| Notes |
- Vyshan History:
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Вышан
Vyshan[1] (German). Witzan, Latin. Witzlaus (born 795 in Luna) is the supreme prince of the Obodrite Tribal Union (747 ?-795). The first of the Obodrite princes mentioned in modern historical sources.
Biography[edit | edit code]
Genealogy of local rulers compiled in Mecklenburg in the XVIII century reports that Vyshan was the only son of the Obodrite Prince Aribert II[2] and his wife, daughter of the Anglo-Saxon Prince Alfred, who died in 747. Georg Rüksner[de] in 1530 in the manuscript "Origines et insignia regum Obotritarum et ducum Mecklenburgensium" wrote about the "Russian wife" of King Vitislava[3], and J., who lived in the XVII century. F. Kemnitz mentioned her as "the daughter of the prince from Russia and Lithuania". Mecklenburg legends also tell about Vyšan's campaign against Magdeburg in 782, during which the city was completely destroyed by the odorrified[4]. However, since this information is not confirmed by other sources, historians consider these evidence unreliable[5][6][7][8].
Vyshan's first reliable mention in a historical source dates back to 789, when he and his future successor Dragko[9] were named among the participants of a large campaign organized by Frankish King Charlemagne against Slavic Vilians, long-term enemies of obodrites. The Annals interpret Vyšan's status in different ways in this campaign: some sources call him a vassal of the Frankish state, some call him an ally, on the basis of which historians assume the existence of a Franco-Obodrite alliance against the Vilians, dating its conclusion to 780[10]. The latter assumption is also supported by Einhard's testimony, who reported that the reason for the campaign was repeated attacks by the Vilians on the lands of the Obodrites, allies of the Franks[11]. During the campaign, in which, in addition to the Franks and Obodrites, the Saxons, Sorbians and Frisians also participated, Charlemagne managed to defeat the army of the Vilts and force them to Prince Dragovit to recognize his dependence on the Frankish state[12][13].
In the following years, Vyshan continued to be a loyal ally of Charlemagne. This led the Obodrites to clash with their neighbors, the Nordalbing Saxons, the main opponents of the Franks during the last stage of the long-term Saxon Wars. In 795, the Frankish ruler organized a new campaign against the rebels, intending to strike at the northern Saxony with the help of the Obodrites. However, while waiting for the arrival of the Slavs in Bardovik, Charlemagne learned that when crossing the Elbe near the village of Lüne (near modern Lüneburg), the Obodrite army was ambushed by the Saxons, and that Vyshan himself died during the battle. In response to the death of the prince, the Frankish king ravaged the Saxon lands between Weser and the Elbe, owned by the Nordalbing allies, and resettled 7,070 Saxons to the interior of the Frankish state[14][15].
After Vyshan's death, Dragko became the new supreme prince of the Obodrit Union. Modern historical sources do not report anything about his relationship with his predecessor[16], but Mecklenburg genealogies call Dragko, as well as Godlav and Slavomir, sons of Vyshana[4].
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727 - 795 (68 years)
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