People / group

Polabian Slavs

Also known as Polabians

The Polabian Slavs were the West Slavic peoples who lived between the Elbe and the Oder, among them the Obotrites, the Lutici and the Sorbs. Conquered and converted by German rulers between the 10th and 12th centuries, culminating in the Wendish Crusade of 1147 and the campaigns of Henry the Lion, they were gradually assimilated, though the Sorbs survive.

Polabian Slavs
Image: Fix W. · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Obotrite ConfederationPrince-Bishopric of Ratzeburg

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Polabian Slavs. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/polabian-slavs
MLA
“Polabian Slavs.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/polabian-slavs. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Polabian Slavs.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/polabian-slavs.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Polabian Slavs’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/polabian-slavs (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