Swantibor III, Duke of Pomerania
Encyclopedia
Swantibor III, Duke of Pomerania, or, accoding to a different way of counting, SwantiborI.(born: ; died: 21 June 1413) was a member of the House of Griffins, a Duke of Pomerania-Stettin] and for a while governor of the Mittelmark
.
, nicknamed the church founder (born: ; died: 1368), who ruled in the Teilherzogtum
of Pomerania-Stettin. After Barnim III's death in 1368, his three surviving sons Casimir III
, Swantibor III and Bogislaw VII ruled Pomerania-Stettin jointly.
At the time of their succession to power, Denmark under King Waldemar IV of Denmark was at war with the Hanseatic League
and its allies, in particular Duke Albert II of Mecklenburg. The late Duke Barnim III had sided with Denmark. His sons, however, made peace with Albert on 7 November 1368 and took a neutral stance towards Denmark. This brought them into conflict with Margrave Otto
of Brandenburg, who sided with Denmark. This conflict escalated to war. Duke Casimir III died during the siege of Chojna
in 1372.
After Casimir's death, Swantibor III and Bogislaw VII ruled jointly, with Swantibor III now playing the leading role. He was faced with the challenge to maintain the position of Pomerania, which was splintered into several Teilherzogtum
er, against its neighbours, in particular, against Brandenburg. When Emperor Charles IV
(1316-1378) tried to win Brandenburg for his relatives, Swantibor initially feared that Charles IV would revive old claims that Brandenburg held suzerainty over Pomerania. On 17 May 1373 all the Pomeranian dukes, that is, Swantibor III and Bogislaw VII from Pomerania-Stettin, Wartislaw VI
and Bogislaw VI
from Pomerania-Wolgast, [Bogislaw V, Duke of Pomerania|Bogislaw V]] of Pomerania-Stolp and Philip of Rehberg, Bishop of Cammin, joined forces to protect their interests and their common ownership of Pomerania
. When Emperor Charles IV had acquired Brandenburg for his family by the Treaty of Fürstenwalde of 15 August 1373, however, Charles initiated a friendly relation with the Pomeranian dukes, contrary to their expectations, perhaps because he had married Bogislaw V's daughter, Elisabeth of Pomerania. Charles IV was particularly friendly with Swantibor, who occasionally participated in imperial affairs, and who served as an imperial judge.
The situation in Pomerania remained disorganized. The Dukes had conflicts with the Pomeranian cities and were short of funds due to their ongoing feud
s.
The relation with the neigbouring Teutonic Knights
was incosistent. In 1388, Swantibor III and Bogislaw VII served the order for a while. In 1403, however, Swantibor tried to make his son Otto II archbishop of Riga, against the will of the Order, who supported John of Wallenrode as their candidate for the position. In the Battle of Grunwald
in 1410, a Pomeranian contingent led by Swantibor's son Casimir V
, fought on the side of the Order. The Order lost the battle and Casimir was taken prisoner by the victorious Poles. He was, however, released soon afterwards.
In 1388, Charles IV's son Sigismund
(1368-1437) enfeoffed Jobst of Moravia
(1351-1411) with the Margraviate of Brandenburg
. Conflicts erupted again between Brandenburg and Pomerania. In 1409, a compromise was reached between Jobst and Swantibor and Jobst enfeoffed Swantibor with the Lordship of Beeskow. Swantibor then fell into disputes with the local nobility in Beeskow, who had previously supported him against Jobst.
After Jobst died in 1411, Sigismund enfeoffed Brandenburg to Burgrave Frederick VI of Nuremburg, who later became Elector of Brandenburg as Frederick I
. Swantibor initially remained on his post as governor of the Mittlemark. In 1412, however, he retired ane left the business of government to his sons. Swantibor's sons soon fell into military conflicts with Frederick and Dukes Otto II and Casimir V defeated Frederick in the second Battle at the Kremmen Causeway.
Swantibor III died on 21 June 1413, while the conflict with Brandenburg was still raging. He was buried in the Cistercian monastery at Kołbacz.
