| Wartislaw II of Gdańsk | |
|---|---|
 Painting of Wartislaw II, from the 1598Pedigree of the Pomeranian Dukes byCornelius Krommeny. | |
| Duke of Gdańsk | |
| Reign | 1266–1270 |
| Predecessor | Swietopelk II |
| Successor | Mestwin II |
| Duke of Świecie | |
| Reign | 1269 |
| Predecessor | Mestwin II |
| Successor | Mestwin II |
| Born | c. 1237 |
| Died | 9 May 1271 Wyszogród,Duchy of Kuyavia (nowBydgoszcz,Poland) |
| Burial | |
| Dynasty | Samboride |
| Father | Swietopelk II |
Wartislaw II of Gdańsk[a] (c. 1237 – 9 May 1271) was aduke from theSamboride dynasty. From 1266 to 1270, he was the duke of theDuchy of Gdańsk, and also, briefly in 1269, the duke of theDuchy of Świecie.
Wartislaw II was born around 1237. He came from theSamboride dynasty, being the son ofSwietopelk II, duke of theDuchy of Gdańsk.[1][2] He was the younger brother ofMestwin II, duke of theDuchy of Świecie.[3]
His father died on 10 January 1266. Following his death, the Duchy of Gdańsk had been participated between his sons, Wartislaw II, and Mestwin II. The exact boundaries of the partition remain unknown, due to the lack of necessary historical records. It is known that Wartislaw was given the city ofGdańsk, with the surrounding area.[3] In such partition he might have also become the ruler of the land ofBiałogarda, however it remains unknown who was the ruler of the area at the time. Until 1262, the area belonged to theDuchy of Białogarda, under the rule ofRatibor of Białogarda. 1268 marks the first year in which, Wartislaw II, is named the ruler of Białogarda, in any existing documentation. It remains unknown which of the brothers received theSłupsk and Sławno Land in the partition.[4]Later, the Słupsk and Sławno Land had been attacked, either in 1266 byBarnim I, duke of theDuchy of Pomerania, or in 1269, by Barnim I andVitslav II, prince of thePrincipality of Rügen, which resulted, withSławno being conquered.[5][6]
Mestwin II wasn't satisfied with the partition, being in the belief that, as the oldest heir, he hold the right to Gdańsk, the most prestigious city inPomerelia, and the capital of his father's state. As such, he started planning on gaining control over that area. On 1 April 1269, he met inChoszczno, withJohn II,Otto IV, andConrad, themargraves of Brandenburg, from theHouse of Ascania, fromStendal. During the meeting, he paidhomage to them, giving them his lands, which then, were given back to him, making him, theirvassal. The exception was the area of Białogarda, which was then incorporated into theMargraviate of Brandenburg. Additionally, somewhen, between 1269 and 1271, Mestwin, promised to give Gdańsk to the margraves.[7]
The agreement angered the nobility and theknighthood of Świecie, which led to their rebellion against Mestwin, in the summer of 1269. They captured him, and imprisoned him inRaciąż. Following that, they offered the throne of Świecie to Wartislaw II. However, soon after that, Mestwin had been rescued by the knights loyal to him. As such, in the autumn of 1269, he began an attack on states of Wartislaw II, andSambor II, duke of theDuchy of Lubiszewo. The exact origin of his army remains unknown, however, they could have been either the mercenaries from theState of the Teutonic Order, or the reinforcements sent from theMargraviate of Brandenburg. Most likely at the beginning of 1270, he conquered the Duchy of Lubiszewo, with no major resistance, as Sambor II with his army were at the time inKuyavia. Following that, his army captured Gdańsk, again, with no major resistance from city defenders. After the fall of the city, Wartislaw escaped toElbing (nowElbląg,Poland), in the State of the Teutonic Order, and later he and Sambor II found refuge in theDuchy of Kuyavia, on the royal court of dukeZiemomysł of Kuyavia. Wartislaw was given a fort inWyszogród, where, he would organize the operation base for his future attack on Mestwin's territories. However, before any attack had been organized, Wartislaw died in suspicious circumstances on 9 May 1271 in Wyszogród. He was buried in theFranciscan Church inInowrocław.[8][9][7]