Werle
Encyclopedia
Werle was a fiefdom
, or Herrschaft
in German, in the Holy Roman Empire
that was founded in 1235. It was created in the partition of territories in Mecklenburg
that followed the death of Henry Borwin II of Mecklenburg (died 1226).
The royal (fürstlich in German) House of Werle was a spur line of the House of Mecklenburg
line of the Obotrites
. The Fiefdom of Werle lay in the area around Güstrow
in today's Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
, Germany
, and stretched eastward to Müritz
. It was named after the then-capital Werle, now a village in the municipality Kassow
, Rostock district
.
The fiefdom collapsed several times into separate dominions. In 1277 it was divided among the sons of the first lord, or Herr
in German, into Werle-Güstrow and Werle-Parchim. In 1307, both were reunited by Nicholas II, but they were divided again in 1316 into Werle-Güstrow and Werle-Goldberg. In 1337, Werle-Waren split off from the Werle-Güstrow line. With the death of the William
, the last lord on September 7, 1436, the fiefdom once again reverted to Mecklenburg. The title of Lord of Werle was thenceforth carried by all rulers of Mecklenburg. Werle is represented in one of the seven fields of the coat of arms of Mecklenburg.
Fiefdom
A fee was the central element of feudalism and consisted of heritable lands granted under one of several varieties of feudal tenure by an overlord to a vassal who held it in fealty in return for a form of feudal allegiance and service, usually given by the...
, or Herrschaft
Herrschaft (territory)
In the German feudal system, a Herrschaft or Herrlichkeit was the fiefdom of a lord, who in this area exercised his full feudal rights...
in German, in the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
that was founded in 1235. It was created in the partition of territories in Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
that followed the death of Henry Borwin II of Mecklenburg (died 1226).
The royal (fürstlich in German) House of Werle was a spur line of the House of Mecklenburg
House of Mecklenburg
The House of Mecklenburg is a North German dynasty of West Slavic origin that ruled until 1918.- Origins :Niklot was a lord of the Wendish tribe of Obotrites. When the Holy Roman Empire expanded eastwards, notably to the coast of Baltic in 13th century, a portion of Obotrite lords allied with...
line of the Obotrites
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...
. The Fiefdom of Werle lay in the area around Güstrow
Güstrow
Güstrow is a town in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany the capital of the district of Güstrow. It has a population of 30,500 and is the seventh largest town in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Since 2006 Güstrow has the official suffix Barlachstadt.-Geography:The town of Güstrow is located...
in today's Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is a federal state in northern Germany. The capital city is Schwerin...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and stretched eastward to Müritz
Müritz
Müritz is a former Kreis in the southern part of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is named after the lake Müritz. Neighboring districts were Demmin, Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the district-free city Neubrandenburg, the district Ostprignitz-Ruppin in Brandenburg, Parchim and Güstrow...
. It was named after the then-capital Werle, now a village in the municipality Kassow
Kassow
Kassow is a municipality in the Rostock district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany....
, Rostock district
Rostock (district)
Rostock is a district in the north of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is bounded by the district Nordwestmecklenburg, the Baltic Sea, the district-free city Rostock and the districts Vorpommern-Rügen, Mecklenburgische Seenplatte and Ludwigslust-Parchim...
.
The fiefdom collapsed several times into separate dominions. In 1277 it was divided among the sons of the first lord, or Herr
Herr
-People:* John Knowles Herr, American general officer* Lois Herr, American politician* Traugott Herr , German general-Other:* Herr, Indiana, United States* H.E.R.R., a Dutch band* Herr's Snacks, a Pennsylvania-based snack food and potato chip maker...
in German, into Werle-Güstrow and Werle-Parchim. In 1307, both were reunited by Nicholas II, but they were divided again in 1316 into Werle-Güstrow and Werle-Goldberg. In 1337, Werle-Waren split off from the Werle-Güstrow line. With the death of the William
William of Werle
William of Werle , was co-regent of Werle from 1418 to 1425, then the sole ruler from 1425 until his death. After 1426, he called himself "Prince of the Wends"...
, the last lord on September 7, 1436, the fiefdom once again reverted to Mecklenburg. The title of Lord of Werle was thenceforth carried by all rulers of Mecklenburg. Werle is represented in one of the seven fields of the coat of arms of Mecklenburg.
