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82-751: Polabian Slavs , also known as Elbe Slavs and more broadly as Wends , is a collective term applied to a number of Lechitic ( West Slavic ) tribes who lived scattered along the Elbe river in what is today eastern Germany . The approximate territory stretched from the Baltic Sea in the north, the Saale and the Limes Saxoniae in the west, the Ore Mountains and the Western Sudetes in

164-604: A " German god " and remained pagan . The Obotrite prince Udo and his son Gottschalk expanded their realm by unifying the Obotrite tribes and conquering some Liutizi tribes in the 11th century. They encouraged the establishments of bishoprics to support Christian missionary activity. However, a revolt in 1066 led to the murder of Gottschalk and his replacement by the pagan Kruto of Wagria. Gottschalk's son Henry eventually killed Kruto in 1093. From 1140 to 1143 Holsatian nobles advanced into Wagria to permanently settle in

246-669: A duke, but remained independent. Their leaders met in the temple of Rethra . In 983, many Wend tribes participated in a great uprising against the Holy Roman Empire , which had previously established Christian missions, German colonies and German administrative institutions ( Marken such as Nordmark and Billungermark ) in pagan Wendish territories. The uprising was successful and the Wends delayed Germanisation for about two centuries. Wends and Danes had early and continuous contact including settlement, first and mainly through

328-520: A stretch of the river. Both routes rejoin in the linked lakes of Breitling See and Plauer See , which leads up to Plaue. Like the preceding stretch of the river, the stretch from Plaue to the confluence with the Elbe at Havelberg is administered as part of the Lower Havel–Waterway. Unlike the previous stretch, this stretch carries considerably less commercial traffic. Vessels heading to or from

410-550: A strong admixture with Germans and continued to use West Slavic languages were still termed Wends . With the gradual decline of the use of these local Slavic tongues, the term Wends slowly disappeared, too. Some sources claim that in the 13th century there were actual historic people called Wends or Vends living as far as northern Latvia (east of the Baltic Sea) around the city of Wenden . Henry of Livonia (Henricus de Lettis) in his 13th-century Latin chronicle described

492-664: A tribe called the Vindi . Today, only one group of Wends still exists: the Lusatian Sorbs in present-day Eastern Germany, with international diaspora. The term "Wends" derived from the Roman-era people called in Latin : Venetī , Venethī [ˈwe.ne.t̪ʰiː] or Venedī [ˈwe.ne.d̪iː] ; in ‹See Tfd› Greek : Οὐενέδαι , translit.   Ouenédai [u.eˈne.ðe] . This people

574-557: Is a right tributary of the Elbe . However, the direct distance from its source to its mouth is only 94 kilometres (58 mi). For much of its length, the Havel is navigable; it provides an important link in the waterway connections between the east and west of Germany, as well as beyond. The source of the Havel is located in the Mecklenburg Lake District , between Lake Müritz and the city of Neubrandenburg . There

656-673: Is mentioned by Pliny the Elder and Ptolemy as inhabiting the Baltic coast. In the 1st millennium AD, during the Slavic migrations which split the Slavs into Southern, Eastern and Western groups, some West Slavs moved into the areas between the Rivers Elbe and Oder - moving from east to west and from south to north. There they assimilated the remaining Germanic population that had not left

738-644: Is no obvious visible source in the form of a spring, but the river originates in the lakes in the Diekenbruch near Ankershagen , close to and south-east of the watershed between the North and Baltic seas. From there the river initially flows southward, eventually joining the Elbe, which in turn flows into the North Sea. Every river north-east of it flows to the Baltic Sea. The river enters Brandenburg near

820-534: Is now extinct. However, the two Sorbian languages are spoken by approximately 22,000–30,000 inhabitants of the region and the languages are regarded by the government of Germany as official languages of the region. The Bavarian Geographer , an anonymous medieval document compiled in Regensburg in 830, contains a list of the tribes in Central Europe to the east of the Elbe. Among other tribes it lists

902-489: Is one of the reasons for future military campaigns against them by the Carolingians, especially Charles Martel and Charlemagne. While the Wends were arriving in so-called Germania Slavica as large homogeneous groups, they soon divided into a variety of small tribes, with large strips of woodland separating one tribal settlement area from another. Their tribal names were derived from local place names, sometimes adopting

