Duchy of Pomerania
Encyclopedia
The Duchy of Pomerania was a duchy in Pomerania
on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea
, ruled by dukes of the House of Pomerania
(Griffins).
The duchy originated from the realm of Wartislaw I
, a Slavic Pomeranian duke, and was extended by the Lands of Schlawe and Stolp
in 1317, the Principality of Rügen in 1325, and the Lauenburg and Bütow Land
in 1455. During the High Middle Ages
, it also comprised the northern Neumark
and Uckermark
areas as well as Circipania
and Mecklenburg-Strelitz
.
The Dukes of Pomerania
were vassals of Poland from 1122 to 1138, of the Duchy of Saxony
from 1164 to 1181, of Denmark from 1185 to 1227, and of the Holy Roman Empire
from 1181 to 1185 and from 1227 to 1637, including periods of vassalage to the Margraves of Brandenburg. Most of the time, the duchy was ruled by several Griffin dukes in common, resulting in various internal partitions
. After the last Griffin duke had died during the Thirty Years' War
in 1637, the duchy was partitioned between Brandenburg-Prussia and Sweden
.
and Denmark conquered Pomerania, ending the tribal era
.
The Stolp (Słupsk) and Schlawe (Sławno) areas (lands of (Länder) Schlawe-Stolp) were ruled by Ratibor I and his descendants (Ratiboriden branch of the Griffin House of Pomerania
) until the Danish occupation and extinction of the Ratiboride branch in 1227.
The areas stretching from Kolberg (Kołobrzeg) to Stettin (Szczecin) were ruled by Ratibor's brother Wartislaw I and his descendants (House of Pomerania
, also called Griffins, of which he was the first ascertained ancestor) until the 1630s. The terms of surrender after the Polish conquest were that Wartislaw had to accept Polish sovereignty, convert his people to Christianity, and pay an annual tribute to the Polish duke.
From 1102 to 1109, Boleslaw campaigned in the Netze (Notec) and Persante (Parseta) area. The Pomeranian residence in Belgard (Białogard) was taken already in 1102. From 1112 to 1116, Boleslaw subdued all of Pomerelia
. From 1119 to 1122, the area towards the Oder
were subdued. Stettin (Szczecin) was taken in the winter of 1121–1122.
The conquest resulted in a high death toll and devastation of vast areas of Pomerania, and the Pomeranian dukes became vassals of Boleslaw III of Poland.
Poland's influence vanished in the next decade. In 1135, Boleslaw had accepted overlordship of Holy Roman Emperor
Lothair III
and in turn received his Pomeranian gains as well as the still undefeated Principality of Rügen as a fief. Wartislaw I also accepted the Emperor as his overlord. With Boleslaw's death in 1138, Polish overlordship ended, triggering competition of the Holy Roman Empire
and Denmark for the area.
river, an area inhabited by Lutici
tribes weakened by past warfare, and included these territories into his Duchy of Pomerania. Already in 1120, he had expanded west into the areas near the Oder Lagoon and Peene
river. Most notably Demmin
, the Principality of Gützkow and Wolgast
were conquered in the following years.
The major stage of the westward expansion into Lutici territory occurred between Otto of Bamberg's two missions, 1124 and 1128. In 1128, Demmin, the County of Gützkow and Wolgast were already incorporated into Wartislaw I's realm, yet warfare was still going on. Captured Lutici and other war loot, including livestock, money, and clothes were apportioned among the victorious. After Wartislaw's Lutician conquests, his duchy lay between the Bay of Greifswald
to the north, Circipania
, including Güstrow
(Ostrów), to the west, Kolobrzeg in the east, and possibly as far as the Havel
and Spree
rivers in the south.
These gains were not subject to Polish over lordship, but were placed under over lordship of Nordmark
margrave
Albrecht the Bear a dedicated enemy of Slavs, by Lothair III, Holy Roman Emperor
. Thus, the western territories contributed to making Wartislaw significantly independent from the Polish dukes. Wartislaw was not the only one campaigning in these areas. The Polish duke Boleslaw III, during his Pomeranian campaign launched an expedition into the Müritz
area in 1120–21, before he turned back to subdue Wartislaw. The later Holy Roman Emperor
Lothair III (then Saxon duke
Lothair I of Supplinburg) in 1114 initiated massive campaigns against the local Lutici tribes resulting in their final defeat in 1228. Also, the territories were invaded by Danish forces multiple times, who, coming from the Baltic Sea
, used the rivers Peene and Uecker
to advance to a line Demmin
–Pasewalk
. At different times, Pomeranians, Saxons and Danes were either allies or opponents. The Pomeranian dukes
consolidated their power in the course of the 12th century, yet the preceding warfare had left these territories completely devastated.
A first attempt to convert the Pomeranians was made following the subjugation of Pomerania by Boleslaw III of Poland. In 1122, Spanish monk Bernard
(also Bernhard) travelled to Jumne (Wolin
), accompagnied only by his chaplain and an interpreter. The Pomeranians however were not impressed by his missionary efforts and finally threw him out of town.
Bernard was later made bishop of Lebus
.
After Bernard's misfortune, Boleslaw III asked Otto of Bamberg
to convert Pomerania to Christianity
, which he accomplished in his first visit in 1124–25. Otto's strategy severely differed from the one Bernard used: While Bernard travelled alone and as a poor and unknown priest, Otto, a wealthy and famous man, was accompanied by 20 clergy of his own diocese, numerous servants, 60 warriors supplied to him by Boleslaw, and carried with him numerous supplies and gifts. After arriving in Pyritz, the Pomeranians were assured that Otto's aim was not the gain of wealth at the expense of the Pomeranian people, as he was wealthy already, but only to convert them to Christianity, which would protect the Pomeranians from further punishment by God, as which the devastating Polish conquest was depicted. This approach turned out to be successful, and was backed by parts of the Pomeranian nobility that in part was Christian raised already, like duke Wartislaw I
, who encouraged and promoted Otto's mission. Many Pomeranians were baptized already in Pyritz and also in the other burghs visited.
Otto of Bamberg returned in 1128, this time invited by duke Wartislaw I himself, aided by the emperor Holy Roman Emperor Lothar II, to convert the (Lutici
an) Slavs of Western Pomerania just incorporated into the Pomeranian duchy, and to strengthen the Christian faith of the inhabitants of Stettin and Wollin, who fell back into heathen practices and idolatry. Otto this time visited primarily Western Pomeranian burghs, had the temples of Gützkow
and Wolgast
torn down and on their sites erected the predecessors of today's St Nikolai and St Petri churches, respectively. The nobility assembled to a congress in Usedom
, where they accepted Christianity on June 10, 1128. Otto then was titled apostolus gentis Pomeranorum, made a saint
by pope Clement III in 1189, and was worshipped in Pomerania even after the Protestant Reformation
.
In 1140, one year after Otto of Bamberg's death, a Pomeranian diocese
was founded and placed directly under the Holy See
. Adalbert of Pomerania
, who had participated in Otto's mission as an interpreter and assistant, was made the first bishop. The direct subordination under the pope thwarted the claims of the archbishops of Magdeburg and Gniezno, who both had asserted pressure on Otto of Bamberg to incorporate the new diocese into their realms. The initial see of the Pomeranian diocese was Wollin, and was moved to Grobe Abbey on the island of Usedom
and to Kammin (Cammin, now Kamien Pomorskie) after 1150 and 1175, respectively. Since 1188, when the pope accepted the move of the see, the bishopric was referred to as Roman Catholic Diocese of Kammin
, while before it was addressed as Pomeranian diocese.
In 1248, the Kammin bishops
and the Pomeranian dukes
had interchanged the terrae Stargard
and Kolberg, leaving the bishops in charge of the latter. In the following, the bishops extended their secular reign, which soon comprised the Kolberg (now Kołobrzeg), Köslin (also Cöslin, now Koszalin) and Bublitz (now Bobolice) areas. When in 1276 they became the sovereign of the town of Kolberg also, they moved their residence there, while the administration of the diocese was done from nearby Köslin. The bishops at multiple occasions tried to exclude their secular reign from ducal overlordship by applying for Imperial immediacy (Reichsunmittelbarkeit). The Pomeranian dukes
successfully forestalled these ambitions, and immediacy was granted only temporarily in 1345.
mounted expeditions to Pomerania. Most notable for the further fate of Pomerania are the 1147 Wendish Crusade
and the 1164 Battle of Verchen
, the Pomeranian dukes became vassals of Henry the Lion
, of Saxony
. Despite this vassalage, Henry again sieged Demmin in 1177 when he allied with the Danes, but reconciled with the Pomeranian dukes thereafter. In 1181 the dukes took their duchy as a fief from the Holy Roman Emperor
Barbarossa
. Bogislaw I, Duke of Pomerania
had travelled to Barbarossa's camp in Lübeck
, where he received the Imperial flag and the title "Duke of Slavinia".
From the North, Denmark attacked Pomerania. Several campaigns throughout the 12th century (in 1136, 1150, 1159 and throughout the 1160s) culminated in the defeat of the Principality of Rugia
in 1168. The Rugian princes became vassals of Valdemar I of Denmark
. In the fall of 1170, the Danes raided the Oder
estituary. In 1171, the Danes raided Circipania
and took Cotimar's burgh in Behren-Lübchin
. In 1173, the Danes turned to the Oder Lagoon again, taking the burgh of Stettin. Wartislaw II Swantiboriz, castellan of Stettin, became a Danish vassal. In 1177, the Danes again raided the Oder Lagoon area, also the burgh of Wolgast
in 1178. In 1184 and 1185, three campaigns of the Danes resulted in making Bogislaw I, Duke of Pomerania
a Danish vassal. These campaigns were mounted by Valdemar's son and successor for the Danish throne, Canute VI of Denmark
. In the Duchy of Pomerania the Danish period lasted until Valdemar II of Denmark
lost the Battle of Børnehoved
on 22 July 1227. Danish supremacy prevailed until 1325 in the Rugian principality.
At that time, the duchy was also referred to as Slavinia
, a term also applied to several Wendish
areas such as Mecklenburg
and the Principality of Rügen.
, that affected all medieval East Central
and Eastern Europe
. Except for the Pomerelian Kashubians
and the Slovincians, the Wends
were assimilated. Most towns and villages are dating back to this period.
, Usedom
and Wollin, around the burghs of Stettin, Köslin, Pyritz (Pyritzer Weizacker) and Stargard
, around the Persante river (Kolberg area), the lower Peene
river, and between Schlawe and the Leba valley. Largely unsettled were the hilly regions and the woods in the South. The 12th century warfare, especially the Danish raids, depopulated many areas of Pomerania and caused severe population drops in others (e.g. Usedom). At the turn to the 13th century, only isolated German settlements existed, e.g. Hohenkrug and other German villages, and the merchant's settlement near the Stettin burgh. In contrast, the monasteries were almost exclusively run by Germans and Danes.
Massive German settlement started in the first half of the 13th century. Ostsiedlung was a common process at this time in all Central Europe and was largely run by the nobles and monasteries to increase their income. Also, the settlers were expected to finish and secure the conversion of the non-nobles to Christianity. In addition, the Danes withdrew from most of Pomerania in 1227, leaving the duchy vulnerable to their expansive neighbors, especially Mecklenburg
, Brandenburg
, and Henry I of Silesia.
Germans, at this early stage (before 1240), were often settled in frontier regions, such as the mainland part of the Principality of Rugia
(after prince Jaromar I
granted Eldena Abbey
the right to call in settlers in 1209), Circipania
, the lands of Loitz
(administered semi-independently by Detlev of Gadebush), the Uckermark
, the lands of Kolbatz Abbey and Bahn (which later was granted to the Knights Templar), and the area north of the Warthe and along the lower Oder
river. However, in many of these frontiers, German settlement did not hinder the advance of Pomerania's neighbors.
Germans were placed under a different law than Slavs. While those were unfree (except for the nobles), did not own the soil they cultivated, and were to serve the nobility, the opposite was true for the Germans.
About 1240, the areas of Stavenhagen
and Pyritz were subject to German settlement. About 1250, massive settlement took place also in Central Western Pomerania (County of Gützkow
, lands of Meseritz
, Ploth, Ziethen
and Groswin
), and the Stargard
area (where settlement was encouraged already since 1229). In the 1260s, settlement started in the Cammin
area, and in the virtually unpopulated lands of Naugard, Massow
and Daber. The Ueckermünde
and the Oder
mouth areas were also settled at about 1260, but the Ueckermünde heath and the woodlands on both sides of the Oder Lagoon remained untouched. In the areas adjacted to the Peenestrom
(the lands of Wusterhusen
and Lassan) local Slavs participated in the German settlement, which started in the 1260s. Settlement of the areas centered on the upper Rega
river, previously unsettled, started in the 1250s, and reached a peak in the 1280s. The lower Rega area around Greifenberg
and Treptow an der Rega was settled about the same period, but here a native Slavic population participated. In the Persante area, first German settlements occurred about 1260, but a more extensive settlement did not start before 1280. On the islands of Usedom
and Wollin, only isolated settlements took place in the 13th century, e.g. in the Garz (Usedom)
and Caseburg (Karsibór) area, where Germans settled already in the 1240s, and in proximity of the German town of Wolin
. The local Grobe Abbey did, in contrast to the other Pomeranian monasteries, not enhance German settlement. Therefore, Slavic culture on the isles persisted and vanished only in the late 14th century. The island of Rügen
, in contrast to the meanwhile German mainland parts of the principality, also remained a Slavic character throughout the 13th century – German settlement would only start in the 14th century, with strong participation of local Slavs. In Schlawe-Stolp, German settlement started in the 1260s, and was promoted by the Belbuck Abbey. A large influx of settlers to the western parts of Schlawe-Stolp took place after 1270, first settlers were called to the Stolp area in the 1280s. Here, local Slavs participated in the Ostsiedlung, and settlement went on throughout the 14th century.
Initially, the Germans who settled the northern regions predominantly came from Lower Saxony
, while the Germans who settled the southern areas (mittelpommerscher Keil) predominantly came from Altmark
and Westphalia
. This caused the emergence of different Pomeranian dialects. German settlers also came from areas earlier affected from Ostsiedlung, such as Mecklenburg
, Brandenburg
, and later also German settled regions of Pomerania
herself. Though the exact proportion of German versus Slavic populations cannot be determined, it is undisputed that the Germans significantly outnumbered the Slavs. Before the end of the 13th century, the Western Pomeranian mainland and most of Farther Pomerania
west of the Gollenberg
had turned almost completely German, mentions of Slavs in documents became exceptional. The Slavic dialects disappeared, with the exception that fishermen from the isles and the Oder lagoon area continued to use Wendish for a relatively long period.
Villages before the Ostsiedlung were of the Haufendorf
type, the houses were built in close proximity to each other without a special ruling. A variant of this type also found in Pomerania is the Sackgassendorf (or Sackdorf) type, where a dead end road leads to those houses. This type evolved as an extension of Haufendorf type villages. German settlement introduced new types of villages: In the Hagenhufendorf
type, houses were built on both sides of a main road, each within their own hide
. Those villages were usually set up after the clearance of woodlands, most of them were given German names in absence of any Slavic site names. This type of village can be found all along the coast, most of them in the areas between Barth and Wolgast
, Kolberg and Köslin, and north and west of Schlawe. Other villages were built in the Angerdorf type, where a main street fork encloses a large meadow ("Anger") in the village's center where the life stock was kept at night, sometimes the church or other buildings not used for living were built on the Anger also. This type is the most prominent type in the Peene
, lower Oder
, Pyritz, Lake Madü and Rega
areas, many villages of this type are also found in the Kolberg and Schlawe area. In addition to these types, the Straßendorf type, characterized by a single and very long main street, was introduced in a later stage of Ostsiedlung, and therefore is found predominantly in areas that were affected last by the German settlement (easternmost parts, Cammin area). Villages of this type were either new foundations, or extensions of Slavic precursors. In other areas, Hagenhufendorf and Angerdorf types dominate, while the Haufendorf type used in Slavic times and its Sackdorf variant can still be found in between, predominantly on the islands.
The villages' area was divided in hides
. The size of a hide differed between the village types: A Hagenhufe, used in the Hagenhufendorf villages, comprised 60 Morgen
, about 40 hectar. A Landhufe, used in the Angerdorf villages, comprised 30 Morgen. One farm would usually have an area of one Hagenhufe or two Landhufen. Slavic farmland was measured in Haken , with one Haken equals 15 Morgen (half a Landhufe). Haken were used only in villages remaining under old Slavic law (predominantly on the islands), whereas Hufen were used for new villages placed under German law (in Pomerania sometimes referred to as Schwerin Law). Not all families of German villages owned a Hufe. Those dwelling on considerably smaller property ("gardens") were usually hired as workers by the farmers . These people were termed "gardeners" or Kossäten (literally "who sits in a hut"), and could either be local Slavs or the younger sons of German farmers who did not inherit their father's soil.
, Wolgast
, Usedom
, Wollin
, Stettin, Kolberg, Pyritz and Stargard
, although many of the coastal settlements declined during the 12th century warfare. Yet these settlements were not continued by the German towns, which were founded on previously unsettled soil. Although some towns had a Slavic settlement, sometimes attached to a burgh
, as precursor, the name of which would be adopted for the German town, the new town was usually founded on empty space in the settlements neighborhood. The distance could be some kilometers as in the case of Kolberg. Exceptions are Wollin
and probably Cammin
, which were built on the spot of former, yet decayed settlements, and Stettin, where two German settlements were set up close to the Slavic burgh and settlement, all of which were included in the later town. In many cases, the name of the neighboring Slavic settlement would be used for the new town.
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The towns were built on behalf of the Pomeranian dukes or ecclesial bodies like monasteries and orders. Most prominent on this issue was Barnim I of Pomerania-Stettin
, who since was entitled "the towns' founder". The towns build on his behalf were granted Magdeburg Law and settled predominantly by people from the western Margraviate of Brandenburg
, while the towns founded in the North (most on behalf of the Rugian princes
and Wartislaw III of Pomerania-Demmin
were granted Lübeck Law
and were settled predominantly by people from Lower Saxony
. The first towns were Stralsund
(Principality of Rügen, 1234), Prenzlau
(Uckermark
, then Pomerania-Stettin, 1234), Bahn (Knights Templar
, about 1234), and Stettin (1237–43), Gartz (Oder) (Pomerania-Stettin, 1240), and Loitz
(by Detlev of Gadebusch, 1242). Other towns build in the 1240s were Demmin
, Greifswald
(by Eldena Abbey
), Altentreptow
.
In the 1250s followed Anklam
, Altdamm, Pyritz, probably already Stargard
and Grimmen
, Greifenhagen
, Barth (Principality of Rügen, before 1255), and Damgarten (Principality of Rügen, 1258). In the 1260s followed Wollin
(1260), Ueckermünde
, Wolgast
, probably already Gützkow
, Pölitz
(1260), Greifenberg
(1262), Gollnow, probably already Usedom
, Penkun
, Tribsees
(Principality of Rügen, before 1267) and Naugard (by the bishop of Cammin, before 1268). In the 1270s followed Cammin
(1274), Massow
(by the bishop of Cammin, 1274), Pasewalk
(recorded in 1274, founded probably in the 1250s), Plathe (1277), Lassan (between 1264 and 1278), Rügenwalde (by Wizlaw II of Rügen), Regenwalde (1279–80), Labes
(about 1280), and Treptow an der Rega (between 1277 and 1281). Neuwarp, Richtenberg
, Belgard, and Werben (by the bishop of Cammin) are first recorded in 1295, 1297, 1299, and 1300, respectively, all were most certainly founded earlier.
In the area directly administered by the bishops of Cammin, the towns of Kolberg (1255), Köslin (1266), Körlin (early 14th century), and Bublitz (1340) were set up. The early 14th century saw the foundation of Stolp (by Waldemar of Brandenburg, 1310), Neustettin (by Wartislaw IV, 1310), Rügenwalde (again 1312, the 1270s precursor had not done well), Rugendal (Principality of Rügen, before 1313, decayed), Schlawe (by the Swenzones
, 1317), Garz (by the princes of Rügen, 1320s), Jacobshagen (by three brothers von Stegelitz, 1336), Freienwalde (by von Wedel, before 1338), Zanow (by the Swenzones, 1343), Lauenburg (by the Teutonic Knights
, 1341), Bütow
(by the Teutonic Knights, 1346), and Fiddichow (by Barnim III, 1347).
Many towns with a burgh in close proximity had the duke level this burgh when they grew in power. Stettin, where the burgh was inside the town, had the duke level his burgh already in 1249, other towns were to follow. The fortified new towns had succeeded the burghs as strongholds for the country's defense. In many cases, the former burgh settlement would become a Slavic suburb of the German town ("Wiek", "Wieck"). In Stettin, two "Wiek" suburbs were set up anew outside the walls, to which most Slavs from within the walls were resettled. Such Wiek settlements did initially not belong to the town, but to the duke, although they were likely to come into possession of the town in the course of the 14th century. Also in the 14th century, Slavic Wiek suburbs lost their Slavic character.
acted independently from the duchy, and sometimes opposed the dukes' interest. The most powerful towns were Stralsund
, Greifswald
, and Stettin, but also Demmin
, Anklam
and Kolberg. Before the Treaty of Stralsund in 1370, and during the reign of Eric of Pomerania
, the Hanseatic towns were in a state of war with Denmark for hegemony in the Baltic Sea.
Parts of the Pomeranian nobility were engaged in piracy
against Hanseatic vessels. Barnim VI of Pomerania-Wolgast did not only engage in piracy himself, he is also known for providing refuge and hideouts for the Likedeeler pirate organisation.
The relation between the towns and the nobility throughout the Middle Ages ranged from alliances and support to cabalism, banditry and outright warfare.
Wartislaw I
was murdered between 1134 and 1148 in Stolpe
. His brother, Ratibor I
of Schlawe-Stolp
, founded Stolpe Abbey
near this site and ruled Wartislaw's realm in place of his minor nephews, Bogislaw I
and Casimir I
. Ratibor died in 1155, and Wartislaw's sons agreed to co-rule the duchy from their residences Demmin
(Casimir) and Stettin (Bogislaw). Except for the terra Kolberg, which was ruled as a co-dominion, they partitioned the duchy with Pomerania-Demmin comprising the upper Peene
, Tollense
, Dievenow
and Rega
areas, and Pomerania-Stettin comprising the Oder
, Ihna and lower Peene
areas. When Casimir I died in 1180, Bogislaw became the sole duke. Bogislaw I took his duchy as a fief from the Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick I (Barbarossa)
in 1181, and from the Danish king Canute VI
in 1185.
When he died in 1187, his two sons Casimir II
and Bogislaw II were still minors, and Stettin castellan
Wartislaw (II) ruled in their place. Danish pressure resulted in Wartislaw's replacement by Rugian prince Jaromar I
, a Danish vassal, in 1189. The Principality of Rügen was extended southward on the expense of Pomerania-Demmin. When Casimir II and Bogislaw II died in 1219 and 1220, respectively, their respective sons Wartislaw III
(Pomerania-Demmin) and Barnim I
(Pomerania-Stettin) were still minors. Wartislaw's mother Ingardis of Denmark thus ruled until Wartislaw was able to rule Pomerania-Demmin on his own in 1225, and Barnim, in theory duke since 1220, practically started his reign in Pomerania-Stettin only in 1233. Pomerania-Demmin lost her southern and western areas to Brandenburg, and the remainder came under Barnim's rule after Wartislaw died in 1264.
and son of Albert I of Brandenburg
(1100–1170), Brandenburg claimed sovereignty
over Pomerania. Yet, in 1181, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I
invested Duke Bogislaw I of the Griffin House of Pomerania
with the Duchy of Slavia (Pomerania). This was not accepted by the Margraviate of Brandenburg
and triggered several military conflicts.
