The Pomeranian Missionary Journeys of Otto I of Bamberg and the Crusade Movement of the Eleventh to Twelfth Centuries

Abstract

The missionary journeys of Otto of Bamberg, the Apostle of the Pomeranians, as he was called by his biographer Ebo,¹ mark a short but significant period in the life of the missionary and imperial bishop. At the same time they prompt one to question the legitimacy of the conception and motivation of such conversion missions in the Western world of the eleventh and twelfth centuries. It is difficult to find a satisfactory answer which considers the interests of both the “converter” and the “convert”, since there are no direct sources showing the points of view of the Pomeranians or Slavs.² Their reactions to conversion attempts in the East can be gathered only indirectly from missionary sources written in Latin.