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{{Infobox country
|native_name            = ''Herrschaft Werle'' <small>([[Standard German|de]])</small>
|conventional_long_name = Lordship of Werle
|common_name            = Werle
|era                    = Middle Ages
|status                 = Vassal
|empire                 = Holy Roman Empire
|government_type        = Principality
|year_start             = 1235
|year_end               = 1436
|event_start            = <!--- Default: "Established" --->
|date_start             = <!--- Optional: Date of establishment, as 1 January 1801--->
|event1                 = Partitioned: W-Güstrow<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and W-Parchim
|date_event1            = &nbsp;<br />1277–1307
|event2                 = Partitioned: W-Güstrow<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and W-Goldberg
|date_event2            = &nbsp;<br />1316–74
|event3                 = W-Güstrow partitioned<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;to create W-Waren
|date_event3            = &nbsp;<br />1337–1425
|event_end              = Reverted to [[Duchy of Mecklenburg|Mecklenburg]]
|date_end               = September 7,
|p1                     = Duchy of Mecklenburg
|flag_p1                = Flagge Großherzogtümer Mecklenburg.svg
|s1                     = Duchy of Mecklenburg
|flag_s1                = Flagge Großherzogtümer Mecklenburg.svg
|image_flag             = <!--- Default: Flag of {{{common_name}}}.svg --->
|image_coat             =CoA Werle Principality.svg
|image_map              = Lordship of Werle locator map (1250).svg
|image_map_caption      = {{legend2|#d40000|The Lordship of Werle at the time of the Hohenstaufen Emperors (circa 1250).}}
|image_map2             = Karte-Mecklenburg 1300.png
|image_map2_caption     = An anachronistic map of Mecklenburg in the early 14th century:<br />{{legend2|#00ff00|Werle-Güstrow circa 1316}}<br />{{legend2|#00ff80|Werle-Waren circa 1316}}<br />{{legend2|#f5c491|[[Duchy of Mecklenburg]]}}<br />{{legend2|#ffe1c4|Lordship/Principality of Rostock up to 1312}}<br />{{legend2|#ff8040|to Mecklenburg from 1320}}
|capital                = [[Kassow|Werle]]
|national_motto         =
|national_anthem        =
|common_languages       = [[Middle Low German]]
|religion               =
|currency               =
|footnotes              = <!--- Accepts wikilinks --->
}}
'''Werle''' (or ''Wenden'') was a [[fiefdom]] in the [[Holy Roman Empire]] that was founded in 1235. In German it is known as a ''[[Herrschaft (territory)|Herrschaft]]'' (usually translated as "lordship") or ''[[Fürst]]entum'' (principality). It was created in the partition of territories in [[Mecklenburg]] that followed the death of [[Henry Borwin II, Lord of Mecklenburg|Henry Borwin II of Mecklenburg]] (died 1226).
The royal (''fürstlich'' in German) House of Werle was a spur line of the [[House of Mecklenburg]] line of the [[Obotrites]]. The Fiefdom of Werle lay in the area around [[Güstrow]] in today's [[Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania]], [[Germany]], and stretched eastward to [[Müritz]]. It was named after the then-capital Werle, now a village in the municipality [[Kassow]], [[Rostock (district)|Rostock district]].
The fiefdom collapsed several times into separate dominions. In 1277 it was divided among the sons of the first lord, or ''Herr'' in German, into Werle-Güstrow and Werle-Parchim. In 1307, both were reunited by Nicholas II, but they were divided again in 1316 into Werle-Güstrow and Werle-Goldberg. In 1337, Werle-Waren split off from the Werle-Güstrow line. With the death of the [[William of Werle|William]], the last lord on September 7, 1436, the fiefdom once again reverted to Mecklenburg. The title of Lord of Werle was thenceforth carried by all rulers of Mecklenburg. Werle is represented in one of the seven fields of the coat of arms of Mecklenburg.
==List of lords==
* [[Nicholas I of Werle|Nicholas I]] Lord of Werle (1227–1277) (son of Henry Borwin II of Mecklenburg)
* [[Henry I of Werle|Henry I]], Lord of Werle-Güstrow (1277–1291)  (son of Nicholas I)
* [[John I of Werle|John I]], Lord of Werle-Parchim (1277–1283) (son of Nicholas I)
* [[Bernhard I of Werle|Bernard I]], Lord of Werle (d. 1286) (son of Nicholas I)
* [[Henry II of Werle|Henry II]] ([[:fr:Henri II de Mecklembourg-Werle|fr]]), Lord of Werle in Penzlin, (1291–1307) (son of Henry I)
* [[Nicholas II of Werle|Nicholas II]], Lord of Werle (1283–1316) (son of John I)
* [[John II of Werle|John II]], Lord of Werle-Güstrow (1316–1337) (son of John I)
* [[John III of Werle|John III]], Lord of Werle-Goldberg (1316–1350), d. 1352 (son of Nicholas II)
* [[Nicholas III of Werle|Nicholas III]], Lord of Werle-Güstrow (1337–1360) (son of John II)
* [[Bernard II of Werle|Bernard II]], Lord of Werle-Waren (1337–1382) (son of John II)
* [[Nicholas IV of Werle|Nicholas IV]], Lord of Werle-Goldberg (1350–1354) (son of John III)
* [[Lorenz of Werle|Lorenz]], Lord of Werle-Güstrow (1360–1393) (son of Nicholas III)
* [[John V of Werle|John V]], Lord of Werle-Güstrow (1360–1377) (son of Nicholas III)
* [[John VI of Werle|John VI]], Lord of Werle-Waren (1382–1385/95) (son of Bernard II)
* [[John IV of Werle|John IV]], Lord of Werle-Goldberg (1354–1374) (son of Nicholas IV)
* [[Balthasar of Werle|Balthasar]], Lord of Werle-Güstrow (1393–1421) (son of Lorenz)
* [[John VII of Werle|John VII]], Lord of Werle-Güstrow (1393–1414) (son of Lorenz)
* [[William of Werle|William]], Lord of Werle-Güstrow, Prince of the Wends (1393–1436) (son of Lorenz)
* [[Nicholas V of Werle|Nicholas V]], Lord of Werle-Waren (1385/95–1408) (son of John VI)
* [[Christopher of Werle|Christopher]], Lord of Werle-Waren (1385/95–1425) (son of John VI)
==External links==
* [http://www.tacitus.nu/historical-atlas/regents/germany/mecklenburg.htm Regents of Mecklenburg], in the Tacitus Historical Atlas.
:''This article was translated from the [[:de:Herrschaft Werle|corresponding article]] on the [[German Wikipedia]] on February 20, 2007. Corrections to the translation were made April 25, 2009 to reflect the terms Herrschaft, Herr and fürstlich (royal) used in the German article.''
[[Category:1436 disestablishments in Europe]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1235]]
[[Category:House of Mecklenburg|*]]
[[Category:History of Mecklenburg]]