's brother); cousin of Henry Borwin I
- Confidence
- medium
de.wikipedia Heinrich Borwin I.; de.wikipedia Schlacht bei Waschow
Overlord
Canute VI of Denmark
What it holds
- Rostock castle and market on the Warnow
- Kessin
- lands up the Warnow toward Werle and Güstrow (not pinned)
How it was acquired
From the Danish king after Borwin's capture (not pinned).
Allies and rivals
Danish crown; rival cousin Borwin.
How things stand that morning
Danish vassal holding Rostock.
Wealth
Warnow crossing and market.
Military
Rostock and Kessin castles.
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.
- 25 May 1200 (some sources 1201)Nicholas falls at Waschow; Rostock goes back to Borwin as a Danish fief.Depends on: the battle being fought
Places of note
- Rostock: Slav castle and market on the Warnow
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Only from the Borwin and Waschow articles; the extent of his lands is not pinned.
On the map: Rough. The later lordship of Rostock (1227) was Kessin, Kröpelin, Doberan, Ribnitz, Marlow, Sülze and Tessin (de.wikipedia Herrschaft Rostock); Nicholas I's share in 1200 is not pinned, and Werle and Güstrow may belong here or elsewhere.
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.