Editing Obotrites (section)

{{Expand German|Abodriten|date=March 2014}}
{{Short description|Confederation of West Slavic tribes in present-day northern Germany (8th century – 1167)}}
{{Infobox former country
| native_name            = 
| conventional_long_name = Obotritic confederation
| common_name            = Obotrites
| status                 = Independent [[confederation]] of [[Polabian Slavs|Polabian Slavic]] tribes
| year_start             = 8th century
| date_start             = 
| event_start            = Formed
| year_end               = 1167
| date_end               = 
| event_end              = Accepted Saxon suzerainty
| p1                     = Polabian Slavs
| p2                     = Nordalbingia{{!}}{{nowrap|Nordalbingia<br/>{{small|(Duchy of Saxony)}}}}
| image_p2               = 
| p3                     = Billung March{{!}}{{nowrap|Billung March<br/>{{small|(Duchy of Saxony)}}}}
| image_p3               = [[File:CoA Tübingen, BW.svg|18px|link=Billung March]]
| s1                     = Holy Roman Empire
| image_s1               = [[File:Shield and Coat of Arms of the Holy Roman Emperor (c.1200-c.1300).svg|18px|link=Holy Roman Empire]]
| s2                     = Principality of Mecklenburg{{!}}'''∟'''Principality of Mecklenburg
| image_s2               = [[File:Wappen Mecklenburg 2.svg|18px|link=Duchy of Mecklenburg]]
| s3                     = Duchy of Saxony{{!}}'''∟'''Duchy of Saxony
| image_s3               = [[File:Arms of the house of Ascania (ancient).svg|18px|link=Duchy of Saxony]]
| s4                     = Kingdom of Denmark (Middle Ages){{!}}Kingdom of Denmark
| image_s4               = [[File:Coat of arms of Danish shield (14c).svg|20px|link=History of Denmark]]
| image_flag             = [[File:Heraldic biull's head.png|110px]]
| flag_type              = A black bull's head,<br/>the alleged symbol of<br/>the Obotrites and their<br/>princes (chieftains)
| image_coat             = Wappen Mecklenburg 1.svg
| symbol_type            = Arms of the [[House of Mecklenburg|House<br/>of Nikloting]], princes of<br/>the Obotritic confederation
| coa_size               = 75px
| image_map              = Siedlungsgebiet Abodriten leer.png
| image_map_caption      = Main territory of the Obotritic confederation
| image_map2             = Siedlungsgebiet Abodriten2.png
| image_map2_caption     = Expansion of the Obotritic confederation under Prince [[Thrasco (Obotrite prince)|Thrasco]] († 809) [[Battle of Bornhöved (798)|after victory]] over the [[Nordalbingia]]n [[Saxons]]
| capital                = [[Mecklenburg Castle|Veligard or Veligrad {{nowrap|{{small|(German: ''Michelenburg'')}}}}]]
| stat_area1             = 
| leader1                = [[Witzlaus (Obotrite prince)|Witzlaus]]
| year_leader1           = ?–ca. 795 (first)
| leader2                = [[Pribislav of Mecklenburg|Pribislav]]
| year_leader2           = 1160–1167 (last)
| title_leader           = Prince
| government_type        = [[Hereditary monarchy]] ([[Principality]])
| religion               = {{nowrap|Polabian{{Efn|Compared to the original old [[Slavic paganism|Slavic religion]], the pagan religion of [[Polabian Slavs]] was "reformed" (improved) by wooden temples and priesthood as a high social class with political influence. Almost every Polabian tribe had its own pagan cult of a deity of military function or some version of the supreme god, whose high priests had sometimes military retinue and were equal to the chiefs or politically stronger. This made a pagan cults more organized and the [[Polabian Slavs]] more resistant to [[Christianization]] than other Slavic peoples who had less organized paganism and was practiced as a [[folk religion]]. It also caused the creation of a local [[Theocracy|theocracies]].}} [[Slavic paganism]]}}, the known major cults:
* [[Prove (mythology)|Prove]] in [[Oldenburg in Holstein|Stargard]], [[Wagria]]
* [[Podaga]] in [[Plön]], [[Wagria]]
* [[Živa (mythology)|Zhiva]] according to [[Chronica Slavorum|Helmold]]
* [[Svarozhich]]/[[Radegast (god)|Radegast]] according to [[Chronica Slavorum|Helmold]]
* [[Folk religion|folk]] [[polytheism]] of minor cults
* [[Chernobog]] according to [[Chronica Slavorum|Helmold]]
[[Germanic paganism|Saxon paganism]] {{small|([[Nordalbingia]]n [[Saxons]])}}<br/>[[Chalcedonian Christianity]] {{small|(missionaries, some nobles)}}
| common_languages       = [[Polabian language|Polabian]], [[Old Saxon]]
| today                  = [[Germany]]
| category               = 
}}

The '''Obotrites''' ({{langx|la|Obotriti}}, ''Abodritorum'', ''Abodritos'') or '''Obodrites''', also spelled '''Abodrites''' ({{langx|de|Abodriten}}), were a [[confederation]] of medieval [[West Slavs|West Slavic]] tribes within the territory of modern [[Mecklenburg]] and [[Holstein]] in northern [[Germany]] (see [[Polabian Slavs]]).<ref name="crusade-en">{{cite encyclopedia | last = Jensen | first = Carsten Selch | title = Abodrites | editor = Alan V. Murray | encyclopedia = The Crusades: An Encyclopedia | volume = 1 | pages = 3 | publisher = [[ABC-CLIO]] | location = [[Santa Barbara, California|Santa Barbara]] | year = 2006 | url = http://lukashevichus.info/knigi/murray_crusades_encycl.pdf | oclc = 70122512}}</ref> For decades, they were allies of [[Charlemagne]] in his wars against the Germanic [[Saxons]] and the Slavic [[Veleti]]. The Obotrites under Prince [[Thrasco (Obotrite prince)|Thrasco]] defeated the [[Saxons]] in the [[Battle of Bornhöved (798)]]. The still-[[Germanic paganism|Pagan]] Saxons were dispersed by the emperor, and the part of their former land in [[Holstein]] north of [[Elbe]] was awarded to the Obotrites in 804, as a reward for their victory. This however was soon reverted through an invasion of the [[Danes]]. The Obotrite regnal style was abolished in 1167, when [[Pribislav of Mecklenburg|Pribislav]] was restored to power by Duke [[Henry the Lion]], as Prince of Mecklenburg, thereby founding the Germanized [[House of Mecklenburg]].