Henry the Lion took the Slav castle of Schwerin in 1160 and set up the county in 1161 for his follower Gunzelin of Hagen.
On 1 January 1200 the county is held by Gunzelin II, with his younger brother Henry beside him, as vassals of the Danish king. They will fight with Borwin and Nicholas at Waschow (25 May 1200) and gain Wittenburg and Boizenburg from the broken county of Ratzeburg in 1203/04.
Who he is
- Name
- Gunzelin II, with his brother Henry I 'the Black'
- Title
- counts of Schwerin
- Since
- Gunzelin II count from 1195; Henry I listed from 1200 (de.wikipedia Grafschaft Schwerin)
- Born
- not pinned
- Family
- sons of Count Gunzelin I of Hagen (died 1185); their brother Helmold I was count 1185-1194
- Confidence
- medium
de.wikipedia Grafschaft Schwerin; de.wikipedia Schlacht bei Waschow
Overlord
the Danish king (they march as Canute VI's vassals at Waschow); the county was created by Henry the Lion in 1161 and becomes a Saxon fief again in 1227
What it holds
- Schwerin castle and the comital rights in the town
- the county's lands round the Schwerin lake (Crivitz, Hagenow, Neustadt-Glewe: extent in 1200 not pinned)
How it was acquired
Henry the Lion's grant of 1161.
Allies and rivals
Allies: Canute VI, Borwin, Nicholas. Rivals: Adolf of Dassel, Adolf III.
How things stand that morning
Danish vassals; Henry's share in 1200 not pinned.
Wealth
Land and the town of Schwerin.
Military
Schwerin castle.
Threats
- raids from Ratzeburg and Holstein
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)They fight at Waschow against Adolf of Dassel.Depends on: Canute's order
Places of note
- Schwerin castle: the counts' seat on the lake island
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Count list and Waschow from de.wikipedia.
On the map: Rough; the county's limits before 1203 are 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.