principality · Germany and Central Europe
Lordship of Rostock
Origins
When Prince Henry Borwin II of Mecklenburg died in 1226, his lands were divided among his sons in 1229. Henry Borwin III received the share around Rostock, a town that had received Lübeck law in 1218. He and his heirs ruled as lords of Rostock, one of four Mecklenburg branches alongside Mecklenburg, Werle and Parchim-Richenberg.
Rule and society
The lords were descendants of the Obotrite prince Niklot, ruling a land newly settled by German farmers and townspeople. Rostock itself grew fast as a Hanseatic port and gained wide self-government, often at odds with its lords. The territory was small and the lords were pressed by Denmark and their Mecklenburg cousins, and in 1300 Nicholas the Child placed himself under Danish protection.
Decline and legacy
After Nicholas the Child died without a son in 1314, the lordship passed under Danish control and then to Henry II of Mecklenburg, who secured it by 1323. Rostock remained part of Mecklenburg, while the city kept its Hanseatic autonomy.
Lineage
On the connections map
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- Lordship of Rostock was a vassal of Kingdom of Denmark1301 CE – 1323 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Lordship of Rostock. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-rostock
- MLA
- “Lordship of Rostock.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-rostock. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Lordship of Rostock.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-rostock.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Lordship of Rostock’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-rostock (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