Eric of Pomerania

Eric of Pomerania KG (1381 or 1382 – 24 September 1459) was King Eric (Eirik) III of Norway (1389–1442), King Eric VII of Denmark (1396–1439), and King Eric (Ericus) XIII (VIII) of Sweden (1396–1439; known there in history mainly as Erik av Pommern). He was the first King of the Nordic Kalmar Union, succeeding his adoptive mother Margaret I of Denmark, and was also Duke Eric I of Pomerania.

Referring to Eric of Pomerania as King Eric XIII of Sweden is a later invention, counting backwards from Eric XIV (1560–1568), who adopted his numeral according to a fictitious history of Sweden. Going back into prehistory, it is not known how many Swedish monarchs were named Eric before this one (at least six were).

Family

Born Boguslaw, he was the son of Wartislaw VII, Duke of Pomerania, and Maria of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Eric's paternal grandparents were Boguslaw V, Duke of Pomerania and his second wife Adelheid of Brunswick-Grubenhagen. His maternal grandparents were Henry III, Duke of Mecklenburg and Ingeborg of Denmark, Duchess of Mecklenburg. Their son Albert was a rival of Olaf Haakonsson in regard to the Danish succession in 1375.

Pomerania

Pomerania (Polish: Pomorze [pɔ̃ˈmɔʒɛ], German: Pommern [ˈpɔmɐn], Latin: Pomerania) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea.

The name Pomerania comes from Slavic po more, which means "[land] by the sea". The adjective for the region is Pomeranian (Polish: pomorski, German: pommersch), inhabitants are called Pomeranians (Polish: Pomorzanie, German: Pommern).

Now divided between Germany and Poland, Pomerania stretches roughly from the Recknitz river near Stralsund in the west, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Łeba river or the Żarnowieckie Lake near Lębork. It is sometimes also considered to encompass Pomerelia (Pomorze Gdańskie), up to the Vistula River delta near Gdańsk in the east, as well as Chełmno Land in the south. The contemporary Pomeranian Voivodeship encompasses only a part of historical Pomerania.

The biggest Pomeranian islands are Rügen, Usedom/Uznam and Wolin. Pomerania belongs to the lowlands of the North European Plain. The largest Pomeranian city is Szczecin (narrow), or Gdańsk/Trójmiasto (wide). Outside its urban areas, Pomerania is characterized by farmland, dotted with numerous lakes, forests, and towns. The region was strongly affected by post–World War I and II border and population shifts, with most of its pre-war inhabitants leaving or being expelled after 1945.

Pomeranian

Pomeranian is an adjective referring to Pomerania, an area divided between Poland and Germany.

Peoples and cultures

Languages

Animal breeds

Places

Pomerania Province

Pomerania Province may refer to one of several provinces established in Pomerania, a region of Europe:

See also