Henry I of Mecklenburg

Henry I of Mecklenburg, called the Pilgrim (c. 1230 – 2 January 1302), was the eldest son of John I the Theologian and ruled Mecklenburg from 1264.

In 1270 he crusaded against pagan Lithuania, and in 1271 he went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, only to be captured and held by the Mamluks in Cairo for 27 years. His brothers John II and Nicholas III ruled as regents after a dispute with their cousins over the guardianship of his children.

He returned via Morea and Rome in 1298, resumed power in 1299 but left government to his son Henry II, and died in 1302, buried at Doberan Minster.