Treaty of Pyritz
Encyclopedia
The Treaty of Pyritz settled claims of the House of Pomerania
and the House of Hohenzollern
regarding the legal status and succession in the Duchy of Pomerania
on 26 and 28 March 1493. John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg of the Hohenzollern renounced the Electorate of Brandenburg's claims to hold the Pomeranian duchy as a fief on 26 March in Pyritz (now Pyrzyce). In turn, Bogislaw X, Duke of Pomerania
acknowledged Brandenburgian succession in his duchy in case of the extinction of his dynasty on 28 March in Königsberg
(now Kaliningrad
). The treaty was the most important achievement of Bogislaw X's foreign policy. It was confirmed and amended when a final settlement between the two houses was reached in the Treaty of Grimnitz
in 1529.
between the Electorate of Brandenburg and the Duchy of Pomerania
had flared up again: Brandenburg, then ruled by the House of Hohenzollern
, claimed the Pomeranian duchy as a fief, while the House of Pomerania
("Griffins") claimed Imperial immediacy. The frontier between the realms of the two houses was also disputed, and the conflict was often fought out in open war.
In 1464, the dispute escalated due to the death of Otto III, Duke of Pomerania
: Otto III had died without issue, and left his partition of Pomerania
, the Teilherzogtum
Pomerania-Stettin vacated. Both his relatives from the House of Pomerania
and the Hohenzollern claimed succession. In the Treaty of Soldin (1466)
, the Pomeranian dukes and Brandenburgian electors settled for a scenario where the House of Pomerania would rule Pomerania-Stettin as a Brandenburgian fief.
Yet, this treaty did not come into effect, and the two houses again resorted to warfare. The war was temporarily ended with the Treaty of Prenzlau (1472), when the House of Pomerania had to accept Brandenburgian overlordship and succession as well as territorial losses, but flared up again in 1477. Brandenburg was able to decide the war in her favour, and Bogislaw X
, meanwhile the sole Pomeranian duke after his co-rulers had died in 1464, 1474 and 1478, had to accept and renew the treaty of 1472 in the Treaty of Prenzlau (1479).
While in 1479 Bogislaw X had pledged allegiance to Albrecht III, Elector of Brandenburg, he refused to do so to his son, John Cicero, when the latter succeeded in the Brandenburgian electorate. Margarethe, a daughter of Frederick II, Elector of Brandenburg
and married to Bogislaw X since 1477, sided with her husband in the feud despite maintaining good relations to her cousin, John Cicero. Yet, Bogislaw X's marriage with Margarethe was not blessed with children. Bogislaw X accused her that she had manipulated her body to prevent conception, so the Pomeranian duchy would fall to Brandenburg according to the treaties of Prenzlau. Margarethe died in 1489. In 1490 Bogislaw married Anna Jagiellon
of Poland, but, though Anna was pregnant, no heir was born yet by the time the treaty of Pyritz was concluded.
is not obliged to take the Duchy of Pomerania
as a fief from the House of Hohenzollern
, and that the dukes of Pomerania would not have to pledge allegiance to the Brandenburgian electors. In turn, Bogislaw X, Duke of Pomerania
assured the Hohenzollern their right of succession in the Duchy of Pomerania in case the House of Pomerania went extinct. John Cicero made his assurances on 26 March 1493 in the Pomeranian town of Pyritz, while Bogislaw X responded in the Prussian town of Königsberg
on 28 March. The Brandenburgian right of Pomeranian succession was confirmed by oath by 150 Pomeranian prelate
s and landlords.
in Worms
, John Cicero ordered the interception of the invitation. Both John Cicero and Bogislaw X then were absent from the Reichstag, yet John Cicero had arranged that - in his place - his brother formally received the Duchy of Pomerania as a fief. In the following, Bogislaw X frequently contacted Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
to personally receive the Duchy of Pomerania
as a fief. In 1521, emperor Maximilian I's successor Charles V
on his first Reichstag in Worms gave the Duchy of Pomerania as a fief to John Cicero's successor Joachim I and his brother Kasimir as well as to Bogislaw X, exploring an opportunity to receive taxes for the duchy from both the Hohenzollern and the House of Pomerania. However, Bogislaw X was then integrated in the Upper Saxon Circle
and awarded a seat and a vote in the Reichstag, which he seized despite Brandenburgian protests in Nürnberg in 1522.