Between 1185 and 1227, Pomerania along with most of the southern Baltic coast remained under sovereignty of Denmark. However, Brandenburg again tried to gain sovereignty over Pomerania, and in 1214 for a short time conquered Stettin. After Denmark lost the Battle of Bornhoeved
in 1227, Denmark lost all her territories on the southern Baltic shore, including Pomerania.
At this time, the Duchy of Pomerania was co-ruled
by duke Wartislaw III of Demmin and duke Barnim I of Stettin. After the Danes retreated, Brandenburg took her chance and invaded Pomerania-Demmin. In 1231, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II
gave the duchy, which then was again a part of the empire, as a fief to the Ascanian margraves of Brandenburg.
Denmark also attempted to restore her rule and took Wolgast
and Demmin
in 1235, but was driven out the same year. Wartislaw had to accept Brandenburg's overlordship in the 1236 Treaty of Kremmen
, furthermore he had to hand over most of his duchy to Brandenburg immediately, that was the Burg Stargard
Land and adjacted areas (all soon to become a part of Mecklenburg
, forming the bulk of the later Mecklenburg-Strelitz
area). Circipania
was already lost to Mecklenburg in the years before.
In the 1250 Treaty of Landin
between Pomeranian dukes and margraves of Brandenburg, Barnim I managed to reassert the rule of his Griffin house over Pomerania, but lost the Uckermark
to Brandenburg.
Brandenburg since 1250 expanded eastward. In 1250–52, the margraves gained half of Lebus Land, including the terra Küstrin
between Warthe and Mietzel (Myśla), and the terra Chinz north of the Mietzel river, both previously held by Barnim. In the course of the 1250s, the margraves further gained the castellanies
Zantoch and Driesen except for the burghs itself, of both castellanies actually belonging to Greater Poland
, Barnim had held the northern parts. In 1261, Barnim lost the Soldin area, and in the following years the terra Zehden to Brandenburg.
In 1264, Duke Wartislaw III of Demmin died, his cousin Barnim I (the Good) became the sole ruler of the duchy. In 1266, Barnim I married Mechthild, the daughter of Otto III, Margrave of Brandenburg.
In 1269, Barnim lost the terra Arnswalde to the margraves. Before his death, he bought the western part back in 1278.
Bogislaw IV lost the Bernstein
area and Zinnenburg Land (terra Arnhausen
and terra Schivelbein), in 1280. All former Pomeranian territories east of the Oder lost to Brandenburg in the 13th century became parts of the Brandenburgian Neumark
("new march").
, Silesian Piasts
, Dukes of Greater Poland
, the bishops of Lebus and the bishops of Kammin all competed for the Warthe/Netze (Notec) area, centered around the burgh of Zantoch. Until 1250, Barnim I, Duke of Pomerania
had recovered most of the previous Pomeranian territory and sought to secure them with the settlement of Germans, while Zantoch burgh was held by Przemysł II of Greater Poland.
, Ratibor II, died in 1223. This led to a competition between the Griffins and the Pomerelian Samborides
for inheritance of Schlawe-Stolp. Because Ratibor died during the Danish period, Denmark administered the area until she had to withdraw after the lost Battle of Bornhöved
in 1227. Barnim I, Duke of Pomerania
, took control of the lands immediately after the Danish withdrawal, but had to yield Pomerelian duke Swantopolk's rights, whose relationship to the Ratiborides was closer. Swantopolk took over Schlawe-Stolp in 1235–36. The Griffins mounted an unsuccessful campaigns to gain the area in 1236–38, 1253, 1259, and 1266. After the death of Swantopolk II in 1266, Barnim I took over the area and kept it until 1269, when Rugian prince
Wizlaw II took over. He withdrew in 1277 and left the area to Brandenburg. In 1283, Mestwin II of Pomerelia took over. Competition arose anew after his death in 1294. In 1296, Wizlaw's son Sambor launched another campaign. Freiin von Pommern, Heidi Anna Margarete von Götz is a descendant of the Grand Dukedom of Pomerania and Livonia.
The last duke of Demmin
had died in 1264, and the 1236 territorial losses left Demmin at the westernmost edge of the Duchy of Pomerania.
When Barmin I, for a short period sole ruler of the duchy, died in 1278, his oldest son Bogislaw IV
took his father's seat. When his half-brothers Otto I
and Barnim II
reached adulthood in 1294, the brothers ruled in common until Barnim's death in 1295. Bogislaw and Otto now agreed on a partition of the duchy, that would last until 1464: Bogislaw's share was the area where the towns were under Lübeck law
, that was Vorpommern north of the Peene
river (though including Anklam
and Demmin
on its southern bank) and Farther Pomerania
north of the Ihna and Stepenitz
rivers, both areas were connected by the islands of Usedom
and Wollin. Bogislaw made Wolgast
his residence, thus the partition became known as Pomerania-Wolgast. Otto's share was the remainder between Peene
and Ihna centered around Stettin, where the towns were under Magdeburg law. This partition became known as Pomerania-Stettin.
A series of wars was triggered by Denmark in the early 14th century, when Eric VI Menved attempted to reestablish Danish rule in Northern Germany. Pomeranian and Rugian towns and dukes were involved in these wars in various and often opposing coalitions. Since 1314, a coalition consisting mainly of Waldemar of Brandenburg, Stralsund
, and the Pomeranian dukes opposed a Danish-led coalition joined by Rugian duke Wizlaw III. This war was ended by the Treaty of Templin
in 1317. During this conflict, in 1315, Wartislaw IV
of Pomerania-Wolgast, grandson of Rugian Wizlaw II, made an agreement with Eric VI Menved's brother Christopher II of Denmark
for inheritance of the Principality of Rügen.
Waldemar of Brandenburg died in 1319. Heinrich, his heir, was still a minor, and died in 1320. The Pomeranian dukes and Cammin bishops tried to take advance of Brandenburg's weakness. They did not only envision territorial gains, but also aimed at changing the status of the duchy from a fief of Brandenburg to a fief directly from the emperor. To achieve these goals, the dukes allied with various neighboring states, mounted military campaigns of which the first Battle of Kremmer Damm in 1332 was the most important, and gave their lands to the Cammin bishops (in 1320) and even to pope John XXII
(in 1330 or 1331). In 1337, the Brandenburg margrave had to take the terrae Lippehne, Schivelbein and Falkenberg
(all in Neumark
) as a fief from the Cammin bishops. In 1338, Barnim III
of Pomerania-Stettin was granted his part-duchy as a fief directly from the emperor, while Pomerania-Wolgast remained under formal Brandenburgian overlordship.
The towns Stettin, Greifenhagen
, and Gollnow in Pomerania-Stettin, concerned about a permanent division of the duchy in case Barnim III would not have children, rebelled in 1339 and sided with Pomerania-Wolgast in 1341. Barnim had to move his court to Gartz (Oder). On June 12, 1348, German king and later emperor Karl IV
granted the Duchy of Pomerania as a whole and the Rugian principality as a fief to the dukes of both Pomerania-Stettin and Pomerania-Wolgast, erasing Brandenburg's claims, which however was not accepted by Brandenburg until 1529. The Pomeranian dukes and towns reconciled in 1344–54.
Barnim III, against the will of the burghers, erected a castle within Stettin's walls
in 1346 (the old burgh had been leveled in 1249), and gained from Brandenburg the eastern parts of the Uckermark
, that was in 1354 Pasewalk
, in 1355 Schwedt
, Angermünde
, and Brüssow
, and in 1359 (Torgelow
).
of Pomerania-Wolgast took over these areas as a fief from Waldemar of Brandenburg. In 1347, the area became fully attached to Pomerania-Wolgast. The lands of Stolp were pawned to the Teutonic Order from 1329 to 1341, the Bütow
area was bought by the Knights in 1329 and thus remained outside Pomerania-Wolgast.
of Pomerania-Wolgast took over the principality according to the 1315 agreement with Christopher II of Denmark
. Yet, in the meantime Christopher's throne had been challenged by Valdemar III of Denmark
, and Christopher had granted Rugia to Mecklenburg for her aid against his opponent. After Wartislaw died in 1326, Mecklenburg invaded the principality, triggering the First War for Rugian Succession . Wartislaw's minor sons were aided by primarily by Greifswald
and Demmin
, but also by Stralsund
, Anklam
, and Valdemar III, who decisively defeated the Mecklenburgian army in 1228 near Völschow
. In the subsequent Treaty of Brudersdorf, Mecklenburg withdrew her claims for 31,000 mark
in silver. In exchange, the terrae Tribsees
, Grimmen
and Barth were pawned to her. When the Pomeranian dukes in 1340 were not able to bail out these lands, but refused to formally hand them over, the Second War for Rugian Succession . This time, the dukes of Pomerania-Wolgast were aided by those of Pomerania-Stettin and the Counts of Gützkow. After the Pomeranian forces defeated the Mecklenburgians in the Battle of Schopendamm near Loitz
in 1351, they were able to take Grimmen and Barth in 1354 and Tribsees in 1356. Mecklenburg dropped her claims thereafter. Another party in these wars for Rugian succession was the bishop of Schwerin, who sought to enforce his claims by legal means, but was not successful in his appeals to various ecclesial courts.
of Pomerania-Wolgast in 1366, an armed conflict arose when Barnim's brother Bogislaw V
refused to share his power with Barnim's sons, Wartislaw VI
and Bogislaw VI
, and his other brother, Wartislaw V
, who in turn allied with Mecklenburg to enforce their claims. On May 25, 1368, a compromise was negotiated in Anklam
, which was made a formal treaty on June 8, 1372 in Stargard
, and resulted in a partition of Pomerania-Wolgast.
Bogislaw V received most of the Farther Pomerania
n parts. Excepted was the land of Neustettin, which was to be ruled by his brother Wartislaw V, and was integrated into Bogislaw's part-duchy only after his death in 1390. This eastern part duchy became known as Pomerania-Stolp.
and the Swine river. When Bogislaw VI died in 1393 and Wartislaw VI in 1394, the latter's sons Barnim VI
and Wartislaw VIII
ruled in common.
On December 6, 1425, the western part of Pomerania-Wolgast (without Pomerania-Stolp) was partitioned again at a congress in Eldena Abbey
, this time among the Wartislaw IX
and his brother Barnim VII
, who received the eastern part with Wolgast
, and their cousins Swantibor II and his brother Barnim VIII
, who received the Rugian part with Barth.
In 1456, the University of Greifswald was founded on behalf of Greifswald's burgomaster
Heinrich Rubenow, becoming the first university of Pomerania and one of the oldest in northern Europe.
The situation of the descendants of Bogislaw V, who ruled Pomerania-Stolp, differed somewhat from the situation of their western counterparts. The area was more sparsely settled and dominated by powerful noble families, so not much income could be derived by the dukes. On the other hand, the Stolpian branch of the House of Pomerania had relatives among the royal houses of Denmark and Poland. Casimir IV and Elisabeth, the children of Bogislaw V and his first wife Elisabeth, the daughter of Casimir III of Poland
, where both raised at the Polish court in Kraków
. Elisabeth would become Holy Roman Empress
after her marriage with Charles IV
, and Casimir was adopted by and designated heir of his grandfather. Yet, his ambitions were swarted when Ludwig of Hungary overruled the testament of Casimir of Poland in 1370, Casimir of Pomerania-Stolp only for a short time took the land of Dobrin
as a fief. Eric II of Pomerania-Stolp
, grand-grandchild of Danish king Valdemar IV
in contrast became king of the Kalmar Union
in 1397.
Eric however failed in his most ambitious plan, to make Bogislaw IX
of Pomerania-Stolp king of both the Kalmar Union and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
. Eric had to leave Denmark in 1449 and ruled Pomerania-Rügenwalde, a small partition of Pomerania-Stolp, until his death in 1459.
Pomerania-Stolp was a crucial point in the Knights' land supply route. Bogislaw VIII
of Pomerania-Stolp allied with both the Teutonic Knights and Poland, but supported the latter after the war had started in 1409 by blocking his lands for the Knights' troops and allowing his nobles to kidnap those who were travelling his lands. For his aid, he was granted the Lauenburg (now Lębork
) and Bütow (now Bytów
) areas (Lauenburg and Bütow Land
) and others, but those were lost in the First Peace of Thorn in 1411.
.jpg)
Casimir V
of Pomerania-Stettin at the same time allied with the Teutonic Knights and took part in the Battle of Grunwald
, where he was caught by the Poles and bailed out by the Knights after the First Peace of Thorn.
The main concern of the Stettin dukes however was Brandenburg, namely the Neumark and Uckermark regions. Casimir III
died in 1372 during a siege of Königsberg (Neumark), after he had managed to receive an empirial approval of his Uckermark possessions in 1370. On May 17, 1373, all dukes of Pomerania concluded an alliance in Kaseburg, but situation eased when margrave Otto III of Brandenburg abdicated on August 15, 1373, and the House of Luxembourg
took over the march on October 2 of the same year. In 1374, the Luxembourgians allied with all branches of the House of Pomerania
. Pomeranian dukes even held positions in the march's administration.
When Brandenburg changed hands from the House of Luxembourg to the House of Hohenzollern
on January 11, 1411, the dukes of Pomerania-Stettin understood their position endangered and reacted with warfare. The first major battle was the second Battle of Kremmer Damm on October 24, 1412. While the dukes of Pomerania-Wolgast had sided with the emperor, disappointment over the emperors disapproval of ridding them of formal Brandenburgian overlordship in 1417 drove them to ally with their Stettin relatives and Mecklenburg. This coalition was backed by Denmark and Poland. A series of battles culminated in a decisive defeat on March 26, 1420, in the streets of Angermünde
, and the Uckermark possessions were lost once again.
allied with the Landmeister
of the Monastic state of the Teutonic Knights
in Prussia
against king Casimir III
of Poland. When the Treaty of Kalisz had ended the subsequent Polish–Teutonic War (1326–1332)
in 1343, Wartislaw's sons Bogislaw V
, Barnim IV
and Wartislaw V
changed sides, and Bogislaw V
married Casimir III
's daughter, Elisabeth
. Barnim III of Pomerania-Stettin
joined this alliance in 1348. After Poland and Lithuania
had formed the Union of Krėva in 1385, and Poland had rejected the claims of Casimir III
's grandson Casimir IV of Pomerania-Stolp, Bogislaw VIII
and Wartislaw VII
of Pomerania-Stolp in 1386 concluded an anti-Polish alliance with the Teutonic Knights
, after they had settled their common border. In 1388, this alliance was joined by Swantibor I and Bogislaw VII of Pomerania-Stettin as well as Barnim VI
and Wartislaw VI
of Pomerania-Wolgast.
Later in 1388 however, the dukes of Pomerania-Stolp left this alliance and sided with Poland, who had promised to partially respect their claims as Casimir III
's heirs. Thence, the nobles of Pomerania-Stolp robbed
the Teutonic Knights
and their supply routes, provoking a counter-attack that destroyed many noble strongholds
and the fortifications of Köslin (now Koszalin). Bogislaw VIII
, Barnim V and Wartislaw VII
reacted by siding with Polish king Jogaila
and concluding mutual trade alleviations.
When Wartislaw VII
died, Bogislaw VIII
and Barnim V concluded a treaty with the Teutonic Knights
to safeguard their supply routes in turn for a financial credit. Swantibor I and Bogislaw VII of Pomerania-Stettin changed sides in 1395 and allied with the knights in turn for financial aid. Barnim V in 1397 concluded an alliance with Poland, married Vytautas' niece Hedwig and was in Jogaila
's service in 1401 until he died in 1402 or 1404. Bogislaw VIII
also entered into Jogaila
's service, but changed sides in 1407–08, when he allied with the Teutonic Knights
and settled their common border.
Nikolaus Bock, Cammin bishop
from 1398–1410, had also sided with the knights before and placed his bishopric under their suzerainity. Wartislaw VIII
of Pomerania-Wolgast allied with the knights in return for an assumption of a debt and additional payments. Swantibor I and Bogislaw VII of Pomerania-Stettin joined this alliance in 1409, after they had concluded a ten-year truce with the knights in return for debt cancellation before. When the knights lost the Battle of Tannenberg
in 1410, Bogislaw VIII
of Pomerania-Stolp changed sides again and allied with Poland in return for the Bütow
, Schlochau, Preußisch-Friedland, Baldenburg, Hammerstein
and Schivelbein areas, which Poland had gained from the Monastic state of the Teutonic Knights
before. This was however cancelled by the First Peace of Thorn in 1411.
While Bogislaw VIII
nevertheless upheld his alliance with Jogaila
, Konrad Bonow of the Cammin diocese
in 1414 concluded an alliance with the Teutonic knights
against both Bogislaw VIII
and Jogaila
, which was turned into a truce soon after. In 1417, Bogislaw VIII
and the Teutonic knights
settled their common border in the Hammerstein
area, ending their conflicts. Bogislaw VIII
's son Bogislaw IX
together with all other Pomeranian dukes in 1423 allied with the Teutonic knights
.
of Pomerania-Wolgast and successor of Bogislaw IX
in Pomerania-Stolp again allied with Jogaila
and his son and successor Casimir IV in his Thirteen Years' War against the Teutonic Knights
. On January 3, 1455, he in turn was granted the Lauenburg and Bütow Land
at the Pomerelian frontier. When Lauenburg was retaken by the knights in 1459, the Polish king was upset and ravaged the Stolp area. Eric reconciled with the king on August 21, 1466, and bought the town from the knights on October 11, six days before the Second Peace of Thorn, that was signed by Eric in 1467.
) allied with the Teutonic Knights against Brandenburg and against the Hanseatic towns. In early 1425, this coalition was joined by Mecklenburg and Poland and successfully invaded Brandenburg. A peace treaty concluded on May 22, 1427, in Eberswalde
, left Pomerania with the Uckermark north of Angermünde
. On June 16, 1427, this was confirmed by the Treaty of Templin
, which also included a coalition of Pomerania, Brandenburg and Mecklenburg. Yet, in 1440 Pomerania and Brandenburg invaded Mecklenburg, and in 1444 Brandenburg demanded from Pomerania to again hand over the Uckermark to her. When the Pomeranians refused, war broke out again. The first Treaty of Prenzlau
in 1448 set the border south of Pasewalk
.
, and Otto III
of Pomerania-Stettin (all in 1464). Thus, the line of Pomerania-Stettin had died out.
The extinction of the House of Pomerania-Stettin triggered a conflict about inheritance with the Margraviate of Brandenburg
. In the Treaty of Soldin of 1466
, a compromise was negotiated: Wartislaw X and Eric II
, the dukes of Pomerania, took over Pomerania-Stettin as a Brandenburgian fief. This was disputed already during the same year by the emperor, who intervened against the Brandenburgian overlordship of Pomerania. This led to a series of further warfare and truces, that were ended by the Treaty of Prenzlau
of 1472, basically confirming the ruling of the Soldin treaty, but settling on a border north of Gartz (Oder) resembling Brandenburg's recent gains. This treaty was accepted by the emperor.
In 1474, Eric II died of the plague, and his son Bogislaw X
inherited Pomerania-Stolp. Bogislaw's brothers had died the same year. After the death of his uncle Wartislaw X in 1478, he became the first sole ruler in the Duchy of Pomerania since almost 200 years.
Eric II had left Pomerania in tense conflicts with Brandenburg and Mecklenburg
. Bogislaw managed to resolve these conflicts by both diplomatic and military means. He married his sister, Sophia, to Magnus II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and his other sister, Magarete, was married to Magnus' brother Balthasar
. Bogislaw himself married Magareta
, daughter of Brandenburg's Prince-elector
Frederick II. Also, in 1478, Bogislaw regained areas lost to Brandenburg by his father, most notably the town of Gartz
and other small towns and castles north of the Brandenburgian Uckermark
. During the confirmation of the Peace of Prenzlau in 1479, the border was finally settled north of Strasburg and Bogislaw had to take his possessions as a fief from Brandenburg.
The Protestant Reformation
reached Pomerania in the early 16th century. Bogislaw X
in 1518 sent his son, Barnim IX, to study in Wittenberg
. In 1521, he personally attended a mass of Martin Luther
in Wittenberg, and also of other reformed preachers in the following years. Also in 1521, Johannes Bugenhagen
, the most important person in the following conversion of Pomerania to Protestantism
, left Belbuck Abbey to study in Wittenberg, close to Luther. In Belbuck, a circle had formed before, comprising not only Bugenhagen, but also Johann Boldewan, Christian Ketelhut, Andreas Knöpke and Johannes Kureke. These persons, and also Johannes Knipstro, Paul vom Rode, Peter Suawe, Jacob Hogensee and Johann Amandus spread the Protestant idea all over Pomerania. At several occasions, this went along with public outrage, plunder and arson directed against the church.
The dukes' role in the reformation process was ambitious. Bogislaw X, despite his sympathies, forbade Protestant preaching and tumults shortly before his death. Of his sons, George I
opposed, and Barnim IX supported Protestantism as did Georg's son, Philip I
. In 1531, George died, and a Landtag
in Stettin formally allowed Protestant preaching, if no tumults would arise from this. On December 13, 1534, a Landtag was assembled in Treptow an der Rega, where the dukes and the nobility against the vote of Cammin bishop Erasmus von Manteuffel officially introduced Protestantism to Pomerania. Bugenhagen in the following month drafted the new church order.
The Duchy of Pomerania joined the Schmalkaldic League
, but did not actively participate in the Schmalkaldic War
.
. The border ran roughly along the Oder
and Swine rivers, with Pomerania-Wolgast now consisting of Hither or Western Pomerania (Vorpommern, yet without Stettin and Gartz (Oder) on the Oder river's left bank, and with Greifenberg
on its right bank), and Pomerania-Stettin consisting of Farther Pomerania
. The secular possessions of the Diocese of Cammin
around Kolberg (Kolobrzeg
) subsequently came controlled by the dukes, when members of the ducal family were made titular bishops of Cammin since 1556.
Despite the division, the duchy maintained one central government.
In 1569, Pomerania-Barth (consisting of the area around Barth, Damgarten and Richtenberg
) was split off Pomerania-Wolgast to satisfy Bogislaw XIII
. In the same year, Pomerania-Rügenwalde (consisting of the areas around Rügenwalde and Bütow
) was split off Pomerania-Stettin to satisfy Barnim XII
. Though the partitions were named similar to the earlier ones, their territory differed significantly.
In contrast to the partition of 1532, it was agreed that two governments were maintained in Wolgast
and Stettin. Decisions of war and peace were to be made only by a common Landtag
.
During the 1560s, Pomerania was caught between the Northern Seven Years' War
for hegemony in the Baltic Sea
and the struggle for hegemony in the Upper Saxon Circle
of the Electorate of Saxony
and Brandenburg
. In 1570, the war in the Baltic ended with the Treaty of Stettin. In 1571–74, the duchy's status regarding Brandenburg
was finally settled: While an agreement of 1529 ruled Brandenburg to succeed in Pomerania once the House of Pomerania
died out in turn for the final rejection of Brandenburgian claims to hold Pomerania as a fief, it was now agreed that both ruling houses had a mutual right of succession in case of the extinction of the other one.
Also in 1571, a trade war between the towns Frankfurt (Oder)
(Brandenburg) and Stettin (Pomerania), ongoing since 1560, was settled in favour of Brandenburg. The struggle within the Upper Saxon Circle however went on. The Pomeranian dukes Johann Friedrich
and Ernst Ludwig
refused to pay their taxes to the circle's treasury (Kreiskasten in Leipzig
) properly, and in the rare cases they did, they marked it as a voluntary act. Furthermore, the dukes ratified the circle's decrees only with caveats that made it possible for them to withdraw at any time. The Pomeranian dukes justified their actions with events of 1563, when an army led by Eric of Brunswick
crossed and devastated their duchy, and the circle did not give them support. On the other hand, the Pomeranian refusal to properly integrate in the circle's structure likewise reduced the circle's ability to act as a unified military power.
