Page "Obotrites" Paragraph 3

German missionaries such as St Vicelinus converted the Obotrites to Christianity.

In 1170 they acknowledged the suzerainty of the Holy Roman Empire, leading to Germanisation and assimilation over the following centuries.

However up to the late 15th century most villagers in the Obotritic area were still speaking Slavic dialects ( Polabian language ), although subsequently their language changed to German.

The Polabian language survived until the beginning of the 19th century in what is now the German state of Lower Saxony.