After Bogislaw X's death in 1523, the Brandenburg-Pomeranian conflict
continued between Joachim I and Bogislaw X's sons Georg I and Barnim XI
who ruled Pomerania in common, but could be solved by diplomacy. In 1526, Joachim I had intervened when the Pomeranian dukes were invited to participate in a Reichstag
in Speyer
. The Pomeranian case was negotiated in Speyer, and high nobles of the Holy Roman Empire
mediated the conflict thereafter. In 1529, the Treaty of Grimnitz
finally settled the conflict, confirming and amending the treaty of Pyritz: In Grimnitz, Pomerania was confirmed as an immediate imperial fief, yet the Electors of Brandenburg had to be present at every formal investiture and were allowed to touch the Pomeranian flag during the process, furthermore they were allowed to entitle themselves as dukes of Pomerania with the exception of cases when both the Pomeranian dukes and the Brandenburgian electors were present.
The succession clause of the Treaty of Grimnitz would have come into effect in 1637 with the death of the last Griffin
duke of Pomerania, yet, as this duke had concluded a conflicting treaty with Sweden
seven years before, the Treaty of Stettin (1630)
, and Pomerania at that time was occupied by superior Swedish forces, the Brandenburg-Pomeranian conflict
continued between the houses of Hohenzollern
and Sweden
.
House of Pomerania
The House of Griffins or House of Pomerania, , also known as House of Greifen; House of Gryf, was a dynasty of Royal dukes that ruled the Duchy of Pomerania from the 12th century until 1637, after their power was temporarily derivated to Prussian Royal House...
and the House of Hohenzollern
House of Hohenzollern
The House of Hohenzollern is a noble family and royal dynasty of electors, kings and emperors of Prussia, Germany and Romania. It originated in the area around the town of Hechingen in Swabia during the 11th century. They took their name from their ancestral home, the Burg Hohenzollern castle near...
regarding the legal status and succession in the Duchy of Pomerania
Duchy of Pomerania
The Duchy of Pomerania was a duchy in Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, ruled by dukes of the House of Pomerania ....
on 26 and 28 March 1493. John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg of the Hohenzollern renounced the Electorate of Brandenburg's claims to hold the Pomeranian duchy as a fief on 26 March in Pyritz (now Pyrzyce). In turn, Bogislaw X, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw X, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw X of Pomerania, the Great, was Duke of Pomerania from 1474 until his death in 1523.Bogislaw was born in Rügenwalde into the House of Pomerania . His father was Eric II, Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast, his mother was the duchess Sophia of Pomerania, both distant relatives of the House of...
acknowledged Brandenburgian succession in his duchy in case of the extinction of his dynasty on 28 March in Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
(now Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad is a seaport and the administrative center of Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea...
). The treaty was the most important achievement of Bogislaw X's foreign policy. It was confirmed and amended when a final settlement between the two houses was reached in the Treaty of Grimnitz
Treaty of Grimnitz
The Treaty of Grimnitz was the final settlement of a long-standing dispute between the House of Pomerania and the House of Hohenzollern regarding the legal status and succession in the Duchy of Pomerania. It renewed and amended the Treaty of Pyritz of 1493.With some formal caveats, the House of...
in 1529.
Background
In the 15th century, a longstanding conflictBrandenburg-Pomeranian conflict
Starting in the 12th century, the Margraviate, later Electorate of Brandenburg was in conflict with the neighboring Duchy of Pomerania over frontier territories claimed by both Brandenburg and Pomerania, and over the status of the Pomeranian duchy, which Brandenburg claimed as a fief, whereas...
between the Electorate of Brandenburg and the Duchy of Pomerania
Duchy of Pomerania
The Duchy of Pomerania was a duchy in Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, ruled by dukes of the House of Pomerania ....
had flared up again: Brandenburg, then ruled by the House of Hohenzollern
House of Hohenzollern
The House of Hohenzollern is a noble family and royal dynasty of electors, kings and emperors of Prussia, Germany and Romania. It originated in the area around the town of Hechingen in Swabia during the 11th century. They took their name from their ancestral home, the Burg Hohenzollern castle near...
, claimed the Pomeranian duchy as a fief, while the House of Pomerania
House of Pomerania
The House of Griffins or House of Pomerania, , also known as House of Greifen; House of Gryf, was a dynasty of Royal dukes that ruled the Duchy of Pomerania from the 12th century until 1637, after their power was temporarily derivated to Prussian Royal House...
("Griffins") claimed Imperial immediacy. The frontier between the realms of the two houses was also disputed, and the conflict was often fought out in open war.
In 1464, the dispute escalated due to the death of Otto III, Duke of Pomerania
Otto III, Duke of Pomerania
Otto III, Duke of Pomerania was a member of the House of Griffins and a Duke of Pomerania-Stettin.- Life :...
: Otto III had died without issue, and left his partition of Pomerania
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. The partitions were named after the ducal residences: Pomerania-Barth, -Demmin, -Rügenwalde, -Stettin, -Stolp, and -Wolgast. None of the partitions had a...
, 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...