The partitioned duchy underwent an economical recession in the late 16th century. The dukes' ability to control the inner affairs of the duchy severely declined in the cource of the 16th century. As the central power was weakened by the partitions and increasingly indebted, the independence of nobles and towns rose. Attempts of duke Johann Friedrich to strengthen the ducal position, e.g. by introducing a general tax, failed due to the resistance of the nobility, who had gained the right to veto ducal tax decrees at the circle's convent. In 1594–1597, the duchy participated in the Ottoman Wars. Yet, due to the rejection of financial support by the nobility, the Pomeranian dukes' funds for the campaign were low, resulting in their humiliation during the war for fighting with bad horses and weapons.
Bogislaw XIV was the last Duke of Pomerania. In the course of the Thirty Years' War
, the duchy was occupied first by Albrecht von Wallenstein
's mercenary army after the Capitulation of Franzburg
in 1627, and then by the Swedish Empire
, which was appreciated and confirmed by Bogislaw in the Treaty of Stettin (1630)
. The duchy was finally dissolved after Bogislaw's death in 1637. With the 1648 Peace of Westphalia
, Further Pomerania was assigned to Brandenburg-Prussia
who held the rights for inheritance (Province of Pomerania (1653-1815)). Hither Pomerania
stayed with the Swedish Empire and henceforth became known as Swedish Pomerania
. The border was settled in the Treaty of Stettin (1653)
. Both parts were merged into the Prussian
Province of Pomerania in 1815.
:
at the Reichstag
in Augsburg
. The ducal coat of arms since 1530 showed
Before 1530, the coat of arms had five fields, showing four griffins symbolizing Pomerania-Stettin, Pomerania, Wenden, Cassubia, and an empty regalia field.
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
, ruled by dukes of the House of Pomerania
House of Pomerania
The House of Griffins or House of Pomerania, , also known as House of Greifen; House of Gryf, was a dynasty of Royal dukes that ruled the Duchy of Pomerania from the 12th century until 1637, after their power was temporarily derivated to Prussian Royal House...
(Griffins).
The duchy originated from the realm of Wartislaw I
Wartislaw I, Duke of Pomerania
Wartislaw I was the first historical ruler of the Duchy of Pomerania and the founder of the Griffin dynasty....
, a Slavic Pomeranian duke, and was extended by the Lands of Schlawe and Stolp
Lands of Schlawe and Stolp
The Lands of Schlawe and Stolp are a historical region in Pomerania, centered around the towns of Sławno and Słupsk in Farther Pomerania...
in 1317, the Principality of Rügen in 1325, and the Lauenburg and Bütow Land
Lauenburg and Bütow Land
Lauenburg and Bütow Land formed a historical region in eastern in eastern Pomerania. Composed of two districts centered around the towns of Lauenburg and Bütow , it was on the western periphery of Pomerelia...
in 1455. During the High Middle Ages
Pomerania during the High Middle Ages
Pomerania during the High Middle Ages covers the History of Pomerania in the 12th and 13th centuries.The early 12th century Obodrite, Polish, Saxon, and Danish conquests resulted in vassalage and Christianization of the formerly pagan and independent Pomeranian tribes...
, it also comprised the northern Neumark
Neumark
Neumark comprised a region of the Prussian province of Brandenburg, Germany.Neumark may also refer to:* Neumark, Thuringia* Neumark, Saxony* Neumark * Nowe Miasto Lubawskie or Neumark, a town in Poland, situated at river Drwęca...
and Uckermark
Uckermark
Uckermark is a Kreis in the northeastern part of Brandenburg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Barnim and Oberhavel, the districts Mecklenburgische Seenplatte and Vorpommern-Greifswald in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and to the east Poland . It is the largest district of Germany areawise...
areas as well as Circipania
Circipania
Circipania was a medieval territory in what is now northeastern Germany. The name derives from Latin circum and Pane . The region was enclosed roughly by the upper Recknitz, Trebel and Peene rivers, the western border ran between Güstrow and Rittermannshagen...
and Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a duchy and later grand duchy in northern Germany, consisting of the eastern fifth of the historic Mecklenburg region, roughly corresponding with the present-day Mecklenburg-Strelitz district , and the western exclave of the former Bishopric of Ratzeburg in modern...
.
The Dukes of Pomerania
Dukes of Pomerania
- 10th and 11th century – Dukes of the Slavic Pomeranian tribes :* 1046 mention of Zemuzil * 1113 Gallus Anonymus mentions several dukes of Pomerania: Swantibor, Gniewomir, and an unnamed duke besieged in Kołobrzeg.-Duchy of Pomerania:*1121–1135 Wartislaw I*1135–1155 Ratibor I, ancestor of the...
were vassals of Poland from 1122 to 1138, of the Duchy of Saxony
Duchy of Saxony
The medieval Duchy of Saxony was a late Early Middle Ages "Carolingian stem duchy" covering the greater part of Northern Germany. It covered the area of the modern German states of Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saxony-Anhalt and most of Schleswig-Holstein...
from 1164 to 1181, of Denmark from 1185 to 1227, and of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
from 1181 to 1185 and from 1227 to 1637, including periods of vassalage to the Margraves of Brandenburg. Most of the time, the duchy was ruled by several Griffin dukes in common, resulting in various internal partitions
Partitions of the Duchy of Pomerania
The Duchy of Pomerania was partitioned several times to satisfy the claims of the male members of the ruling House of Pomerania dynasty. The partitions were named after the ducal residences: Pomerania-Barth, -Demmin, -Rügenwalde, -Stettin, -Stolp, and -Wolgast. None of the partitions had a...
. After the last Griffin duke had died during the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
in 1637, the duchy was partitioned between Brandenburg-Prussia and Sweden
Swedish Pomerania
Swedish Pomerania was a Dominion under the Swedish Crown from 1630 to 1815, situated on what is now the Baltic coast of Germany and Poland. Following the Polish War and the Thirty Years' War, Sweden held extensive control over the lands on the southern Baltic coast, including Pomerania and parts...
.
Origins
In the 12th century, Poland, the Holy Roman Empire's Duchy of SaxonyDuchy of Saxony
The medieval Duchy of Saxony was a late Early Middle Ages "Carolingian stem duchy" covering the greater part of Northern Germany. It covered the area of the modern German states of Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saxony-Anhalt and most of Schleswig-Holstein...
and Denmark conquered Pomerania, ending the tribal era
Pomerania during the Early Middle Ages
The southward movement of Germanic tribes during the migration period had left Pomerania largely depopulated by the 7th century. Between 650 and 850 AD, West Slavic tribes settled in Pomerania. The tribes between the Oder and the Vistula were collectively known as Pomeranians, and those west of the...
.
House of Pomerania (Griffins)
House of Pomerania
The House of Griffins or House of Pomerania, , also known as House of Greifen; House of Gryf, was a dynasty of Royal dukes that ruled the Duchy of Pomerania from the 12th century until 1637, after their power was temporarily derivated to Prussian Royal House...
) until the Danish occupation and extinction of the Ratiboride branch in 1227.
The areas stretching from Kolberg (Kołobrzeg) to Stettin (Szczecin) were ruled by Ratibor's brother Wartislaw I and his descendants (House of Pomerania
House of Pomerania
The House of Griffins or House of Pomerania, , also known as House of Greifen; House of Gryf, was a dynasty of Royal dukes that ruled the Duchy of Pomerania from the 12th century until 1637, after their power was temporarily derivated to Prussian Royal House...
, also called Griffins, of which he was the first ascertained ancestor) until the 1630s. The terms of surrender after the Polish conquest were that Wartislaw had to accept Polish sovereignty, convert his people to Christianity, and pay an annual tribute to the Polish duke.
Poland
In several expeditions mounted between 1102 and 1121, most of Pomerania had been subdued by the Polish duke Bolesław III Wrymouth.From 1102 to 1109, Boleslaw campaigned in the Netze (Notec) and Persante (Parseta) area. The Pomeranian residence in Belgard (Białogard) was taken already in 1102. From 1112 to 1116, Boleslaw subdued all of Pomerelia
Pomerelia
Pomerelia is a historical region in northern Poland. Pomerelia lay in eastern Pomerania: on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea and west of the Vistula and its delta. The area centered on the city of Gdańsk at the mouth of the Vistula...
. From 1119 to 1122, the area towards the Oder
Oder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...
were subdued. Stettin (Szczecin) was taken in the winter of 1121–1122.
The conquest resulted in a high death toll and devastation of vast areas of Pomerania, and the Pomeranian dukes became vassals of Boleslaw III of Poland.
Poland's influence vanished in the next decade. In 1135, Boleslaw had accepted overlordship of Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
Lothair III
Lothair III, Holy Roman Emperor
Lothair III of Supplinburg , was Duke of Saxony , King of Germany , and Holy Roman Emperor from 1133 to 1137. The son of Count Gebhard of Supplinburg, his reign was troubled by the constant intriguing of Frederick I, Duke of Swabia and Duke Conrad of Franconia...
and in turn received his Pomeranian gains as well as the still undefeated Principality of Rügen as a fief. Wartislaw I also accepted the Emperor as his overlord. With Boleslaw's death in 1138, Polish overlordship ended, triggering competition of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
and Denmark for the area.
Westward expansion of Wartislaw I
In the meantime, Wartislaw managed to conquer vast territories west of the OderOder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...
river, an area inhabited by Lutici
Lutici
The Lutici were a federation of West Slavic Polabian tribes, who between the 10th and 12th centuries lived in what is now northeastern Germany. Four tribes made up the core of the federation: the Redarians , Circipanians , Kessinians and Tollensians...
tribes weakened by past warfare, and included these territories into his Duchy of Pomerania. Already in 1120, he had expanded west into the areas near the Oder Lagoon and Peene
Peene
The Peene is a river in Germany. The Westpeene, Kleine Peene and Ostpeene flow into the Kummerower See, and from there as Peene proper to Anklam and into the Oder Lagoon....
river. Most notably Demmin
Demmin
Demmin is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It was the capital of the former district Demmin.- Name :...
, the Principality of Gützkow and Wolgast
Wolgast
Wolgast is a town in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the bank of the river Peenestrom, vis-a-vis the island of Usedom that can be accessed by road and railway via a bascule bridge...
were conquered in the following years.
The major stage of the westward expansion into Lutici territory occurred between Otto of Bamberg's two missions, 1124 and 1128. In 1128, Demmin, the County of Gützkow and Wolgast were already incorporated into Wartislaw I's realm, yet warfare was still going on. Captured Lutici and other war loot, including livestock, money, and clothes were apportioned among the victorious. After Wartislaw's Lutician conquests, his duchy lay between the Bay of Greifswald
Bay of Greifswald
The Bay of Greifswald is a basin in the southwestern Baltic Sea, off the shores of Germany in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. With an area of 514 km², it is the largest Bodden of the German Baltic coast....
to the north, Circipania
Circipania
Circipania was a medieval territory in what is now northeastern Germany. The name derives from Latin circum and Pane . The region was enclosed roughly by the upper Recknitz, Trebel and Peene rivers, the western border ran between Güstrow and Rittermannshagen...
, including Güstrow
Güstrow
Güstrow is a town in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany the capital of the district of Güstrow. It has a population of 30,500 and is the seventh largest town in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Since 2006 Güstrow has the official suffix Barlachstadt.-Geography:The town of Güstrow is located...
(Ostrów), to the west, Kolobrzeg in the east, and possibly as far as the Havel
Havel
The Havel is a river in north-eastern Germany, flowing through the German states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Berlin and Saxony-Anhalt. It is a right tributary of the Elbe river and in length...
and Spree
Spree
The Spree is a river that flows through the Saxony, Brandenburg and Berlin states of Germany, and in the Ústí nad Labem region of the Czech Republic...
rivers in the south.
These gains were not subject to Polish over lordship, but were placed under over lordship of Nordmark
Nordmark
Nordmark can mean:*Nordmark Hundred - a district of Värmland in Sweden*the German name for the Northern March - a territorial organisation in Holy Roman Empire*Arbeitserziehungslager Nordmark a work camp from the Nazis...
margrave
Margrave
A margrave or margravine was a medieval hereditary nobleman with military responsibilities in a border province of a kingdom. Border provinces usually had more exposure to military incursions from the outside, compared to interior provinces, and thus a margrave usually had larger and more active...
Albrecht the Bear a dedicated enemy of Slavs, by Lothair III, Holy Roman Emperor
Lothair III, Holy Roman Emperor
Lothair III of Supplinburg , was Duke of Saxony , King of Germany , and Holy Roman Emperor from 1133 to 1137. The son of Count Gebhard of Supplinburg, his reign was troubled by the constant intriguing of Frederick I, Duke of Swabia and Duke Conrad of Franconia...
. Thus, the western territories contributed to making Wartislaw significantly independent from the Polish dukes. Wartislaw was not the only one campaigning in these areas. The Polish duke Boleslaw III, during his Pomeranian campaign launched an expedition into the Müritz
Müritz
Müritz is a former Kreis in the southern part of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is named after the lake Müritz. Neighboring districts were Demmin, Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the district-free city Neubrandenburg, the district Ostprignitz-Ruppin in Brandenburg, Parchim and Güstrow...
area in 1120–21, before he turned back to subdue Wartislaw. The later Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
Lothair III (then Saxon duke
Duchy of Saxony
The medieval Duchy of Saxony was a late Early Middle Ages "Carolingian stem duchy" covering the greater part of Northern Germany. It covered the area of the modern German states of Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saxony-Anhalt and most of Schleswig-Holstein...
Lothair I of Supplinburg) in 1114 initiated massive campaigns against the local Lutici tribes resulting in their final defeat in 1228. Also, the territories were invaded by Danish forces multiple times, who, coming from the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
, used the rivers Peene and Uecker
Uecker
The Uecker or Ucker is a river in the northeastern German states of Brandenburg, where it is known as the Ucker, and of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Its source lies in the Uckermark district, near the village Alt-Temmen. It flows north through Lake Oberuckersee, Lake Mollensee and Lake Unteruckersee,...
to advance to a line Demmin
Demmin
Demmin is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It was the capital of the former district Demmin.- Name :...
–Pasewalk
Pasewalk
Pasewalk is a town in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany. Located on the Uecker river, it is the capital of the former Uecker-Randow district, and the seat of the Uecker-Randow-Tal Amt of which it is not part.Pasewalk became a town during the 12th...
. At different times, Pomeranians, Saxons and Danes were either allies or opponents. The Pomeranian dukes
House of Pomerania
The House of Griffins or House of Pomerania, , also known as House of Greifen; House of Gryf, was a dynasty of Royal dukes that ruled the Duchy of Pomerania from the 12th century until 1637, after their power was temporarily derivated to Prussian Royal House...
consolidated their power in the course of the 12th century, yet the preceding warfare had left these territories completely devastated.
Conversion and the Pomeranian diocese
Bernard
The masculine given name Bernard is of Germanic origin.The meaning of the name is from a Germanic compound Bern-hard meaning "bear-hardy", or "brave as a bear". Bern- is the old form of bear from West Germanic *beran-....
(also Bernhard) travelled to Jumne (Wolin
Wolin (town)
Wolin is a town situated on the southern tip of the Wolin island off the Baltic coast of Poland. The island lies at the edge of the strait of Dziwna in Kamień Pomorski County in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship....
), accompagnied only by his chaplain and an interpreter. The Pomeranians however were not impressed by his missionary efforts and finally threw him out of town.
Bernard was later made bishop of Lebus
Bishopric of Lebus
The Bishopric of Lebus was a Roman Catholic diocese and later an ecclesiastical territory of the Holy Roman Empire. It existed from 1125 until 1598...
.
After Bernard's misfortune, Boleslaw III asked Otto of Bamberg
Otto of Bamberg
Saint Otto of Bamberg was a medieval German bishop and missionary who, as papal legate, converted much of Pomerania to Christianity.-Life:Otto was born into a noble family in Mistelbach, Franconia...
to convert Pomerania to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, which he accomplished in his first visit in 1124–25. Otto's strategy severely differed from the one Bernard used: While Bernard travelled alone and as a poor and unknown priest, Otto, a wealthy and famous man, was accompanied by 20 clergy of his own diocese, numerous servants, 60 warriors supplied to him by Boleslaw, and carried with him numerous supplies and gifts. After arriving in Pyritz, the Pomeranians were assured that Otto's aim was not the gain of wealth at the expense of the Pomeranian people, as he was wealthy already, but only to convert them to Christianity, which would protect the Pomeranians from further punishment by God, as which the devastating Polish conquest was depicted. This approach turned out to be successful, and was backed by parts of the Pomeranian nobility that in part was Christian raised already, like duke Wartislaw I
Wartislaw I, Duke of Pomerania
Wartislaw I was the first historical ruler of the Duchy of Pomerania and the founder of the Griffin dynasty....
, who encouraged and promoted Otto's mission. Many Pomeranians were baptized already in Pyritz and also in the other burghs visited.
Lutici
The Lutici were a federation of West Slavic Polabian tribes, who between the 10th and 12th centuries lived in what is now northeastern Germany. Four tribes made up the core of the federation: the Redarians , Circipanians , Kessinians and Tollensians...
an) Slavs of Western Pomerania just incorporated into the Pomeranian duchy, and to strengthen the Christian faith of the inhabitants of Stettin and Wollin, who fell back into heathen practices and idolatry. Otto this time visited primarily Western Pomeranian burghs, had the temples of Gützkow
Gützkow
Gützkow is a town in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated 18 km south of Greifswald at the Peene River's northern bank. Gützkow was the center of the medieval County of Gützkow.-History:...
and Wolgast
Wolgast
Wolgast is a town in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the bank of the river Peenestrom, vis-a-vis the island of Usedom that can be accessed by road and railway via a bascule bridge...
torn down and on their sites erected the predecessors of today's St Nikolai and St Petri churches, respectively. The nobility assembled to a congress in Usedom
Usedom (town)
Usedom is a town in Vorpommern-Greifswald district in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is the seat of the Amt of Usedom-Süd, to which 14 other communities also belong.-Geography:...
, where they accepted Christianity on June 10, 1128. Otto then was titled apostolus gentis Pomeranorum, made a saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
by pope Clement III in 1189, and was worshipped in Pomerania even after the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
.
Roman Catholic Diocese of Kammin
The Bishopric of Cammin was both a former Roman Catholic diocese in the Duchy of Pomerania from 1140 to 1544, and a secular territory in the Kolberg area from 1248 to 1650....
was founded and placed directly under the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
. Adalbert of Pomerania
Adalbert of Pomerania
Adalbert of Pomerania was the first bishop of the 12th century Pomeranian bishopric, with its see in Wolin . The territory was put under the jurisdiction of the archbishopric of Magdeburg by emperor Otto I...
, who had participated in Otto's mission as an interpreter and assistant, was made the first bishop. The direct subordination under the pope thwarted the claims of the archbishops of Magdeburg and Gniezno, who both had asserted pressure on Otto of Bamberg to incorporate the new diocese into their realms. The initial see of the Pomeranian diocese was Wollin, and was moved to Grobe Abbey on the island of Usedom
Usedom
Usedom is a Baltic Sea island on the border between Germany and Poland. It is situated north of the Szczecin Lagoon estuary of the River Oder in Pomerania...
and to Kammin (Cammin, now Kamien Pomorskie) after 1150 and 1175, respectively. Since 1188, when the pope accepted the move of the see, the bishopric was referred to as Roman Catholic Diocese of Kammin
Roman Catholic Diocese of Kammin
The Bishopric of Cammin was both a former Roman Catholic diocese in the Duchy of Pomerania from 1140 to 1544, and a secular territory in the Kolberg area from 1248 to 1650....
, while before it was addressed as Pomeranian diocese.
In 1248, the Kammin bishops
Roman Catholic Diocese of Kammin
The Bishopric of Cammin was both a former Roman Catholic diocese in the Duchy of Pomerania from 1140 to 1544, and a secular territory in the Kolberg area from 1248 to 1650....
and the Pomeranian dukes
House of Pomerania
The House of Griffins or House of Pomerania, , also known as House of Greifen; House of Gryf, was a dynasty of Royal dukes that ruled the Duchy of Pomerania from the 12th century until 1637, after their power was temporarily derivated to Prussian Royal House...
had interchanged the terrae Stargard
Burg Stargard
Burg Stargard is a municipality in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated southeast of Neubrandenburg.Burg Stargard is a small town in Mecklenburg Strelitz...
and Kolberg, leaving the bishops in charge of the latter. In the following, the bishops extended their secular reign, which soon comprised the Kolberg (now Kołobrzeg), Köslin (also Cöslin, now Koszalin) and Bublitz (now Bobolice) areas. When in 1276 they became the sovereign of the town of Kolberg also, they moved their residence there, while the administration of the diocese was done from nearby Köslin. The bishops at multiple occasions tried to exclude their secular reign from ducal overlordship by applying for Imperial immediacy (Reichsunmittelbarkeit). The Pomeranian dukes
House of Pomerania
The House of Griffins or House of Pomerania, , also known as House of Greifen; House of Gryf, was a dynasty of Royal dukes that ruled the Duchy of Pomerania from the 12th century until 1637, after their power was temporarily derivated to Prussian Royal House...
successfully forestalled these ambitions, and immediacy was granted only temporarily in 1345.
Denmark and the Holy Roman Empire
In the West, bishops and dukes of the Holy Roman EmpireHoly Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
mounted expeditions to Pomerania. Most notable for the further fate of Pomerania are the 1147 Wendish Crusade
Wendish Crusade
The Wendish Crusade was an 1147 campaign, one of the Northern Crusades and also a part of the Second Crusade, led primarily by the Kingdom of Germany inside the Holy Roman Empire and directed against the Polabian Slavs ....
and the 1164 Battle of Verchen
Battle of Verchen
The Battle of Verchen was a battle between Saxons and West Slavic Obotrites on 6 July 1164.The Obotrites were attacked by Saxons and Danes in 1160, resulting in the death of the Obotrite prince, Niklot, and the partition of the Obotrite lands...
, the Pomeranian dukes became vassals of Henry the Lion
Henry the Lion
Henry the Lion was a member of the Welf dynasty and Duke of Saxony, as Henry III, from 1142, and Duke of Bavaria, as Henry XII, from 1156, which duchies he held until 1180....
, of Saxony
Duchy of Saxony
The medieval Duchy of Saxony was a late Early Middle Ages "Carolingian stem duchy" covering the greater part of Northern Germany. It covered the area of the modern German states of Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saxony-Anhalt and most of Schleswig-Holstein...
. Despite this vassalage, Henry again sieged Demmin in 1177 when he allied with the Danes, but reconciled with the Pomeranian dukes thereafter. In 1181 the dukes took their duchy as a fief from the Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
Barbarossa
Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick I Barbarossa was a German Holy Roman Emperor. He was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March, crowned King of Italy in Pavia in 1155, and finally crowned Roman Emperor by Pope Adrian IV, on 18 June 1155, and two years later in 1157 the term...
. Bogislaw I, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw I, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw I of the House of Pomerania was Duke of Pomerania-Stettin from 1156 to 1187. He co-ruled the Duchy of Pomerania with his brother Casimir I of Pomerania-Demmin. His father was Wartislaw I...
had travelled to Barbarossa's camp in Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
, where he received the Imperial flag and the title "Duke of Slavinia".
From the North, Denmark attacked Pomerania. Several campaigns throughout the 12th century (in 1136, 1150, 1159 and throughout the 1160s) culminated in the defeat of the Principality of Rugia
Principality of Rugia
The Principality of Rugia or Principality of Rügen was a Danish principality consisting of the island of Rügen and the adjacent mainland from 1168 until 1325. It was governed by a local dynasty of princes of the Wizlawiden dynasty...
in 1168. The Rugian princes became vassals of Valdemar I of Denmark
Valdemar I of Denmark
Valdemar I of Denmark , also known as Valdemar the Great, was King of Denmark from 1157 until 1182.-Biography:...
