Duchy of Pomerania

The Duchy of Pomerania (German: Herzogtum Pommern, Polish: Księstwo Pomorskie, 12th century – 1637) was a duchy in Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, ruled by dukes of the House of Pomerania (Griffins).

The duchy originated from the realm of Wartislaw I, a Slavic Pomeranian duke, and was extended by the Lands of Schlawe and Stolp in 1317, the Principality of Rügen in 1325, and the Lauenburg and Bütow Land in 1455. During the High Middle Ages, it also comprised the northern Neumark and Uckermark areas as well as Circipania and Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

The Dukes of Pomerania were vassals of Poland from 1122 to 1138, of the Duchy of Saxony from 1164 to 1181, of Denmark from 1185 to 1227, and of the Holy Roman Empire from 1181 to 1185 and from 1227 to 1806, including periods of vassalage to the Margraves of Brandenburg. Most of the time, the duchy was ruled by several Griffin dukes in common, resulting in various internal partitions. After the last Griffin duke had died during the Thirty Years' War in 1637, the duchy was partitioned between Brandenburg-Prussia and Sweden. The Kings of Sweden and the Margraves of Brandenburg, later Kings of Prussia, became members as Dukes of Pomerania in the List of Reichstag participants.

Partitions of the Duchy of Pomerania

The Duchy of Pomerania was partitioned several times to satisfy the claims of the male members of the ruling House of Pomerania dynasty. The partitions were named after the ducal residences: Pomerania-Barth, -Demmin, -Rügenwalde, -Stettin, -Stolp, and -Wolgast. None of the partitions had a hereditary character, the members of the House of Pomerania inherited the duchy in common. The duchy thus continued to exist as a whole despite its division. The only exception was made during a war with the Margraviate of Brandenburg, when in 1338 Barnim III of Pomerania-Stettin was granted his partition as a fief directly from the Holy Roman Emperor, while Pomerania-Wolgast remained under formal Brandenburgian overlordship. However, already in 1348, German king and later emperor Charles IV again granted the Duchy of Pomerania as a whole and the Principality of Rügen as a fief to the dukes of both Pomerania-Stettin and Pomerania-Wolgast, nullifying Brandenburg's claims by granting Imperial immediacy.

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