SCIENCE & TECH: The Forgotten Front: How the Wendish Crusade Redefined Power in the Baltic Region

The Wendish Crusade, a massive military campaign launched in 1147 AD, was a targeted attempt to forcefully Christianize the pagan Slavs living on the banks of the Elbe River, in what is today Germany. A part of the broader Christian Crusading movement, it is often overshadowed by the more famous expeditions into the Holy Land. But even so, the crusade was a major turning point in European geopolitics, and a catalyst that reshaped the power dynamics in the Baltic region. 

A major episode of territorial expansion in northern Europe, the crusade was a complex interaction between religion, politics, ruthless military conquest, and ethnic strife. As we examine the Wendish Crusade, we can better appreciate its historical significance.

Paganism and Christianity in the Baltic

In the early medieval period, the Baltic region was a true mosaic of cultures, religions, and political entities. While much of western and central Europe had been Christianized by the 11th century AD, the Baltic remained a stronghold of pagan beliefs.

A vast territory comprising much of what is today Germany, and stretching even to the Jutland Peninsula, was inhabited by Slavs, whom the Germans called “Wends.” The Wends were a loose “federation” of closely connected Slavic tribes who were united by their shared language, beliefs, traditions, and deities. Fiercely devoted to their pagan faith, these Slavs, always resisting external domination, were a prime target for the Christian rulers of Western Europe, who sought to get richer and expand their influence.