. In the fall of 1170, the Danes raided the Oder
Oder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...
estituary. In 1171, the Danes raided Circipania
Circipania
Circipania was a medieval territory in what is now northeastern Germany. The name derives from Latin circum and Pane . The region was enclosed roughly by the upper Recknitz, Trebel and Peene rivers, the western border ran between Güstrow and Rittermannshagen...
and took Cotimar's burgh in Behren-Lübchin
Behren-Lübchin
Behren-Lübchin is a municipality in the district of Rostock, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany....
. In 1173, the Danes turned to the Oder Lagoon again, taking the burgh of Stettin. Wartislaw II Swantiboriz, castellan of Stettin, became a Danish vassal. In 1177, the Danes again raided the Oder Lagoon area, also the burgh of Wolgast
Wolgast
Wolgast is a town in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the bank of the river Peenestrom, vis-a-vis the island of Usedom that can be accessed by road and railway via a bascule bridge...
in 1178. In 1184 and 1185, three campaigns of the Danes resulted in making Bogislaw I, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw I, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw I of the House of Pomerania was Duke of Pomerania-Stettin from 1156 to 1187. He co-ruled the Duchy of Pomerania with his brother Casimir I of Pomerania-Demmin. His father was Wartislaw I...
a Danish vassal. These campaigns were mounted by Valdemar's son and successor for the Danish throne, Canute VI of Denmark
Canute VI of Denmark
Canute VI was King of Denmark . Canute VI was the eldest son of King Valdemar I and Sophia of Polotsk.-Life:...
. In the Duchy of Pomerania the Danish period lasted until Valdemar II of Denmark
Valdemar II of Denmark
Valdemar II , called Valdemar the Victorious or Valdemar the Conqueror , was the King of Denmark from 1202 until his death in 1241. The nickname Sejr is a later invention and was not used during the King's own lifetime...
lost the Battle of Børnehoved
Battle of Bornhöved (1227)
The Battle of Bornhöved took place on 22 July 1227 near Bornhöved in Holstein. Count Adolf IV of Schauenburg and Holstein — leading an army consisting of troops from the cities of Lübeck and Hamburg, about 1000 Dithmarsians and combined troops of Holstein next to various north German nobles —...
on 22 July 1227. Danish supremacy prevailed until 1325 in the Rugian principality.
At that time, the duchy was also referred to as Slavinia
Slavinia
Slavinia is a historical region in present-day Poland and Germany consisting of the western part of the region of Pomerania, specifically Hither Pomerania and Further Pomerania."...A distinction was made between Slavinia, or modern [i.e., 1911] Pomerania, and Pomerellen." The term Duchy of...
, a term also applied to several Wendish
Wends
Wends is a historic name for West Slavs living near Germanic settlement areas. It does not refer to a homogeneous people, but to various peoples, tribes or groups depending on where and when it is used...
areas such as Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
and the Principality of Rügen.
German settlement (Ostsiedlung)
Starting in the 12th century, Pomerania was settled with Germans in a process termed OstsiedlungOstsiedlung
Ostsiedlung , also called German eastward expansion, was the medieval eastward migration and settlement of Germans from modern day western and central Germany into less-populated regions and countries of eastern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The affected area roughly stretched from Slovenia...
, that affected all medieval East Central
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
and Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
. Except for the Pomerelian Kashubians
Kashubians
Kashubians/Kaszubians , also called Kashubs, Kashubes, Kaszubians, Kassubians or Cassubians, are a West Slavic ethnic group in Pomerelia, north-central Poland. Their settlement area is referred to as Kashubia ....
and the Slovincians, the Wends
Wends
Wends is a historic name for West Slavs living near Germanic settlement areas. It does not refer to a homogeneous people, but to various peoples, tribes or groups depending on where and when it is used...
were assimilated. Most towns and villages are dating back to this period.
Rural settlement
Before the Ostsiedlung, Pomerania was rather sparsely settled. Around 1200, a relatively dense population could be found on the islands of RügenRügen
Rügen is Germany's largest island. Located in the Baltic Sea, it is part of the Vorpommern-Rügen district of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.- Geography :Rügen is located off the north-eastern coast of Germany in the Baltic Sea...
, Usedom
Usedom
Usedom is a Baltic Sea island on the border between Germany and Poland. It is situated north of the Szczecin Lagoon estuary of the River Oder in Pomerania...
and Wollin, around the burghs of Stettin, Köslin, Pyritz (Pyritzer Weizacker) and Stargard
Stargard Szczecinski
Stargard Szczeciński is a city in northwestern Poland, with a population of 71,017 . Situated on the Ina River it is the capital of Stargard County and since 1999 has been in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship; prior to that it was in the Szczecin Voivodeship...
, around the Persante river (Kolberg area), the lower Peene
Peene
The Peene is a river in Germany. The Westpeene, Kleine Peene and Ostpeene flow into the Kummerower See, and from there as Peene proper to Anklam and into the Oder Lagoon....
river, and between Schlawe and the Leba valley. Largely unsettled were the hilly regions and the woods in the South. The 12th century warfare, especially the Danish raids, depopulated many areas of Pomerania and caused severe population drops in others (e.g. Usedom). At the turn to the 13th century, only isolated German settlements existed, e.g. Hohenkrug and other German villages, and the merchant's settlement near the Stettin burgh. In contrast, the monasteries were almost exclusively run by Germans and Danes.
Massive German settlement started in the first half of the 13th century. Ostsiedlung was a common process at this time in all Central Europe and was largely run by the nobles and monasteries to increase their income. Also, the settlers were expected to finish and secure the conversion of the non-nobles to Christianity. In addition, the Danes withdrew from most of Pomerania in 1227, leaving the duchy vulnerable to their expansive neighbors, especially Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
, Brandenburg
Margraviate of Brandenburg
The Margraviate of Brandenburg was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806. Also known as the March of Brandenburg , it played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe....
, and Henry I of Silesia.
Germans, at this early stage (before 1240), were often settled in frontier regions, such as the mainland part of the Principality of Rugia
Principality of Rugia
The Principality of Rugia or Principality of Rügen was a Danish principality consisting of the island of Rügen and the adjacent mainland from 1168 until 1325. It was governed by a local dynasty of princes of the Wizlawiden dynasty...
(after prince Jaromar I
Jaromar I, Prince of Rügen
-Background:Jaromar was a Ranish nobleman, who was a native of the island of Rügen. Jaromar rose to be ruler of the Principality of Rügen as result of the Danish conquest of Rügen in 1168...
granted Eldena Abbey
Eldena Abbey
Eldena Abbey , originally Hilda Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery near the present town of Greifswald in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany...
the right to call in settlers in 1209), Circipania
Circipania
Circipania was a medieval territory in what is now northeastern Germany. The name derives from Latin circum and Pane . The region was enclosed roughly by the upper Recknitz, Trebel and Peene rivers, the western border ran between Güstrow and Rittermannshagen...
, the lands of Loitz
Loitz
Loitz is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated on the river Peene, 10 km northeast of Demmin, and 22 km southwest of Greifswald.-External links:*...
(administered semi-independently by Detlev of Gadebush), the Uckermark
Uckermark
Uckermark is a Kreis in the northeastern part of Brandenburg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Barnim and Oberhavel, the districts Mecklenburgische Seenplatte and Vorpommern-Greifswald in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and to the east Poland . It is the largest district of Germany areawise...
, the lands of Kolbatz Abbey and Bahn (which later was granted to the Knights Templar), and the area north of the Warthe and along the lower Oder
Oder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...
river. However, in many of these frontiers, German settlement did not hinder the advance of Pomerania's neighbors.
Germans were placed under a different law than Slavs. While those were unfree (except for the nobles), did not own the soil they cultivated, and were to serve the nobility, the opposite was true for the Germans.
About 1240, the areas of Stavenhagen
Stavenhagen
Stavenhagen is a municipality in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated 28 km northwest of Neubrandenburg.-Subdivisions:Stavenhagen is divided into following parts:-History:...
and Pyritz were subject to German settlement. About 1250, massive settlement took place also in Central Western Pomerania (County of Gützkow
County of Gützkow
The County of Gützkow was a part of the Duchy of Pomerania during the High Middle Ages , named after the central town of Gützkow and stretching roughly from the Peene River in the South to the Ryck River in the North. It emerged from the earlier Liutician Principality of Gützkow , that was turned...
, lands of Meseritz
Jarmen
Jarmen is a town in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated on the southern bank of the river Peene, 20 km south of Greifswald. Founded during the Ostsiedlung in the medieval terrae Miserez and Ploth, Jarmen remained a rural town at an...
, Ploth, Ziethen
Ziethen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Ziethen is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany....
and Groswin
Groswin
Groswin was the name-giving seat of one of the castellanies of the Duchy of Pomerania in the High Middle Ages. It was located in Western Pomerania near modern Anklam....
), and the Stargard
Stargard Szczecinski
Stargard Szczeciński is a city in northwestern Poland, with a population of 71,017 . Situated on the Ina River it is the capital of Stargard County and since 1999 has been in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship; prior to that it was in the Szczecin Voivodeship...
area (where settlement was encouraged already since 1229). In the 1260s, settlement started in the Cammin
Cammin
Cammin may refer to:*Cammin, Bad Doberan, a municipality in the district of Bad Doberan, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany*Cammin, Mecklenburg-Strelitz, a municipality in the district of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany...
area, and in the virtually unpopulated lands of Naugard, Massow
Massow
Massow is a municipality in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany....
and Daber. The Ueckermünde
Ueckermünde
Ueckermünde is a seaport town in northeast Germany, located in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald, Western Pomerania, near Germany's border with Poland . Ueckermünde has a long and varied history, going back to its founding by Slavs, known as the Uchri and mentioned in 934 by Widukind of Corvey...
and the Oder
Oder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...
mouth areas were also settled at about 1260, but the Ueckermünde heath and the woodlands on both sides of the Oder Lagoon remained untouched. In the areas adjacted to the Peenestrom
Peenestrom
The Peenestrom is a strait or river in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is 20 Kilometers long and is the westernmost connection of the Szczecin Lagoon with the Baltic Sea. It is therefore also one of the three distributaries of the Oder....
(the lands of Wusterhusen
Wusterhusen
Wusterhusen is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany....
and Lassan) local Slavs participated in the German settlement, which started in the 1260s. Settlement of the areas centered on the upper Rega
Rega
The Rega is a river in north-western Poland, flowing into the Baltic Sea. It is the country's 24th longest river, with a total length of 168 km and a catchment area of 2,725 km².Towns on the Rega:* Świdwin* Łobez* Resko* Płoty* Gryfice...
river, previously unsettled, started in the 1250s, and reached a peak in the 1280s. The lower Rega area around Greifenberg
Greifenberg
Greifenberg is a municipality in the district of Landsberg in Bavaria in Germany.-External links:*Webpage of the local Shooting Club "Schmied von Kochel"...
and Treptow an der Rega was settled about the same period, but here a native Slavic population participated. In the Persante area, first German settlements occurred about 1260, but a more extensive settlement did not start before 1280. On the islands of Usedom
Usedom
Usedom is a Baltic Sea island on the border between Germany and Poland. It is situated north of the Szczecin Lagoon estuary of the River Oder in Pomerania...
and Wollin, only isolated settlements took place in the 13th century, e.g. in the Garz (Usedom)
Garz (Usedom)
Garz is a small municipality on the island of Usedom in the Vorpommern-Greifswald landkreis in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.Adjacent to the town is the regional Heringsdorf Airport, before border controls between Poland and Germany were abolished in 2007 in accordance with the...
and Caseburg (Karsibór) area, where Germans settled already in the 1240s, and in proximity of the German town of Wolin
Wolin (town)
Wolin is a town situated on the southern tip of the Wolin island off the Baltic coast of Poland. The island lies at the edge of the strait of Dziwna in Kamień Pomorski County in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship....
. The local Grobe Abbey did, in contrast to the other Pomeranian monasteries, not enhance German settlement. Therefore, Slavic culture on the isles persisted and vanished only in the late 14th century. The island of Rügen
Rügen
Rügen is Germany's largest island. Located in the Baltic Sea, it is part of the Vorpommern-Rügen district of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.- Geography :Rügen is located off the north-eastern coast of Germany in the Baltic Sea...
, in contrast to the meanwhile German mainland parts of the principality, also remained a Slavic character throughout the 13th century – German settlement would only start in the 14th century, with strong participation of local Slavs. In Schlawe-Stolp, German settlement started in the 1260s, and was promoted by the Belbuck Abbey. A large influx of settlers to the western parts of Schlawe-Stolp took place after 1270, first settlers were called to the Stolp area in the 1280s. Here, local Slavs participated in the Ostsiedlung, and settlement went on throughout the 14th century.
Initially, the Germans who settled the northern regions predominantly came from Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
, while the Germans who settled the southern areas (mittelpommerscher Keil) predominantly came from Altmark
Altmark
The Altmark is a historic region in Germany, comprising the northern third of Saxony-Anhalt. As the initial territory of the Brandenburg margraves, it is sometimes referred to as the "Cradle of Prussia", as by Otto von Bismarck, a native from Schönhausen near Stendal.- Geography :The Altmark is...
and Westphalia
Westphalia
Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...
. This caused the emergence of different Pomeranian dialects. German settlers also came from areas earlier affected from Ostsiedlung, such as Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
, Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
, and later also German settled regions of Pomerania
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
herself. Though the exact proportion of German versus Slavic populations cannot be determined, it is undisputed that the Germans significantly outnumbered the Slavs. Before the end of the 13th century, the Western Pomeranian mainland and most of Farther Pomerania
Farther Pomerania
Farther Pomerania, Further Pomerania, Transpomerania or Eastern Pomerania , which before the German-Polish border shift of 1945 comprised the eastern part of the Duchy, later Province of Pomerania, roughly stretching from the Oder River in the West to Pomerelia in the East...
west of the Gollenberg
Gollenberg
Gollenberg is a municipality in the Havelland district, in Brandenburg, Germany consisting of Schönholz-Neuwerder, Stölln and Ohnewitz.-History:...
had turned almost completely German, mentions of Slavs in documents became exceptional. The Slavic dialects disappeared, with the exception that fishermen from the isles and the Oder lagoon area continued to use Wendish for a relatively long period.
Villages before the Ostsiedlung were of the Haufendorf
Haufendorf
A Haufendorf is an enclosed village with irregular plots of land and farms of greatly differing scale, usually surrounded by a stockade fence . They are typically found in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, whence the name. Haufendörfer differ from most other types of village in that they are...
type, the houses were built in close proximity to each other without a special ruling. A variant of this type also found in Pomerania is the Sackgassendorf (or Sackdorf) type, where a dead end road leads to those houses. This type evolved as an extension of Haufendorf type villages. German settlement introduced new types of villages: In the Hagenhufendorf
Hagenhufendorf
A Hagenhufendorf is an elongated settlement, similar to a Reihendorf, laid out along a road running parallel to a stream, whereby only one side of the road has houses, whilst on the opposite side are the hides , the handkerchief-shaped farmer's fields of medieval origin, about 20 to 40...
type, houses were built on both sides of a main road, each within their own hide
Hide (unit)
The hide was originally an amount of land sufficient to support a household, but later in Anglo-Saxon England became a unit used in assessing land for liability to "geld", or land tax. The geld would be collected at a stated rate per hide...
. Those villages were usually set up after the clearance of woodlands, most of them were given German names in absence of any Slavic site names. This type of village can be found all along the coast, most of them in the areas between Barth and Wolgast
Wolgast
Wolgast is a town in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the bank of the river Peenestrom, vis-a-vis the island of Usedom that can be accessed by road and railway via a bascule bridge...
, Kolberg and Köslin, and north and west of Schlawe. Other villages were built in the Angerdorf type, where a main street fork encloses a large meadow ("Anger") in the village's center where the life stock was kept at night, sometimes the church or other buildings not used for living were built on the Anger also. This type is the most prominent type in the Peene
Peene
The Peene is a river in Germany. The Westpeene, Kleine Peene and Ostpeene flow into the Kummerower See, and from there as Peene proper to Anklam and into the Oder Lagoon....
, lower Oder
Oder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...
, Pyritz, Lake Madü and Rega
Rega
The Rega is a river in north-western Poland, flowing into the Baltic Sea. It is the country's 24th longest river, with a total length of 168 km and a catchment area of 2,725 km².Towns on the Rega:* Świdwin* Łobez* Resko* Płoty* Gryfice...
areas, many villages of this type are also found in the Kolberg and Schlawe area. In addition to these types, the Straßendorf type, characterized by a single and very long main street, was introduced in a later stage of Ostsiedlung, and therefore is found predominantly in areas that were affected last by the German settlement (easternmost parts, Cammin area). Villages of this type were either new foundations, or extensions of Slavic precursors. In other areas, Hagenhufendorf and Angerdorf types dominate, while the Haufendorf type used in Slavic times and its Sackdorf variant can still be found in between, predominantly on the islands.
The villages' area was divided in hides
Hide (unit)
The hide was originally an amount of land sufficient to support a household, but later in Anglo-Saxon England became a unit used in assessing land for liability to "geld", or land tax. The geld would be collected at a stated rate per hide...
. The size of a hide differed between the village types: A Hagenhufe, used in the Hagenhufendorf villages, comprised 60 Morgen
Morgen
A morgen was a unit of measurement of land in Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and the Dutch colonies, including South Africa and Taiwan. The size of a morgen varies from 1/2 to 2½ acres, which equals approximately 0.2 to 1 ha...
, about 40 hectar. A Landhufe, used in the Angerdorf villages, comprised 30 Morgen. One farm would usually have an area of one Hagenhufe or two Landhufen. Slavic farmland was measured in Haken , with one Haken equals 15 Morgen (half a Landhufe). Haken were used only in villages remaining under old Slavic law (predominantly on the islands), whereas Hufen were used for new villages placed under German law (in Pomerania sometimes referred to as Schwerin Law). Not all families of German villages owned a Hufe. Those dwelling on considerably smaller property ("gardens") were usually hired as workers by the farmers . These people were termed "gardeners" or Kossäten (literally "who sits in a hut"), and could either be local Slavs or the younger sons of German farmers who did not inherit their father's soil.
Foundation of towns
Nearly all towns in modern Pomerania date back to the Ostsiedlung. In Slavic times, there have been town-like settlements already in DemminDemmin
Demmin is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It was the capital of the former district Demmin.- Name :...
, Wolgast
Wolgast
Wolgast is a town in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the bank of the river Peenestrom, vis-a-vis the island of Usedom that can be accessed by road and railway via a bascule bridge...
, Usedom
Usedom (town)
Usedom is a town in Vorpommern-Greifswald district in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is the seat of the Amt of Usedom-Süd, to which 14 other communities also belong.-Geography:...
, Wollin
Wolin (town)
Wolin is a town situated on the southern tip of the Wolin island off the Baltic coast of Poland. The island lies at the edge of the strait of Dziwna in Kamień Pomorski County in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship....
, Stettin, Kolberg, Pyritz and Stargard
Stargard Szczecinski
Stargard Szczeciński is a city in northwestern Poland, with a population of 71,017 . Situated on the Ina River it is the capital of Stargard County and since 1999 has been in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship; prior to that it was in the Szczecin Voivodeship...
, although many of the coastal settlements declined during the 12th century warfare. Yet these settlements were not continued by the German towns, which were founded on previously unsettled soil. Although some towns had a Slavic settlement, sometimes attached to a burgh
Burgh
A burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
, as precursor, the name of which would be adopted for the German town, the new town was usually founded on empty space in the settlements neighborhood. The distance could be some kilometers as in the case of Kolberg. Exceptions are Wollin
Wolin (town)
Wolin is a town situated on the southern tip of the Wolin island off the Baltic coast of Poland. The island lies at the edge of the strait of Dziwna in Kamień Pomorski County in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship....
and probably Cammin
Cammin
Cammin may refer to:*Cammin, Bad Doberan, a municipality in the district of Bad Doberan, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany*Cammin, Mecklenburg-Strelitz, a municipality in the district of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany...
, which were built on the spot of former, yet decayed settlements, and Stettin, where two German settlements were set up close to the Slavic burgh and settlement, all of which were included in the later town. In many cases, the name of the neighboring Slavic settlement would be used for the new town.
Barnim I, Duke of Pomerania
Barnim I the Good from the Griffin dynasty was a Duke of Pomerania from 1220 until his death.-Life:...
, who since was entitled "the towns' founder". The towns build on his behalf were granted Magdeburg Law and settled predominantly by people from the western Margraviate of Brandenburg
Margraviate of Brandenburg
The Margraviate of Brandenburg was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806. Also known as the March of Brandenburg , it played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe....
, while the towns founded in the North (most on behalf of the Rugian princes
Principality of Rugia
The Principality of Rugia or Principality of Rügen was a Danish principality consisting of the island of Rügen and the adjacent mainland from 1168 until 1325. It was governed by a local dynasty of princes of the Wizlawiden dynasty...
and Wartislaw III of Pomerania-Demmin
Wartislaw III, Duke of Pomerania
Wartislaw III was a Griffin duke of Pomerania-Demmin. Son of Casimir II of Pomerania-Demmin and Ingardis of Denmark, he was married to a Sophia of an unknown house. As he did not have any children, Pomerania-Demmin ceased to exist with his death.Ingardis ruled Pomerania-Demmin in place of young...
were granted Lübeck Law
Lübeck law
The Lübeck law was the constitution of a municipal form of government developed at Lübeck in Schleswig-Holstein after it was made a free city in 1226. The law provides for self-government. It replaced the personal rule of tribal monarchs descending from ancient times or the rule of the regional...
and were settled predominantly by people from Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
. The first towns were Stralsund
Stralsund
- Main sights :* The Brick Gothic historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.* The heart of the old town is the Old Market Square , with the Gothic Town Hall . Behind the town hall stands the imposing Nikolaikirche , built in 1270-1360...
(Principality of Rügen, 1234), Prenzlau
Prenzlau
Prenzlau , a city in the Uckermark District of Brandenburg in Germany, had a population of about 21,000 in 2005.-International relations:Prenzlau is twinned with: Uster, Switzerland Barlinek, Poland Świdwin, Poland...
(Uckermark
Uckermark
Uckermark is a Kreis in the northeastern part of Brandenburg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Barnim and Oberhavel, the districts Mecklenburgische Seenplatte and Vorpommern-Greifswald in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and to the east Poland . It is the largest district of Germany areawise...
, then Pomerania-Stettin, 1234), Bahn (Knights Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
, about 1234), and Stettin (1237–43), Gartz (Oder) (Pomerania-Stettin, 1240), and Loitz
Loitz
Loitz is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated on the river Peene, 10 km northeast of Demmin, and 22 km southwest of Greifswald.-External links:*...
(by Detlev of Gadebusch, 1242). Other towns build in the 1240s were Demmin
Demmin
Demmin is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It was the capital of the former district Demmin.- Name :...
, Greifswald
Greifswald
Greifswald , officially, the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald is a town in northeastern Germany. It is situated in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, at an equal distance of about from Germany's two largest cities, Berlin and Hamburg. The town borders the Baltic Sea, and is crossed...
(by Eldena Abbey
Eldena Abbey
Eldena Abbey , originally Hilda Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery near the present town of Greifswald in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany...
), Altentreptow
Altentreptow
Altentreptow is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated on the river Tollense, 15 km north of Neubrandenburg. Until 1939 the city's name was Treptow an der Tollense....
.
In the 1250s followed Anklam
Anklam
Anklam is a town in the Western Pomerania region of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the banks of the Peene river, just 8 km from its mouth in the Kleines Haff, the western part of the Stettin Lagoon. Anklam has a population of 14,603 and was the capital of the former...
, Altdamm, Pyritz, probably already Stargard
Stargard Szczecinski
Stargard Szczeciński is a city in northwestern Poland, with a population of 71,017 . Situated on the Ina River it is the capital of Stargard County and since 1999 has been in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship; prior to that it was in the Szczecin Voivodeship...
and Grimmen
Grimmen
Grimmen is the capital of Vorpommern-Rügen, a district in the Bundesland Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.-Geography:Grimmen is located in southeastern Nordvorpommern on the banks of the river Trebel, about 30 km south of Stralsund and 30 km west of Greifswald. The town is connected to...
