Udo (or Uto) (died 1028), born Pribignev (also ''Pribignew'' or ''Pribygnev''), was an
Obodrite leader in the early eleventh century. His name Udo, of
Germanic origin, was probably given him at his
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
baptism
Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...
, perhaps after his possible godfather,
Lothair Udo I of Stade. Udo's father,
Mistislaw
Mistislaw, also known as Mstislav (died after 1018), was an Wends, Elbe Slavic Fürst, prince of the Nakonids, Nakonid lineage and ruled over the Obotrites in what is now Mecklenburg and eastern Holstein from 990/995 to 1018.
The Nakonids were am ...
, escaped in 1018 from a pagan Slavic uprising to Luneburg.
Since two contemporary Obodrite princes are recorded, Anadrag (Anatrog) and Gneus (Gnew), Udo's power could not have been that extensive. According to
Adam of Bremen
Adam of Bremen (; ; before 1050 – 12 October 1081/1085) was a German medieval chronicler. He lived and worked in the second half of the eleventh century. Adam is most famous for his chronicle '' Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum'' ('' ...
and
Helmold following him, Udo was a ''male Christianus'' ("bad Christian"). He was assassinated in 1028 by a
Saxon
The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...
, allegedly for cruelty. By his wife, a
Dane, Udo left a son,
Gottschalk, who later united the Obodrites under him and became a champion of Christianity.
1028 deaths
Obotrite princes
Year of birth unknown
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