The verdict of the historian Martin Wehrmann (1861-1937) was the Duke Swantibor seems to have been an energetic and capable ruler, who was unfortunately, due to the condition of his country, unable to achieve permanent results.
Mittelmark
Mittelmark is a historical region in present-day eastern Germany that was the core territory of the Margraviate of Brandenburg between the Oder and Elbe rivers....
.
Life
Duke Swantibor III was a son of Barnim IIIBarnim III, Duke of Pomerania
Barnim III was a Pomeranian duke from the Griffin dynasty. He ruled Pomerania-Stettin in the years 1344–1368, although he had been a co-regent of his father Otto I since 1320, taking a prominent part in the defence and government of the duchy. Aiming for independence from the Margraviate of...
, nicknamed the church founder (born: ; died: 1368), who ruled in the Teilherzogtum
Teilherzogtum
Teilherzogtum is a German term denoting a part of a duchy after the duchy had been internally partitioned among members of the respective ducal family. Teilherzogtum does not have an English cognate.-Bavaria:*Bavaria-Ingolstadt*Bavaria-Landshut...
of Pomerania-Stettin. After Barnim III's death in 1368, his three surviving sons Casimir III
Casimir III, Duke of Pomerania
Casimir or Kasimir III '; , oldest son of Barnim III, was one of the Dukes of Pomerania-Stettin . He died during a campaign against the Margraviate of Brandenburg in an ambush on Königsberg in 1372.-See also:*List of Pomeranian duchies and dukes*History of Pomerania*Duchy of Pomerania*House of...
, Swantibor III and Bogislaw VII ruled Pomerania-Stettin jointly.
At the time of their succession to power, Denmark under King Waldemar IV of Denmark was at war with the Hanseatic League
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
and its allies, in particular Duke Albert II of Mecklenburg. The late Duke Barnim III had sided with Denmark. His sons, however, made peace with Albert on 7 November 1368 and took a neutral stance towards Denmark. This brought them into conflict with Margrave Otto
Otto V, Duke of Bavaria
Otto V, Duke of Bavaria , was a duke of Bavaria and Elector of Brandenburg as Otto VII. Otto was the fourth son of Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV by his second wife Margaret II of Avesnes, countess of Hainaut and Holland.-Biography:...
of Brandenburg, who sided with Denmark. This conflict escalated to war. Duke Casimir III died during the siege of Chojna
Chojna
Chojna is a small town in western Poland in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. It lies approximately 60 km south of Szczecin and participates in the Douzelage....
in 1372.
After Casimir's death, Swantibor III and Bogislaw VII ruled jointly, with Swantibor III now playing the leading role. He was faced with the challenge to maintain the position of Pomerania, which was splintered into several Teilherzogtum
Teilherzogtum
Teilherzogtum is a German term denoting a part of a duchy after the duchy had been internally partitioned among members of the respective ducal family. Teilherzogtum does not have an English cognate.-Bavaria:*Bavaria-Ingolstadt*Bavaria-Landshut...
er, against its neighbours, in particular, against Brandenburg. When Emperor Charles IV
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
(1316-1378) tried to win Brandenburg for his relatives, Swantibor initially feared that Charles IV would revive old claims that Brandenburg held suzerainty over Pomerania. On 17 May 1373 all the Pomeranian dukes, that is, Swantibor III and Bogislaw VII from Pomerania-Stettin, Wartislaw VI
Wartislaw VI, Duke of Pomerania
Wartislaw VI of Pomarania was the eldest son of the Duke Barnim IV of Pomerania-Wolgast-Rügen....
and Bogislaw VI
Bogislaw VI, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw VI, Duke of Pomerania was duke of Pomerania-Wolgast.In 1365, after the death of his father, Bogislaw IV, he ruled Pomerania jointly with his brother Wartislaw VI. As they were both minors, they stood under the guardianship of their uncle Bogislaw V, who died in 1374...
from Pomerania-Wolgast, [Bogislaw V, Duke of Pomerania|Bogislaw V]] of Pomerania-Stolp and Philip of Rehberg, Bishop of Cammin, joined forces to protect their interests and their common ownership of Pomerania
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
. When Emperor Charles IV had acquired Brandenburg for his family by the Treaty of Fürstenwalde of 15 August 1373, however, Charles initiated a friendly relation with the Pomeranian dukes, contrary to their expectations, perhaps because he had married Bogislaw V's daughter, Elisabeth of Pomerania. Charles IV was particularly friendly with Swantibor, who occasionally participated in imperial affairs, and who served as an imperial judge.
