Charenza, also Karentia or Karenz, later also Gharense, was a medieval ''
Slavic burgwall'' on the island of
Rügen
Rügen (; la, Rugia, ) is Germany's largest island. It is located off the Pomeranian coast in the Baltic Sea and belongs to the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
The "gateway" to Rügen island is the Hanseatic city of Stralsund, w ...
in the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and fr ...
. It was the administrative centre of the
Rani tribe and of the
Principality of Rugia. Today, the remnants are called Venz Castle (German: ''Venzer Burgwall'').
Name
The name Charenza (also spelt ''Karentia'' or ''Karenz'') may be derived from an old personal name, ''Chareta'', or from the Rani word for "root", ''Koreta''. In its original form, the name was Korenitsa.
Temples
Charenza was not only the administrative hub of the
Rani tribe, but also a religious centre with the temples of
Rugievit
Rugiaevit, Rugievit () or Ruyevit is a god of the Slavic Rani worshipped on Rügen, mentioned in only two sources: '' Gesta Danorum'' and in '' Knýtlinga saga''. His temple, along with those of Porevit and Porenut, was located in the gord of Ch ...
,
Porevit and
Porenut. The main religious centre of the Rani, however, was
Arkona on
Wittow.
Danish conquest
In 1168, King
Valdemar I of
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establishe ...
and his archbishop
Absalon
Absalon (21 March 1201) was a Danish statesman and prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the bishop of Roskilde from 1158 to 1192 and archbishop of Lund from 1178 until his death. He was the foremost politician and church father of Denmar ...
captured Arkona. Charenza surrendered a few days later after negotiations with the Rugian princes
Tetzlav and
Jaromar I. The temples were destroyed, the princes agreed to become Danish vassals and the population adopted the Christian faith. In 1180, the administrative centre of the
Principality of Rugia was moved to
Rugard (today
Bergen auf Rügen
Bergen auf Rügen is the capital of the former district of Rügen in the middle of the island of Rügen in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. Since 1 January 2005, Bergen has moreover been the administrative seat of the '' Amt'' of Bergen ...
, just a few kilometres to the southeast).
Records
In the 12th century, Charenza was mentioned by
Saxo Grammaticus
Saxo Grammaticus (c. 1150 – c. 1220), also known as Saxo cognomine Longus, was a Danish historian, theologian and author. He is thought to have been a clerk or secretary to Absalon, Archbishop of Lund, the main advisor to Valdemar I of Denma ...
and
Helmold von Bosau.
The last records are from the early 13th century. When the Danish king raised money to build 12 churches on
Rügen
Rügen (; la, Rugia, ) is Germany's largest island. It is located off the Pomeranian coast in the Baltic Sea and belongs to the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
The "gateway" to Rügen island is the Hanseatic city of Stralsund, w ...
, one of them was the ''capelle nostre in Charenz'', which in 1232 was granted the village of
Gagern as a fief. In 1234, when the Rugian prince
Vitslav I granted
Lübeck law
The Lübeck law (german: Lübisches (Stadt)Recht) was the family of codified municipal law developed at Lübeck, which became a free imperial city in 1226 and is located in present day Schleswig-Holstein. It was the second most prevalent form of ...
to
Stralsund
Stralsund (; Swedish: ''Strålsund''), officially the Hanseatic City of Stralsund ( German: ''Hansestadt Stralsund''), is the fifth-largest city in the northeastern German federal state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania after Rostock, Schwerin, ...
, the document was signed in Charenza. The last record mentioning Charenza was in 1237. In the 14th century, "Gharense" was mentioned as belonging to the parish of
Gingst.
Coordinates
Older research located Charenza at
Garz (), while newer studies locate Charenza near Venz (
Trent community, ), the supposed site of Gharense, which also fits the hints given in the ''
Gesta Danorum
''Gesta Danorum'' ("Deeds of the Danes") is a patriotic work of Danish history, by the 12th-century author Saxo Grammaticus ("Saxo the Literate", literally "the Grammarian"). It is the most ambitious literary undertaking of medieval Denmark and ...
'' of
Saxo Grammaticus
Saxo Grammaticus (c. 1150 – c. 1220), also known as Saxo cognomine Longus, was a Danish historian, theologian and author. He is thought to have been a clerk or secretary to Absalon, Archbishop of Lund, the main advisor to Valdemar I of Denma ...
for Charenza's location.
Sources
*Kratzke, Reimann, Ruchhöft: ''Garz und Rugendahl auf Rügen im Mittelalter.'' In: ''Baltische Studien 2004 – Pommersche Jahrbücher für Landesgeschichte.'' Neue Folge Bd. 90, Verlag Ludwig, Kiel 2005, pp. 25–52,
*Sven Wichert: ''Beobachtungen zu Karentia auf Rügen im Mittelalter.'' In: ''Baltische Studien 2005 – Pommersche Jahrbücher für Landesgeschichte.'' Neue Folge Bd. 91, Verlag Ludwig, Kiel 2006, pp. 31–38, {{ISBN, 3-937719-35-0
External links
Garz Castle
Principality of Rügen
Early Slavic archaeology