Wendish Crusade in the context of "Wagri"

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⭐ Core Definition: Wendish Crusade

The Wendish Crusade (German: Wendenkreuzzug) was a military campaign in 1147, one of the Northern Crusades, led primarily by the Kingdom of Germany within the Holy Roman Empire and directed against the Polabian Slavs (or "Wends"). The Wends were made up of the Slavic tribes of Abrotrites, Rani, Liutizians, Wagarians, and Pomeranians who lived east of the River Elbe in present-day northeast Germany and Poland.

The lands inhabited by the Wends were rich in resources, which played a factor in the motivations of those who participated in the crusade. The mild climate of the Baltic area allowed for the cultivation of land and livestock. Animals of this region were also thickly furred, supporting the dependence on fur trading. Access to the coastline also developed fishing and trade networks. The land was attractive for the resources it boasted, and the crusade offered an opportunity for noble families to gain part of it.

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Wendish Crusade in the context of Northern Crusades

The Northern Crusades or Baltic Crusades were military campaigns undertaken by Catholic Christian military orders and kingdoms in an effort to Christianize the pagan Baltic, Finnic, and West Slavic peoples around the southern and eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. In some cases, such as with the Wendish Crusade, the campaign was partly motivated to control the rich resources found in the lands.

The most notable of these campaigns were the Livonian and Prussian Crusades. Some of these wars were explicitly regarded, during the Middle Ages, as crusades; for example, the military venture against the Estonians—and the "other pagans in those parts"—authorized by Pope Alexander III's 1171 crusade bull, Non parum animus noster. However, others—such as the (possibly mythical) 12th-century First Swedish Crusade and several subsequent incursions, undertaken by Scandinavian Christians against the then-pagan Finns—were dubbed "crusades" only in the 19th century, by romantic nationalist historians.

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LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Northern Crusades
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
German language → Northern Crusades → Kingdom of Germany → Holy Roman Empire → Polabian Slavs → Wends → Obotrites → Rani (Slavic tribe) → Lutici → Wagri → Pomeranians (Slavic tribe) → Elbe →