Pribislaw I, Lord of Parchim-Richenberg (between 15 February and 3 June 1224 – after 12 February 1275), was Lord of Parchim-Richenberg from 1238 to 1256. He was the youngest son of Prince Henry Borwin II, Lord of Mecklenburg of Mecklenburg. When his father died, Pribislaw and his three brothers divided Mecklenburg; Pribislaw received the Lordship of Parchim-Richberg. As he was still a minor, his brother

John I John I may refer to: People Religious figures * John I (bishop of Jerusalem) * John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople * John I of Antioch (died 441) * Pope John I of Alexandria, Coptic Pope from 496 to 505 * Pope John I, P ...

acted as his guardian and regent until 1238, and he was raised at John I's court. He came of age in 1238 and moved into Parchim Castle. His Lordship included the dominions of

Parchim Parchim (; Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch dialect, Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch: ''Parchen'') is a town in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is the capital of the Ludwigslust-Parchim district. It was the birthplace of Helmuth von Moltke the Elde ...

(including Brenz and Rosengarten) and Ture, the bailiwicks of Plau, Goldberg, Sternberg and Richenberg (near

Langen Brütz Langen Brütz is a municipality in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea ...

on the river

Warnow The Warnow () is a river in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany. It flows into the Baltic Sea near the town of Rostock Rostock (; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Roztoc''), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock ( ...

). He soon came into a border dispute with the Count of

Schwerin Schwerin (; Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch dialect, Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch Low German: ''Swerin''; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Zwierzyn''; Latin: ''Suerina'', ''Suerinum'') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Germ ...

, who forced him to hand over Brenz and Neustadt-Glewe. After this feud, he managed to stabilize the economy of his territory by founding the cities of Goldberg and Sternberg and stimulating Jews to settle in Parchim. In 1248, he granted city rights to Goldberg and Sternberg. In 1240, he founded ''Parchimer Neustadt'' on the west bank of the

Elde The Elde () is a river in northern Germany (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and a few km in Brandenburg), a right tributary of the Elbe. Its total length is . The Elde originates near Altenhof, south of Malchow. It first flows southeast towards the south ...

. In 1246, he brought members of the

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

Order into Parchim. In 1248, he moved his residence to the newly constructed Richenberg Castle, on the

near the village of Kritzow. Pribislaw twice came into a dispute with Bishop Rudolph I of

, once about the payment of

tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Modern tithes are normally voluntary and paid in money, cash, cheques or v ...

s and once when Rudolph constructed a castle too close to the border, in Bützow. Pribislaw felt threatened by the caste. He burned it down and took Rudolph prisoner and locked him up in the dungeon of Richenberg Castle. He demanded a modest ransom, which the bishopric soon paid. Rudolph was released and then tried every means to overthrow Pribislaw. Pribislaw was

outlaw An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them. ...

ed and

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular those of being in communion with other members of the con ...

. In 1255, Pribislaw was taken prisoner and handed over to Rudolph. His was removed from power and his territory was divided among his brothers and his brother-in-law, the Count of Schwerin. Pribislaw went into exile in Pomerania, where he received the Lordship of

Białogard Białogard (; ; Pomeranian language, Pomeranian: ''Biôłogard'') is a historic town in Middle Pomerania, northwestern Poland, with 23,614 inhabitants as of December 2021. The capital of Białogard County in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. Bi ...

as compensation. When Rudolph died in 1262, Pribislaw hoped that he would be reinstated, but his brothers refused this. In 1270, Pribislaw renounced his claims to Parchim-Richenberg and returned to Białogard, where he died after 12 February 1275

Marriages and issue

Pribislaw married twice. His first wife was a daughter of Richard of Friesack; his second wife was probably a daughter of Duke

Barnim I Barnim I the Good ( 1217/1219 – 13 November 1278), from the Griffin dynasty, was a Duke of Pomerania (''ducis Slauorum et Cassubie'') from 1220 until his death. Life Son of Duke Bogislaw II and Miroslava of Pomerelia, he succeeded to the Duc ...

of Pomerania. He had a daughter and a son, Pribislaw II, who was Lord of

from 1270 to 1316.

References

Wilhelm Gottlieb Beyer: ''Urkundliche Geschichte des Fürsten Pribislav I. von Parchim-Richenberg und seiner Nachkommen''
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External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pribislaw 01 Lords of Mecklenburg 1224 births 13th-century deaths Year of death uncertain 13th-century German nobility