Kruto
Encyclopedia
Kruto (died 1093), son of Grin or Grinus, was a prince of Wagria. James Westfall Thompson
believed his family belonged to the Rani
of Rugia.
Gottschalk, a Christian Obodrite prince who was married to the daughter of his Danish ally Sven Estridson, had subdued the Obodrite and some Lutician tribes in the 1050s. In 1066, Kruto succeeded in an uprising initiated by the Obodrite
nobility and supported by the Luticians, against Gottschalk and his Saxon dukes
Ordulf
and Magnus
. Gottschalk was slain, and his sons Budivoj
and Henry exiled to Saxony and Denmark. Kruto made his capital out of a large palisaded fortress at Buku, an island in the confluence of the Trave
and Wochnitz rivers and site of the later Lübeck
.
In 1074 or 1075, Budivoj, a son of Gottschalk, with a band of Holstein
ers sent by Magnus, attacked Kruto's stonghold at Plön
, which had been purposefully left undefended. The next day, it was surrounded by Slavic forces, who made the Saxons
surrender, after which they were massacred. Budivoj was killed.
Until his death in 1093, Nordalbingia
, including Holstein, Sturmaria, and Ditmarsch, was subject to his pagan rule. For decades, Magnus, Eric of Denmark
, and the margraves of the Northern March
(Udo II
, Henry I, and Udo III) struggled to subdue Kruto, but only Eric came close.
Kruto's principality was weak internally, however, because the vassal Slavs, such as the Liutizi, continued to elect their own chiefs subordinate to him. As well, the Christian Obodrites were secretly allied with the Saxons to bring about his downfall. At a banquet at which Kruto intended to kill Gottschalk's son Henry
, his guest, Henry and Kruto's wife Slavina instead killed him. Immediately after his death, Henry, a Christian Obodrite prince, led a combined Slav-Saxon army to victory over the Wends
at the Battle of Schmilau
and subjected the Wagri
and Liutizi to tribute again.
James Westfall Thompson
James Westfall Thompson was an American historian specializing in the history of medieval and early modern Europe, particularly of the Holy Roman Empire and France...
believed his family belonged to the Rani
Rani (Slavic tribe)
The Rani or Rujani were a West Slavic tribe based on the island of Rugia and the southwestern mainland across the Strelasund in what is today northeastern Germany....
of Rugia.
Gottschalk, a Christian Obodrite prince who was married to the daughter of his Danish ally Sven Estridson, had subdued the Obodrite and some Lutician tribes in the 1050s. In 1066, Kruto succeeded in an uprising initiated by the Obodrite
Obotrites
The Obotrites , also commonly known as the Obodrites, Abotrites, or Abodrites, were a confederation of medieval West Slavic tribes within the territory of modern Mecklenburg and Holstein in northern Germany . For decades they were allies of Charlemagne in his wars against Germanic Saxons and Slavic...
nobility and supported by the Luticians, against Gottschalk and his Saxon dukes
Duchy of Saxony
The medieval Duchy of Saxony was a late Early Middle Ages "Carolingian stem duchy" covering the greater part of Northern Germany. It covered the area of the modern German states of Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saxony-Anhalt and most of Schleswig-Holstein...
Ordulf
Ordulf, Duke of Saxony
Ordulf was the duke of Saxony from 1059, when he succeeded his father Bernard II, until his death. He was a member of the Billung family.-Reign:...
and Magnus
Magnus, Duke of Saxony
Magnus was the duke of Saxony from 1072 to 1106. Eldest son and successor of Ordulf and Wulfhild of Norway, he was the last member of the House of Billung.-Rebellion:...
