Duchy of Eastern Pomerania Księstwo wschodniopomorskie(Polish) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11th century – 1046/1048 c. 1060 – 1227 1270–1308 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
 Coat of arms | |||||||||||||||||||||||
.png) Kingdom of Poland between 1304 and 1333, including Duchy of Eastern Pomerania/ | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Status | Independent state (11th century – 1046/1048,c. 1060 – 1119, 1270–1294) Fiefdom ofKingdom of Poland (1119–1210, 1211–1223, 1294–1308) Fiefdom ofDenmark (1210–1211) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Capital | Gdańsk | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Official languages | Polish,Latin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Religion | Roman Catholic | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Government | Duchy | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duke | |||||||||||||||||||||||
• 11th century (first) | Siemomysł | ||||||||||||||||||||||
• 1306–1308 (last) | Władysław I Łokietek | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Historical era | High Middle Ages | ||||||||||||||||||||||
• Partition of theKingdom of Poland | 11th century | ||||||||||||||||||||||
• Incorporation into theDuchy of Poland | 1046/1048 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
• Partition from theDuchy of Poland | c. 1060 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
• Becoming afiefdom of theDuchy of Poland | 1119 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1210 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
• Becoming afiefdom of theDuchy of Poland | 1211 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
• Independence and partition intoDuchy of Gdańsk and theDuchy of Świecie and Lubiszewo | 1227 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1270 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
• Becoming afiefdom of theDuchy of Greater Poland | 1294 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
• Conquest by theState of the Teutonic Order | 1308 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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TheDuchy of Eastern Pomerania (Polish:Księstwo wschodniopomorskie;Latin:Ducatus Pomeraniae Orientalis) was aduchy centred onPomerelia, withGdańsk as its capital.
The duchy was formed after gaining independence from theKingdom of Poland in the 11th century, following the death of Bolesław I the Brave in 1025. The duchy was then integrated back into Poland in 1046 or 1048 byCasimir I the Restorer, and its land remained under Polish rule until around 1060, when the duchy was restored.[1] In 1119, the duchy was again conquered by Poland and became itsfiefdom, being ruled bystewards under the rule of theKing of Poland. In 1210, it briefly became a fiefdom ofDenmark under the rule ofValdemar II, until it was reconquered the next year by the king of Poland,Leszek the White. In 1227, the duchy gained independence from Poland, whereupon it was divided into theDuchy of Gdańsk and theDuchy of Świecie and Lubiszewo. Pomerelia united again in 1270 from the duchies ofGdańsk andŚwiecie, remaining independent until 1294, whenPrzemysł II, king of Poland, became its duke, making it again dependent on Poland. In 1308, the city of Gdańsk was occupied by theMargraviate of Brandenburg. After this event, the whole duchy was conquered by theState of the Teutonic Order.