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984-552: Is placed 11 km downstream. As the course of the Elbe has a higher gradient than the Havel, the water level of the Havel in Havelberg can be kept 1.4 metres below the Elbe (at the junction of the traverse communicating canal, protected by a lock ). Towns along the river include: Fürstenberg , Zehdenick , Oranienburg , Berlin , Potsdam , Werder , Ketzin , Brandenburg , Premnitz , Rathenow and Havelberg. In earlier Greek or Latin sources, such as Tacitus 's Germania ,

1066-544: Is today north-eastern Germany. This did not, however, affect the Wendish people in today's Saxony , where a relatively stable co-existence of German and Slavic inhabitants as well as close dynastic and diplomatic cooperation of Wendish and German nobility had been achieved. (See: Wiprecht of Groitzsch). In 1168, during the Northern Crusades , Denmark mounted a crusade led by Bishop Absalon and King Valdemar

1148-529: The Ben Nevis seeking greater liberty, in order to settle an area of central Texas, primarily Serbin . The Wends succeeded, expanding into Warda , Giddings , Austin, Houston, Fedor, Swiss Alp, Port Arthur, Mannheim, Copperas Cove, Vernon, Walburg, The Grove, Bishop, and the Rio Grande Valley. A strong emphasis on tradition, principles, and education is evident today in families descendant from

1230-649: The Großes Fenster ( German pronunciation: [ˈɡʁoːsəs ˈfɛnstɐ] ; literally "Great Window") with an unobstructed view upriver, hence the name, followed by the island of Schwanenwerder and the large arm known as the Großer Wannsee . This part of the river can be very busy with leisure craft. The island of Pfaueninsel is also a feature of this stretch of the river. A public ferry crosses these waters between Wannsee and Kladow , carrying passengers and cyclists. The Teltow Canal joins

1312-752: The Hevelli and Liutizi destroyed the Bishoprics of Havelberg and Brandenburg, and Obotrites (Mstivoj) destroyed Hamburg. Some Slavs advanced across the Elbe into Saxon territory, but retreated when the Christian Duke of Poland, Mieszko I , attacked them from the east. The Holy Roman Empire retained only nominal control over the Slavic territories between the Elbe and the Oder. Despite the efforts of Christian missionaries, most Polabian Slavs saw Jesus as

1394-622: The March of Lusatia , and the Thuringian March , the latter being divided into the marches of Zeitz , Merseburg , and Meissen . Bishoprics such as Magdeburg , Brandenburg , and Havelberg were founded to support the conversion of the Slavs to Christianity . After the defeat of Otto II at the Battle of Stilo in 982, the pagan Slavs rebelled against the Germans the following year;

1476-943: The Müritz–Elde–Wasserstraße . Other connected waterways are the Lychener Gewässer  [ de ] , the Templiner Gewässer  [ de ] and the Wentow Gewässer . The stretch of the river between the junction with the Oder–Havel Canal near Liebenwalde and the confluence with the Spree at Spandau is administered as part of the Havel–Oder–Wasserstraße , which also includes the Oder-Havel Canal. This stretch of

1558-979: The Obotrites proper ( Wismar Bay to the Schweriner See ); the Wagrians (eastern Holstein ); the Warnabi ( Warnower ) (the upper Warnow and Mildenitz ); and the Polabians proper (between the Trave and the Elbe ). Other tribes associated with the confederation include the Linones ( Linonen ) near Lenzen , the Travnjane near the Trave , and the Drevani in the Hanoverian Wendland and

1640-674: The Rani stronghold of Arkona . Similar to Henry's reinstatement of Pribislav as a Saxon vassal, Valdemar allowed the Rani prince Jaromar to rule as a Christian Danish vassal. After Valdemar refused to share Rugia with Henry, the Saxon duke enlisted the aid of the Obotrite confederacy and the Liutizi against the Danes; Valdemar ended the conflict by paying Henry in 1171. Alarmed at the expansion of Henry

