East of the Nuthe and the Havel lie two plateaus that no prince is attested as holding on 1 January 1200.
The Teltow was the land of the Sprevane, whose Nuthe castles (Potsdam, Drewitz, Kleinbeuthen, Trebbin) once faced the Heveller across the river; the margrave's men have begun to settle its western edge (the village of Düppel was founded by settlers and local Slavs together about 1170), the archbishop's province of Jüterbog reaches its southern edge at Trebbin and the Seddiner See, and the Slav castle of Köpenick holds its north-eastern corner. Settlement follows the rivers (Nuthe, Dahme, Panke, Wuhle) about 1200 and the plateaus are colonised systematically only later. The Barnim north of the Spree had few Slav settlements and almost none on the plateau; its northern edge on the Finow and at Oderberg is Pomeranian.
The Ascanian margraves win both lands only in the 13th century: Oderberg briefly in 1214, Strausberg about 1225, the northern Barnim about 1230, and the rest after the Teltow war of 1239-1245 against the Wettin margrave Henry of Meissen and the archbishop of Magdeburg. Who founded the first German villages of the central Teltow (Marienfelde and its neighbours) is disputed between the Ascanians, the Wettins, the archbishops and the Silesian dukes. Here 'contested' means claimed by several and held by none; no fighting is attested in the winter of 1199-1200.
Who he is
- Name
- none pinned: local Slav lords and settlers, under rival claims
- Title
- No prince attested
- Confidence
- low
de.wikipedia (Teltow (Landschaft); Barnim; Teltow-Krieg; Jüterbog).
Overlord
Claimed in parts by the margrave of Brandenburg, the archbishop of Magdeburg, the lord of Köpenick (Pomeranian or Wettin) and the Pomeranian dukes; held by none of them on the evidence.
What it holds
- The Teltow plateau between the Nuthe, the Spree and the Dahme
- The Barnim plateau between the Havel, the Spree, the Finow and the Lebus land
How it was acquired
Not applicable.
Allies and rivals
The margrave from Spandau and Potsdam; the archbishop from Jüterbog and Zinna; Köpenick's lord; the Pomeranian dukes on the Finow; the Wettins of Lusatia from the south; the Silesian dukes in the Lebus land east of the Buckow channel (Silesian in 1200 by the usual account; Wettin only in 1209-1211).
How things stand that morning
No lord attested. The margrave's settlers on the western Teltow, the archbishop's on its southern edge, Slav villages elsewhere. Cölln and Berlin are not yet named.
Wealth
Slav villages, forest, fish; the Spree crossing where Cölln and Berlin will rise.
Military
Slav ring forts on the rivers; no castle of a prince on the plateaus. No figures.
Threats
- Whichever neighbour moves first
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.
- by 1209 (not yet)The Wettin margrave of Lusatia holds Köpenick and pushes into the eastern Teltow and southern Barnim.Depends on: No other prince garrisoning the Spree crossings first. Stopped by: A margravial or Magdeburg advance.
- 1214 and after (not yet)The Ascanians begin their advance: Oderberg (1214), Strausberg (about 1225), the northern Barnim (about 1230).Depends on: The margraves' wars with Denmark and Pomerania. Stopped by: Defeat in those wars.
Places of note
- Düppel: Village of settlers and Slavs founded about 1170 (near Kleinmachnow).
Where the sources disagree
- The brief asks to check the Teltow and the Barnim: the sources reached show no holder for 1 January 1200, only later conquests and rival claims, so the ground is marked contested rather than given to one prince.
Evidence: Archaeology (Düppel, dendro dates from 1218 and about 1225) and later charters; nothing written for 1200.
On the map: Drawn as one open frontier; in reality a scatter of Slav villages and the first settler villages along the rivers.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.