Bogislaw IV (c. 125519 or 24 February 1309), of the

House of Griffin The House of Griffin or Griffin dynasty (german: Greifen; pl, Gryfici, da, Grif) was a dynasty ruling the Duchy of Pomerania from the 12th century until 1637. The name "Griffins" was used by the dynasty after the 15th century and had been take ...

, was

Duke of Pomerania This is a list of the duchies and dukes of Pomerania. Dukes of the Slavic Pomeranian tribes (All Pomerania) The lands of Pomerania were firstly ruled by local tribes, who settled in Pomerania around the 10th and 11th centuries. Non-dynastic ...

from 1278 until his death in 1309. Bogislaw was the eldest son of Duke

Barnim I Barnim I the Good ( – 13 November 1278) from the Griffin dynasty was a Duke of Pomerania (''ducis Slauorum et Cassubie'') from 1220 until his death. Life Son of Duke Bogislaw II and Miroslava of Pomerelia, he succeeded to the Duchy of Pomeran ...

by his second wife, Margaretha, sometimes said to be a daughter of King

Eric X of Sweden Eric "X" (Swedish: ''Erik Knutsson''; Old Norse: ''Eiríkr Knútsson''; – 10 April 1216) was the King of Sweden between 1208 and 1216. Also known as ''Eric the Survivor'' (Swedish: "Erik som överlevde"), he was, at his accession to the thro ...

. He was an adult at his father's death in 1278, having been co-ruler since 1276. His half-brothers Barnim II and

Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Francia, East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the olde ...

were still very young and so he was sole ruler in

Pomerania Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...

during their minority. In the early 1280s Bogislaw was involved in the war in the neighbouring

margraviate of Brandenburg The Margraviate of Brandenburg (german: link=no, Markgrafschaft Brandenburg) was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806 that played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe. Brandenburg developed out o ...

. In 1295, Barnim II died and Pomerania was divided into two parts, with Bogislaw receiving

Wolgast Wolgast (; csb, Wòłogòszcz) is a town in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the bank of the river (or strait) Peenestrom, vis-a-vis the island of Usedom on the Baltic coast that can be ...

and Otto receiving

Szczecin Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major s ...

(Stettin). In the 14th century, he was allied with would-be

King of Poland Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of free election of monarchs made it a uniquely electable position in Europe (16t ...

Władysław the Short. He was unsuccessfully involved in the opening stages of the decade-long Brandenburg War. He died in 1309 leaving his share of Pomerania to his son Wartislaw. He is buried in Marienkirche in Stettin.

Marriage and issue

At some point before 14 December 1278, he married Mechtild, daughter of

John I John I may refer to: People * John I (bishop of Jerusalem) * John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople * John of Antioch (died 441) * Pope John I, Pope from 523 to 526 * John I (exarch) (died 615), Exarch of Ravenna * John I o ...

and a sister of reigning Margrave

Otto IV Otto IV (1175 – 19 May 1218) was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1209 until his death in 1218. Otto spent most of his early life in England and France. He was a follower of his uncle Richard the Lionheart, who made him Count of Poitou in 1196 ...

. However, all of his known children were by a second marriage to Margarethe, daughter of Wizlaw II, Prince of Rügen. He married Margarethe before 1290, possibly in 1283–4. He had one son and at least four daughters: *

Euphemia of Pomerania Euphemia of Pomerania (1285 – 26 July 1330) was Queen of Denmark as the spouse of King Christopher II. She was the daughter of Bogislaw IV, Duke of Pomerania, and his second spouse, Margarete of Rügen. Euphemia wed Christopher in 1300. The mar ...

(died 1330) married

Christopher II of Denmark Christopher II (; 29 September 1276 – 2 August 1332) was King of Denmark from 1320 to 1326 and again from 1329 until his death. He was a younger son of Eric V. His name is connected with national disaster, as his rule ended in an almost total ...

Wartislaw IV, Duke of Pomerania Wartislaw IV or Vartislav IV (before 1290 – 1 August 1326) was Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast from 1309 until his death. He was the only son of Duke Bogislaw IV of Pomerania and his wife Margareta, a daughter of Vitslav II, Prince of Rügen. Vartis ...

, who would later rule in

Western Pomerania Historical Western Pomerania, also called Cispomerania, Fore Pomerania, Front Pomerania or Hither Pomerania (german: Vorpommern), is the western extremity of the historic region of Pomerania forming the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, Weste ...

and inherit Rügen * Elisabeth (1291–1349), who married Duke Eric I of

Saxe-Lauenburg The Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg (german: Herzogtum Sachsen-Lauenburg, called ''Niedersachsen'' (Lower Saxony) between the 14th and 17th centuries), was a '' reichsfrei'' duchy that existed from 1296–1803 and again from 1814–1876 in the extreme so ...

ca. 1318 * Jutta * Margareta, wife of

Nicholas I, Lord of Rostock Nicholas, Lord of Rostock, nicknamed ''the child'' (before 1262 – 25 November 1314) was a member of the House of Mecklenburg. He was co-ruler of Rostock from 1282 to 1284, and the sole ruler from 1284 to 1312. Life He was the youngest son ...

* possibly another daughter, Euphemia, wife of

Adolph V, Count of Holstein-Segeberg Adolph V, Count of Holstein-Segeberg ( – 1308) was the ruling count of Holstein-Kiel from 1263 to 1273 and of Holstein-Segeberg from 1273 until his death. Life He was the elder of the two sons of Count John I, Count of Holstein-Kiel, John I ...

References

* * Dukes of Pomerania 1255 births 1309 deaths 14th-century monarchs in Europe 13th-century monarchs in Europe {{Europe-noble-stub

Marriage and issue

See also

References