Otto III, Duke of Pomerania (29 May 1444 – 7 September 1464) was a member of the

House of Griffins 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 ...

and a Duke of

Pomerania-Stettin The Duchy of Pomerania-Stettin, also known as the Duchy of Stettin, and the Duchy of Szczecin, was a feudal duchy in Farther Pomerania within the Holy Roman Empire. Its capital was Szczecin. It was ruled by the Griffin dynasty.B. Dopierała, ''Pol ...

Life

Otto III was the only son of Duke Joachim I "the Younger" of Pomerania, ruler of

, and his wife Elizabeth of Brandenburg. After his father died in 1451, his mother married again in 1453, with Duke

Wartislaw X Duke Wartislaw X of Pomerania (1435 – 17 December 1478) was the second son of Duke Wartislaw IX of Pomerania and his wife, Sophia of Saxe-Lauenburg. Wartislaw married twice. On 5 March 1454, he married Elizabeth of Brandenburg, the widow ...

of Pomerania-Wolgast. The young Otto, heir of Pomerania-Stettin, was educated at the court of the Elector Frederick II of Brandenburg (1413–1471), his uncle and guardian. When Duke

Wartislaw IX Duke Wartislaw IX of Pomerania-Wolgast (c. 1400 – 17 April 1457, Wolgast) was the eldest son of the Duke Barnim VI, Duke of Pomerania ( dynasty of Griffins) and Veronica of Hohenzollern, daughter of Frederick V, Burgrave of Nuremberg. He re ...

of Pomerania-Wolgast died in 1457, his

will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and wi ...

named not only his sons Eric II and Wartislaw X, Otto's stepfather, as heir, but also young Otto III. An inheritance dispute arose, is which Frederick II supported Otto, and also used the opportunity to meddle in the affairs of Pomerania. In 1460, Otto III was declared an adult, at the request of the

Estates Estate or The Estate may refer to: Law * Estate (law), a term in common law for a person's property, entitlements and obligations * Estates of the realm, a broad social category in the histories of certain countries. ** The Estates, representati ...

of Pomerania. This ended the regency by Brandenburg; instead the 15-year-old Otto III took up government himself. The most important offices in his court were occupied by Brandenburg-minded people. The disputes about the inheritance of Warislaw IX were settled in 1463, with Otto receiving Pomerania-Stargard, the western part of Pomerania. Otto died of the

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...

on 7 September 1464 and was buried in the Otten Church in

Stettin 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 ...

. He was unmarried and had no children. With his death, the Pomerania-Stettin line of the

died out. It had begun with Duke

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 Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the oldest son of He ...

(-1344). Otto's death triggered the

Stettin War of Succession 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 se ...

. Elector Frederick II claimed that Pomerania-Stettin was now a completed

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form ...

and that it should fall back to Brandenburg. The Dukes in Wolgast claimed that it was a part of Pomerania and should fall to the surviving line of the

. According to legend, the dispute began when Otto was buried. Mayor Albert Glinde of Stettin is said to have put Otto's helmet and shield in his grave, to indicate the end of his dynasty. A gentleman from Eickstädt then jumped into the grave and took the helmet and shield out again, with the words "We still have hereditary, born rulers, the Dukes in Wolgast. The helmet and shield belong to them."

Ancestors

References

* * Martin Wehrmann: ''Geschichte von Pommern'', vol. 1, 2nd ed., Verlag Friedrich Andreas Perthes, Gotha, 1919, reprinted: Augsburg, 1992, {{DEFAULTSORT:Otto 03 of Pomerania House of Griffins Dukes of Pomerania 1444 births 1464 deaths 15th-century German people 15th-century deaths from plague (disease)

Life

Ancestors

See also

References