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Dukes of Pomerania

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Medieval regional rulers in various parts of Pomerania were generally ksiaze, whoch in their case was regularly translated as duke.

Pomerania, as understood in its largest extent, was never a united state or polity in Middle Ages, but always divided to at least two parts and regularly more.

It is, understood to its largest extent, all the coast of the Baltic Sea from Rügen to Königsberg (now Kaliningrad). Thus it is a geographical and historical region in northern Poland and Germany, on the south coast of Baltic Sea on both sides of the Oder River and reaches to the Vistula river in the east and Reknitz River in the west. However, the name Pomerania often meant only the Western and Middle Pomerania (areas which much of the time were under one ducal dynasty) whereas the so-called eastern Pomerania is often known as Pomerelia, and later became much absorbed to the knight-state of Prussia. At least Western parts of Pomerania were inhabited by Vends, a Polabian people.

Presumably, Pomeranians were ruled by indigeneous rulers, probably divided in several petty principalities. In the second half of 10th century, Pomerania seems to have been, at least shortly, part of the budding state of Poland, or under its overlordship, but the bishopric of Kołobrzeg established in 1000 was destroyed in ca. 1005. In the 1030s Polish state was fragmented into several provinces, but soon rebuilt when Casimir I the Restorer was victorious in the battle against Masovians and Pomeranians in 1047. Polish king Boleslaus I (1058-1080) is reported to have lost control of Pomerania, again.

The first written trace of any local Pomeranian ruler is the 1046 mention of Zemuzil dux Bomeranorum (Siemomysł, duke of Pomeranians). The Chronicle of the Polish dukes written in 1113 by so called Gallus Anonymus mentions several dukes of Pomerania: Swantibor, Gniewomir, and an unnamed duke besieged in Kołobrzeg.

In three military campaigns of 1116, 1119, 1121 entire Pomerania was conquered by the Polish monarch Boleslaus III (Bolesław Krzywousty), and divided into four parts: Eastern Pomerania with Gdańsk was put under direct Polish control and the duke had nominated his governors. The area is also known as Pomerelia. Middle Pomerania with Słupsk and Sławno was made a Polish fief under a Pomeranian duke Ratibor I. Western Pomerania with Kamień, Kołobrzeg and Białogard were made a Polish fief ruled by duke Vartislaus I. Szczecin and Wolin were semi-independent city-republics being subject to the overlord of Poland and not to any local Pomeranian ruler.

Polish governors in Pomerelia gradually gained more and more power and evolved into semi-independent dukes, who ruled the duchy until 1294. In various times they were vassals of Poland and Denmark. The duchy was temporarily partitioned into principalities of Gdańsk, Białogard, Świecie, and Lubieszewo-Tczew.

Vartislaus I of Western Pomerania was founder and ancestor of the so-called Griffin family of dukes who ruled the duchy, with its extensions, until 1637 when the ducal dynasty went extinct in male line. They managed to gather a variety of other territories too and that way they were vassals of Poland, Denmark, Saxony, Brandenburg and Holy Roman Empire. The duchy was temporarily partitioned into petty principalities of Stettin, Wolgast, Barth, Darłowo, Demmin, Słupsk and Stargard.

Descendants of Ratibor I ruled the Middle Pomeranian duchy until 1238. The area was an object of competition between the Dukes of Western Pomerania, Pomerelia, Rügen and Brandenburg. Upon the extinction of Ratibor's dynasty, most of it ended to dukes of Western Pomerania, who thus gained yet more recognition of them being dukes of all Pomerania. Four centuries, they used the title Duke of Pomerania, and the territories they ruled, became established as Pomerania to outsiders, Pomereliabeing perceived a separate one with its own name.

The island of Rügen was conquered by Denmark in 1168 and the local ruler founded and became the ancestor of a dynasty of lords (princes, dukes, often without recognized higher title just lords) of Rügen, vassals of Danish kings. In 1325 the Principality of Rügen fell to Pomerania.

Contents

Duchy of ca 979 subjugated by Mieszko I of Poland

from 11th century under local dynasty :

Duchy of Bialogarda/Belgard (Ksiestwo bialogardzkie)

Duchy of Gdańsk/Danzig (Księstwo gdańskie)

Duchy of Lubiszewo (Ksiestwo lubiszewskie)

Duchy of Swiecie/Schwetz (Ksiestwo swieckie)

Duchy of Pomerania (Middle) or Slawno/Schlawe - Ksiestwo Slawienskie

Duchy of Pomerania (Western) - Ksiestwo Pomorskie (Zachodnie)

After 1202 Pomeranian Duchy is divided into several duchies, most important being Wolgast and Szczecin duchies, united into one Pomeranian state from time to time.

Duchy of Szczecin/Stettin (Ksiestwo Szczecinskie)

Duchy of Wologoszcz/Wolgast (Ksiestwo wologoskie)

Duchy of Bardo/Barth (Ksiestwo bardowskie)

Duchy of Darlowo/Ruegenwalde (Ksiestwo Darlowskie)

Duchy of Dymin/Demmin (Ksiestwo dyminkie)

Duchy of Slupsk/Stolp (Ksiestwo Slupskie)

Duchy of Stargard (Ksiestwo stargardzkie)

Principality of Rugia/Rugen/Rana - Ksiestwo Rugijskie/Ranskie

1168-1325 feudal fief of Denmark under local rulers: From 1325 Duchy of Wolgast-Rugen or Rugen-Bardo: from 1474 part of Duchy of Wologoszcz/Wolgast (Ksiestwo wologoskie)

from 1478 part of Duchy of Pomerania

Further reading

 

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