1722-1042: The Ruppin Land , and the Rěčanen on the upper Havel . Along the lower Havel and near the confluence of the Elbe and the Havel lived the Nelětici, the Liezizi, the Zemzizi, the Smeldingi ( Smeldinger ), and the Bethenici. The middle Havel region and the Havelland were settled by the Hevelli , a tribe loosely connected to the Veleti. East of the Hevelli lived the Sprevane of the lower Dahme and Spree rivers. Small tribes on

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1804-477: The Saxon and Danish heavy cavalry . Religion was an important aspect of Polabian society. Much of their territory was dotted with holy places in nature to which the Slavs could pray and make offerings to Slavic gods . The priesthood was an important class which developed images and objects of worship. Polabian towns often included elaborate temples often visited for offerings and pilgrimages. In contrast, priests in

1886-779: The Saxons , a Wend ( Wende ) was a Slav living in the area west of the River Oder , an area later entitled Germania Slavica , settled by the Polabian Slav tribes (mentioned above) in the north and by others, such as the Sorbs and the Milceni , further south (see Sorbian March ). The Germans in the south used the term Winde instead of Wende and applied it, just as the Germans in the north, to Slavs they had contact with; e.g.,

1968-714: The Sorbian March to defend against the Sorbs . Einhard in Vita Karoli Magni describes an expedition into Slavic territory led by Charlemagne himself, in 798. The Veleti noted as Wilzi (referred to themselves as Welatabians ) were invaded by the Franks because of their continuous expeditions into Obodrite lands, with the Obodrites being allies of the Franks against the Saxons . German campaigns against

2050-853: The Templiner See to the Schwielowsee , then northwest to Paretz, whilst the Sacrow–Paretz Canal takes a shorter route due east to Paretz, saving some 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) compared to the 29 kilometres (18 mi) Potsdamer Havel. The Potsdamer Havel is crossed by the Kiewitt Ferry in Potsdam itself, and by the Caputh Ferry at the entrance to the Schweilowsee. At Paretz the two channels join up again, as does

2132-814: The Useriner See to the Großer Labussee . The stretch of the river between this lock and the junction with the Oder–Havel Canal is administered as part of the Obere–Havel–Wasserstraße , along with various connecting canals and waterways. From Zwenzow downstream to Liebenwalde is a distance of 92 kilometres (57 mi). In this distance the navigation passes through the lakes of Großer Labussee, Woblitzsee , Wangnitzsee , Großer Priepertsee , Ellbogensee , Ziernsee , Röblinsee , Baalensee , Schwedtsee and Stolpsee . It also descends through

2214-401: The ancient Veneti . For the medieval Scandinavians , the term Wends ( Vender ) meant Slavs living near the southern shore of the Baltic Sea ( Vendland ), and the term was therefore used to refer to Polabian Slavs like the Obotrites , Rugian Slavs , Veleti / Lutici , and Pomeranian tribes . For people living in the medieval Northern Holy Roman Empire and its precursors, especially for

2296-593: The knes took overall command. The prince's voivot ensured military service from the warriors and taxes from the peasantry. While the countryside provided land forces, the towns were known for their longships , which were lighter and lower than those used by the Danes and Swedes . From a distance, Polabian fleets resembled those of the Scandinavians, although targets would recognize the Slavs' closely cropped hair and shrieking battle cries when they grew close. Polabian cavalry used small horses which were effective in quick raiding campaigns, but less effective against

2378-465: The 6th century during the migration period . According to radiocarbon dating , the first Slavs reached Southwestern Hungary, Suchohrad in Western Slovakia and Prague in Czechia in the first-third of the 6th century, and Regensburg of Northeast Bavaria in 568. The earliest dating of Prague -type pottery and sites between Elbe and Saale and Sukow -type in Northeastern Germany was found to be from 590s. However, palynology and other evidence show that

2460-418: The Baltic shores (and, in turn, the Wends often raided the raiders). The Holy Roman Empire and its margraves tried to restore their marches. In 1068/69, a German expedition took and destroyed Rethra , one of the major pagan Wend temples. The Wendish religious centre shifted to Arkona thereafter. In 1124 and 1128, the Pomeranians and some Lutici were baptised. In 1147, the Wend crusade took place in what