The situation in Pomerania remained disorganized. The Dukes had conflicts with the Pomeranian cities and were short of funds due to their ongoing feud
Feud
A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight between parties—often groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one party perceives itself to have been attacked, insulted or wronged by another...
s.
The relation with the neigbouring Teutonic Knights
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
was incosistent. In 1388, Swantibor III and Bogislaw VII served the order for a while. In 1403, however, Swantibor tried to make his son Otto II archbishop of Riga, against the will of the Order, who supported John of Wallenrode as their candidate for the position. In the Battle of Grunwald
Battle of Grunwald
The Battle of Grunwald or 1st Battle of Tannenberg was fought on 15 July 1410, during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. The alliance of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led respectively by King Jogaila and Grand Duke Vytautas , decisively defeated the Teutonic Knights, led...
in 1410, a Pomeranian contingent led by Swantibor's son Casimir V
Casimir V, Duke of Pomerania
Duke Casimir V of Pomerania was a member of the House of Griffins and a Duke of Pomerania. He ruled in Pomerania-Stettin together with his brother Otto II from 1413 to 1428...
, fought on the side of the Order. The Order lost the battle and Casimir was taken prisoner by the victorious Poles. He was, however, released soon afterwards.
In 1388, Charles IV's son Sigismund
Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor
Sigismund of Luxemburg KG was King of Hungary, of Croatia from 1387 to 1437, of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor for four years from 1433 until 1437, the last Emperor of the House of Luxemburg. He was also King of Italy from 1431, and of Germany from 1411...
(1368-1437) enfeoffed Jobst of Moravia
Jobst of Moravia
Jobst of Moravia, Jobst von Mähren from the House of Luxembourg was the eldest son of Margrave John Henry of Moravia, the younger brother of Emperor Charles IV....
(1351-1411) with the Margraviate of Brandenburg
Margraviate of Brandenburg
The Margraviate of Brandenburg was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806. Also known as the March of Brandenburg , it played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe....
. Conflicts erupted again between Brandenburg and Pomerania. In 1409, a compromise was reached between Jobst and Swantibor and Jobst enfeoffed Swantibor with the Lordship of Beeskow. Swantibor then fell into disputes with the local nobility in Beeskow, who had previously supported him against Jobst.
After Jobst died in 1411, Sigismund enfeoffed Brandenburg to Burgrave Frederick VI of Nuremburg, who later became Elector of Brandenburg as Frederick I
Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg
Frederick was Burgrave of Nuremberg as Frederick VI and Elector of Brandenburg as Frederick I. He was a son of Burgrave Frederick V of Nuremberg and Elisabeth of Meissen, and was the first member of the House of Hohenzollern to rule the Margraviate of Brandenburg.- Biography :Frederick entered...
. Swantibor initially remained on his post as governor of the Mittlemark. In 1412, however, he retired ane left the business of government to his sons. Swantibor's sons soon fell into military conflicts with Frederick and Dukes Otto II and Casimir V defeated Frederick in the second Battle at the Kremmen Causeway.
Swantibor III died on 21 June 1413, while the conflict with Brandenburg was still raging. He was buried in the Cistercian monastery at Kołbacz.
The verdict of the historian Martin Wehrmann (1861-1937) was the Duke Swantibor seems to have been an energetic and capable ruler, who was unfortunately, due to the condition of his country, unable to achieve permanent results.
Marriage and issue
In 1374, Swantibor III married Anna, the daughter of the Burgrave Albert the Beautiful of Nuremberg. Two sons survived him:- Otto II ( – 1428)
- Casimir VCasimir V, Duke of PomeraniaDuke Casimir V of Pomerania was a member of the House of Griffins and a Duke of Pomerania. He ruled in Pomerania-Stettin together with his brother Otto II from 1413 to 1428...
(after 1380 – 1434)