, Greifenhagen
Greifenhagen
Greifenhagen is a village and a former municipality in the Mansfeld-Südharz district, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it has been part of the town of Arnstein....
, Barth (Principality of Rügen, before 1255), and Damgarten (Principality of Rügen, 1258). In the 1260s followed Wollin
Wolin (town)
Wolin is a town situated on the southern tip of the Wolin island off the Baltic coast of Poland. The island lies at the edge of the strait of Dziwna in Kamień Pomorski County in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship....
(1260), Ueckermünde
Ueckermünde
Ueckermünde is a seaport town in northeast Germany, located in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald, Western Pomerania, near Germany's border with Poland . Ueckermünde has a long and varied history, going back to its founding by Slavs, known as the Uchri and mentioned in 934 by Widukind of Corvey...
, Wolgast
Wolgast
Wolgast is a town in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the bank of the river Peenestrom, vis-a-vis the island of Usedom that can be accessed by road and railway via a bascule bridge...
, probably already Gützkow
Gützkow
Gützkow is a town in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated 18 km south of Greifswald at the Peene River's northern bank. Gützkow was the center of the medieval County of Gützkow.-History:...
, Pölitz
Pölitz
Pölitz is a municipality in the district of Stormarn, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany....
(1260), Greifenberg
Greifenberg
Greifenberg is a municipality in the district of Landsberg in Bavaria in Germany.-External links:*Webpage of the local Shooting Club "Schmied von Kochel"...
(1262), Gollnow, probably already Usedom
Usedom (town)
Usedom is a town in Vorpommern-Greifswald district in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is the seat of the Amt of Usedom-Süd, to which 14 other communities also belong.-Geography:...
, Penkun
Penkun
Penkun is a town in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated 25 km east of Prenzlau, and 23 km southwest of Szczecin.-Towns near Penkun:* Szczecin City * Eggesin...
, Tribsees
Tribsees
Tribsees is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated 33 km southwest of Stralsund, and 40 km east of Rostock....
(Principality of Rügen, before 1267) and Naugard (by the bishop of Cammin, before 1268). In the 1270s followed Cammin
Cammin
Cammin may refer to:*Cammin, Bad Doberan, a municipality in the district of Bad Doberan, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany*Cammin, Mecklenburg-Strelitz, a municipality in the district of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany...
(1274), Massow
Massow
Massow is a municipality in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany....
(by the bishop of Cammin, 1274), Pasewalk
Pasewalk
Pasewalk is a town in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany. Located on the Uecker river, it is the capital of the former Uecker-Randow district, and the seat of the Uecker-Randow-Tal Amt of which it is not part.Pasewalk became a town during the 12th...
(recorded in 1274, founded probably in the 1250s), Plathe (1277), Lassan (between 1264 and 1278), Rügenwalde (by Wizlaw II of Rügen), Regenwalde (1279–80), Labes
Labes
Labes is a Latin word used by exogeologists to refer to chaotic regions, featuring ridges and steep valleys, in the Valles Marineris region of Mars. Labes are named after the nearest classical albedo feature.-List of labes:...
(about 1280), and Treptow an der Rega (between 1277 and 1281). Neuwarp, Richtenberg
Richtenberg
Richtenberg is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated 18 km southwest of Stralsund....
, Belgard, and Werben (by the bishop of Cammin) are first recorded in 1295, 1297, 1299, and 1300, respectively, all were most certainly founded earlier.
In the area directly administered by the bishops of Cammin, the towns of Kolberg (1255), Köslin (1266), Körlin (early 14th century), and Bublitz (1340) were set up. The early 14th century saw the foundation of Stolp (by Waldemar of Brandenburg, 1310), Neustettin (by Wartislaw IV, 1310), Rügenwalde (again 1312, the 1270s precursor had not done well), Rugendal (Principality of Rügen, before 1313, decayed), Schlawe (by the Swenzones
Swenzones
The collective name Swenzones , refers in historical literature to a Pomeranian noble family which at the transition from the Middle Ages to modern times made in the Lands of Schlawe and Stolp and Pomerelia from 1269 to 1357 a remarkable career under various political powers struggling for...
, 1317), Garz (by the princes of Rügen, 1320s), Jacobshagen (by three brothers von Stegelitz, 1336), Freienwalde (by von Wedel, before 1338), Zanow (by the Swenzones, 1343), Lauenburg (by the Teutonic Knights
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
, 1341), Bütow
Bütow
Bütow is a municipality in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany....
(by the Teutonic Knights, 1346), and Fiddichow (by Barnim III, 1347).
Many towns with a burgh in close proximity had the duke level this burgh when they grew in power. Stettin, where the burgh was inside the town, had the duke level his burgh already in 1249, other towns were to follow. The fortified new towns had succeeded the burghs as strongholds for the country's defense. In many cases, the former burgh settlement would become a Slavic suburb of the German town ("Wiek", "Wieck"). In Stettin, two "Wiek" suburbs were set up anew outside the walls, to which most Slavs from within the walls were resettled. Such Wiek settlements did initially not belong to the town, but to the duke, although they were likely to come into possession of the town in the course of the 14th century. Also in the 14th century, Slavic Wiek suburbs lost their Slavic character.
Hanseatic towns
The towns of Pomerania that had joined the Hanseatic LeagueHanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
acted independently from the duchy, and sometimes opposed the dukes' interest. The most powerful towns were Stralsund
Stralsund
- Main sights :* The Brick Gothic historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.* The heart of the old town is the Old Market Square , with the Gothic Town Hall . Behind the town hall stands the imposing Nikolaikirche , built in 1270-1360...
, Greifswald
Greifswald
Greifswald , officially, the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald is a town in northeastern Germany. It is situated in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, at an equal distance of about from Germany's two largest cities, Berlin and Hamburg. The town borders the Baltic Sea, and is crossed...
, and Stettin, but also Demmin
Demmin
Demmin is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It was the capital of the former district Demmin.- Name :...
, Anklam
Anklam
Anklam is a town in the Western Pomerania region of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the banks of the Peene river, just 8 km from its mouth in the Kleines Haff, the western part of the Stettin Lagoon. Anklam has a population of 14,603 and was the capital of the former...
and Kolberg. Before the Treaty of Stralsund in 1370, and during the reign of Eric of Pomerania
Eric of Pomerania
Eric of Pomerania KG was King Eric III of Norway Norwegian Eirik, King Eric VII of Denmark , and as Eric King of Sweden...
, the Hanseatic towns were in a state of war with Denmark for hegemony in the Baltic Sea.
Parts of the Pomeranian nobility were engaged in piracy
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
against Hanseatic vessels. Barnim VI of Pomerania-Wolgast did not only engage in piracy himself, he is also known for providing refuge and hideouts for the Likedeeler pirate organisation.
The relation between the towns and the nobility throughout the Middle Ages ranged from alliances and support to cabalism, banditry and outright warfare.
Pomerania-Demmin and Pomerania-Stettin (1155–1264)
In 1155, the duchy was partitioned in Pomerania-Demmin and Pomerania-Stettin. With short interruptions, this division lasted until 1264.Wartislaw I
Wartislaw I, Duke of Pomerania
Wartislaw I was the first historical ruler of the Duchy of Pomerania and the founder of the Griffin dynasty....
was murdered between 1134 and 1148 in Stolpe
Stolpe, Ostvorpommern
Stolpe is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Nearby are the ruins of Stolpe Abbey....
. His brother, Ratibor I
Ratibor I, Duke of Pomerania
Ratibor I of the House of Pomerania was Duke of Pomerania. He was married to Pribislawa, and was the ancestor of the Ratiborides sideline of the Griffins....
of Schlawe-Stolp
Lands of Schlawe and Stolp
The Lands of Schlawe and Stolp are a historical region in Pomerania, centered around the towns of Sławno and Słupsk in Farther Pomerania...
, founded Stolpe Abbey
Stolpe Abbey
Stolpe Abbey was the first monastery in Pomerania. It was located on the southern bank of the Peene River between Gützkow and Anklam near the village of Stolpe....
near this site and ruled Wartislaw's realm in place of his minor nephews, Bogislaw I
Bogislaw I, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw I of the House of Pomerania was Duke of Pomerania-Stettin from 1156 to 1187. He co-ruled the Duchy of Pomerania with his brother Casimir I of Pomerania-Demmin. His father was Wartislaw I...
and Casimir I
Casimir I, Duke of Pomerania
Casimir I was duke of Pomerania since his uncle Ratibor I's death in 1155/56. A son of Wartislaw I, he co-ruled Pomerania with his older brother Bogislaw I, receiving Pomerania-Demmin as his share just as Bogislaw received Pomerania-Stettin, and ruling the remainder in common.After the lost 1164...
. Ratibor died in 1155, and Wartislaw's sons agreed to co-rule the duchy from their residences Demmin
Demmin
Demmin is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It was the capital of the former district Demmin.- Name :...
(Casimir) and Stettin (Bogislaw). Except for the terra Kolberg, which was ruled as a co-dominion, they partitioned the duchy with Pomerania-Demmin comprising the upper Peene
Peene
The Peene is a river in Germany. The Westpeene, Kleine Peene and Ostpeene flow into the Kummerower See, and from there as Peene proper to Anklam and into the Oder Lagoon....
, Tollense
Tollense
The Tollense is a river in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in northeastern Germany, right tributary of the Peene. The river starts as the outflow of the lake Tollensesee in Neubrandenburg...
, Dievenow
Dziwnów
Dziwnów is a town in north-western Poland situated on the Baltic Sea at the mouth of the river Dziwna. Previously in the Szczecin Voivodeship , Dziwnów has been in Kamień Pomorski County in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999. The population is 3,031 .-Twin towns — Sister cities:Dziwnów is...
and Rega
Rega
The Rega is a river in north-western Poland, flowing into the Baltic Sea. It is the country's 24th longest river, with a total length of 168 km and a catchment area of 2,725 km².Towns on the Rega:* Świdwin* Łobez* Resko* Płoty* Gryfice...
areas, and Pomerania-Stettin comprising the Oder
Oder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...
, Ihna and lower Peene
Peene
The Peene is a river in Germany. The Westpeene, Kleine Peene and Ostpeene flow into the Kummerower See, and from there as Peene proper to Anklam and into the Oder Lagoon....
areas. When Casimir I died in 1180, Bogislaw became the sole duke. Bogislaw I took his duchy as a fief from the Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
Frederick I (Barbarossa)
Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick I Barbarossa was a German Holy Roman Emperor. He was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March, crowned King of Italy in Pavia in 1155, and finally crowned Roman Emperor by Pope Adrian IV, on 18 June 1155, and two years later in 1157 the term...
in 1181, and from the Danish king Canute VI
Canute VI of Denmark
Canute VI was King of Denmark . Canute VI was the eldest son of King Valdemar I and Sophia of Polotsk.-Life:...
in 1185.
When he died in 1187, his two sons Casimir II
Casimir II, Duke of Pomerania
Casimir II was the duke of Pomerania-Demmin from 1187 until his death. He was succeeded by Wartislaw III, Casimir's son with princess Ingardis of Denmark....
and Bogislaw II were still minors, and Stettin castellan
Castellan
A castellan was the governor or captain of a castle. The word stems from the Latin Castellanus, derived from castellum "castle". Also known as a constable.-Duties:...
Wartislaw (II) ruled in their place. Danish pressure resulted in Wartislaw's replacement by Rugian prince Jaromar I
Jaromar I, Prince of Rügen
-Background:Jaromar was a Ranish nobleman, who was a native of the island of Rügen. Jaromar rose to be ruler of the Principality of Rügen as result of the Danish conquest of Rügen in 1168...
, a Danish vassal, in 1189. The Principality of Rügen was extended southward on the expense of Pomerania-Demmin. When Casimir II and Bogislaw II died in 1219 and 1220, respectively, their respective sons Wartislaw III
Wartislaw III, Duke of Pomerania
Wartislaw III was a Griffin duke of Pomerania-Demmin. Son of Casimir II of Pomerania-Demmin and Ingardis of Denmark, he was married to a Sophia of an unknown house. As he did not have any children, Pomerania-Demmin ceased to exist with his death.Ingardis ruled Pomerania-Demmin in place of young...
(Pomerania-Demmin) and Barnim I
Barnim I, Duke of Pomerania
Barnim I the Good from the Griffin dynasty was a Duke of Pomerania from 1220 until his death.-Life:...
(Pomerania-Stettin) were still minors. Wartislaw's mother Ingardis of Denmark thus ruled until Wartislaw was able to rule Pomerania-Demmin on his own in 1225, and Barnim, in theory duke since 1220, practically started his reign in Pomerania-Stettin only in 1233. Pomerania-Demmin lost her southern and western areas to Brandenburg, and the remainder came under Barnim's rule after Wartislaw died in 1264.
War with Brandenburg
During the reign of Otto I, Margrave of BrandenburgOtto I, Margrave of Brandenburg
Otto I was the second Margrave of Brandenburg, from 1170 until his death.-Life:Otto I was born into the House of Ascania as the eldest son of Albert I , who founded the Margraviate of Brandenburg in 1157, and his wife Sophie von Winzenburg...
and son of Albert I of Brandenburg
Albert I of Brandenburg
Albert the Bear was the first Margrave of Brandenburg from 1157 to his death and was briefly Duke of Saxony between 1138 and 1142.-Life:...
(1100–1170), Brandenburg claimed sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
over Pomerania. Yet, in 1181, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I
Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick I Barbarossa was a German Holy Roman Emperor. He was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March, crowned King of Italy in Pavia in 1155, and finally crowned Roman Emperor by Pope Adrian IV, on 18 June 1155, and two years later in 1157 the term...
invested Duke Bogislaw I of the Griffin House of Pomerania
House of Pomerania
The House of Griffins or House of Pomerania, , also known as House of Greifen; House of Gryf, was a dynasty of Royal dukes that ruled the Duchy of Pomerania from the 12th century until 1637, after their power was temporarily derivated to Prussian Royal House...
with the Duchy of Slavia (Pomerania). This was not accepted by the Margraviate of Brandenburg
Margraviate of Brandenburg
The Margraviate of Brandenburg was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806. Also known as the March of Brandenburg , it played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe....
and triggered several military conflicts.
Between 1185 and 1227, Pomerania along with most of the southern Baltic coast remained under sovereignty of Denmark. However, Brandenburg again tried to gain sovereignty over Pomerania, and in 1214 for a short time conquered Stettin. After Denmark lost the Battle of Bornhoeved
Battle of Bornhöved (1227)
The Battle of Bornhöved took place on 22 July 1227 near Bornhöved in Holstein. Count Adolf IV of Schauenburg and Holstein — leading an army consisting of troops from the cities of Lübeck and Hamburg, about 1000 Dithmarsians and combined troops of Holstein next to various north German nobles —...
in 1227, Denmark lost all her territories on the southern Baltic shore, including Pomerania.
At this time, the Duchy of Pomerania was co-ruled
Partitions of the Duchy of Pomerania
The Duchy of Pomerania was partitioned several times to satisfy the claims of the male members of the ruling House of Pomerania dynasty. The partitions were named after the ducal residences: Pomerania-Barth, -Demmin, -Rügenwalde, -Stettin, -Stolp, and -Wolgast. None of the partitions had a...
by duke Wartislaw III of Demmin and duke Barnim I of Stettin. After the Danes retreated, Brandenburg took her chance and invaded Pomerania-Demmin. In 1231, Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
Frederick II
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II , was one of the most powerful Holy Roman Emperors of the Middle Ages and head of the House of Hohenstaufen. His political and cultural ambitions, based in Sicily and stretching through Italy to Germany, and even to Jerusalem, were enormous...
gave the duchy, which then was again a part of the empire, as a fief to the Ascanian margraves of Brandenburg.
Denmark also attempted to restore her rule and took Wolgast
Wolgast
Wolgast is a town in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the bank of the river Peenestrom, vis-a-vis the island of Usedom that can be accessed by road and railway via a bascule bridge...
and Demmin
Demmin
Demmin is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It was the capital of the former district Demmin.- Name :...
in 1235, but was driven out the same year. Wartislaw had to accept Brandenburg's overlordship in the 1236 Treaty of Kremmen
Treaty of Kremmen
The Treaty of Kremmen was signed in Kremmen, Germany, on June 20, 1236. Wartislaw III of Pomerania-Demmin had to recognize the Margraviate of Brandenburg's overlordship over the remainder of his duchy, and ceded the terrae Stargard, Wustrow and Beseritz to Brandenburg.-References:...
, furthermore he had to hand over most of his duchy to Brandenburg immediately, that was the Burg Stargard
Burg Stargard
Burg Stargard is a municipality in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated southeast of Neubrandenburg.Burg Stargard is a small town in Mecklenburg Strelitz...
Land and adjacted areas (all soon to become a part of Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
, forming the bulk of the later Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a duchy and later grand duchy in northern Germany, consisting of the eastern fifth of the historic Mecklenburg region, roughly corresponding with the present-day Mecklenburg-Strelitz district , and the western exclave of the former Bishopric of Ratzeburg in modern...
area). Circipania
Circipania
Circipania was a medieval territory in what is now northeastern Germany. The name derives from Latin circum and Pane . The region was enclosed roughly by the upper Recknitz, Trebel and Peene rivers, the western border ran between Güstrow and Rittermannshagen...
was already lost to Mecklenburg in the years before.
Treaty of Landin
The Treaty of Landin was signed in Landin, Germany in 1250 between Barnim I of Pomerania-Stettin, the Ascanian margraves Johann I and Otto III of Brandenburg. Barnim I was accepted as co-ruler of Wartislaw III of Pomerania-Demmin by the Margraviate of Brandenburg, thereby hindering Brandenburg's...
between Pomeranian dukes and margraves of Brandenburg, Barnim I managed to reassert the rule of his Griffin house over Pomerania, but lost the Uckermark
Uckermark
Uckermark is a Kreis in the northeastern part of Brandenburg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Barnim and Oberhavel, the districts Mecklenburgische Seenplatte and Vorpommern-Greifswald in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and to the east Poland . It is the largest district of Germany areawise...
to Brandenburg.
Brandenburg since 1250 expanded eastward. In 1250–52, the margraves gained half of Lebus Land, including the terra Küstrin
Küstrin
Before 1945 Küstrin was a town in the former Prussian province of Brandenburg in Germany, situated on both sides of the Oder river...
between Warthe and Mietzel (Myśla), and the terra Chinz north of the Mietzel river, both previously held by Barnim. In the course of the 1250s, the margraves further gained the castellanies
Castellany
A castellany was a district administered by a castellan.Castellanies appeared during the Middle Ages and in most current states are now replaced by a more modern type of country subdivision....
Zantoch and Driesen except for the burghs itself, of both castellanies actually belonging to Greater Poland
Greater Poland
Greater Poland or Great Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska is a historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief city is Poznań.The boundaries of Greater Poland have varied somewhat throughout history...
, Barnim had held the northern parts. In 1261, Barnim lost the Soldin area, and in the following years the terra Zehden to Brandenburg.
In 1264, Duke Wartislaw III of Demmin died, his cousin Barnim I (the Good) became the sole ruler of the duchy. In 1266, Barnim I married Mechthild, the daughter of Otto III, Margrave of Brandenburg.
In 1269, Barnim lost the terra Arnswalde to the margraves. Before his death, he bought the western part back in 1278.
Bogislaw IV lost the Bernstein
Bernstein
Bernstein is a German and Jewish surname meaning "amber". The German pronunciation is , but in English it is often . It may refer to:-People:* Dan Bern , American musician who previously performed under the name Bernstein...
area and Zinnenburg Land (terra Arnhausen
Gmina Rabino
Gmina Rąbino is a rural gmina in Świdwin County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. Its seat is the village of Rąbino, which lies approximately north-east of Świdwin and north-east of the regional capital Szczecin....
and terra Schivelbein), in 1280. All former Pomeranian territories east of the Oder lost to Brandenburg in the 13th century became parts of the Brandenburgian Neumark
Neumark
Neumark comprised a region of the Prussian province of Brandenburg, Germany.Neumark may also refer to:* Neumark, Thuringia* Neumark, Saxony* Neumark * Nowe Miasto Lubawskie or Neumark, a town in Poland, situated at river Drwęca...
("new march").
War with Silesia
In 1234 and 1241, Silesian dukes Henry I and Henry II expanded their realm to the North, and even took control of areas north of the Warthe (Warta) river previously held by the Dukes of Pomerania. The Griffin dukesHouse of Pomerania
The House of Griffins or House of Pomerania, , also known as House of Greifen; House of Gryf, was a dynasty of Royal dukes that ruled the Duchy of Pomerania from the 12th century until 1637, after their power was temporarily derivated to Prussian Royal House...
, Silesian Piasts
Silesian Piasts
The Silesian Piasts were the oldest line of the Piast dynasty beginning with Władysław II the Exile, son of Bolesław III Wrymouth, Duke of Poland...
, Dukes of Greater Poland
Dukes of Greater Poland
The Duchy of Greater Poland was a historical state of Poland, which existed from 1138 until 1320.-History:At the death of Polish duke Boleslaus III the Wrymouth , according to his testament, his country was divided by his will into 4-5 hereditary provinces distributed among his sons, and the royal...
, the bishops of Lebus and the bishops of Kammin all competed for the Warthe/Netze (Notec) area, centered around the burgh of Zantoch. Until 1250, Barnim I, Duke of Pomerania
Barnim I, Duke of Pomerania
Barnim I the Good from the Griffin dynasty was a Duke of Pomerania from 1220 until his death.-Life:...
had recovered most of the previous Pomeranian territory and sought to secure them with the settlement of Germans, while Zantoch burgh was held by Przemysł II of Greater Poland.
Competition for Schlawe-Stolp
The last member of the Ratiborides branch of the GriffinsHouse of Pomerania
The House of Griffins or House of Pomerania, , also known as House of Greifen; House of Gryf, was a dynasty of Royal dukes that ruled the Duchy of Pomerania from the 12th century until 1637, after their power was temporarily derivated to Prussian Royal House...
, Ratibor II, died in 1223. This led to a competition between the Griffins and the Pomerelian Samborides
Samborides
The Samborides or House of Sobiesław were a ruling dynasty in the historic region of Pomerania. They were first documented about 1155 as governors in the eastern Pomerelian lands serving the royal Piast dynasty of Poland, and from 1227 ruled as autonomous princes until 1294, at which time the...
for inheritance of Schlawe-Stolp. Because Ratibor died during the Danish period, Denmark administered the area until she had to withdraw after the lost Battle of Bornhöved
Battle of Bornhöved (1227)
The Battle of Bornhöved took place on 22 July 1227 near Bornhöved in Holstein. Count Adolf IV of Schauenburg and Holstein — leading an army consisting of troops from the cities of Lübeck and Hamburg, about 1000 Dithmarsians and combined troops of Holstein next to various north German nobles —...
in 1227. Barnim I, Duke of Pomerania
Barnim I, Duke of Pomerania
Barnim I the Good from the Griffin dynasty was a Duke of Pomerania from 1220 until his death.-Life:...
, took control of the lands immediately after the Danish withdrawal, but had to yield Pomerelian duke Swantopolk's rights, whose relationship to the Ratiborides was closer. Swantopolk took over Schlawe-Stolp in 1235–36. The Griffins mounted an unsuccessful campaigns to gain the area in 1236–38, 1253, 1259, and 1266. After the death of Swantopolk II in 1266, Barnim I took over the area and kept it until 1269, when Rugian prince
Principality of Rugia
The Principality of Rugia or Principality of Rügen was a Danish principality consisting of the island of Rügen and the adjacent mainland from 1168 until 1325. It was governed by a local dynasty of princes of the Wizlawiden dynasty...