List of lords
- Nicholas I Lord of Werle (1227–1277) (son of Henry Borwin II of Mecklenburg)
- Henry I, Lord of Werle-Güstrow (1277–1291) (son of Nicholas I)
- John I, Lord of Werle-Parchim (1277–1283) (son of Nicholas I)
- Bernard I, Lord of Werle (d. 1286) (son of Nicholas I)
- Henry II, Lord of Werle in Penzlin, (1291–1307) (son of Henry I)
- Nicholas II, Lord of Werle (1283–1316) (son of John I)
- John IIJohn II of WerleJohn II, Lord of Werle[-Güstrow] nicknamed The Bald , was from 1309 to 1316 co-regent of Werle and from 1316 to 1337 Lord of Werle-Güstrow. He was the second eldest son of John I of Werle and Sophie of Lindau-Ruppin....
, Lord of Werle-Güstrow (1316–1337) (son of John I) - John III, Lord of Werle-Goldberg (1316–1350), d. 1352 (son of Nicholas II)
- Nicholas IIINicholas III of WerleNicholas III, Lord of Werle[-Güstrow], nicknamed Staveleke , was from 1337 to 1360 to Lord of Werle-Güstrow. He was the eldest son of John II of Werle-Güstrow and Matilda of Brunswick....
, Lord of Werle-Güstrow (1337–1360) (son of John II) - Bernard IIBernard II of WerleBernhard II, Lord of Werle [-Güstrow] was from 1339 to 1347 to Lord of Werle-Güstrow, from 1347 to 1382 to Lord of Werle-Waren and from 1374 also Lord of Werle-Goldberg....
, Lord of Werle-Waren (1337–1382) (son of John II) - Nicholas IVNicholas IV of WerleNicholas IV, Lord of Werle[-Goldberg], nicknamed Poogenoge was from 1350 to 1354 to Lord of Werle-Goldberg....
, Lord of Werle-Goldberg (1350–1354) (son of John III) - LorenzLorenz of WerleLorenz, Lord of Werle-Güstrow was Lord of Werle-Güstrow from 1360 to 1393 . He was the eldest son of Nicholas III, Lord of Werle-Güstrow and Agnes of Mecklenburg....
, Lord of Werle-Güstrow (1360–1393) (son of Nicholas III) - John VJohn V of WerleLord John V of Werle[-Güstrow] was co-regent of Werle-Güstrow from 1365 until his death.He was the youngest son of Nicholas III Werle-Güstrow and his wife Agnes....
, Lord of Werle-Güstrow (1360–1377) (son of Nicholas III) - John VI, Lord of Werle-Waren (1382–1385/95) (son of Bernard II)
- John IV, Lord of Werle-Goldberg (1354–1374) (son of Nicholas IV)
- BalthasarBalthasar of WerleBalthasar, Lord of Werle-Güstrow was Lord of Werle-Güstrow from 1393 or 1394 to 1421 and Prince of Wenden from 1418. He was the eldest son of Lorenz of Werle and Matilda of Werle-Goldberg Balthasar, Lord of Werle-Güstrow (c. 1375 – 5 April 1421) was Lord of Werle-Güstrow from 1393 or 1394...
, Lord of Werle-Güstrow (1393–1421) (son of Lorenz) - John VIIJohn VII of WerleJohn VII of Werle-Güstrow was from 1395 to 1414 Lord of Werle-Güstrow. He was the second eldest son of Lorenz and Mechthild...
, Lord of Werle-Güstrow (1393–1414) (son of Lorenz) - WilliamWilliam of WerleWilliam of Werle , was co-regent of Werle from 1418 to 1425, then the sole ruler from 1425 until his death. After 1426, he called himself "Prince of the Wends"...
, Lord of Werle-Güstrow, Prince of the Wends (1393–1436) (son of Lorenz) - Nicholas VNicholas V of WerleLord Nicholas V of Werle [-Goldberg and -Waren] was Lord of Werle-Goldberg and Werle-Waren from 1385 until 1408. He was the son of John VI of Werle and Agnes, the daughter of Nicholas IV of Werle-Goldberg.He reigned jointly with his father and after his father's death, he ruled alone until 1401...
, Lord of Werle-Waren (1385/95–1408) (son of John VI) - Christoph, Lord of Werle-Waren (1385/95–1425) (son of John VI)
External links
- Regents of Mecklenburg, in the Tacitus Historical Atlas.
- This article was translated from the corresponding article on the German WikipediaGerman WikipediaThe German Wikipedia is the German-language edition of Wikipedia, a free and mostly publicly editable online encyclopedia.Founded in March 2001, it is the second-oldest and, with over articles, the second-largest edition of Wikipedia, behind the English Wikipedia...
on February 20, 2007. Corrections to the translation were made April 25, 2009 to reflect the terms Herrschaft, Herr and fürstlich (royal) used in the German article.