Principality of Copnic

The Principality of Copnic (Principality of Kopanica; Księstwo Kopanickie; Fürstentum Köpenick) was a Slavonic principality in Central Europe in present-day central and eastern Brandenburg. Its seat of power was the castle and trade hub Copnic (Köpenick, today part of Berlin).

The Principality appeared as a Christian entity in the early 12th century, from the Slavic Polabic tribe of the Sprevani. Its only ruler known by name was Jacza de Copnic. It is disputed if this Jacza is identical to the later Jaksa of Miechów (1120-1176) of the Gryfici (Świebodzice) noble clan, a knight of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.

The only surviving sources for the principality are bracteates showing the ruler Jacza de Copnic titled as knes, a Slavic title meaning prince, and the tractatus de urbe Brandenburg, written in the early 13th century by Henry of Antwerp.

After losing the castle Brandenburg to Albrecht the Bear in battle in 1157, Jacza retreated out of the region and would transfer the principality to the dukes of Pomerania.

In 1180, the margraviates of Lusatia would conquer the area from the Pomeranians. Finally in 1244, the region would be annexed to the Margraviate of Brandenburg.

Etymology
The Slavic (Veneti) name Kopnik means a place at which some kind of digging related to irrigating, building, mining, also building a kopiec (kurhan, kurgan, tumulus, barrow, mound) is being performed. Kopanica means an area belonging to or surrounding the place of Kopnik. Kopa is the name often used for mountains, also the original Vindelici name for the main mountain massive hosting kopalnie (mines) of the Hallstatt culture.

Jacza could be derived from the Slavic root iskati meaning to strike/split/sliver [stones], to make sparks/light, to glitter/shine and is related to such ancient names as Iskra (spark), Iškur (lord of the sparks/thunderbolts). Alternatively, Jacza could be a Polabian variant of the Christian name Jacob.

Geography
The territory of the Principality of Copnic consisted of central and eastern parts of modern day Brandenburg around the river Spree. In the late 12th century, in the west it bordered other territories of the Polabian Slavs, which were annexed into the Germanic Holy Roman Empire. In the east the Principality of Kopanica bordered the Kingdom of Poland.

The later archdiocese of Köpenick could have been based on the original borders of the Polabian principality.