Wizlaw II took over. He withdrew in 1277 and left the area to Brandenburg. In 1283, Mestwin II of Pomerelia took over. Competition arose anew after his death in 1294. In 1296, Wizlaw's son Sambor launched another campaign. Freiin von Pommern, Heidi Anna Margarete von Götz is a descendant of the Grand Dukedom of Pomerania and Livonia.
Pomerania-Wolgast and -Stettin after the partition of 1295
Wartislaw III, Duke of Pomerania
Wartislaw III was a Griffin duke of Pomerania-Demmin. Son of Casimir II of Pomerania-Demmin and Ingardis of Denmark, he was married to a Sophia of an unknown house. As he did not have any children, Pomerania-Demmin ceased to exist with his death.Ingardis ruled Pomerania-Demmin in place of young...
had died in 1264, and the 1236 territorial losses left Demmin at the westernmost edge of the Duchy of Pomerania.
When Barmin I, for a short period sole ruler of the duchy, died in 1278, his oldest son Bogislaw IV
Bogislaw IV, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw IV , of the Griffins dynasty, was Duke of Pomerania for thirty years.Bogislaw was the eldest son of Duke Barnim I by his first wife, sometimes said to be a daughter of King Eric X of Sweden. He was an adult at his father's death in 1278, having been co-ruler since 1276...
took his father's seat. When his half-brothers Otto I
Otto I, Duke of Pomerania
Otto I was Duke of Pomerania-Stettin.Youngest, and probably posthumous, son of Duke Barnim I and his third wife, Mechtild of Brandenburg, Otto became titular co-ruler at his birth, along with his elder half-brother Barnim II and his much older half-brother Bogislaw IV.Bogislaw was effectively sole...
and Barnim II
Barnim II, Duke of Pomerania
Barnim II was Duke of Pomerania.Son of Duke Barnim I and his third wife, Mechtild of Brandenburg, Barnim's father died in 1278 when he was still a child. He was titular co-ruler with younger brother Otto I and his much older half-brother Bogislaw IV, in whose hands effective power lay...
reached adulthood in 1294, the brothers ruled in common until Barnim's death in 1295. Bogislaw and Otto now agreed on a partition of the duchy, that would last until 1464: Bogislaw's share was the area where the towns were under Lübeck law
Lübeck law
The Lübeck law was the constitution of a municipal form of government developed at Lübeck in Schleswig-Holstein after it was made a free city in 1226. The law provides for self-government. It replaced the personal rule of tribal monarchs descending from ancient times or the rule of the regional...
, that was Vorpommern north of the Peene
Peene
The Peene is a river in Germany. The Westpeene, Kleine Peene and Ostpeene flow into the Kummerower See, and from there as Peene proper to Anklam and into the Oder Lagoon....
river (though including Anklam
Anklam
Anklam is a town in the Western Pomerania region of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the banks of the Peene river, just 8 km from its mouth in the Kleines Haff, the western part of the Stettin Lagoon. Anklam has a population of 14,603 and was the capital of the former...
and Demmin
Demmin
Demmin is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It was the capital of the former district Demmin.- Name :...
on its southern bank) and Farther Pomerania
Farther Pomerania
Farther Pomerania, Further Pomerania, Transpomerania or Eastern Pomerania , which before the German-Polish border shift of 1945 comprised the eastern part of the Duchy, later Province of Pomerania, roughly stretching from the Oder River in the West to Pomerelia in the East...
north of the Ihna and Stepenitz
Stepenitz (Mecklenburg)
The Stepenitz is a tributary of the Trave in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.The Stepenitz flows from the elongated and narrow Neumühler See, which is in the northwest portion of the city of Schwerin.-External links:*...
rivers, both areas were connected by the islands of Usedom
Usedom
Usedom is a Baltic Sea island on the border between Germany and Poland. It is situated north of the Szczecin Lagoon estuary of the River Oder in Pomerania...
and Wollin. Bogislaw made Wolgast
Wolgast
Wolgast is a town in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the bank of the river Peenestrom, vis-a-vis the island of Usedom that can be accessed by road and railway via a bascule bridge...
his residence, thus the partition became known as Pomerania-Wolgast. Otto's share was the remainder between Peene
Peene
The Peene is a river in Germany. The Westpeene, Kleine Peene and Ostpeene flow into the Kummerower See, and from there as Peene proper to Anklam and into the Oder Lagoon....
and Ihna centered around Stettin, where the towns were under Magdeburg law. This partition became known as Pomerania-Stettin.
A series of wars was triggered by Denmark in the early 14th century, when Eric VI Menved attempted to reestablish Danish rule in Northern Germany. Pomeranian and Rugian towns and dukes were involved in these wars in various and often opposing coalitions. Since 1314, a coalition consisting mainly of Waldemar of Brandenburg, Stralsund
Stralsund
- Main sights :* The Brick Gothic historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.* The heart of the old town is the Old Market Square , with the Gothic Town Hall . Behind the town hall stands the imposing Nikolaikirche , built in 1270-1360...
, and the Pomeranian dukes opposed a Danish-led coalition joined by Rugian duke Wizlaw III. This war was ended by the Treaty of Templin
Treaty of Templin
The Treaty of Templin was concluded on November 24/25, 1317, ending a war between the Margraviate of Brandenburg and Denmark, the latter leading a North German alliance. During this war, Brandenburgian margrave Waldemar and his troops were decisively defeated in the 1316 Battle of Gransee, fought...
in 1317. During this conflict, in 1315, Wartislaw IV
Wartislaw IV, Duke of Pomerania
Wartislaw IV was Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast from 1309 until his death. He was the only son of Duke Bogislaw IV of Pomerania and his wife Margareta, a daughter of Prince Wizlaw II of Rugia...
of Pomerania-Wolgast, grandson of Rugian Wizlaw II, made an agreement with Eric VI Menved's brother Christopher II of Denmark
Christopher II of Denmark
Christopher II was king of Denmark from 1320 to 1326 and again from 1329 until his death. He was son of Eric V. His name is connected with national disaster, as his rule ended in an almost total dissolution of the Danish state.-Biography:Being the brother of King Eric VI, Christopher was a...
for inheritance of the Principality of Rügen.
Waldemar of Brandenburg died in 1319. Heinrich, his heir, was still a minor, and died in 1320. The Pomeranian dukes and Cammin bishops tried to take advance of Brandenburg's weakness. They did not only envision territorial gains, but also aimed at changing the status of the duchy from a fief of Brandenburg to a fief directly from the emperor. To achieve these goals, the dukes allied with various neighboring states, mounted military campaigns of which the first Battle of Kremmer Damm in 1332 was the most important, and gave their lands to the Cammin bishops (in 1320) and even to pope John XXII
Pope John XXII
Pope John XXII , born Jacques Duèze , was pope from 1316 to 1334. He was the second Pope of the Avignon Papacy , elected by a conclave in Lyon assembled by Philip V of France...
(in 1330 or 1331). In 1337, the Brandenburg margrave had to take the terrae Lippehne, Schivelbein and Falkenberg
Falkenberg
Falkenberg is a locality and the seat of Falkenberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 18,972 inhabitants in 2005.The town has a population of 19,000 and is located at the mouth of the river Ätran. The name consists of the Swedish words for falcon and mountain...
(all in Neumark
Neumark
Neumark comprised a region of the Prussian province of Brandenburg, Germany.Neumark may also refer to:* Neumark, Thuringia* Neumark, Saxony* Neumark * Nowe Miasto Lubawskie or Neumark, a town in Poland, situated at river Drwęca...
) as a fief from the Cammin bishops. In 1338, Barnim III
Barnim III, Duke of Pomerania
Barnim III was a Pomeranian duke from the Griffin dynasty. He ruled Pomerania-Stettin in the years 1344–1368, although he had been a co-regent of his father Otto I since 1320, taking a prominent part in the defence and government of the duchy. Aiming for independence from the Margraviate of...
of Pomerania-Stettin was granted his part-duchy as a fief directly from the emperor, while Pomerania-Wolgast remained under formal Brandenburgian overlordship.
The towns Stettin, Greifenhagen
Greifenhagen
Greifenhagen is a village and a former municipality in the Mansfeld-Südharz district, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it has been part of the town of Arnstein....
, and Gollnow in Pomerania-Stettin, concerned about a permanent division of the duchy in case Barnim III would not have children, rebelled in 1339 and sided with Pomerania-Wolgast in 1341. Barnim had to move his court to Gartz (Oder). On June 12, 1348, German king and later emperor Karl IV
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
granted the Duchy of Pomerania as a whole and the Rugian principality as a fief to the dukes of both Pomerania-Stettin and Pomerania-Wolgast, erasing Brandenburg's claims, which however was not accepted by Brandenburg until 1529. The Pomeranian dukes and towns reconciled in 1344–54.
Barnim III, against the will of the burghers, erected a castle within Stettin's walls
Pomeranian Dukes' Castle, Szczecin
The Ducal Castle in Szczecin, Poland, was the seat of the dukes of Pomerania-Stettin of the House of Pomerania , who ruled the Duchy of Pomerania from 1121 to 1637.-History:...
in 1346 (the old burgh had been leveled in 1249), and gained from Brandenburg the eastern parts of the Uckermark
Uckermark
Uckermark is a Kreis in the northeastern part of Brandenburg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Barnim and Oberhavel, the districts Mecklenburgische Seenplatte and Vorpommern-Greifswald in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and to the east Poland . It is the largest district of Germany areawise...
, that was in 1354 Pasewalk
Pasewalk
Pasewalk is a town in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany. Located on the Uecker river, it is the capital of the former Uecker-Randow district, and the seat of the Uecker-Randow-Tal Amt of which it is not part.Pasewalk became a town during the 12th...
, in 1355 Schwedt
Schwedt
Schwedt is a city in Brandenburg, Germany. It is the largest city of the district Uckermark near the Oder river on the border with Poland.-Overview:...
, Angermünde
Angermünde
Angermünde is a town in the district of Uckermark in the state of Brandenburg, Germany. It is located on the Mündesee, 43 miles northeast of Berlin on the Berlin–Szczecin railway...
, and Brüssow
Brüssow
Brüssow is a town in the Uckermark district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated 16 km southeast of Pasewalk, and 27 km west of Szczecin....
, and in 1359 (Torgelow
Torgelow
Torgelow is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated on the river Uecker, 12 km south of Ueckermünde, and 41 km northwest of Stettin....
).
Gain of Schlawe-Stolp (1317–47)
In 1316–17, the Griffin dukeHouse of Pomerania
The House of Griffins or House of Pomerania, , also known as House of Greifen; House of Gryf, was a dynasty of Royal dukes that ruled the Duchy of Pomerania from the 12th century until 1637, after their power was temporarily derivated to Prussian Royal House...
of Pomerania-Wolgast took over these areas as a fief from Waldemar of Brandenburg. In 1347, the area became fully attached to Pomerania-Wolgast. The lands of Stolp were pawned to the Teutonic Order from 1329 to 1341, the Bütow
Bütow
Bütow is a municipality in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany....
area was bought by the Knights in 1329 and thus remained outside Pomerania-Wolgast.
Gain of the Principality of Rügen (1325–1356)
The Rugian prince Wizlaw III died in 1325. Because of the earlier death of his son, he had no male heir, and Wartislaw IVWartislaw IV, Duke of Pomerania
Wartislaw IV was Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast from 1309 until his death. He was the only son of Duke Bogislaw IV of Pomerania and his wife Margareta, a daughter of Prince Wizlaw II of Rugia...
of Pomerania-Wolgast took over the principality according to the 1315 agreement with Christopher II of Denmark
Christopher II of Denmark
Christopher II was king of Denmark from 1320 to 1326 and again from 1329 until his death. He was son of Eric V. His name is connected with national disaster, as his rule ended in an almost total dissolution of the Danish state.-Biography:Being the brother of King Eric VI, Christopher was a...
. Yet, in the meantime Christopher's throne had been challenged by Valdemar III of Denmark
Valdemar III of Denmark
Valdemar III of Denmark was a king of Denmark from 1326 to 1329 briefly when underage, as well as in 1325–26 and from 1330 to 1364 Duke of Schleswig as Valdemar V. He was a rival king set up against the unsuccessful Christopher II and was widely opposed by his many subjects. His term was ended...
, and Christopher had granted Rugia to Mecklenburg for her aid against his opponent. After Wartislaw died in 1326, Mecklenburg invaded the principality, triggering the First War for Rugian Succession . Wartislaw's minor sons were aided by primarily by Greifswald
Greifswald
Greifswald , officially, the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald is a town in northeastern Germany. It is situated in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, at an equal distance of about from Germany's two largest cities, Berlin and Hamburg. The town borders the Baltic Sea, and is crossed...
and Demmin
Demmin
Demmin is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It was the capital of the former district Demmin.- Name :...
, but also by Stralsund
Stralsund
- Main sights :* The Brick Gothic historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.* The heart of the old town is the Old Market Square , with the Gothic Town Hall . Behind the town hall stands the imposing Nikolaikirche , built in 1270-1360...
, Anklam
Anklam
Anklam is a town in the Western Pomerania region of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the banks of the Peene river, just 8 km from its mouth in the Kleines Haff, the western part of the Stettin Lagoon. Anklam has a population of 14,603 and was the capital of the former...
, and Valdemar III, who decisively defeated the Mecklenburgian army in 1228 near Völschow
Völschow
Völschow is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany....
. In the subsequent Treaty of Brudersdorf, Mecklenburg withdrew her claims for 31,000 mark
Mark (money)
Mark was a measure of weight mainly for gold and silver, commonly used throughout western Europe and often equivalent to 8 ounces. Considerable variations, however, occurred throughout the Middle Ages Mark (from a merging of three Teutonic/Germanic languages words, Latinized in 9th century...
in silver. In exchange, the terrae Tribsees
Tribsees
Tribsees is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated 33 km southwest of Stralsund, and 40 km east of Rostock....
, Grimmen
Grimmen
Grimmen is the capital of Vorpommern-Rügen, a district in the Bundesland Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.-Geography:Grimmen is located in southeastern Nordvorpommern on the banks of the river Trebel, about 30 km south of Stralsund and 30 km west of Greifswald. The town is connected to...
and Barth were pawned to her. When the Pomeranian dukes in 1340 were not able to bail out these lands, but refused to formally hand them over, the Second War for Rugian Succession . This time, the dukes of Pomerania-Wolgast were aided by those of Pomerania-Stettin and the Counts of Gützkow. After the Pomeranian forces defeated the Mecklenburgians in the Battle of Schopendamm near Loitz
Loitz
Loitz is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated on the river Peene, 10 km northeast of Demmin, and 22 km southwest of Greifswald.-External links:*...
in 1351, they were able to take Grimmen and Barth in 1354 and Tribsees in 1356. Mecklenburg dropped her claims thereafter. Another party in these wars for Rugian succession was the bishop of Schwerin, who sought to enforce his claims by legal means, but was not successful in his appeals to various ecclesial courts.
Partition of Pomerania-Wolgast (1368–72): Pomerania-Wolgast and Pomerania-Stolp
After the death of Barnim IVBarnim IV, Duke of Pomerania
Barnim IV of Pomerania was a Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast-Rügen.He was the second son of Duke Wartislaw of Pomerania-Wolgast and the brother of Bogislaw V and Wartislaw V....
of Pomerania-Wolgast in 1366, an armed conflict arose when Barnim's brother Bogislaw V
Bogislaw V, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw V was a Duke of Pomerania.Eldest son of Duke Wartislaw IV and Elisabeth of Silesia, Bogislaw had two brothers, Barnim IV and Wartislaw V. The brothers were joint rulers from their father's death in 1326. They allied with King Casimir III of Poland, whose daughter Elisabeth married...
refused to share his power with Barnim's sons, Wartislaw VI
Wartislaw VI, Duke of Pomerania
Wartislaw VI of Pomarania was the eldest son of the Duke Barnim IV of Pomerania-Wolgast-Rügen....
and Bogislaw VI
Bogislaw VI, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw VI, Duke of Pomerania was duke of Pomerania-Wolgast.In 1365, after the death of his father, Bogislaw IV, he ruled Pomerania jointly with his brother Wartislaw VI. As they were both minors, they stood under the guardianship of their uncle Bogislaw V, who died in 1374...
, and his other brother, Wartislaw V
Wartislaw V, Duke of Pomerania
Wartislaw V. was a duke of Pomerania from the House of Griffins. He initially ruled Pomerania-Wolgast jointly with his elder brothers Barnim IV and Bogislaw V. He stood in their shadow and after 1368, he ruled his own part of the Duchy: the Land of Neustettin...
, who in turn allied with Mecklenburg to enforce their claims. On May 25, 1368, a compromise was negotiated in Anklam
Anklam
Anklam is a town in the Western Pomerania region of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the banks of the Peene river, just 8 km from its mouth in the Kleines Haff, the western part of the Stettin Lagoon. Anklam has a population of 14,603 and was the capital of the former...
, which was made a formal treaty on June 8, 1372 in Stargard
Stargard Szczecinski
Stargard Szczeciński is a city in northwestern Poland, with a population of 71,017 . Situated on the Ina River it is the capital of Stargard County and since 1999 has been in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship; prior to that it was in the Szczecin Voivodeship...
, and resulted in a partition of Pomerania-Wolgast.
Bogislaw V received most of the Farther Pomerania
Farther Pomerania
Farther Pomerania, Further Pomerania, Transpomerania or Eastern Pomerania , which before the German-Polish border shift of 1945 comprised the eastern part of the Duchy, later Province of Pomerania, roughly stretching from the Oder River in the West to Pomerelia in the East...
n parts. Excepted was the land of Neustettin, which was to be ruled by his brother Wartislaw V, and was integrated into Bogislaw's part-duchy only after his death in 1390. This eastern part duchy became known as Pomerania-Stolp.
Further partition of Pomerania-Wolgast (1376–1425): Pomerania-Wolgast and Pomerania-Barth
The western remainder of Pomerania-Wolgast was further partitioned between Bogislaw IV and Wartislaw VI on December 6, 1376. Wartislaw VI received Pomerania-(Wolgast)-Barth, the former principality of Rügen, and Bogislaw IV's Pomerania-Wolgast was reduced to an area between GreifswaldGreifswald
Greifswald , officially, the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald is a town in northeastern Germany. It is situated in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, at an equal distance of about from Germany's two largest cities, Berlin and Hamburg. The town borders the Baltic Sea, and is crossed...
and the Swine river. When Bogislaw VI died in 1393 and Wartislaw VI in 1394, the latter's sons Barnim VI
Barnim VI, Duke of Pomerania
Barnim VI was duke of Pomerania-Wolgast from 1394 to 1405. He was the son of Wartislaw VI of Pomerania-Wolgast.Barnim is known for his engagement in piracy. He erected a fort and a port for this purpose in Ahrenshoop, which was destroyed by Rostock in 1395...
and Wartislaw VIII
Wartislaw VIII, Duke of Pomerania
Wartislaw VIII was a duke of Pomerania from the House of Griffins house. He ruled in Pomerania-Wolgast from 1394 together with his brother Barnim VI...
ruled in common.
On December 6, 1425, the western part of Pomerania-Wolgast (without Pomerania-Stolp) was partitioned again at a congress in Eldena Abbey
Eldena Abbey
Eldena Abbey , originally Hilda Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery near the present town of Greifswald in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany...
, this time among the Wartislaw IX
Wartislaw IX, Duke of Pomerania
Duke Wartislaw IX of Pomerania-Wolgast was the eldest son of the Duke Barnim VI, Duke of Pomerania and Veronica of Hohenzollern. He reigned from 1417 until his death in 1457 and he married to Sophia of Saxe-Lauenburg-Ratzeburg in 1420...
and his brother Barnim VII
Barnim VII, Duke of Pomerania
Barnim VII was the son of Duke Barnim VI, Duke of Pomerania. He was from 1425 Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast-Demmin and later also Duke of Pomerania-Barth. He supported his brother Wartislaw IX, Duke of Pomerania against Brandenburg.- References :...
, who received the eastern part with Wolgast
Wolgast
Wolgast is a town in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the bank of the river Peenestrom, vis-a-vis the island of Usedom that can be accessed by road and railway via a bascule bridge...
, and their cousins Swantibor II and his brother Barnim VIII
Barnim VIII, Duke of Pomerania
Barnim VIII, Duke of Pomerania was Duke of Pomerania -Wolgast-Barth.Barnim VIII was the son of Duke Wartislaw VIII of Pomerania-Wolgast...
, who received the Rugian part with Barth.
In 1456, the University of Greifswald was founded on behalf of Greifswald's burgomaster
Burgomaster
Burgomaster is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief magistrate or chairman of the executive council of a sub-national level of administration...
Heinrich Rubenow, becoming the first university of Pomerania and one of the oldest in northern Europe.
Pomerania-Stolp
Casimir III of Poland
Casimir III the Great , last King of Poland from the Piast dynasty , was the son of King Władysław I the Elbow-high and Hedwig of Kalisz.-Biography:...
, where both raised at the Polish court in Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
. Elisabeth would become Holy Roman Empress
Elizabeth of Pomerania
Elizabeth of Pomerania was the fourth and final wife of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and king of Bohemia. Her parents were Bogislaw V, Duke of Pomerania and Elizabeth of Poland,...
after her marriage with Charles IV
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
, and Casimir was adopted by and designated heir of his grandfather. Yet, his ambitions were swarted when Ludwig of Hungary overruled the testament of Casimir of Poland in 1370, Casimir of Pomerania-Stolp only for a short time took the land of Dobrin
Dobrzyn, West Pomeranian Voivodeship
Dobrzyń is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Gryfice, within Gryfice County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. It lies approximately west of Gryfice and north-east of the regional capital Szczecin....
as a fief. Eric II of Pomerania-Stolp
Eric of Pomerania
Eric of Pomerania KG was King Eric III of Norway Norwegian Eirik, King Eric VII of Denmark , and as Eric King of Sweden...
, grand-grandchild of Danish king Valdemar IV
Valdemar IV of Denmark
Valdemar IV of Denmark or Waldemar ; , was King of Denmark from 1340 to 1375.-Ascension to the throne:...
in contrast became king of the Kalmar Union
Kalmar Union
The Kalmar Union is a historiographical term meaning a series of personal unions that united the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway , and Sweden under a single monarch, though intermittently and with a population...
in 1397.
Eric however failed in his most ambitious plan, to make Bogislaw IX
Bogislaw IX, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw IX was a duke of Pomerania in Pomerania-Stolp, whose residence was Stargard.Bogislaw was the son of Bogislaw VIII, Duke of Pomerania, and Sophia of Holstein. On June 24, 1432 he married Maria of Masovia, daughter of Siemowit IV, Duke of Masovia and Alexandra of Lithuania...
of Pomerania-Stolp king of both the Kalmar Union and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
. Eric had to leave Denmark in 1449 and ruled Pomerania-Rügenwalde, a small partition of Pomerania-Stolp, until his death in 1459.
Pomerania-Stolp was a crucial point in the Knights' land supply route. Bogislaw VIII
Bogislaw VIII, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw VIII was Duke of Pomerania in Pomerania-Stolp from 1395 until 1418. He was married to Sophie of Holstein, with whom he had Bogislaw IX and Adelheid of Pomerania , married with Duke Bernard II of Saxe-Lauenburg on 2 February 1429.The reign of Bogislaw was influenced by the contemporary...
of Pomerania-Stolp allied with both the Teutonic Knights and Poland, but supported the latter after the war had started in 1409 by blocking his lands for the Knights' troops and allowing his nobles to kidnap those who were travelling his lands. For his aid, he was granted the Lauenburg (now Lębork
Lebork
Lębork is a town on the Łeba and Okalica rivers in Middle Pomerania region, north-western Poland with some 37,000 inhabitants.Lębork is also the capital of Lębork County in Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999, formerly in Słupsk Voivodeship ....
) and Bütow (now Bytów
Bytów
Bytów is a town in the Middle Pomerania region of northern Poland in the Bytów Lakeland with 16,888 inhabitants . Previously in Słupsk Voivodeship , it is the capital of Bytów County in Pomeranian Voivodeship .-History:...
