PC: Wendish State in Pommeramia?

B-29_Bomber

Banned
With a PoD in the 11th Century, what's the potential for a Wendish state to begin to develop and avoid being conquered by Ze Germans?

Clearly they'd have to convert to Catholicism as a minimum.
 
I consider an 11th century POD to be a little too late, as a German protectorate over much of the Wendish lands was already in evidence for some time before then (even if it was temporarily rolled back after 983). Nevertheless, if you insist on that time period, your best bet is presumably the Obodrite princes doing really, really well, but I'm not very enthusiastic about their chances of success because of how clearly fractious the Wendish tribes were at that time. The emperor and the kings of Poland and Denmark were repeatedly able to divide the Wends against one another, and the murder of prince Gottschalk by "his own" countrymen should tell you all you need to know about the challenges facing such a would-be unifier.

The main strategic problem is German dominance. Wendland is at the confluence of three substantial Christian kingdoms - Germany, Denmark, and Poland - and might have the potential to stay independent if it was able to play these kingdoms off one another, e.g. side with the Danes against the Germans, or the Germans against the Poles, and so on. This happened to an extent, but the HRE became so much more powerful than the other two kingdoms that it did not remain an equal contest. Both the Danish and Polish rulers acknowledged imperial suzerainty under the Ottonians, albeit not without a fight. After that, while the Wends might survive in the breach for a time (and did so), their long-term fate was sealed.
 
A Wendish state in I guess Pommerania, Pommeralia, Mecklenburg and Brandenburg could very well end up in a Bohemia-like relationship with the Empire. They might become a second Imperial Fief with a hereditary Royal Crown. However it won't prevent Germans, Dutch, Flemish, Poles and Danes from moving, in part invited by the local rulers, which at the time was a common way to develop regions. I do agree, that for a ruler to accomplish that, would be quite a feat, since local opposition will grow, and they will get aid from the Empire, Poland and Denmark.

Also the local ruling houses of Mecklenburg and Pommerania even stayed in power after said take over, so it not as clear cut, in fact the house of Mecklenburg (Niklotiden) still exists today. Sure they adopted much from the dominant culture in the Empire (which was not exclusively German, as far as German as we know it was a thing), but they like Poland, Hungary etc. adopted elements from the broader Catholic Western European culture (which at it's core had the former Carolingian Empire and England).
 

ATP45

Banned
With a PoD in the 11th Century, what's the potential for a Wendish state to begin to develop and avoid being conquered by Ze Germans?

Clearly they'd have to convert to Catholicism as a minimum.
Highly unlikly.Obodrite state was quite succesful,but they come back tobeing pagans and was conqered after 1147.If they remain catholic,then they would survive at least to Reformation.Wendish people,unfortunatelly was democratic.They hed no prince,but was ruled by pagan priests.There was not chance for them to survive. But Obodrites? Yes,that could work.Their first kings was made by Charlemagne after all.
 

BigBlueBox

Banned
With a PoD in the 11th Century, what's the potential for a Wendish state to begin to develop and avoid being conquered by Ze Germans?

Clearly they'd have to convert to Catholicism as a minimum.
Surviving long enough to get puppeted by Poland or some Nordic country.
 
With a PoD in the 11th Century, what's the potential for a Wendish state to begin to develop and avoid being conquered by Ze Germans?

Clearly they'd have to convert to Catholicism as a minimum.
Slaves even used to settle in the West of what is now modern Federal Rebublic Germany during medival times.
 
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