Henry of Badewide
Encyclopedia
Henry of Badewide (died ca. 1164) was a Saxon
Count of Botwide (after 1149) and Count of Ratzeburg
(after 1156).
Henry came from a knightly family from Lüneburg
. He took his name from Bode near Ebstorf
. He married a relative of King Valdemar I of Denmark
and had two brothers, Helmold and Volrad; the latter was not, as often supposed, the first Count of Dannenberg.
After replacing Henry the Proud as Duke of Saxony
in 1138, Albert the Bear made Henry a Graf
(count) of Holstein
, but Henry was soon replaced by Adolf II
. Gertrude of Süpplingenburg granted Henry a claim to Wagria to the east of Holstein. In response to a raid by the Obotrite
prince Pribislav
, Henry led a campaign into Wagria against the Polabian Slavs
. The lands around Plön
, Lütjenburg
, and Oldenburg
were laid waste, as was the region between the Schwale
, the Baltic Sea
, and the Trave
. The campaign failed to capture any of the strong castles, however. A campaign in 1139 killed much of the population and captured Plön.
Henry feuded with Count Adolf II of Schauenburg
over Holstein
and Wagria. In 1143 Duke Henry the Lion
mediated between the two counts, granting Wagria and Segeberg
to Adolf. Henry was granted Polabia and Ratzeburg
. The newly-created County of Ratzenburg included Ratzeburg, Boitin, Gadebusch
, Wittenburg
, and Boizenburg
. The count pursued a policy of expelling the native Slavs and inviting Westphalia
ns to settle in the conquered territory.
Henry received the titles Comes Polaborum (1154), Graf von Ratzeburg (1156), and Vogt
von Ratzeburg (1162). He was succeeded by his son, Bernard I, Count of Ratzeburg.
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
Count of Botwide (after 1149) and Count of Ratzeburg
Ratzeburg
Ratzeburg is a town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is surrounded by four lakes—the resulting isthmuses between the lakes form the access lanes to the town. Ratzeburg is the capital of the Kreis of Lauenburg.-History:...
(after 1156).
Henry came from a knightly family from Lüneburg
Lüneburg
Lüneburg is a town in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is located about southeast of fellow Hanseatic city Hamburg. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, and one of Hamburg's inner suburbs...
. He took his name from Bode near Ebstorf
Ebstorf
Ebstorf is a municipality in the district of Uelzen, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 12 km northwest of Uelzen, and 25 km south of Lüneburg....
. He married a relative of King Valdemar I of Denmark
Valdemar I of Denmark
Valdemar I of Denmark , also known as Valdemar the Great, was King of Denmark from 1157 until 1182.-Biography:...
and had two brothers, Helmold and Volrad; the latter was not, as often supposed, the first Count of Dannenberg.
After replacing Henry the Proud as Duke of Saxony
Duchy of Saxony
The medieval Duchy of Saxony was a late Early Middle Ages "Carolingian stem duchy" covering the greater part of Northern Germany. It covered the area of the modern German states of Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saxony-Anhalt and most of Schleswig-Holstein...
in 1138, Albert the Bear made Henry a Graf
Graf
Graf is a historical German noble title equal in rank to a count or a British earl...
(count) of Holstein
Holstein
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
, but Henry was soon replaced by Adolf II
Adolf II of Holstein
Adolf II was the Count of Schauenburg and Holstein from 1130 until his death, though he was briefly out of Holstein from 1137 until 1142. He succeeded his father Adolf I under the regency of his mother, Hildewa....
. Gertrude of Süpplingenburg granted Henry a claim to Wagria to the east of Holstein. In response to a raid by the Obotrite
Obotrites
The Obotrites , also commonly known as the Obodrites, Abotrites, or Abodrites, were a confederation of medieval West Slavic tribes within the territory of modern Mecklenburg and Holstein in northern Germany . For decades they were allies of Charlemagne in his wars against Germanic Saxons and Slavic...
prince Pribislav
Pribislav (Wagrian prince)
Pribislav was a 12th century prince of the West Slavic Obotrites with his power base in Wagria.Pribislav was the son of Budivoj...