2542-417: The Berlin boroughs of Spandau and Reinickendorf respectively. The last 10 kilometres (6 mi) of this stretch of the river, from Hennigsdorf, passes through a series of interconnected lakes, including the large Tegeler See . The river enters Berlin 6 kilometres (4 mi) before Spandau, having formed the boundary for the previous 4 kilometres (2.5 mi). During the partition of Germany , this formed

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2624-548: The Christian Pribislav to power as Prince of Mecklenburg , Kessin , and Rostock , and a vassal of the Saxons. Tactics and weaponry were decisive in Denmark's campaigns against the eastern Polabian Slavs. The Danes utilized quick coastal and river raids, tactics similar to those of the Vikings . Although they lacked siege experience, the Danes were able to cripple Slavic regions by burning crops and unwalled suburbs. Slav counterattacks were repulsed by crossbows and Norwegian longbows . The Danes occupied Rugia in 1168, conquering

2706-477: The Danish king's vassal. Pribislav , a Christian prince of the Hevelli , bequeathed his lands to the Saxon Albert the Bear upon his death, thereby leading to the establishment of the Margraviate of Brandenburg . The Lusatian Sorbs remained independent to a large extent. They were temporarily subdued by Charlemagne , but upon his death the links with the Franks were broken. In a series of bloody wars between 929 and 963 their lands were conquered by King Henry

2788-435: The East possibly later included the Lusici of Lower Lusatia and the Milceni of Upper Lusatia , while to the East of them were the Selpoli and the Besunzanen, and on the middle Oder the Leubuzzi who were associated with medieval Poland. Small groups of West Slavs lived on the Main and the Regnitz near Bamberg , in northeastern Bavaria . The Polabian Slavs partly replaced the Germanic tribes who had emigrated by

2870-402: The Fowler and his son Otto the Great and were incorporated into the Kingdom of Germany . By the 14th century, the majority of Slavs living there had been Germanized and assimilated. However, the Sorbs , the descendants of the Milceni and the Lusici, have retained their identity within Lusatia , a region divided between the German states of Brandenburg and Saxony . The Slavic language

2952-461: The German commercial waterway network, carrying traffic from the Rhine and the North Sea to Berlin and Poland . From a navigation perspective, the Havel can be split into four sections with somewhat different characteristics and different administrative arrangements. The Havel is navigable to canoes and similar small craft from close to its source. Motor craft are prohibited above the first lock at Zwenzow  [ de ] , which links

3034-411: The German-Roman Empire) explicitly recognised in its Art. 31 that the German-Roman Empire was a multi-national entity with "diverse nations distinct in customs, manner of life, and in language". For that it stipulated "the sons, or heirs and successors of the illustrious prince electors, ... since they are expected in all likelihood to have naturally acquired the German language, ... shall be instructed in

3116-608: The Germanic tradition (e.g. Heveller from Havel , Rujanes from Rugians ). Settlements were secured by round burghs made of wood and clay, where either people could retreat in case of a raid from the neighbouring tribe or used as military strongholds or outposts. Some tribes unified into larger, duchy-like units. For example, the Obotrites evolved from the unification of the Holstein and Western Mecklenburg tribes led by mighty dukes known for their raids into German Saxony . The Lutici were an alliance of tribes living between Obotrites and Pomeranians. They did not unify under

3198-416: The Great against the Wends of Rugia in order to convert them to Christianity. The crusaders captured and destroyed Arkona , the Wendish temple-fortress, and tore down the statue of the Wendish god Svantevit . With the capitulation of the Rugian Wends, the last independent pagan Wends were defeated by the surrounding Christian feudal powers. From the 12th to the 14th centuries, Germanic settlers moved into

3280-414: The Havel Canal from further upstream. Just downstream of Paretz, the river is crossed by the Ketzin Cable Ferry . At Brandenburg an der Havel, the navigation again splits into two routes. Commercial shipping descends through a lock into the Silo Canal that passes to the north of the city centre. Leisure craft pass through the centre of the city, using the short Brandenburg City Canal , a smaller lock, then

3362-439: The Havel downstream, and was built in the 1950s to allow East German vessels to avoid the stretch of the river under the political control of West Berlin . Some 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) further downstream, the Berlin-Spandau Ship Canal joins the river on the east bank, providing a connection to central Berlin without passing through the lock at Spandau. A car ferry crosses the river between Hakenfelde and Konradshöhe , in

