The Obotrites were a confederation of medieval West Slavic tribes within the territory of modern Mecklenburg and Holstein in northern Germany, existing from the 8th century to 1167. For decades, they were allies of Charlemagne in his wars against the Germanic Saxons and the Slavic Veleti. In 798, the Obotrite prince Thrasco defeated the Saxons at Bornhoved. In 804, Charlemagne rewarded the Obotrites with lands in Holstein north of the Elbe River, but this was soon reverted through an invasion of the Danes. From 808 to 1200, the Obotrites fought against the Kings of Denmark, and the Obotrites destroyed Hamburg in 983. The Obotrites were also attacked by northern Christians during the Wendish Crusade of 1147, and Niklot and Pribislav agreed to accept Catholicism as the new Obotrite religion, replacing paganism. In 1170, the Obotrites acknowledged the suzerainty of the Holy Roman Empire, and they were Germanized and assimilated over the following centuries. The ruling clan of the Obotrites would become the House of Mecklenburg, which would rule until the November Revolution of 1918.
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