, Henry led a campaign into Wagria against the Polabian Slavs
Polabian Slavs
Polabian Slavs - is a collective term applied to a number of Lechites tribes who lived along the Elbe river, between the Baltic Sea to the north, the Saale and the Limes Saxoniae to the west, the Ore Mountains and the Western Sudetes to the south, and Poland to the east. They have also been known...
. The lands around Plön
Plön
Plön is the district seat of the Plön district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and has about 13,000 inhabitants. It lies right on the shores of Schleswig-Holstein's biggest lake, the Great Plön Lake, as well as on several smaller lakes, touching the town on virtually all sides...
, Lütjenburg
Lütjenburg
Luetjenburg is a town of the district of Ploen, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is located approx. northeast of Ploen, and east of Kiel.-History:thumb|left|Lütjenburg um 1895...
, and Oldenburg
Oldenburg (Holstein)
Oldenburg in Holstein is a town at the southwestern shore of the Baltic Sea. The nearest city is Lübeck. The town belongs to the region of Holstein, today in the state Schleswig-Holstein of Germany....
were laid waste, as was the region between the Schwale
Schwale
Schwale is a river of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.-See also:*List of rivers of Schleswig-Holstein...
, the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
, and the Trave
Trave
The Trave is a river in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is approximately 124 kilometres long, running from its source near the village of Gießelrade in Ostholstein to Travemünde where it flows into the Baltic Sea. It passes through Bad Segeberg, Bad Oldesloe, and Lübeck, where it is linked to the...
. The campaign failed to capture any of the strong castles, however. A campaign in 1139 killed much of the population and captured Plön.
Henry feuded with Count Adolf II of Schauenburg
Adolf II of Holstein
Adolf II was the Count of Schauenburg and Holstein from 1130 until his death, though he was briefly out of Holstein from 1137 until 1142. He succeeded his father Adolf I under the regency of his mother, Hildewa....
over Holstein
Holstein
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
and Wagria. In 1143 Duke Henry the Lion
Henry the Lion
Henry the Lion was a member of the Welf dynasty and Duke of Saxony, as Henry III, from 1142, and Duke of Bavaria, as Henry XII, from 1156, which duchies he held until 1180....
mediated between the two counts, granting Wagria and Segeberg
Segeberg
Segeberg is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Pinneberg, Steinburg and Rendsburg-Eckernförde, the city of Neumünster, the districts of Plön, Ostholstein and Stormarn, and the city state of Hamburg.-History:The history of the district is connected with the...
to Adolf. Henry was granted Polabia and Ratzeburg
Ratzeburg
Ratzeburg is a town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is surrounded by four lakes—the resulting isthmuses between the lakes form the access lanes to the town. Ratzeburg is the capital of the Kreis of Lauenburg.-History:...
. The newly-created County of Ratzenburg included Ratzeburg, Boitin, Gadebusch
Gadebusch
Gadebusch is a town in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, in the district Nordwestmecklenburg, half-way between Lübeck and Schwerin.The town is known for two notable monuments: the Stadtkirche , built in 1220, considered the oldest brick church in Mecklenburg, and the Schloss , built in 1580-1583...
, Wittenburg
Wittenburg
Wittenburg is a town in the district Ludwigslust-Parchim in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Population 5570, area 46.25 km². Wittenburg should not be confused with the much bigger Wittenberg....
, and Boizenburg
Boizenburg
Boizenburg is a municipality in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Elbe, 53 km west of Ludwigslust, 25 km northeast of Lüneburg and 50 km east of Hamburg. Old Town is connected to the Elbe via a harbor...
. The count pursued a policy of expelling the native Slavs and inviting Westphalia
Westphalia
Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...
ns to settle in the conquered territory.
Henry received the titles Comes Polaborum (1154), Graf von Ratzeburg (1156), and Vogt
Vogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
von Ratzeburg (1162). He was succeeded by his son, Bernard I, Count of Ratzeburg.