- Battle of Verchen
The Battle of Verchen ( _de. Schlacht bei Verchen) was a
battle betweenSaxons and West SlavicObotrites on6 July 1164 .The Obotrites were attacked by Saxons and
Danes in 1160, resulting in the death of the Obotrite prince,Niklot , and the partition of the Obotrite lands. Niklot's son Pribislav rose in revolt in 1163, capturing the castles ofMalchow andQuetzin .The army of Duke
Henry the Lion of Saxony was concentrated atVerchen nearDemmin and consisted of troops from Saxony,Holstein ,Dithmarschen , andFrisia . The Christian army was also assisted by a fleet from King Valdemar the Great ofDenmark . They were opposed by a force of Slavs led by Pribislav and thePomeranian dukes Bogislaw I and Casimir I.The outcome of the resulting bloody battle with the Slavs was in doubt, although the Christian lords were eventually victorious. Slavic casualties amounted to 2,500, while the Saxon Count of Holstein, Adolf II, fell in battle.
The land of the Obotrites was ravaged by the campaign and many inhabitants, including Pribislav, fled to Pomerania.
References
*cite book|last=Herrmann|first=Joachim|authorlink=|title=Die Slawen in Deutschland|year=1970|publisher=Akademie-Verlag GmbH|location=Berlin|pages=530|isbn=
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