) areas (Lauenburg and Bütow Land
Lauenburg and Bütow Land
Lauenburg and Bütow Land formed a historical region in eastern in eastern Pomerania. Composed of two districts centered around the towns of Lauenburg and Bütow , it was on the western periphery of Pomerelia...
) and others, but those were lost in the First Peace of Thorn in 1411.
Pomerania-Stettin
Casimir V, Duke of Pomerania
Duke Casimir V of Pomerania was a member of the House of Griffins and a Duke of Pomerania. He ruled in Pomerania-Stettin together with his brother Otto II from 1413 to 1428...
of Pomerania-Stettin at the same time allied with the Teutonic Knights and took part in the Battle of Grunwald
Battle of Grunwald
The Battle of Grunwald or 1st Battle of Tannenberg was fought on 15 July 1410, during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. The alliance of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led respectively by King Jogaila and Grand Duke Vytautas , decisively defeated the Teutonic Knights, led...
, where he was caught by the Poles and bailed out by the Knights after the First Peace of Thorn.
The main concern of the Stettin dukes however was Brandenburg, namely the Neumark and Uckermark regions. Casimir III
Casimir III, Duke of Pomerania
Casimir or Kasimir III '; , oldest son of Barnim III, was one of the Dukes of Pomerania-Stettin . He died during a campaign against the Margraviate of Brandenburg in an ambush on Königsberg in 1372.-See also:*List of Pomeranian duchies and dukes*History of Pomerania*Duchy of Pomerania*House of...
died in 1372 during a siege of Königsberg (Neumark), after he had managed to receive an empirial approval of his Uckermark possessions in 1370. On May 17, 1373, all dukes of Pomerania concluded an alliance in Kaseburg, but situation eased when margrave Otto III of Brandenburg abdicated on August 15, 1373, and the House of Luxembourg
House of Luxembourg
The House of Luxembourg was a late medieval German dynasty, which between 1308 and 1437 ruled the Holy Roman Empire, twice interrupted by the rivaling House of Wittelsbach.-History:...
took over the march on October 2 of the same year. In 1374, the Luxembourgians allied with all branches of the House of Pomerania
House of Pomerania
The House of Griffins or House of Pomerania, , also known as House of Greifen; House of Gryf, was a dynasty of Royal dukes that ruled the Duchy of Pomerania from the 12th century until 1637, after their power was temporarily derivated to Prussian Royal House...
. Pomeranian dukes even held positions in the march's administration.
When Brandenburg changed hands from the House of Luxembourg to the House of Hohenzollern
House of Hohenzollern
The House of Hohenzollern is a noble family and royal dynasty of electors, kings and emperors of Prussia, Germany and Romania. It originated in the area around the town of Hechingen in Swabia during the 11th century. They took their name from their ancestral home, the Burg Hohenzollern castle near...
on January 11, 1411, the dukes of Pomerania-Stettin understood their position endangered and reacted with warfare. The first major battle was the second Battle of Kremmer Damm on October 24, 1412. While the dukes of Pomerania-Wolgast had sided with the emperor, disappointment over the emperors disapproval of ridding them of formal Brandenburgian overlordship in 1417 drove them to ally with their Stettin relatives and Mecklenburg. This coalition was backed by Denmark and Poland. A series of battles culminated in a decisive defeat on March 26, 1420, in the streets of Angermünde
Angermünde
Angermünde is a town in the district of Uckermark in the state of Brandenburg, Germany. It is located on the Mündesee, 43 miles northeast of Berlin on the Berlin–Szczecin railway...
, and the Uckermark possessions were lost once again.
Polish-Teutonic Wars
In 1320 and 1325, Wartislaw IV of Pomerania-WolgastWartislaw IV, Duke of Pomerania
Wartislaw IV was Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast from 1309 until his death. He was the only son of Duke Bogislaw IV of Pomerania and his wife Margareta, a daughter of Prince Wizlaw II of Rugia...
allied with the Landmeister
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
of the Monastic state of the Teutonic Knights
Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights
The State of the Teutonic Order, , also Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights or Ordensstaat , was formed in 1224 during the Northern Crusades, the Teutonic Knights' conquest of the pagan West-Baltic Old Prussians in the 13th century....
in Prussia
Prussia (region)
Prussia is a historical region in Central Europe extending from the south-eastern coast of the Baltic Sea to the Masurian Lake District. It is now divided between Poland, Russia, and Lithuania...
against king Casimir III
Casimir III of Poland
Casimir III the Great , last King of Poland from the Piast dynasty , was the son of King Władysław I the Elbow-high and Hedwig of Kalisz.-Biography:...
of Poland. When the Treaty of Kalisz had ended the subsequent Polish–Teutonic War (1326–1332)
Polish–Teutonic War (1326–1332)
Polish–Teutonic War was the war between the Kingdom of Poland and the State of the Teutonic Order over Pomerelia, fought from 1326 to 1332.-Background:...
in 1343, Wartislaw's sons Bogislaw V
Bogislaw V, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw V was a Duke of Pomerania.Eldest son of Duke Wartislaw IV and Elisabeth of Silesia, Bogislaw had two brothers, Barnim IV and Wartislaw V. The brothers were joint rulers from their father's death in 1326. They allied with King Casimir III of Poland, whose daughter Elisabeth married...
, Barnim IV
Barnim IV, Duke of Pomerania
Barnim IV of Pomerania was a Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast-Rügen.He was the second son of Duke Wartislaw of Pomerania-Wolgast and the brother of Bogislaw V and Wartislaw V....
and Wartislaw V
Wartislaw V, Duke of Pomerania
Wartislaw V. was a duke of Pomerania from the House of Griffins. He initially ruled Pomerania-Wolgast jointly with his elder brothers Barnim IV and Bogislaw V. He stood in their shadow and after 1368, he ruled his own part of the Duchy: the Land of Neustettin...
changed sides, and Bogislaw V
Bogislaw V, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw V was a Duke of Pomerania.Eldest son of Duke Wartislaw IV and Elisabeth of Silesia, Bogislaw had two brothers, Barnim IV and Wartislaw V. The brothers were joint rulers from their father's death in 1326. They allied with King Casimir III of Poland, whose daughter Elisabeth married...
married Casimir III
Casimir III of Poland
Casimir III the Great , last King of Poland from the Piast dynasty , was the son of King Władysław I the Elbow-high and Hedwig of Kalisz.-Biography:...
's daughter, Elisabeth
Elisabeth of Poland (1326–1361)
Elisabeth of Poland was the eldest child of Casimir III of Poland and his first wife Aldona of Lithuania.- Family :Elisabeth had one full-blood sister, Cunigunde of Poland, who married Louis VI the Roman. After Aldona's death, Casimir went on to marry three more times. His second wife was...
. Barnim III of Pomerania-Stettin
Barnim III, Duke of Pomerania
Barnim III was a Pomeranian duke from the Griffin dynasty. He ruled Pomerania-Stettin in the years 1344–1368, although he had been a co-regent of his father Otto I since 1320, taking a prominent part in the defence and government of the duchy. Aiming for independence from the Margraviate of...
joined this alliance in 1348. After Poland and Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
had formed the Union of Krėva in 1385, and Poland had rejected the claims of Casimir III
Casimir III of Poland
Casimir III the Great , last King of Poland from the Piast dynasty , was the son of King Władysław I the Elbow-high and Hedwig of Kalisz.-Biography:...
's grandson Casimir IV of Pomerania-Stolp, Bogislaw VIII
Bogislaw VIII, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw VIII was Duke of Pomerania in Pomerania-Stolp from 1395 until 1418. He was married to Sophie of Holstein, with whom he had Bogislaw IX and Adelheid of Pomerania , married with Duke Bernard II of Saxe-Lauenburg on 2 February 1429.The reign of Bogislaw was influenced by the contemporary...
and Wartislaw VII
Wartislaw VII, Duke of Pomerania
Wartislaw VII was one of the Dukes of Pomerania. He was the son of Bogislaw V, brother of Casimir IV and Bogislaw VIII. He married Maria of Mecklenburg and was the father of Eric of Pomerania and Catherine of Pomerania....
of Pomerania-Stolp in 1386 concluded an anti-Polish alliance with the Teutonic Knights
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
, after they had settled their common border. In 1388, this alliance was joined by Swantibor I and Bogislaw VII of Pomerania-Stettin as well as Barnim VI
Barnim VI, Duke of Pomerania
Barnim VI was duke of Pomerania-Wolgast from 1394 to 1405. He was the son of Wartislaw VI of Pomerania-Wolgast.Barnim is known for his engagement in piracy. He erected a fort and a port for this purpose in Ahrenshoop, which was destroyed by Rostock in 1395...
and Wartislaw VI
Wartislaw VI, Duke of Pomerania
Wartislaw VI of Pomarania was the eldest son of the Duke Barnim IV of Pomerania-Wolgast-Rügen....
of Pomerania-Wolgast.
Later in 1388 however, the dukes of Pomerania-Stolp left this alliance and sided with Poland, who had promised to partially respect their claims as Casimir III
Casimir III of Poland
Casimir III the Great , last King of Poland from the Piast dynasty , was the son of King Władysław I the Elbow-high and Hedwig of Kalisz.-Biography:...
's heirs. Thence, the nobles of Pomerania-Stolp robbed
Robber baron
A robber baron or robber knight was an unscrupulous and despotic nobility of the medieval period in Europe, for example, Berlichingen. It has slightly different meanings in different countries. In modern US parlance, the term is also used to describe unscrupulous industrialists...
the Teutonic Knights
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
and their supply routes, provoking a counter-attack that destroyed many noble strongholds
Motte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...
and the fortifications of Köslin (now Koszalin). Bogislaw VIII
Bogislaw VIII, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw VIII was Duke of Pomerania in Pomerania-Stolp from 1395 until 1418. He was married to Sophie of Holstein, with whom he had Bogislaw IX and Adelheid of Pomerania , married with Duke Bernard II of Saxe-Lauenburg on 2 February 1429.The reign of Bogislaw was influenced by the contemporary...
, Barnim V and Wartislaw VII
Wartislaw VII, Duke of Pomerania
Wartislaw VII was one of the Dukes of Pomerania. He was the son of Bogislaw V, brother of Casimir IV and Bogislaw VIII. He married Maria of Mecklenburg and was the father of Eric of Pomerania and Catherine of Pomerania....
reacted by siding with Polish king Jogaila
Jogaila
Jogaila, later 'He is known under a number of names: ; ; . See also: Jogaila : names and titles. was Grand Duke of Lithuania , king consort of Kingdom of Poland , and sole King of Poland . He ruled in Lithuania from 1377, at first with his uncle Kęstutis...
and concluding mutual trade alleviations.
When Wartislaw VII
Wartislaw VII, Duke of Pomerania
Wartislaw VII was one of the Dukes of Pomerania. He was the son of Bogislaw V, brother of Casimir IV and Bogislaw VIII. He married Maria of Mecklenburg and was the father of Eric of Pomerania and Catherine of Pomerania....
died, Bogislaw VIII
Bogislaw VIII, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw VIII was Duke of Pomerania in Pomerania-Stolp from 1395 until 1418. He was married to Sophie of Holstein, with whom he had Bogislaw IX and Adelheid of Pomerania , married with Duke Bernard II of Saxe-Lauenburg on 2 February 1429.The reign of Bogislaw was influenced by the contemporary...
and Barnim V concluded a treaty with the Teutonic Knights
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
to safeguard their supply routes in turn for a financial credit. Swantibor I and Bogislaw VII of Pomerania-Stettin changed sides in 1395 and allied with the knights in turn for financial aid. Barnim V in 1397 concluded an alliance with Poland, married Vytautas' niece Hedwig and was in Jogaila
Jogaila
Jogaila, later 'He is known under a number of names: ; ; . See also: Jogaila : names and titles. was Grand Duke of Lithuania , king consort of Kingdom of Poland , and sole King of Poland . He ruled in Lithuania from 1377, at first with his uncle Kęstutis...
's service in 1401 until he died in 1402 or 1404. Bogislaw VIII
Bogislaw VIII, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw VIII was Duke of Pomerania in Pomerania-Stolp from 1395 until 1418. He was married to Sophie of Holstein, with whom he had Bogislaw IX and Adelheid of Pomerania , married with Duke Bernard II of Saxe-Lauenburg on 2 February 1429.The reign of Bogislaw was influenced by the contemporary...
also entered into Jogaila
Jogaila
Jogaila, later 'He is known under a number of names: ; ; . See also: Jogaila : names and titles. was Grand Duke of Lithuania , king consort of Kingdom of Poland , and sole King of Poland . He ruled in Lithuania from 1377, at first with his uncle Kęstutis...
's service, but changed sides in 1407–08, when he allied with the Teutonic Knights
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
and settled their common border.
Nikolaus Bock, Cammin bishop
Roman Catholic Diocese of Kammin
The Bishopric of Cammin was both a former Roman Catholic diocese in the Duchy of Pomerania from 1140 to 1544, and a secular territory in the Kolberg area from 1248 to 1650....
from 1398–1410, had also sided with the knights before and placed his bishopric under their suzerainity. Wartislaw VIII
Wartislaw VIII, Duke of Pomerania
Wartislaw VIII was a duke of Pomerania from the House of Griffins house. He ruled in Pomerania-Wolgast from 1394 together with his brother Barnim VI...
of Pomerania-Wolgast allied with the knights in return for an assumption of a debt and additional payments. Swantibor I and Bogislaw VII of Pomerania-Stettin joined this alliance in 1409, after they had concluded a ten-year truce with the knights in return for debt cancellation before. When the knights lost the Battle of Tannenberg
Battle of Grunwald
The Battle of Grunwald or 1st Battle of Tannenberg was fought on 15 July 1410, during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. The alliance of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led respectively by King Jogaila and Grand Duke Vytautas , decisively defeated the Teutonic Knights, led...
in 1410, Bogislaw VIII
Bogislaw VIII, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw VIII was Duke of Pomerania in Pomerania-Stolp from 1395 until 1418. He was married to Sophie of Holstein, with whom he had Bogislaw IX and Adelheid of Pomerania , married with Duke Bernard II of Saxe-Lauenburg on 2 February 1429.The reign of Bogislaw was influenced by the contemporary...
of Pomerania-Stolp changed sides again and allied with Poland in return for the Bütow
Bütow
Bütow is a municipality in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany....
, Schlochau, Preußisch-Friedland, Baldenburg, Hammerstein
Hammerstein
Hammerstein is a municipality on the Rhine River in the district of Neuwied in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany....
and Schivelbein areas, which Poland had gained from the Monastic state of the Teutonic Knights
Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights
The State of the Teutonic Order, , also Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights or Ordensstaat , was formed in 1224 during the Northern Crusades, the Teutonic Knights' conquest of the pagan West-Baltic Old Prussians in the 13th century....
before. This was however cancelled by the First Peace of Thorn in 1411.
While Bogislaw VIII
Bogislaw VIII, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw VIII was Duke of Pomerania in Pomerania-Stolp from 1395 until 1418. He was married to Sophie of Holstein, with whom he had Bogislaw IX and Adelheid of Pomerania , married with Duke Bernard II of Saxe-Lauenburg on 2 February 1429.The reign of Bogislaw was influenced by the contemporary...
nevertheless upheld his alliance with Jogaila
Jogaila
Jogaila, later 'He is known under a number of names: ; ; . See also: Jogaila : names and titles. was Grand Duke of Lithuania , king consort of Kingdom of Poland , and sole King of Poland . He ruled in Lithuania from 1377, at first with his uncle Kęstutis...
, Konrad Bonow of the Cammin diocese
Roman Catholic Diocese of Kammin
The Bishopric of Cammin was both a former Roman Catholic diocese in the Duchy of Pomerania from 1140 to 1544, and a secular territory in the Kolberg area from 1248 to 1650....
in 1414 concluded an alliance with the Teutonic knights
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
against both Bogislaw VIII
Bogislaw VIII, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw VIII was Duke of Pomerania in Pomerania-Stolp from 1395 until 1418. He was married to Sophie of Holstein, with whom he had Bogislaw IX and Adelheid of Pomerania , married with Duke Bernard II of Saxe-Lauenburg on 2 February 1429.The reign of Bogislaw was influenced by the contemporary...
and Jogaila
Jogaila
Jogaila, later 'He is known under a number of names: ; ; . See also: Jogaila : names and titles. was Grand Duke of Lithuania , king consort of Kingdom of Poland , and sole King of Poland . He ruled in Lithuania from 1377, at first with his uncle Kęstutis...
, which was turned into a truce soon after. In 1417, Bogislaw VIII
Bogislaw VIII, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw VIII was Duke of Pomerania in Pomerania-Stolp from 1395 until 1418. He was married to Sophie of Holstein, with whom he had Bogislaw IX and Adelheid of Pomerania , married with Duke Bernard II of Saxe-Lauenburg on 2 February 1429.The reign of Bogislaw was influenced by the contemporary...
and the Teutonic knights
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
settled their common border in the Hammerstein
Hammerstein
Hammerstein is a municipality on the Rhine River in the district of Neuwied in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany....
area, ending their conflicts. Bogislaw VIII
Bogislaw VIII, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw VIII was Duke of Pomerania in Pomerania-Stolp from 1395 until 1418. He was married to Sophie of Holstein, with whom he had Bogislaw IX and Adelheid of Pomerania , married with Duke Bernard II of Saxe-Lauenburg on 2 February 1429.The reign of Bogislaw was influenced by the contemporary...
's son Bogislaw IX
Bogislaw IX, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw IX was a duke of Pomerania in Pomerania-Stolp, whose residence was Stargard.Bogislaw was the son of Bogislaw VIII, Duke of Pomerania, and Sophia of Holstein. On June 24, 1432 he married Maria of Masovia, daughter of Siemowit IV, Duke of Masovia and Alexandra of Lithuania...
together with all other Pomeranian dukes in 1423 allied with the Teutonic knights
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
.
Gain of Lauenburg and Bütow Land (1455–1467)
Eric IIEric II, Duke of Pomerania
Eric II or Erich II, of the House of Pomerania , , was Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast from 1457 to 1474. He was the son of Wartislaw IX of Pomerania-Wolgast and Sophia of Saxe-Lauenburg Eric II or Erich II, of the House of Pomerania (Griffins), (between 1418 and 1425 – 1474), was Duke of...
of Pomerania-Wolgast and successor of Bogislaw IX
Bogislaw IX, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw IX was a duke of Pomerania in Pomerania-Stolp, whose residence was Stargard.Bogislaw was the son of Bogislaw VIII, Duke of Pomerania, and Sophia of Holstein. On June 24, 1432 he married Maria of Masovia, daughter of Siemowit IV, Duke of Masovia and Alexandra of Lithuania...
in Pomerania-Stolp again allied with Jogaila
Jogaila
Jogaila, later 'He is known under a number of names: ; ; . See also: Jogaila : names and titles. was Grand Duke of Lithuania , king consort of Kingdom of Poland , and sole King of Poland . He ruled in Lithuania from 1377, at first with his uncle Kęstutis...
and his son and successor Casimir IV in his Thirteen Years' War against the Teutonic Knights
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
. On January 3, 1455, he in turn was granted the Lauenburg and Bütow Land
Lauenburg and Bütow Land
Lauenburg and Bütow Land formed a historical region in eastern in eastern Pomerania. Composed of two districts centered around the towns of Lauenburg and Bütow , it was on the western periphery of Pomerelia...
at the Pomerelian frontier. When Lauenburg was retaken by the knights in 1459, the Polish king was upset and ravaged the Stolp area. Eric reconciled with the king on August 21, 1466, and bought the town from the knights on October 11, six days before the Second Peace of Thorn, that was signed by Eric in 1467.
War with Brandenburg and the Hanseatic League (1423–1448)
On September 15, 1423, all Pomeranian dukes (including EricEric of Pomerania
Eric of Pomerania KG was King Eric III of Norway Norwegian Eirik, King Eric VII of Denmark , and as Eric King of Sweden...
) allied with the Teutonic Knights against Brandenburg and against the Hanseatic towns. In early 1425, this coalition was joined by Mecklenburg and Poland and successfully invaded Brandenburg. A peace treaty concluded on May 22, 1427, in Eberswalde
Eberswalde
Eberswalde is a major town and the administrative seat of the district Barnim in the German Federal State of Brandenburg, about 50 km northeast of Berlin. Population 42144 , geographical location . The town is often called Waldstadt , because of the large forests around it, including the...
, left Pomerania with the Uckermark north of Angermünde
Angermünde
Angermünde is a town in the district of Uckermark in the state of Brandenburg, Germany. It is located on the Mündesee, 43 miles northeast of Berlin on the Berlin–Szczecin railway...
. On June 16, 1427, this was confirmed by the Treaty of Templin
Treaty of Templin
The Treaty of Templin was concluded on November 24/25, 1317, ending a war between the Margraviate of Brandenburg and Denmark, the latter leading a North German alliance. During this war, Brandenburgian margrave Waldemar and his troops were decisively defeated in the 1316 Battle of Gransee, fought...
, which also included a coalition of Pomerania, Brandenburg and Mecklenburg. Yet, in 1440 Pomerania and Brandenburg invaded Mecklenburg, and in 1444 Brandenburg demanded from Pomerania to again hand over the Uckermark to her. When the Pomeranians refused, war broke out again. The first Treaty of Prenzlau
Treaty of Prenzlau
Treaty of Prenzlau or Peace of Prenzlau may refer to several treaties during a series of wars between the Margraviate of Brandenburg and the Duchy of Pomerania fought for control of Pomerania-Stettin, and possession of the Uckermark in the 15th century...
in 1448 set the border south of Pasewalk
Pasewalk
Pasewalk is a town in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany. Located on the Uecker river, it is the capital of the former Uecker-Randow district, and the seat of the Uecker-Randow-Tal Amt of which it is not part.Pasewalk became a town during the 12th...
.
Bogislaw X becomes sole ruler of the duchy of Pomerania (1478)
Pomerania-Wolgast was reunited following the death of both Barnim VII and Barnim VIII in 1451. Both dukes died of the plague. The same disease caused the death of Joachim of Pomerania-Stettin (also in 1451), Ertmar and Swantibor, children of Wartislaw XWartislaw X, Duke of Pomerania
Duke Wartislaw X of Pomerania was the second son of Duke Wartislaw IX of Pomerania and his wife, Sophia of Saxe-Lauenburg....
, and Otto III
Otto III, Duke of Pomerania
Otto III, Duke of Pomerania was a member of the House of Griffins and a Duke of Pomerania-Stettin.- Life :...
of Pomerania-Stettin (all in 1464). Thus, the line of Pomerania-Stettin had died out.
The extinction of the House of Pomerania-Stettin triggered a conflict about inheritance with the Margraviate of Brandenburg
Margraviate of Brandenburg
The Margraviate of Brandenburg was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806. Also known as the March of Brandenburg , it played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe....
. In the Treaty of Soldin of 1466
Treaty of Soldin (1466)
The Treaty of Soldin was signed on 21 January 1466 at Soldin by the Brandenburgian elector Frederick II and the Pomeranian dukes Eric II and Wartislaw X. It was mediated by the town of Stettin...
, a compromise was negotiated: Wartislaw X and Eric II
Eric II, Duke of Pomerania
Eric II or Erich II, of the House of Pomerania , , was Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast from 1457 to 1474. He was the son of Wartislaw IX of Pomerania-Wolgast and Sophia of Saxe-Lauenburg Eric II or Erich II, of the House of Pomerania (Griffins), (between 1418 and 1425 – 1474), was Duke of...
, the dukes of Pomerania, took over Pomerania-Stettin as a Brandenburgian fief. This was disputed already during the same year by the emperor, who intervened against the Brandenburgian overlordship of Pomerania. This led to a series of further warfare and truces, that were ended by the Treaty of Prenzlau
Treaty of Prenzlau
Treaty of Prenzlau or Peace of Prenzlau may refer to several treaties during a series of wars between the Margraviate of Brandenburg and the Duchy of Pomerania fought for control of Pomerania-Stettin, and possession of the Uckermark in the 15th century...
of 1472, basically confirming the ruling of the Soldin treaty, but settling on a border north of Gartz (Oder) resembling Brandenburg's recent gains. This treaty was accepted by the emperor.