. Gottschalk was slain, and his sons Budivoj
Budivoj
Budivoj, Buthue, or Butue was the eldest son of Gottschalk, an Abodrite prince, by a mistress. He allied with the Dukes of Saxony in order to recover the power and position of his father, lost since Gottschalk's death to the pagan Kruto.-Meaning of the name:Budivoj or Budziwoj is an old Slavic...
and Henry exiled to Saxony and Denmark. Kruto made his capital out of a large palisaded fortress at Buku, an island in the confluence of the Trave
Trave
The Trave is a river in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is approximately 124 kilometres long, running from its source near the village of Gießelrade in Ostholstein to Travemünde where it flows into the Baltic Sea. It passes through Bad Segeberg, Bad Oldesloe, and Lübeck, where it is linked to the...
and Wochnitz rivers and site of the later Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
.
In 1074 or 1075, Budivoj, a son of Gottschalk, with a band of Holstein
Holstein
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
ers sent by Magnus, attacked Kruto's stonghold at Plön
Plön
Plön is the district seat of the Plön district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and has about 13,000 inhabitants. It lies right on the shores of Schleswig-Holstein's biggest lake, the Great Plön Lake, as well as on several smaller lakes, touching the town on virtually all sides...
, which had been purposefully left undefended. The next day, it was surrounded by Slavic forces, who made the Saxons
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
surrender, after which they were massacred. Budivoj was killed.
Until his death in 1093, Nordalbingia
Nordalbingia
Nordalbingia was one of the four administrative regions of the medieval Duchy of Saxony, the others being Angria, Eastphalia, and Westphalia....
, including Holstein, Sturmaria, and Ditmarsch, was subject to his pagan rule. For decades, Magnus, Eric of Denmark
Eric I of Denmark
Eric I Evergood , also known as Eric the Good, , was King of Denmark following his brother Olaf I Hunger in 1095. He was a son of king Sweyn II Estridsson, by his wife Gunhild Sveinsdotter, and married Boedil Thurgotsdatter.-Biography:...
, and the margraves of the Northern March
Northern March
The Northern March or North March was created out of the division of the vast Marca Geronis in 965. It initially comprised the northern third of the Marca and was part of the territorial organisation of areas conquered from the Wends...
(Udo II
Lothair Udo II, Margrave of the Nordmark
Lothair Udo II was the Count of Stade and Margrave of the Nordmark from 1057 until his death. He was the only son of Lothair Udo I of the Udonids and Adelaide of Rheinfelden....
, Henry I, and Udo III) struggled to subdue Kruto, but only Eric came close.
Kruto's principality was weak internally, however, because the vassal Slavs, such as the Liutizi, continued to elect their own chiefs subordinate to him. As well, the Christian Obodrites were secretly allied with the Saxons to bring about his downfall. At a banquet at which Kruto intended to kill Gottschalk's son Henry
Henry (Obotrite prince)
Henry was an Obotrite prince or king from the Nakonid dynasty; he was regarded by contemporaries as "King of the Slavs"...
, his guest, Henry and Kruto's wife Slavina instead killed him. Immediately after his death, Henry, a Christian Obodrite prince, led a combined Slav-Saxon army to victory over the Wends
Wends
Wends is a historic name for West Slavs living near Germanic settlement areas. It does not refer to a homogeneous people, but to various peoples, tribes or groups depending on where and when it is used...
at the Battle of Schmilau
Battle of Schmilau
The Battle of Schmilau was a battle between a coalition of Christian forces and pagan Slavic Obotrites in 1093.Henry, a Christian Obotrite prince raised in Denmark after the murder of his father Gottschalk, avenged his father's death by killing the pagan Obotrite chief Kruto in 1093...
and subjected the Wagri
Wagri
The Wagri, Wagiri, or Wagrians were a tribe of Polabian Slavs inhabiting Wagria, or eastern Holstein in northern Germany, from the ninth to twelfth centuries. They were a constituent tribe of the Obodrite confederacy....
and Liutizi to tribute again.
Sources
- Thompson, James WestfallJames Westfall ThompsonJames Westfall Thompson was an American historian specializing in the history of medieval and early modern Europe, particularly of the Holy Roman Empire and France...
. Feudal Germany, Volume II. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1928.