Pribislaw I

Who is Pribislaw I?

Pribislaw I, Lord of Parchim-Richenberg, was Lord of Parchim-Richenberg from 1238 to 1256.

He was the youngest son of Prince Henry Borwin II, Lord of Mecklenburg of Mecklenburg. When his father died, Pribislaw and his three brothers divided Mecklenburg; Pribislaw received the Lordship of Parchim-Richberg. As he was still a minor, his brother John I acted as his guardian and regent until 1238, and he was raised at John I's court.

He came of age in 1238 and moved into Parchim Castle. His Lordship included the dominions of Parchim and Ture, the bailiwicks of Plau, Goldberg, Sternberg and Richenberg. He soon came into a border dispute with the Count of Schwerin, who forced him to hand over Brenz and Neustadt-Glewe.

After this feud, he managed to stabilize the economy of his territory by founding the cities of Goldberg and Sternberg and stimulating Jews to settle in Parchim. In 1248, he granted city rights to Goldberg and Sternberg. In 1240, he founded Parchimer Neustadt on the west bank of the Elde. In 1246, he brought members of the Franciscan Order into Parchim. In 1248, he moved his residence to the newly constructed Richenberg Castle, on the Warnow near the village of Kritzow.