Early history Mecklenburg is the site of many prehistoric
dolmen tombs. Its earliest organised inhabitants have had Slavic origins. By no later than 100 BC the area had been populated by pre-Christian
Germanic peoples. The traditional symbol of Mecklenburg, the grinning
steer's head (
Low German:
Ossenkopp, lit.: 'oxen's head', with
osse being a synonym for steer and bull in
Middle Low German), with an attached hide, and a crown above, may have originated from this period. It represents what early peoples would have worn, i.e. a steers's head as a
helmet, with the hide hanging down the back to protect the neck from the sun, and overall as a way to instill fear in the enemy. From the 7th through the 12th centuries, Mecklenburg was inhabited by Western Slavs who migrated there from
Poland and north-western
Ukraine. Among them were the
Obotrites and other tribes that Frankish sources referred to as "
Wends". The 11th-century founder of the Mecklenburger dynasty of
Dukes and later
Grand Dukes, which lasted until 1918, was
Nyklot of the Obotrites. In the late 12th century,
Henry the Lion, Duke of
the Saxons, reconquered the region, took oaths from its local lords, and
Christianized its people, in a precursor to the
Northern Crusades. From the 12th to 14th centuries, large numbers of Germans and Flemings settled the area (
Ostsiedlung), importing German law and improved agricultural techniques. The
Wends who survived all warfare and devastation of the centuries before, including invasions of and expeditions into
Saxony,
Denmark and
Liutizic areas as well as internal conflicts, were assimilated in the centuries thereafter. However, elements of certain names and words used in Mecklenburg speak to the lingering Slavic influence. An example would be the city of
Schwerin, which was originally called
Zuarin in
Slavic. Another example is the town of
Bresegard, the 'gard' portion of the town name deriving from the Slavic word 'grad', meaning city or town. Since the 12th century, the territory remained stable and relatively independent of its neighbours; one of the few German territories for which this is true. During the
Reformation, the Duke in Schwerin would convert to
Protestantism and so would follow
the Duchy of Mecklenburg in 1549. and
Ratzeburg, the county of Schwerin and the
Herrschafts (lordships) of
Rostock,
Werle and
Stargard.
History, 1621–1933 Like many German territories, Mecklenburg was sometimes partitioned and re-partitioned among different members of the ruling dynasty. In 1621 it was divided into the two duchies of
Mecklenburg-Schwerin and
Mecklenburg-Güstrow. With the extinction of the Güstrow line in 1701, the Güstrow lands were redivided, part going to the Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and part going to the new line of
Mecklenburg-Strelitz. In 1815, the two Mecklenburgian duchies were raised to
Grand Duchies, the
Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and the
Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, and subsequently existed separately as such in Germany under enlightened but absolute rule (constitutions being granted on the eve of
World War I) until the
revolution of 1918. Life in Mecklenburg could be quite harsh. Practices such as having to ask for permission from the Grand Duke to get married, or having to apply for permission to emigrate, would linger late into the history of Mecklenburg (i.e. 1918), long after such practices had been abandoned in other German areas. Even as late as the later half of the 19th century the Grand Duke personally owned half of the countryside. The last Duke abdicated in 1918, as monarchies fell throughout Europe. The Duke's ruling house reigned in Mecklenburg uninterrupted (except for two years) from its incorporation into the Holy Roman Empire until 1918. From 1918 to 1933, the duchies were free states in the
Weimar Republic.
History since 1934 After three centuries of partition, Mecklenburg was united on 1 January 1934 by the German government. During World War II the
Wehrmacht assigned Mecklenburg and
Pomerania to Wehrkreis II under the command of
General der Infanterie Werner Kienitz, with the headquarters at
Stettin. Mecklenburg was assigned to an Area headquartered at
Schwerin, which was responsible for military units in
Schwerin,
Rostock,
Parchim, and
Neustrelitz. After
World War II, the Soviet government occupying eastern Germany merged Mecklenburg with the smaller neighbouring region of
Western Pomerania (German
Vorpommern) to form the
state of
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Mecklenburg contributed about two-thirds of the geographical size of the new state and the majority of its population. Also, the new state became temporary or permanent home for many refugees expelled from former German territories seized by the Soviet Union and Poland after the war. The Soviets changed the name from "Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania" to "Mecklenburg" in 1947. In 1952, the
East German government ended the independent existence of Mecklenburg, creating three districts ("Bezirke") out of its territory: Rostock, Schwerin and Neubrandenburg. During
German reunification in 1990, the state of
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern was revived, and is now one of the 16 states of the
Federal Republic of Germany. ==Coat of arms of the duchies of Mecklenburg==