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3444-464: The Lion's power, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa deposed the Saxon duke and redistributed his lands in 1180/81. The withdrawal of Saxon support left the Liutizi and their Pomeranian supporters vulnerable to the Danish fleet. A Slavic fleet attempting to reclaim Rugia was crushed at the Bay of Greifswald on 19 May 1184. Danish monks engaged in missionary activity in Pomeranian abbeys, and Prince Bogislaw I surrendered to King Canute VI in 1185 to become

3526-410: The Middle Ages, the kings of Denmark and of Denmark–Norway used the titles King of the Wends (from 1362) and Goths (from the 12th century). The use of both titles was discontinued in 1973. The Wendish people co-existed with the German settlers for centuries and became gradually assimilated into the German-speaking culture. The Golden Bull of 1356 (one of the constitutional foundations of

3608-516: The Polabians from Bavaria Slavica or the Slovenes (the names Windic March , Windisch Feistritz , Windischgraz , or Windisch Bleiberg near Ferlach still bear testimony to this historical denomination). The same term was sometimes applied to the neighboring region of Slavonia , which appears as Windischland in some documents prior to the 18th century. Following the 8th century, the Frankish kings and their successors organised nearly all Wendish land into marches . This process later turned into

3690-415: The Rhine and the west of Germany take the Elbe–Havel Canal at Plaue. Whilst the lower reaches of the Havel provide the most direct route to Hamburg and the North Sea ports, variable water levels in the Elbe affect those in the lower Havel; together these can restrict navigation. A less direct, but more reliable route is available via the Elbe–Havel Canal, the Magdeburg Water Bridge , the Mittelland Canal and

3772-460: The Saxons during the following decade, although Slavic pirates raided Denmark. Beginning in the late 1150s, King Valdemar the Great of Denmark enlisted the aid of Duke Henry the Lion of Saxony against the Slavs; their cooperation led to the death of the Obotrite prince, Niklot , in 1160. The two Christian lords distributed much of the conquered territory among their vassals. When Niklot's exiled son, Pribislav , engineered an Obotrite rebellion,

3854-416: The Slavs began in earnest during the Ottonian dynasty . Henry the Fowler attacked the Slavs in several campaigns with his cavalry. During the reigns of Henry and his son Otto I , several marches were established to guard the eastern acquisitions, such as the Billung March to the north and the Marca Geronis to the south. After Gero 's death in 965, the Marca Geronis was divided into the Northern March ,

3936-422: The Uuilci ( Veleti ) with 95 civitates , the Nortabtrezi ( Obotrites ) with 53 civitates, the Surbi ( Sorbs ) with 50 civitates, the Milzane ( Milceni ) with 30 civitates, the Hehfeldi ( Hevelli ) with 14 civitates and so on. The Great Soviet Encyclopedia classifies the Polabian Slavs in three main tribes, the Obotrites , the Veleti , and the Lusatian Sorbs . The main tribes of the Obotritic confederation were

4018-445: The Wendish lands in large numbers, transforming the area's culture from a Slavic to a Germanic one. Local dukes and monasteries invited settlers to repopulate farmlands devastated in the wars, as well as to cultivate new farmlands from the expansive woodlands and heavy soils, with the use of iron-based agricultural tools that had developed in Western Europe. Concurrently, a large number of new towns were created under German town law with

4100-489: The Wendish pioneers. Today, thousands of Texans and other Americans (many unaware of their background), can lay claim to the heritage of the Wends. Historically, the term "Wends" has also occurred in the following contexts: Havel The Havel ( German: [ˈhaːfl̩] ) is a river in northeastern Germany , flowing through the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern , Brandenburg , Berlin and Saxony-Anhalt . The 325 kilometres (202 mi) long Havel

4182-450: The area in the Migration period . Their German neighbours adapted the term they had been using for peoples east of the River Elbe before to the Slavs, calling them Wends as they called the Venedi before and probably the Vandals as well. In his late sixth century work History of Armenia , Movses Khorenatsi mentions their raids into the lands named Vanand after them. The Wends are mentioned in Fredegar IV.74-75. The lived east of

