Editing Mecklenburg (section)

===Early history===
Mecklenburg is the site of many prehistoric [[dolmen]] tombs. Its earliest organised inhabitants may have had Celtic origins. By no later than 100 BC the area had been populated by pre-Christian [[Germanic peoples]].

The traditional symbol of Mecklenburg, the grinning [[Cattle#Terminology|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.{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}} 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 what is now eastern [[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 [[Duke]]s and later [[Grand Duke]]s, which lasted until 1918, was [[Nyklot]] of the Obotrites.

In the late 12th century, [[Henry the Lion]], Duke of [[Lower Saxony|the Saxons]], reconquered the region, took oaths from its local lords, and [[Christianization|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 languages|Slavic]]. Another example is the town of [[Bresegard bei Picher|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 [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation]], the Duke in Schwerin would convert to [[Protestantism]] and so would follow [[List of states by the date of adoption of the Reformation#1549|the Duchy of Mecklenburg in 1549]].

[[File:Mecklescudo.jpg|thumb|Historical 7-field coat of arms, symbolizing the seven lordships of Mecklenburg: The duchy of Mecklenburg, the princedoms (former dioceses) of [[Schwerin]] and [[Ratzeburg]], the county of Schwerin and the ''[[Herrschaft (territory)|Herrschafts]]'' (lordships) of [[Rostock]], [[Werle]] and [[Lordship of Stargard|Stargard]].]]