Otto III, Duke of Pomerania
Encyclopedia
Otto III, Duke of Pomerania (29 May 1444 – 7 September 1464) was a member of the House of Griffins and a Duke of Pomerania-Stettin.
. After his father died in 1451, his mother married again in 1453, with Duke Wartislaw X
of Pomerania-Wolgast. The young Otto, heir of Pomerania-Stettin, was educated at the court of the Elector Frederick II
of Brandenburg (1413-1471), his uncle and guardian.
When Duke Wartislaw IX
of Pomerania-Wolgast died in 1457, his will (law)
named not only his sons Eirc II
and Wartislaw X, Otto's stepfather, as heir, but also young Otto III. An inheritance dispute arose, is which Frederick II supported Otto, and also used the opportunity to meddle in the affairs of Pomerania.
In 1460, Otto III was declared an adult, at the request of the Estates
of Pomerania. This ended the regency by Brandenburg; instead the 15 year old Otto III took up government himself. The most important offices in his court were occupied by Brandenburg-minded people. The disputes about the inheritance of Warislaw IX were settled in 1463, with Otto receiving Pomerania-Stargard, the western part of Pomerania.
Otto died of the plague (disease) on 7 September 1464 and was buried in the Otten Church in Stettin. He was unmarried and had no children. With his death, the Pomerania-Stettin line of the House of Griffins died out. It had begun with Duke Otto I
(-1344).
Otto's death triggered the Stettin War of Succession. Elector Frederick II claimed that Pomerania-Stettin was now a completed fief and that it should fall back to Brandenburg. The Dukes in Wolgast claimed that it was a part of Pomerania and should fall to the surviving line of the House of Griffins.
According to legend, the dispute began when Otto was buried. Mayor Albert Glinde of Stettin is saied to have put Otto's helmet and shield in his grave, to indicate the end of his dynasty. A gentleman from Eickstädt then jumped into the grave and took the helmeet and shield out again, with the words "We still have hereditary, born rulers, the Dukes in Wolgast. The helmet and shield belongs to them."
Life
Otto III was the only son of Duke Joachim II "the Younger" of Pomerania, ruler of Pomerania-Stettin, and his wife Elizabeth of BrandenburgElisabeth of Brandenburg (1425-1465)
Elizabeth of Brandenburg was a princess of Brandenburg by birth and marriage Duchess of Pomerania.- Life :...
. After his father died in 1451, his mother married again in 1453, with Duke Wartislaw X
Wartislaw 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....
of Pomerania-Wolgast. The young Otto, heir of Pomerania-Stettin, was educated at the court of the Elector Frederick II
Frederick II, Elector of Brandenburg
Frederick II of Brandenburg , nicknamed "the Iron" and sometimes "Irontooth" , was a Prince-elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg from 1440 until his abdication in 1470, and was a member of the House of Hohenzollern.-Biography:Frederick II was born in Tangermünde to Frederick I, Brandenburg's...
of Brandenburg (1413-1471), his uncle and guardian.
When Duke 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...
of Pomerania-Wolgast died in 1457, his will (law)
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
named not only his sons Eirc 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...
and Wartislaw X, Otto's stepfather, as heir, but also young Otto III. An inheritance dispute arose, is which Frederick II supported Otto, and also used the opportunity to meddle in the affairs of Pomerania.
In 1460, Otto III was declared an adult, at the request of the Estates
Estates of the realm
The Estates of the realm were the broad social orders of the hierarchically conceived society, recognized in the Middle Ages and Early Modern period in Christian Europe; they are sometimes distinguished as the three estates: the clergy, the nobility, and commoners, and are often referred to by...
of Pomerania. This ended the regency by Brandenburg; instead the 15 year old Otto III took up government himself. The most important offices in his court were occupied by Brandenburg-minded people. The disputes about the inheritance of Warislaw IX were settled in 1463, with Otto receiving Pomerania-Stargard, the western part of Pomerania.
Otto died of the plague (disease) on 7 September 1464 and was buried in the Otten Church in Stettin. He was unmarried and had no children. With his death, the Pomerania-Stettin line of the House of Griffins died out. It had begun with Duke 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...
(-1344).
Otto's death triggered the Stettin War of Succession. Elector Frederick II claimed that Pomerania-Stettin was now a completed fief and that it should fall back to Brandenburg. The Dukes in Wolgast claimed that it was a part of Pomerania and should fall to the surviving line of the House of Griffins.
According to legend, the dispute began when Otto was buried. Mayor Albert Glinde of Stettin is saied to have put Otto's helmet and shield in his grave, to indicate the end of his dynasty. A gentleman from Eickstädt then jumped into the grave and took the helmeet and shield out again, with the words "We still have hereditary, born rulers, the Dukes in Wolgast. The helmet and shield belongs to them."