Casimir II (also spelled Kasimir II) () ( 1180 – 1219) was the duke of Pomerania-Demmin from 1187 until his death. He was succeeded by Wartislaw III, Casimir's son with princess

Ingardis of Denmark Ingardis or Ingard of Denmark (died 1236) was a Duchess of Pomerania by marriage to Casimir II, Duke of Pomerania. She was regent during the minority of her son Wartislaw III, Duke of Pomerania in 1219–1226. Ingardis was from Denmark. Traditiona ...

Biography

Casimir II was the son of Bogislaw I and

Anastasia Anastasia (from ) is a feminine given name of Greek and Slavic origin, derived from the Greek word (), meaning "resurrection". It is a popular name in Eastern Europe. Origin The name Anastasia originated during the Early Christianity, early d ...

, a daughter of the Polish duke Mieszko III. After his father's death in 1187, Casimir received Pomerania-Demmin as his share of the

duchy of Pomerania The Duchy of Pomerania (; ; Latin: ''Ducatus Pomeraniae'') was a duchy in Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, ruled by dukes of the House of Pomerania (''Griffins''). The country existed in the Middle Ages between years 1121–11 ...

, after his older brother Bogislaw II had received the other part duchy Pomerania-Stettin and his other older brother, Wartislaw II, who is assumed to have received Pomerania-Demmin from their uncle, Casimir I in the first place, had died in 1184. As Casimir still was a minor in 1187, his mother Anastasia ruled in his place until 1194 as well as, until 1189, the Swantiboride Wartislaw II Swantiboritz, who was

Castellan A castellan, or constable, was the governor of a castle in medieval Europe. Its surrounding territory was referred to as the castellany. The word stems from . A castellan was almost always male, but could occasionally be female, as when, in 1 ...

of Szczecin, and thereafter the Rugian prince Jaromar I. Despite his predecessors having joined the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

in 1181, Casimir and Bogislaw II had to yield to Danish pressure put on Pomerania. Denmark had already subdued the neighboring

Principality of Rügen The Principality of Rügen was a Medieval Denmark, Danish principality, formerly a duchy, consisting of the island of Rügen and the adjacent mainland from 1168 until 1325. It was governed by a local dynasty of princes of the ''Wizlawiden'' (''Hou ...

, and Bogislaw and Casimir eventually became vassals to

Canute VI of Denmark Canute VI (; c. 1163 – 12 November 1202) was King of Denmark from 1182 to 1202. Contemporary sources describe Canute as an earnest, strongly religious man. Background Canute VI was the eldest son of King Valdemar I of Denmark, Valdemar I ...

. The Danish influenced Casimir's reign not only by appointing Jaromar, their vassal and ally, to be his legal guardian, but also by determining the northern borders of Pomerania-Demmin that were disputed by Pomerania and Rügen, with Rügen claiming the

Peene The Peene (; ) is a river in Germany. Geography The Westpeene, with the Ostpeene as its longer tributary, and the Kleine Peene/Teterower Peene (with a ''Peene '' without specification (or ''Nordpeene'') as its smaller and shorter affluent) f ...

river and Pomerania claiming the Ryck river further north to be the border. The decision of Canut that had to be accepted by Anastasia favoured the Rugian demands, only the trans-Peene ''terrae'' Wolgast, Lassan and Ziethen were put under Pomeranian control with the larger part of the disputed area, including the ''terrae'' Lositz ( Loitz) and Wostrose ( Wusterhusen), remaining within Rügen. In 1198 and 1199, margrave Otto II of Brandenburg occupied Pomerania-Demmin in the course of a war between

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

and

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

, shifting Casimir's realm north close to the Ryck river. When

Valdemar II of Denmark Valdemar II Valdemarsen (28 June 1170 – 28 March 1241), later remembered as Valdemar the Victorious () and Valdemar the Conqueror, was King of Denmark from 1202 until his death in 1241. In 1207, Valdemar invaded and conquered Bishopric of L� ...

regained Pomerania in 1202, Casimir and Bogislaw II had to accept Danish overlordship again and turned to support Denmark in her war with Brandenburg. In 1216, the border between Rügen and Pomerania was settled again, pushing it back almost to where it were before the Brandenburgian occupation. As Rügen had founded the Hilda (now part of Greifswald district Eldena) abbey in 1199 at the southern bank of the Ryck river and had granted vast areas of the disputed areas to her, Casimir and Bogislaw confirmed these grants in 1218 by pointing out that these lands righteously had been theirs. He married

(d. ) in 1210. Together, they had a son, Wartislaw III who would succeed him as duke of Pomerania-Demmin, and a daughter, Elisabeth.

Sources

* * * Joachim Wächter: ''Das Fürstentum Rügen – Ein Überblick''. In: ''Beiträge zur Geschichte Vorpommerns: die Demminer Kolloquien 1985–1994''. Thomas Helms Verlag, Schwerin 1997, . * Martin Wehrmann: ''Geschichte von Pommern''. Band 1, Weltbild Verlag 1992, Reprint der Ausgaben von 1919 und 1921, , pp 91–95. {{DEFAULTSORT:Casimir II, Duke Of Pomerania 1180s births 1219 deaths Dukes of Pomerania House of Griffins Year of birth uncertain

Biography

See also

Sources