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4264-425: The border between East Germany and West Berlin, and border control points were established for vessels navigating the river. The stretch of the river between the confluence with the Spree at Spandau and the junction with the Elbe–Havel Canal at Plaue is administered as part of the Lower Havel–Waterway , which also includes the stretch of river downstream to the confluence with the Elbe. Between Spandau and Plaue,

4346-535: The closest South Danish islands of Møn , Lolland and Falster , all having place-names of Wendish origin . There were also trading and settlement outposts by Danish towns as important as Roskilde, when it was the capital: 'Vindeboder' (Wends' booths) is the name of a city neighbourhood there. Danes and Wends also fought wars due to piracy and crusading. After their successes in 983 the Wends came under increasing pressure from Germans, Danes and Poles . The Poles invaded Pomerania several times. The Danes often raided

4428-557: The countryside often lived meagerly. Wends In German-speaking Europe during the Middle Ages , the term "Wends" was interpreted as synonymous with "Slavs" and sporadically used in literature to refer to West Slavs and South Slavs living within the Holy Roman Empire . The name has possibly survived in Finnic languages ( Finnish : Venäjä [ˈʋe̞.næ.jæ] , Estonian : Vene [ˈve.ne] , Karelian : Veneä ), denoting modern Russia . According to one theory, Germanic peoples first applied this name to

4510-437: The grammar of the Italian and Slavic (i.e. Wendish) tongues, beginning with the seventh Year of their age." Many geographical names in Central Germany and northern Germany can be traced back to a Slavic origin. Typical Slavic endings include -itz, -itzsch and -ow. They can be found in city names such as Delitzsch and Rochlitz . Even names of major cities like Leipzig and Berlin are most likely of Wendish origin. Today,

4592-401: The introduction of legally enforced markets, contracts and property rights. These developments over two centuries were collectively known as the Ostsiedlung (German eastward expansion). A minority of Germanic settlers moved beyond the Wendish territory into Hungary, Bohemia and Poland, where they were generally welcomed for their skills in farming and craftsmanship. The Polabian language

4674-462: The kings of Sweden were officially called kings of the Swedes , the Goths and the Wends (in Latin translation: kings of Suiones , Goths and Vandals ) ( Swedish : Svears, Götes och Wendes Konung ). After the Danish monarch Queen Margrethe II chose not to use these titles in 1972 the current Swedish monarch, Carl XVI Gustaf also chose only to use the title King of Sweden" ( Sveriges Konung ), thereby changing an age-old tradition. From

4756-406: The land in Germany became forested and not well resettled by the Slavs, with most material and sites dating since the 8th century. Slavic settlement area was largely stable by the 8th century. Charlemagne enlisted the Obotrites as allies in his campaign against the rebellious Saxons of Holstein . Many of the Slavic tribes became dependencies of the Carolingian Empire and the Franks created

4838-544: The lands of the pagan Wagri. Count Adolf II of Holstein and Henry of Badewide took control of Polabian settlements at Liubice and Racisburg . Impressed with the success of the First Crusade , Saxons began calling for a crusade against their Slav neighbors. The Wendish Crusade of 1147, concurrent to the Second Crusade , was largely unsuccessful, resulting in devastation to the Liutizi lands and forced baptisms . The campaign did secure Saxon control of Wagria and Polabia , however. The Obotrites were largely at peace with

4920-403: The locks at Wesenberg , Steinhavelmühle , Fürstenberg, Bredereiche , Regow , Zaaren , Schorfheide , Zehdenick , Bischofswerder and Liebenwalde . The Woblitzsee also gives access to the Kammer Canal , which allows vessels to reach Neustrelitz . The Ellbogensee links to the Müritz–Havel–Wasserstraße , which proceeds deeper into the Mecklenburg Lake District, eventually connecting with

5002-492: The lower Rhine. At the southern end of the Ruppiner See , weirs can distribute the waters of the Rhin either east- or westwards, rejoining the Havel in two places 67 kilometres (42 mi) apart along a straight line, and more than 160 kilometres (99 mi) apart along the course of the river. The region around and north of the middle Havel is called the Havelland . It consists of sandy heights, sometimes called Ländchen , and low marshes, called luchs . A few kilometres of