In the tenth century, Pomerelia was already settled byWest-Slavic Pomeranians. The area was conquered and incorporated intoearly medieval Poland either by DukeMieszko I – the firsthistorical Polish ruler - in the second half of the tenth century[2] or even earlier, by hisfather, in the 940s or 950s[3] – the date of incorporation is unknown.[4] Mieszko foundedGdańsk to control the mouth of theVistula between 970 and 980.[5] According toJózef Spors, despite some cultural differences, the inhabitants of the whole ofPomerania had very close ties with residents of otherPiast provinces,[6] from which Pomerelia was separated by large stretches of woodlands and swamps.[4]
The Piasts introducedChristianity to pagan Pomerelia, though it is disputed to what extent the conversion materialized.[7] In the eleventh century the region had loosened its close connections with the kingdom of Poland and subsequently for some years formed an independent duchy.[8] Most scholars suggest that Pomerelia was still part of Poland during the reign of kingBolesław I of Poland and his sonMieszko II Lambert. However, there are also different opinions e.g.Peter Oliver Loew suggests the Slavs in Pomerelia severed their ties with the Piasts and reverted the Piasts' introduction of Christianity already in the first years of the 11th century.[9] The exact date of separation is unknown, however. It was suggested that the inhabitants of Pomerelia participated in thePagan reaction in Poland, actively supportedMiecław who intended to detachMasovia from the power of the rulers of Poland, but after the defeat of Miecław in 1047 accepted the rule of dukeCasimir I the Restorer and that the province remained a part of Poland till the 1060s, when Pomerelian troops took part in the expedition of the Polish kingBolesław II the Generous against Bohemia in 1061 or 1068. Duke Bolesław suffered a defeat during the siege ofHradec and had to retreat to Poland. Soon after Pomerelia separated from his realm.[10] A campaign by Piast dukeWładysław I Herman to conquer Pomerelia in 1090–91 was unsuccessful, but resulted in the burning of many Pomerelian forts during the retreat.[4]
In 1116, direct control over Pomerelia was reestablished byBolesław III Wrymouth of Poland,[11] who by 1122 had also conquered the central and western parts of Pomerania.[12] While the latter regions (forming theDuchy of Pomerania) regained independence quickly, Pomerelia remained within the Polish realm. It was administered by governors of a local dynasty, theSamborides, and subordinated to thebishopric of Włocławek.[4] In 1138, following the death of Bolesław III, Poland was fragmented into several semi-independent principalities. Theprincipes in Pomerelia gradually gained more local power, evolving into semi-independent entities, much like other fragmented Polish territories, with the difference that the other parts of the realm were governed byPiast descendants of Bolesław III. The Christian centre becameOliva Abbey near Gdańsk.
Two Samborides administering Pomerelia in the 12th century are known by name:Sobieslaw I and his son,Sambor I.[4]
In 1210, kingValdemar II of Denmark invaded Pomerelia, whoseprincepsMestwin I became his vassal.[13] The Danish suzerainty did not last long, however. Mestwin had already gained more independence from Poland and expanded southward, and his sonSwietopelk II, who succeeded him in 1217,[14] gained full independence in 1227.[8]
After Mestwin I's death, Pomerelia was internally divided among his sonsSwietopelk II, Wartislaw, Sambor II and Ratibor.[15] Swietopelk II, who took his seat in Gdańsk, assumed a leading position over his brothers: Sambor II, who received the castellany ofLubieszewo (the center later moved toTczew), and Ratibor, who received theBiałogard area, were initially under his tutelage.[15] The fourth brother, Wartislaw, took his seat inŚwiecie, thus controlling the second important area besides Gdańsk.[15] Wartislaw died before 27 December 1229, his share was to be given toOliva Abbey by his brothers.[16] The remaining brothers engaged in a civil war: Sambor II and Ratibor allied with theTeutonic Order[16][17] and theDuke of Kuyavia[16] against Swietopelk, who in turn allied with theOld Prussians,[17] took Ratibor prisoner and temporarily assumed control over the latter's share.[16] The revolt of the Old Prussians against the Teutonic Order in 1242 took place in the context of these alliances.[17] Peace was restored only in theTreaty of Christburg (Dzierzgoń) in 1249, mediated by the later popeUrban IV, then papal legate and archidiacone of Lüttich (Liege).[17]