In 1474, Eric II died of the plague, and his son Bogislaw X
Bogislaw X, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw X of Pomerania, the Great, was Duke of Pomerania from 1474 until his death in 1523.Bogislaw was born in Rügenwalde into the House of Pomerania . His father was Eric II, Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast, his mother was the duchess Sophia of Pomerania, both distant relatives of the House of...
inherited Pomerania-Stolp. Bogislaw's brothers had died the same year. After the death of his uncle Wartislaw X in 1478, he became the first sole ruler in the Duchy of Pomerania since almost 200 years.
Eric II had left Pomerania in tense conflicts with Brandenburg and Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
. Bogislaw managed to resolve these conflicts by both diplomatic and military means. He married his sister, Sophia, to Magnus II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and his other sister, Magarete, was married to Magnus' brother Balthasar
Balthasar, Duke of Mecklenburg
Balthasar of Mecklenburg was Duke of Mecklenburg, Coadjutor and administrator of the Diocese of Hildesheim and the Diocese of Schwerin from 1474 to 1479....
. Bogislaw himself married Magareta
Margaret of Brandenburg (1450-1489)
Margaret of Brandenburg was a princess of Brandenburg by birth and by marriage Duchess of Pomerania.- Life :...
, daughter of Brandenburg's Prince-elector
Prince-elector
The Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Roman king or, from the middle of the 16th century onwards, directly the Holy Roman Emperor.The heir-apparent to a prince-elector was known as an...
Frederick II. Also, in 1478, Bogislaw regained areas lost to Brandenburg by his father, most notably the town of Gartz
Gartz
Gartz is a town in the Uckermark district in Brandenburg, Germany. It is located on the West bank of the Oder River, about 30 km south of Szczecin .-Overview:...
and other small towns and castles north of the Brandenburgian Uckermark
Uckermark
Uckermark is a Kreis in the northeastern part of Brandenburg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Barnim and Oberhavel, the districts Mecklenburgische Seenplatte and Vorpommern-Greifswald in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and to the east Poland . It is the largest district of Germany areawise...
. During the confirmation of the Peace of Prenzlau in 1479, the border was finally settled north of Strasburg and Bogislaw had to take his possessions as a fief from Brandenburg.
Protestant Reformation (1518–1534)
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
reached Pomerania in the early 16th century. Bogislaw X
Bogislaw X, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw X of Pomerania, the Great, was Duke of Pomerania from 1474 until his death in 1523.Bogislaw was born in Rügenwalde into the House of Pomerania . His father was Eric II, Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast, his mother was the duchess Sophia of Pomerania, both distant relatives of the House of...
in 1518 sent his son, Barnim IX, to study in Wittenberg
Wittenberg
Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is a city in Germany in the Bundesland Saxony-Anhalt, on the river Elbe. It has a population of about 50,000....
. In 1521, he personally attended a mass of Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
in Wittenberg, and also of other reformed preachers in the following years. Also in 1521, Johannes Bugenhagen
Johannes Bugenhagen
Johannes Bugenhagen , also called Doctor Pomeranus by Martin Luther, introduced the Protestant Reformation in the Duchy of Pomerania and Denmark in the 16th century. Among his major accomplishments was organization of Lutheran churches in Northern Germany and Scandinavia...
, the most important person in the following conversion of Pomerania to Protestantism
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
, left Belbuck Abbey to study in Wittenberg, close to Luther. In Belbuck, a circle had formed before, comprising not only Bugenhagen, but also Johann Boldewan, Christian Ketelhut, Andreas Knöpke and Johannes Kureke. These persons, and also Johannes Knipstro, Paul vom Rode, Peter Suawe, Jacob Hogensee and Johann Amandus spread the Protestant idea all over Pomerania. At several occasions, this went along with public outrage, plunder and arson directed against the church.
The dukes' role in the reformation process was ambitious. Bogislaw X, despite his sympathies, forbade Protestant preaching and tumults shortly before his death. Of his sons, George I
George I, Duke of Pomerania
George I of Pomerania was a Duke of Pomerania from the House of Griffins.- Life :George was the eldest son of Duke Bogislaw X of Pomerania and his second wife Anna Jagiellonica, a daughter of King Casimir IV of Poland. He was named after his uncle and godfather, Duke Georg the Bearded of Saxony,...
opposed, and Barnim IX supported Protestantism as did Georg's son, Philip I
Philip I, Duke of Pomerania
Philip I of Pomerania was Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast.- Life :Philip was the only surviving son of Duke George, from his first marriage to Amalie of the Palatinate. After his mother died, on 6 January 1525, he received his education at the court of his maternal grandfather in Heidelberg...
. In 1531, George died, and a Landtag
Landtag
A Landtag is a representative assembly or parliament in German-speaking countries with some legislative authority.- Name :...
in Stettin formally allowed Protestant preaching, if no tumults would arise from this. On December 13, 1534, a Landtag was assembled in Treptow an der Rega, where the dukes and the nobility against the vote of Cammin bishop Erasmus von Manteuffel officially introduced Protestantism to Pomerania. Bugenhagen in the following month drafted the new church order.
The Duchy of Pomerania joined the Schmalkaldic League
Schmalkaldic League
The Schmalkaldic League was a defensive alliance of Lutheran princes within the Holy Roman Empire during the mid-16th century. Although originally started for religious motives soon after the start of the Protestant Reformation, its members eventually intended for the League to replace the Holy...
, but did not actively participate in the Schmalkaldic War
Schmalkaldic War
The Schmalkaldic War refers to the short period of violence from 1546 until 1547 between the forces of Emperor Charles I of Spain and V of the Holy Roman Empire, commanded by Don Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba, and the Lutheran Schmalkaldic League within the domains of the Holy Roman...
.
Partition of 1532: Pomerania-Stettin and Pomerania-Wolgast
After Bogislaw X's death, his sons initially ruled in common. Yet, after Georg's death, the duchy was partitioned again between Barnim IX, who resided in Stettin, and Phillip I, who resided in WolgastWolgast
Wolgast is a town in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the bank of the river Peenestrom, vis-a-vis the island of Usedom that can be accessed by road and railway via a bascule bridge...
. The border ran roughly along the Oder
Oder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...
and Swine rivers, with Pomerania-Wolgast now consisting of Hither or Western Pomerania (Vorpommern, yet without Stettin and Gartz (Oder) on the Oder river's left bank, and with Greifenberg
Greifenberg
Greifenberg is a municipality in the district of Landsberg in Bavaria in Germany.-External links:*Webpage of the local Shooting Club "Schmied von Kochel"...
on its right bank), and Pomerania-Stettin consisting of Farther Pomerania
Farther Pomerania
Farther Pomerania, Further Pomerania, Transpomerania or Eastern Pomerania , which before the German-Polish border shift of 1945 comprised the eastern part of the Duchy, later Province of Pomerania, roughly stretching from the Oder River in the West to Pomerelia in the East...
. The secular possessions of the Diocese of Cammin
Roman Catholic Diocese of Kammin
The Bishopric of Cammin was both a former Roman Catholic diocese in the Duchy of Pomerania from 1140 to 1544, and a secular territory in the Kolberg area from 1248 to 1650....
around Kolberg (Kolobrzeg
Kolobrzeg
Kołobrzeg is a city in Middle Pomerania in north-western Poland with some 50,000 inhabitants . Kołobrzeg is located on the Parsęta River on the south coast of the Baltic Sea...
) subsequently came controlled by the dukes, when members of the ducal family were made titular bishops of Cammin since 1556.
Despite the division, the duchy maintained one central government.
Further partitions in 1569
Richtenberg
Richtenberg is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated 18 km southwest of Stralsund....
) was split off Pomerania-Wolgast to satisfy Bogislaw XIII
Bogislaw XIII, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw XIII of Pomerania , son of Philip I and Maria of Saxony, was a princes of Stettin and Wolgast, and a member of the Griffins ....
. In the same year, Pomerania-Rügenwalde (consisting of the areas around Rügenwalde and Bütow
Bütow
Bütow is a municipality in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany....
) was split off Pomerania-Stettin to satisfy Barnim XII
Barnim X, Duke of Pomerania
Barnim X, or according to another count Barnim XII was a duke of Pomerania and a member of the House of Griffins. He administered from 1569, the Rügenwalde district...
. Though the partitions were named similar to the earlier ones, their territory differed significantly.
In contrast to the partition of 1532, it was agreed that two governments were maintained in Wolgast
Wolgast
Wolgast is a town in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the bank of the river Peenestrom, vis-a-vis the island of Usedom that can be accessed by road and railway via a bascule bridge...
and Stettin. Decisions of war and peace were to be made only by a common Landtag
Landtag
A Landtag is a representative assembly or parliament in German-speaking countries with some legislative authority.- Name :...
.
During the 1560s, Pomerania was caught between the Northern Seven Years' War
Northern Seven Years' War
The Northern Seven Years' War was the war between Kingdom of Sweden and a coalition of Denmark–Norway, Lübeck and the Polish–Lithuanian union, fought between 1563 and 1570...
for hegemony in the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
and the struggle for hegemony in the Upper Saxon Circle
Upper Saxon Circle
The Upper Saxon Circle was an Imperial Circle of the Holy Roman Empire, created in 1512.The circle was dominated by the electorate of Saxony and the electorate of Brandenburg. It further comprised the Saxon Ernestine duchies and Pomerania...
of the Electorate of Saxony
Electorate of Saxony
The Electorate of Saxony , sometimes referred to as Upper Saxony, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was established when Emperor Charles IV raised the Ascanian duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg to the status of an Electorate by the Golden Bull of 1356...
and Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
. In 1570, the war in the Baltic ended with the Treaty of Stettin. In 1571–74, the duchy's status regarding Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
was finally settled: While an agreement of 1529 ruled Brandenburg to succeed in Pomerania once the House of Pomerania
House of Pomerania
The House of Griffins or House of Pomerania, , also known as House of Greifen; House of Gryf, was a dynasty of Royal dukes that ruled the Duchy of Pomerania from the 12th century until 1637, after their power was temporarily derivated to Prussian Royal House...
died out in turn for the final rejection of Brandenburgian claims to hold Pomerania as a fief, it was now agreed that both ruling houses had a mutual right of succession in case of the extinction of the other one.
Also in 1571, a trade war between the towns Frankfurt (Oder)
Frankfurt (Oder)
Frankfurt is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, located on the Oder River, on the German-Polish border directly opposite the town of Słubice which was a part of Frankfurt until 1945. At the end of the 1980s it reached a population peak with more than 87,000 inhabitants...
(Brandenburg) and Stettin (Pomerania), ongoing since 1560, was settled in favour of Brandenburg. The struggle within the Upper Saxon Circle however went on. The Pomeranian dukes Johann Friedrich
Johann Friedrich, Duke of Pomerania
Johann Friedrich was Duke of Pomerania from 1560 to 1600, and Bishop of Cammin from 1556 to 1574...
and Ernst Ludwig
Ernst Ludwig, Duke of Pomerania
Ernst Ludwig was duke of Pomerania from 1560 to 1592. From 1569 to 1592, he was duke in the Teilherzogtum Pomerania-Wolgast, sharing the rule over the Duchy of Pomerania with his older brother Johann Friedrich, duke in the other Teilherzogtum Pomerania-Stettin and bishop of Cammin.-Life:Ernst...
refused to pay their taxes to the circle's treasury (Kreiskasten in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
) properly, and in the rare cases they did, they marked it as a voluntary act. Furthermore, the dukes ratified the circle's decrees only with caveats that made it possible for them to withdraw at any time. The Pomeranian dukes justified their actions with events of 1563, when an army led by Eric of Brunswick
Eric II, Duke of Calenberg
Eric II, Duke of Brunswick and Lunenburg was duke in the Brunswick-Lunenburgian Principality of Calenberg from 1545 to 1584. Since 1495 the Principality of Göttingen was incorporated in Calenberg....
crossed and devastated their duchy, and the circle did not give them support. On the other hand, the Pomeranian refusal to properly integrate in the circle's structure likewise reduced the circle's ability to act as a unified military power.
The partitioned duchy underwent an economical recession in the late 16th century. The dukes' ability to control the inner affairs of the duchy severely declined in the cource of the 16th century. As the central power was weakened by the partitions and increasingly indebted, the independence of nobles and towns rose. Attempts of duke Johann Friedrich to strengthen the ducal position, e.g. by introducing a general tax, failed due to the resistance of the nobility, who had gained the right to veto ducal tax decrees at the circle's convent. In 1594–1597, the duchy participated in the Ottoman Wars. Yet, due to the rejection of financial support by the nobility, the Pomeranian dukes' funds for the campaign were low, resulting in their humiliation during the war for fighting with bad horses and weapons.
Reunification under Bogislaw XIV and partition between Sweden and Brandenburg
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
, the duchy was occupied first by Albrecht von Wallenstein
Albrecht von Wallenstein
Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein , actually von Waldstein, was a Bohemian soldier and politician, who offered his services, and an army of 30,000 to 100,000 men during the Danish period of the Thirty Years' War , to the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II...
's mercenary army after the Capitulation of Franzburg
Capitulation of Franzburg
The Capitulation of Franzburg was a treaty providing for the capitulation of the Duchy of Pomerania to the forces of the Holy Roman Empire during the Thirty Years' War...
in 1627, and then by the Swedish Empire
Swedish Empire
The Swedish Empire refers to the Kingdom of Sweden between 1561 and 1721 . During this time, Sweden was one of the great European powers. In Swedish, the period is called Stormaktstiden, literally meaning "the Great Power Era"...
, which was appreciated and confirmed by Bogislaw in the Treaty of Stettin (1630)
Treaty of Stettin (1630)
The Treaty of Stettin or Alliance of Stettin was the legal framework for the occupation of the Duchy of Pomerania by the Swedish Empire during the Thirty Years' War...
. The duchy was finally dissolved after Bogislaw's death in 1637. With the 1648 Peace of Westphalia
Peace of Westphalia
The Peace of Westphalia was a series of peace treaties signed between May and October of 1648 in Osnabrück and Münster. These treaties ended the Thirty Years' War in the Holy Roman Empire, and the Eighty Years' War between Spain and the Dutch Republic, with Spain formally recognizing the...
, Further Pomerania was assigned to Brandenburg-Prussia
Brandenburg-Prussia
Brandenburg-Prussia is the historiographic denomination for the Early Modern realm of the Brandenburgian Hohenzollerns between 1618 and 1701. Based in the Electorate of Brandenburg, the main branch of the Hohenzollern intermarried with the branch ruling the Duchy of Prussia, and secured succession...
who held the rights for inheritance (Province of Pomerania (1653-1815)). Hither Pomerania
Hither Pomerania
Western Pomerania, Cispomerania or Hither Pomerania are terms used in English to translate the German Vorpommern the western extremity of the historic region of the duchy, later Province of Pomerania, nowadays divided between the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Poland.Forming part of...
stayed with the Swedish Empire and henceforth became known as Swedish Pomerania
Swedish Pomerania
Swedish Pomerania was a Dominion under the Swedish Crown from 1630 to 1815, situated on what is now the Baltic coast of Germany and Poland. Following the Polish War and the Thirty Years' War, Sweden held extensive control over the lands on the southern Baltic coast, including Pomerania and parts...
. The border was settled in the Treaty of Stettin (1653)
Treaty of Stettin (1653)
The Treaty of Stettin of 4 May 1653 settled a dispute between Brandenburg and Sweden, who both claimed succession in the Duchy of Pomerania after the extinction of the local House of Pomerania during the Thirty Years' War. Brandenburg's claims were based on the Treaty of Grimnitz , while Sweden's...
. Both parts were merged into the Prussian
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
Province of Pomerania in 1815.
Historical subdivisions
Furthermore several Pomeranian duchies were co-ruled by members of the House of PomeraniaHouse of Pomerania
The House of Griffins or House of Pomerania, , also known as House of Greifen; House of Gryf, was a dynasty of Royal dukes that ruled the Duchy of Pomerania from the 12th century until 1637, after their power was temporarily derivated to Prussian Royal House...
:
- Pomerania-DemminDemminDemmin is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It was the capital of the former district Demmin.- Name :...
from 1156 on under Duke Casimir ICasimir I, Duke of PomeraniaCasimir I was duke of Pomerania since his uncle Ratibor I's death in 1155/56. A son of Wartislaw I, he co-ruled Pomerania with his older brother Bogislaw I, receiving Pomerania-Demmin as his share just as Bogislaw received Pomerania-Stettin, and ruling the remainder in common.After the lost 1164...
, fell to Duke Barnim I of PomeraniaBarnim I, Duke of PomeraniaBarnim I the Good from the Griffin dynasty was a Duke of Pomerania from 1220 until his death.-Life:...
after the death of Duke Wartislaw IIIWartislaw III, Duke of PomeraniaWartislaw III was a Griffin duke of Pomerania-Demmin. Son of Casimir II of Pomerania-Demmin and Ingardis of Denmark, he was married to a Sophia of an unknown house. As he did not have any children, Pomerania-Demmin ceased to exist with his death.Ingardis ruled Pomerania-Demmin in place of young...
in 1264 - Pomerania-Stolp (Słupsk) in StargardStargard SzczecinskiStargard Szczeciński is a city in northwestern Poland, with a population of 71,017 . Situated on the Ina River it is the capital of Stargard County and since 1999 has been in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship; prior to that it was in the Szczecin Voivodeship...
from 1368 on under Duke Bogislaw V the OldBogislaw V, Duke of PomeraniaBogislaw V was a Duke of Pomerania.Eldest son of Duke Wartislaw IV and Elisabeth of Silesia, Bogislaw had two brothers, Barnim IV and Wartislaw V. The brothers were joint rulers from their father's death in 1326. They allied with King Casimir III of Poland, whose daughter Elisabeth married...
, fell to Duke Eric II of Pomerania-WolgastEric II, Duke of PomeraniaEric II or Erich II, of the House of Pomerania , , was Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast from 1457 to 1474. He was the son of Wartislaw IX of Pomerania-Wolgast and Sophia of Saxe-Lauenburg Eric II or Erich II, of the House of Pomerania (Griffins), (between 1418 and 1425 – 1474), was Duke of...
after the death of Duke EricEric of PomeraniaEric of Pomerania KG was King Eric III of Norway Norwegian Eirik, King Eric VII of Denmark , and as Eric King of Sweden...
in 1459 - Pomerania-Barth from 1376 on under Duke Wartislaw VI, fell to Bogislaw X of PomeraniaBogislaw X, Duke of PomeraniaBogislaw X of Pomerania, the Great, was Duke of Pomerania from 1474 until his death in 1523.Bogislaw was born in Rügenwalde into the House of Pomerania . His father was Eric II, Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast, his mother was the duchess Sophia of Pomerania, both distant relatives of the House of...
after the death of Duke Wartislaw X in 1478; 1569–1605 residence of Duke Bogislaw XIIIBogislaw XIII, Duke of PomeraniaBogislaw XIII of Pomerania , son of Philip I and Maria of Saxony, was a princes of Stettin and Wolgast, and a member of the Griffins .... - Pomerania-Rügenwalde (Darłowo), from 1569 on apanage of Duke Barnim X, incorporated into the Duchy of Pomerania-Stettin under Duke Bogislaw XIV in 1620
Coat of arms
On 26 July 1530, the ducal coat of arms was reformed on behalf of Bogislaw X, Duke of PomeraniaBogislaw X, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw X of Pomerania, the Great, was Duke of Pomerania from 1474 until his death in 1523.Bogislaw was born in Rügenwalde into the House of Pomerania . His father was Eric II, Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast, his mother was the duchess Sophia of Pomerania, both distant relatives of the House of...
at the Reichstag
Reichstag (Holy Roman Empire)
The Imperial Diet was the Diet, or general assembly, of the Imperial Estates of the Holy Roman Empire.During the period of the Empire, which lasted formally until 1806, the Diet was not a parliament in today's sense; instead, it was an assembly of the various estates of the realm...
in Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
. The ducal coat of arms since 1530 showed
- A red griffinGriffinThe griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle...
on a blue shield for Pomerania-Stettin. The shield had a golden color up to 1483, and Charles V, Holy Roman EmperorCharles V, Holy Roman EmperorCharles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
positively responded to Bogislaw X, Duke of PomeraniaBogislaw X, Duke of PomeraniaBogislaw X of Pomerania, the Great, was Duke of Pomerania from 1474 until his death in 1523.Bogislaw was born in Rügenwalde into the House of Pomerania . His father was Eric II, Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast, his mother was the duchess Sophia of Pomerania, both distant relatives of the House of...
's request to change the blue back to golden to follow the heraldic rules. This change, however, was never implemented. - A red griffin on a silver shield for all of Pomerania, or Pomerania-Stettin.
- A black griffin on a golden shield for CassubiaKashubiaKashubia or Cassubia - is a language area in the historic Eastern Pomerania region of northwestern Poland. Located west of Gdańsk and the mouth of the Vistula river, it is inhabited by members of the Kashubian ethnic group....
. Before 1530, this was the coat of arms of Wolgast. - A griffin colored with three green and red stripes on a silver shield for Wenden. Earlier, this griffin was red with silver wings.
- A black lion, sometimes with a red crown, on a golden shield growing from a open red brick wall on a blue shield for the Principality of Rügen.
- A silver griffin with a sturgeon tail on a red shield for UsedomUsedomUsedom is a Baltic Sea island on the border between Germany and Poland. It is situated north of the Szczecin Lagoon estuary of the River Oder in Pomerania...
. - A black griffin with two white fields on a golden shield for Pomerania-Barth.
- A red cross with 4 red roses in its angles on a golden shield for the County of GützkowCounty of GützkowThe County of Gützkow was a part of the Duchy of Pomerania during the High Middle Ages , named after the central town of Gützkow and stretching roughly from the Peene River in the South to the Ryck River in the North. It emerged from the earlier Liutician Principality of Gützkow , that was turned...
. - A white griffin on a red shield growing from an open golden brick wall on a blue shield for Pomerania-Wolgast. From 1325 to 1530, Pomerania-Wolgast had a black griffin on a golden shield. The Putbus coat of arms had been identical with the post-1530 Wolgast coat of arms, except for the color of the lower shield, which was black, and the description of the beast as an eagle.
- Another empty regaliaRegaliaRegalia is Latin plurale tantum for the privileges and the insignia characteristic of a Sovereign.The word stems from the Latin substantivation of the adjective regalis, 'regal', itself from Rex, 'king'...
field.
Before 1530, the coat of arms had five fields, showing four griffins symbolizing Pomerania-Stettin, Pomerania, Wenden, Cassubia, and an empty regalia field.
See also
- History of PomeraniaHistory of PomeraniaThe history of Pomerania dates back more than 10,000 years. Settlement in the area started by the end of the Vistula Glacial Stage, about 13,000 years ago. Archeological traces have been found of various cultures during the Stone and Bronze Age, of Veneti and Germanic peoples during the Iron Age...
- House of PomeraniaHouse of PomeraniaThe House of Griffins or House of Pomerania, , also known as House of Greifen; House of Gryf, was a dynasty of Royal dukes that ruled the Duchy of Pomerania from the 12th century until 1637, after their power was temporarily derivated to Prussian Royal House...
(House of Griffins) - Pomeranian duchies and dukes
- Pommersch (Low German Pomeranian dialect)
- Pomeranian languagePomeranian languageThe Pomeranian language is a group of dialects from the Lechitic cluster of the West Slavic languages. In medieval contexts, it refers to the dialects spoken by the Slavic Pomeranians...
- Kashubian languageKashubian languageKashubian or Cassubian is one of the Lechitic languages, a subgroup of the Slavic languages....