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.Kyra T. Inachin, ''Die Geschichte Pommerns'', Hinstorff Rostock, 2008, p.30, The partitions were named after the ducal residences: Pomerania-Barth, -Demmin, -Rügenwalde, -Stettin, -Stolp, and -Wolgast. None of the partitions had a hereditary character,Norbert Buske, ''Pommern'', Helms Schwerin 1997, p.21, 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.Werner Buchholz, ''Pommern'', Siedler, 1999, pp.107-109, 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.Kyra Inachim, ''Die Geschichte Pommerns'', Hinstorff Rostock, 2008, p.32, Werner Buchholz, ''Pommern'', Siedler, 1999, pp.110-111,

Partitions

In 1155, the duchy was partitioned in Pomerania-Demmin and Pomerania-Stettin. With short interruptions, this division lasted until 1264.Jan M Piskorski, ''Pommern im Wandel der Zeiten'', 1999, p.61,

In 1295, the duchy was partitioned in Pomerania-Wolgast and Pomerania-Stettin. In 1368/72, Pomerania-Stolp was split from Pomerania-Wolgast.Kyra Inachim, ''Die Geschichte Pommerns'', Hinstorff Rostock, 2008, p.31, In 1376, Pomerania-Barth was split from truncated Pomerania-Wolgast. In 1402, Pomerania-Rügenwalde was briefly split from Pomerania-Stolp for three years. In 1451, Pomerania-Barth was for six years merged back into Pomerania-Wolgast.Werner Buchholz, ''Pommern'', Siedler, 1999, p.181, In 1459, Pomerania-Stolp was merged back into Pomerania-Wolgast. In 1464, Pomerania-Stettin was claimed by both Pomerania-Wolgast and Brandenburg, and merged with Pomerania-Wolgast following the Peace of Prenzlau (1472/79).Werner Buchholz, ''Pommern'', Siedler, 1999, p.183, In 1478, Pomerania-Barth was merged back in, temporarily ending the internal division.

In 1532, the duchy was partitioned in a Pomerania-Stettin and a Pomerania-Wolgast of significantly different shape as the earlier divisions of the same names.Werner Buchholz, ''Pommern'', Siedler, 1999, pp.205–212, Gerhard Krause, Horst Robert Balz, Gerhard Müller, ''Theologische Realenzyklopädie'', Walter de Gruyter, 1997, p.40ff, In 1569, Pomerania-Barth was split from Pomerania-Wolgast and Pomerania-Rügenwalde was split from Pomerania-Stettin, these partitions also differed in shape from earlier partitions with the same name.Werner Buchholz, ''Pommern'', Siedler, 1999, pp.207, In 1625, the duchy came under the sole rule of the last duke of the Griffin dynasty, who died during the Thirty Years' War in 1637, when the duchy was under Swedish occupation.

After the war, the Swedish Empire and Brandenburg-Prussia succeeded the Griffin dukes in the Peace of Westphalia (1648) and divided it in the Treaty of Stettin (1653) into a Swedish Pomerania and a Brandenburg-Prussian Pomerania. Both the Swedish and Brandenburgian rulers, in contrast to the Griffin dukes, became hereditary dukes in their respective share. In 1679 and 1720, the Brandenburg-Prussian part was enlarged at the expense of the Swedish share. In 1815, all the former duchy was reorganized in the Prussian province of Pomerania.

See also

*Duchy of Pomerania
*List of Pomeranian duchies and dukes
*Pomerania during the High Middle Ages
*Pomerania during the Late Middle Ages
*Pomerania during the Early Modern Age

References

{{pomeranian history, adm

Partition (politics)
History of Pomerania