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5084-545: The middle Elbe included the Morizani and the Zerwisti. The Sorbs confederation in the Elbe-Saale region included Citici, Serimunt, Colodici, Siusler, Nizici, Glomaci ( Daleminzier ) and Nisanen who lived along the upper Elbe, while the Chutici, Plisni, Gera, Puonzowa, Tucharin, Weta, and groups of Nelětici lived near the Saale. Joachim Herrmann considered that the core Sorbian tribes surely were Colodici, Siusler and Glomaci, and that they also settled and influenced around Magdeburg , Havelland, Thuringia and northeast Bavaria. To

5166-408: The most important of the Veleti tribes. The Rani of Rügen , not to be confused with the older Germanic Rugians , are sometimes considered to be part of the Veleti. South of the Rani were the Ucri ( Ukranen ) along the Ucker and the Morici ( Morizani , Müritzer ) along the Müritz ; the former gave their name to the Uckermark . Smaller tribes included the Došane along the Dosse , the Zamzizi in

5248-516: The name of the river was also written as Habola, Habula, Havela . The river name Havel is related to German Haff, habe, hafen , MHG Hafen meaning port, harbor). The Slavic people who later moved into the Havel area were referred to in German sources as Heveller (occasionally as Havolane ). The Havel is navigable from the Mecklenburg Lake District to its confluence with the Elbe . Whilst its upper reaches carry little other than leisure traffic, further downstream it provides an important link in

5330-418: The northern Altmark . The Veleti , also known as the Liutizians or Wilzians, included the Kessinians ( Kessiner , Chyzzini ) along the lower Warnow and Rostock ; the Circipani ( Zirzipanen ) between the Recknitz , Trebel , and Peene Rivers; the Tollenser east and south of the Peene along the Tollense River; and the Redarier south and east of the Tollensesee on the upper Havel . The Redarier were

5412-420: The only remaining minority people of Wendish origin, the Sorbs , maintain their traditional language and culture and enjoy cultural self-determination exercised through the Domowina . The third minister president of Saxony Stanislaw Tillich (2008–2017) is of Sorbian origin, being the first head of a German federal state with an ethnic minority background. In 1854, the Wends of Texas departed Lusatia on

5494-404: The pair retaliated by occupying Demmin and warding off Pribislav's Liutizian allies. After conquering Wagria and Polabia during the 1140s, Saxon nobles attempted to expel the "native" Slavs and replace them with Saxon and Flemish settlers. The 1164 Obotrite revolt led by Niklot's son Pribislav convinced Henry the Lion that keeping the Slavs as allies would be less troublesome. The duke returned

5576-562: The peasantry. With the exception of Arkona on Rügen , few Polabian towns on the Baltic coast were built near the shore, out of concern for pirates and raiders. While not highly populated compared to Flanders or Italy , the Polabian towns were relatively large for the Baltic region, such as in comparison to those of Scandinavia. The majority of Polabian Slavs were peasants in small villages who engaged in agriculture (rich in grains, flax) and animal husbandry (poultry, cattle). Some villagers were fishermen, beekeepers, or trappers. Farmland

5658-439: The river Elbe and were neighbours of the Saxons. The Saxons paid tribute to the Merovingian Kingdom since Chlothar I (511-561). They had to pay 500 cows yearly and had the obligation to guard the sector of the Frankish border against the Wends. However, the Saxons broke their oath under Dagobert I which resulted in frequent raids of Wends into Frankish territory and spreading out over Thuringia and other territory. The Saxon duplicity

5740-426: The river before its confluence with the Elbe near Havelberg are in the State of Saxony-Anhalt. Due to its minimal gradient it is susceptible to high waters in the Elbe. Unless in extreme floods, if the dike of the Elbe is submerged, the discharge of the Havel is improved by the Gnevsdorfer Vorfluter (something like "Gnevsdorfer outfall"). By this canal, the mouth of the Havel, that naturally would be near Havelberg,

5822-435: The river forms part of the main inland waterway route from Germany to Poland and carries significant commercial traffic. This stretch of the river is 40 kilometres (25 mi) long, and the river descends through two locks at Lehnitz  [ de ] and Spandau. At Hennigsdorf , 30 kilometres (19 mi) downstream of Liebenwalde, the Havel Canal joins the river on the west bank. This canal connects to Paretz , on

