TheTreaty of Stettin (German:Grenzrezeß von Stettin) of 4 May 1653[1] settled a dispute betweenBrandenburg andSweden, who both claimed succession in theDuchy of Pomerania after the extinction of the localHouse of Pomerania during theThirty Years' War. Brandenburg's claims were based on theTreaty of Grimnitz (1529), while Sweden's claims were based on theTreaty of Stettin (1630). The parties had agreed on a partition of the Swedish-held duchy in thePeace of Westphalia (1648), and with the Treaty of Stettin determined the actual border between the partitions.Western Pomerania becameSwedish Pomerania,Farther Pomerania becameBrandenburgian Pomerania.
During the war, Swedenhad occupied theDuchy of Pomerania in 1630. The lastGriffin dukeBogislaw XIV died in 1637, his duchy was supposed to be inherited by Brandenburg, who based her claims on in theTreaty of Grimnitz.[2]
This however was hindered by the Swedish presence.[3] The 1648Peace of Westphalia ended the war, and Pomerania was to be partitioned between Brandenburg and Sweden. The 1650Treaty of Nuremberg roughly defined the areas that should be under control of Sweden and Brandenburg, respectively.
The precise border was drawn in the 1653 Treaty of Stettin, partitioning theDuchy of Pomerania along a line running east of theOder river. The areas west of this line (Vorpommern, includingStettin) stayed withSweden and hence were referred to asSwedish Pomerania. The areas east of the line (Farther Pomerania) were to betransferred to Brandenburg.[1][4] Half of the customs revenues of the Farther Pomeranian towns were the prerogative of Sweden even after her withdrawal.[1][4]
The border was determined to run north from the Brandenburg-Pomeranian border, leaving Komturei Greifenhagen and Komturei Wildenbruch with Sweden, to run towards Woltiner See between Wierow and Schönfeld, from there run north between Damerow and Greifenhagen, Klebow and Brünken, Hökendorf and Buchholz, then meet the Plöne river, from there run through the Friedrichswalde forest, cross the Ihna, circumvent Gollnow and Hohenbrück (with Sweden), meet the Martinscher See, circumvent Kammin, Tribsow and Fritzow (with Sweden) and meet the Baltic Sea between Raddack and Lüchentin.[1]
On 19 July 1653, the firstLandtag in Brandenburgian Pomerania assembled in Stargard.[5] In 1654, the Swedish withdrawal from Farther Pomerania was complete.[4]
The treaty consolidated Sweden's control of the Oder estituary, adding to Sweden's gain of control at the lowerWeser andElbe rivers from the Peace of Westphalia. Thus, the treaty consolidated Sweden's control over the mouths of all major German rivers, except for theRhine. Swedish Pomerania became the largest territorial foothold of Sweden in Germany.
The border as agreed on in the treaty was slightly shifted westwards after theScanian War in theTreaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1679),[6] and shifted far west to thePeene andPeenestrom rivers after theGreat Northern War in theTreaty of Stockholm (1720).[7]