Tetzlav, also known as ''Tezlaw'', ''Tetzlaw'' and ''Tetislaw'' (before 1163 – between 1170 and 1181) was a
Prince of Rügen.
Life
According to the
Pomerania
Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...
n chronicler,
Thomas Kantzow, he was a son of the
Rani
''Rani'' () is a female title, equivalent to queen, for royal or princely rulers in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It translates to 'queen' in English. It is also a Sanskrit Hindu feminine given name. The term applies equally to a ...
king,
Ratislaus of Rügen (1105−1140). Even before the first recorded mention of Tetzlav in 1164 as King of the island territory of
Rügen
Rügen (; Rani: ''Rȯjana'', ''Rāna''; , ) 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 ci ...
by the writer,
Saxo Grammaticus
Saxo Grammaticus (), 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 Denmark. He is the author ...
, the Rani tribe were the object of several campaigns by the Danish king,
Valdemar I and the Saxon duke,
Henry the Lion. Tetzlav and his co-regent brother,
Jaromar, had to acknowledge the
suzerainty
A suzerain (, from Old French "above" + "supreme, chief") is a person, state (polity)">state or polity who has supremacy and dominant influence over the foreign policy">polity.html" ;"title="state (polity)">state or polity">state (polity)">st ...
of their conquerors each time. For example, they took part in 1162 in Valdemar's military campaign against
Wolgast
Wolgast () is a town in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the bank of the river (or strait) Peenestrom, vis-a-vis the island of Usedom on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast that can be accessed ...
and in 1163 in the consecration of
Lübeck Cathedral by Henry the Lion.
After the Danes under Valdemar I and Bishop
Absalon of Roskilde conquered the
Jaromarsburg in 1168, Tetzlav and Jaromar surrendered their main residence and temple site at
Charenza, following negotiations, without a fight. By recognizing the suzerainty of the Danish king and converting to Christianity, they secured their lordship over Rügen. This was manifested in particular through the disempowerment of the
Sventovit priests who hitherto had enjoyed the status of secular rulers. Tetzlav was henceforth called the Prince of Rügen. As
vassal
A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...
s of the Danes, the Rani soon took part in military expeditions again against the
Pomeranians, including the siege of
Stettin
Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major seaport, the largest city of northwestern Poland, and se ...
by Valdemar I in 1170.
In 1170 Tetzlav is mentioned for the last time in the written records.
[Whether Tetzlav and his presumed son, Dubislav (Dubislaw) went back to Wittow and founded the families of ''von '' or ''von der '', resident there, is not recorded.] In 1181 his brother, Jaromar I, became the sole Prince of Rügen. The street ''Tetzlawstraße'' in
Stralsund
Stralsund (; Swedish language, Swedish: ''Strålsund''), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Stralsund (German language, German: ''Hansestadt Stralsund''), is the fifth-largest city in the northeastern German federal state of Mecklen ...
is named after him.
References
Further reading
*
*Joachim Wächter: "Das Fürstentum Rügen − Ein Überblick". In ''Beiträge zur Geschichte Vorpommerns: die Demminer Kolloquien 1985–1994''.
Thomas Helms Verlag
The Thomas Helms Verlag is a specialist publisher for North German culture, monument preservation, local and regional history, history, church and art history and is based in Schwerin in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
History
In 1994, the publi ...
, Schwerin, 1997, .
External links
The Vitzlavs − the Slavic princely house of Rügen Private homepage of Jens Ruge.
Information about Pomerania at the time of Bogislav I at the private homepag
The Greifen. The ducal line of Pomeraniaof Udo Madsen.
{{Authority control
Princes of Rügen
12th-century births
12th-century deaths