The Battle of Stellau was a battle that took place in the year 1201 near the village of Stellau, now part of Barsbüttel

Barsbüttel

Barsbüttel is a municipality in the district of Stormarn, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated right east of Hamburg.Since 1973 the township consists of four parts: Barsbüttel , Willinghusen, Stemwarde and Stellau.-Twin towns:...

, near Wrist

Wrist, Germany

Wrist is a municipality in the district of Steinburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.- Geography :Wrist is situated 2 kilometres south east of Kellinghusen on the main railway line from Hamburg to Kiel. The Bundesstraße 206 passes Wrist. It is connected with the Bundesautobahn 7 in the east. The...

, in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein

Schleswig-Holstein

Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...

. A German army led by Count Adolf III of Holstein

Adolf III of Holstein

Adolf III, Count of Schauenburg and Holstein was the ruler of the Counties of Schauenburg and Holstein. He is particularly remembered for his establishment of a new settlement for traders on the banks of the Alster near the Neue Burg in Hamburg.- Descent :Adolf III was the only son of Count Adolf...

 fought a Danish

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

 army under King Canute VI of Denmark

Canute VI of Denmark

Canute VI was King of Denmark . Canute VI was the eldest son of King Valdemar I and Sophia of Polotsk.-Life:...

. Duke Valdemar of Schleswig

Valdemar II of Denmark

Valdemar II , called Valdemar the Victorious or Valdemar the Conqueror , was the King of Denmark from 1202 until his death in 1241. The nickname Sejr is a later invention and was not used during the King's own lifetime...

, supporting the interests of his brother, the Danish King, defeated Adolf.

History

After Adolf III of Holstein returned to Europe from the Third Crusade

Third Crusade

The Third Crusade , also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin...

 in 1197, a disagreement between him and the Danish King Canute VI broke out on the island of Rügen

Rügen

Rügen is Germany's largest island. Located in the Baltic Sea, it is part of the Vorpommern-Rügen district of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.- Geography :Rügen is located off the north-eastern coast of Germany in the Baltic Sea...

 in 1200, followed by an armed conflict in Dithmarschen

Dithmarschen

Dithmarschen is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Nordfriesland, Schleswig-Flensburg, Rendsburg-Eckernförde, and Steinburg, by the state of Lower Saxony , and by the North Sea.-Geography:The district is located on the North Sea...

.

Duke Valdemar of Schleswig ordered his army to prepare for war and side with Denmark, ruled by his brother. Adolf led his German army to battle in Stellau and crushed the Danes. However, when Adolf and his forces pulled back toward the city of Hamburg

Hamburg

-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...

, he was besieged, defeated, and captured by Valdemar.

In 1202, Valdemar of Schleswig became King Valdemar II of Denmark. His imprisonment of Adolf continued until 1203, when due to an illness, he was freed by the new king on the condition that he waive all claims to Holstein

Holstein

Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....

. Adolf withdrew to his castle in Schauenburg

Schauenburg

Schaumburg and Schauenburg are the two versions of the name of a regional German dynasty.The usage is scattered, historically as well as locally:* Schaumburg, a district and former county in Lower Saxony*Schauenburg, Hesse, a municipality in Germany...

, where he remained until his death in 1225.

After this battle, Valdemar acquired the nicknamed "the Conqueror," and maintained his hegemony over the north German coast, including Holstein. His authority continued until the Battle of Bornhöved

Battle of Bornhöved (1227)

The Battle of Bornhöved took place on 22 July 1227 near Bornhöved in Holstein. Count Adolf IV of Schauenburg and Holstein — leading an army consisting of troops from the cities of Lübeck and Hamburg, about 1000 Dithmarsians and combined troops of Holstein next to various north German nobles —...

 in 1227, where he was defeated by Adolf IV of Holstein

Adolf IV of Holstein

Adolf IV , was a Count of Schauenburg and of Holstein , of the family of the Schauenburger. Adolf was the eldest son of Adolf III of Schauenburg and Holstein by his second wife, Adelheid of Querfurt....

, the son of Adolf III.

A Romanesque

Romanesque architecture

Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...

stone church consecrated in 1230 by Archbishop Gebhard II of Bremen now marks the historic battle site in Stellau.

Sources

• Detlev von Liliencron, Die Schlacht bei Stellau 1201, Projekt Gutenberg–DE, accessed 24 July 2006 (German)