5904-526: The river forms part of the main inland waterway route from the Rhine and the west of Germany; from Hamburg and the North Sea ports, to both Berlin and Poland. It thus carries a considerable amount of commercial traffic. South of Spandau, the river widens into a wide lake that extends, through some narrower areas, to Potsdam. On the east bank south of Spandau is the Grunewald with several beaches, among them

5986-739: The river from the east via the Griebnitzsee just before the city reaches the city of Potsdam, providing an alternative route to the Oder–Spree Canal avoiding central Berlin. The Griebnitz Canal provides a short cut for smaller vessels from the Griebnitzsee to the Großer Wannsee. At Potsdam the navigation splits into two channels. The Havel, here known as the Potsdamer Havel, takes a route southwest through Potsdam and

6068-615: The series of Crusades . By the 12th century, all Wendish lands had become part of the Holy Roman Empire. In the course of the Ostsiedlung , which reached its peak in the 12th to 14th centuries, this land was settled by Germans and reorganised. Due to the process of assimilation following German settlement , many Slavs west of the Oder adopted the German culture and language . Only some rural communities which did not have

6150-493: The south, and Poland in the east. The Polabian Slavs were largely conquered by Saxons and Danes since the 9th century and were subsequently included and gradually assimilated within the Holy Roman Empire . The tribes were gradually Germanized and assimilated in the following centuries; the Sorbs are the only descendants of the Polabian Slavs to have retained their identity and culture. The Polabian language

6232-404: The territory controlled by his governor, or voivod . Each voivod governed small territories based around fortifications. Princely power often differed between tribes. The Obodrite prince Henryk was able to maintain a sizable army ca. 1100 at the expense of the towns, and the importance of knez within the Obodrites only increased after his death. The prince of the Rani , on the other hand,

6314-620: The town of Fürstenberg . In its upper course and between Berlin and Brandenburg an der Havel the river forms several lakes. The Havel's main tributary is the Spree , which joins the Havel in Spandau , a western borough of Berlin, and is longer and delivers more water than the Havel itself above the confluence. The second largest tributary is the Rhin , named in the Middle Ages by settlers from

6396-730: Was divided into a unit called a kuritz ( Latin : uncus ), for which peasants paid grain taxes to the voivot . Polabian society developed during the 9th and 10th centuries under pressure from the Holy Roman Empire and the Vikings of Scandinavia . They were often forced to pay tribute to the kings of Denmark , Catholic bishops, and imperial margraves . Polabian society became militarized and its leaders began organizing armed forces and defenses. Many Polabian magnates lived in forest fortresses, while towns were inhabited by warriors and burghers . The magnates often raided Germanic territories or engaged in piracy. In times of large-scale war,

6478-418: Was limited by the local senate , which was led by the high priest at Cape Arkona ; the Rani knez was essentially first among the tribe's landowners. The power of the prince and his governors was often restricted by the river towns, known to chroniclers as civitates , especially within the territory of the Veleti. Polabian towns were centered on small earthworks arranged in circles or ovals. The gord

6560-411: Was situated at the highest altitude of the town and held a barracks, citadel, and princely residence. It was often protected by a moat, walls, and wooden towers. Below the gord , but still within the town walls, was the urbs or suburbium , which held the residences for the nobility and merchants. The towns often held wooden temples for Slavic gods within the urbs . Outside of the walls were homes for

6642-549: Was spoken by the descendants of the Drevani in the area of the lower Elbe until the early 18th century. A Polabian prince was known as a knez . His power was relatively greater in Slavic society than those of Danish or Swedish kings in their kingdoms, although it was not absolute. He was the general leader of his tribe and was foremost among its nobles, holding much of the forested hinterland and expecting reverence from his warriors. However, his authority largely extended only to

6724-559: Was spoken in the central area of Lower Saxony and in Brandenburg until around the 17th or 18th century. The German population assimilated most of the Wends, meaning that they disappeared as an ethnic minority - except for the Sorbs . Yet many place names and some family names in eastern Germany still show Wendish origins today. Also, the Dukes of Mecklenburg , of Rügen and of Pomerania had Wendish ancestors. Between 1540 and 1973,

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