In the west, the Pomerelian dukes' claim to thelands of Schlawe (Sławno) and Stolp (Słupsk), where the lastRatiboride dukeRatibor II had died after 1223, was challenged by theGriffindukes of Pomerania,Barnim I andWartislaw III.[18] In this conflict, Swietopelk II initially won the upper hand, but could not force a final decision.[18]
Swietopelk II, who styled himselfdux. since 1227, chartered the town ofGdańsk withLübeck law and invited theDominican Order.[14] His conflicts with theTeutonic Order, who had become his eastern neighbor in 1230, were settled in 1253 by exempting the order from theVistula dues.[14] With Swietopelk II's death in 1266, the rule of his realm passed to his sons Wartislaw andMestwin II.[14] These brothers initiated another civil war, with Mestwin II allying with and pledging allegiance to theBrandenburg margraves (Treaty of Arnswalde/Choszczno 1269).[14] The margraves, who in the 1269 treaty also gained the land of Białogard, were also supposed to help Mestwin II securing the lands of Schlawe (Sławno) and Stolp (Słupsk), which after Swietopelk II's death were in part taken over by Barnim III.[19] With the margraves' aid, Mestwin II succeeded in expelling Wartislaw from Gdansk in 1270/71.[14] The lands of Schlawe/Slawno, however, were taken over by Mestwin II's nephewWizlaw II, prince of Rügen in 1269/70, who founded the town ofRügenwalde (now Darlowo) near the fort of Dirlow.[19]
In 1273, Mestwin found himself in open conflict against the margraves who refused to remove their troops from Gdańsk, Mestwin's possession, which he had been forced to temporarily lease to them during his struggles against Wartisław and Sambor. Since the lease had now expired, through this action, the Margrave Conrad broke the Treaty of Arnswalde/Choszczno and subsequent agreements. His aim was to capture as much of Mestwin's Pomerelia as possible. Mestwin, unable to dislodge the Brandenburgian troops himself called in the aid ofBolesław the Pious, whose troops took the city with a direct attack. The war against Brandenburg ended in 1273 with a treaty[20] (possibly signed atDrawno Bridge), in which Brandenburg returned Gdańsk to Mestwin while he paid feudal homage to the margraves for the lands of Schlawe (Sławno) and Stolp (Słupsk).[21]
On February 15, 1282,High Duke of Poland andWielkopolskaPrzemysł II and theDuke of PomereliaMestwin II, signed theTreaty of Kępno which transferred the suzerainty over Pomerelia to Przemysł.[22] As a result of the treaty the period of Pomerelian independence ended and the region was again part of Poland. Przemysł adopted the titledux Polonie et Pomeranie (Duke of Poland and Pomerania).[23] Mestwin, per the agreement, retainedde facto control over the province until his death in 1294, at which time Przemysł, who was already thede jure ruler of the territory, took it under his direct rule.[22]
After the death ofMestwin II of Pomerania in 1294, his co-rulerPrzemysł II of Poland, according to theTreaty of Kępno, took control over Pomerelia. He was crowned as king of Poland in 1295, but ruled directly only over Pomerelia andGreater Poland, while the rest of the country (Silesia,Lesser Poland,Masovia) was ruled by otherPiasts. However, Przemysł was murdered soon afterwards and succeeded byWładysław I the Elbow-high. Władysław, sold his rights to theDuchy of Kraków to KingWenceslaus II of Bohemia in 1297 and accepted him as hissuzerain in 1299. However, he lost control ofGreater Poland and Pomerelia in 1300 after a nobility revolt.[24] These were captured by Wenceslaus who now, after gaining most of the Polish lands, was crowned inGniezno as king of Poland by archbishopJakub Świnka[25] Upon the deaths of Wenceslaus and his successorWenceslaus III and with them the extinction of thePřemyslid dynasty, Pomerelia was recaptured byWładysław I the Elbow-high in 1306.
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During Władysław's rule, theMargraviate of Brandenburg staked its claim on the territory in 1308, leadingWładysław I the Elbow-high to request assistance from theTeutonic Knights, who evicted the Brandenburgers but took the area for themselves, annexing and incorporating it into theTeutonic Order state in 1309 (Teutonic takeover of Danzig (Gdańsk) andTreaty of Soldin/Myślibórz). At the same time,Słupsk andSławno became part of theDuchy of Pomerania. This event caused a long-lasting dispute between Poland and the Teutonic Order over the control ofGdańsk Pomerania. It resulted in a series ofPolish–Teutonic Wars throughout the 14th and 15th centuries.
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