Waldemar I sacks Arkona
1172
Danish forces under Waldemar the Great and Bishop Absalon of Roskilde destroyed the temple of Svantovit on the island of Rugen, the last great pagan Slavic cult center on the Baltic. Its wooden idol was chopped up and burned and the priests baptized on the spot. The destruction of Arkona marked the effective end of organized Slavic paganism on the Baltic coast and opened Rugen to Danish colonization.
In context
Also in 1172 (4 other events on record)
- Southern Song refine advanced agricultural science · East Asia · Science
- Benjamin of Tudela completes his travels · Middle East · Exploration
- Henry II's penance at Avranches · Europe · Religion
- Henry II formally named Lord of Ireland · Europe · Politics
Before and after in Europe
Before and after in Religion
Era
High Middle Ages (1000–1300), one of 1,306 events from that era on Saeculum.