Pomerania-Stettin vacated. Both his relatives from the House of Pomerania
House of Pomerania
The House of Griffins or House of Pomerania, , also known as House of Greifen; House of Gryf, was a dynasty of Royal dukes that ruled the Duchy of Pomerania from the 12th century until 1637, after their power was temporarily derivated to Prussian Royal House...
and the Hohenzollern claimed succession. In the Treaty of Soldin (1466)
Treaty of Soldin (1466)
The Treaty of Soldin was signed on 21 January 1466 at Soldin by the Brandenburgian elector Frederick II and the Pomeranian dukes Eric II and Wartislaw X. It was mediated by the town of Stettin...
, the Pomeranian dukes and Brandenburgian electors settled for a scenario where the House of Pomerania would rule Pomerania-Stettin as a Brandenburgian fief.
Yet, this treaty did not come into effect, and the two houses again resorted to warfare. The war was temporarily ended with the Treaty of Prenzlau (1472), when the House of Pomerania had to accept Brandenburgian overlordship and succession as well as territorial losses, but flared up again in 1477. Brandenburg was able to decide the war in her favour, and Bogislaw X
Bogislaw X, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw X of Pomerania, the Great, was Duke of Pomerania from 1474 until his death in 1523.Bogislaw was born in Rügenwalde into the House of Pomerania . His father was Eric II, Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast, his mother was the duchess Sophia of Pomerania, both distant relatives of the House of...
, meanwhile the sole Pomeranian duke after his co-rulers had died in 1464, 1474 and 1478, had to accept and renew the treaty of 1472 in the Treaty of Prenzlau (1479).
While in 1479 Bogislaw X had pledged allegiance to Albrecht III, Elector of Brandenburg, he refused to do so to his son, John Cicero, when the latter succeeded in the Brandenburgian electorate. Margarethe, a daughter of Frederick II, Elector of Brandenburg
Frederick II, Elector of Brandenburg
Frederick II of Brandenburg , nicknamed "the Iron" and sometimes "Irontooth" , was a Prince-elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg from 1440 until his abdication in 1470, and was a member of the House of Hohenzollern.-Biography:Frederick II was born in Tangermünde to Frederick I, Brandenburg's...
and married to Bogislaw X since 1477, sided with her husband in the feud despite maintaining good relations to her cousin, John Cicero. Yet, Bogislaw X's marriage with Margarethe was not blessed with children. Bogislaw X accused her that she had manipulated her body to prevent conception, so the Pomeranian duchy would fall to Brandenburg according to the treaties of Prenzlau. Margarethe died in 1489. In 1490 Bogislaw married Anna Jagiellon
Jagiellon dynasty
The Jagiellonian dynasty was a royal dynasty originating from the Lithuanian House of Gediminas dynasty that reigned in Central European countries between the 14th and 16th century...
of Poland, but, though Anna was pregnant, no heir was born yet by the time the treaty of Pyritz was concluded.
Provisions
John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg accepted that the House of PomeraniaHouse of Pomerania
The House of Griffins or House of Pomerania, , also known as House of Greifen; House of Gryf, was a dynasty of Royal dukes that ruled the Duchy of Pomerania from the 12th century until 1637, after their power was temporarily derivated to Prussian Royal House...
is not obliged to take the Duchy of Pomerania
Duchy of Pomerania
The Duchy of Pomerania was a duchy in Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, ruled by dukes of the House of Pomerania ....
as a fief from the House of Hohenzollern
House of Hohenzollern
The House of Hohenzollern is a noble family and royal dynasty of electors, kings and emperors of Prussia, Germany and Romania. It originated in the area around the town of Hechingen in Swabia during the 11th century. They took their name from their ancestral home, the Burg Hohenzollern castle near...
, and that the dukes of Pomerania would not have to pledge allegiance to the Brandenburgian electors. In turn, Bogislaw X, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw X, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw X of Pomerania, the Great, was Duke of Pomerania from 1474 until his death in 1523.Bogislaw was born in Rügenwalde into the House of Pomerania . His father was Eric II, Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast, his mother was the duchess Sophia of Pomerania, both distant relatives of the House of...
assured the Hohenzollern their right of succession in the Duchy of Pomerania in case the House of Pomerania went extinct. John Cicero made his assurances on 26 March 1493 in the Pomeranian town of Pyritz, while Bogislaw X responded in the Prussian town of Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
on 28 March. The Brandenburgian right of Pomeranian succession was confirmed by oath by 150 Pomeranian prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
s and landlords.
Aftermath
With the birth of Georg I, Duke of Pomerania on 11 April 1493, subsequently followed by the birth of four more children to Bogislaw X and Anna Jagiellon, Brandenburg's hopes for prompt succession in Pomerania were thwarted. When in 1495 Bogislaw X was invited to the ReichstagReichstag (Holy Roman Empire)
The Imperial Diet was the Diet, or general assembly, of the Imperial Estates of the Holy Roman Empire.During the period of the Empire, which lasted formally until 1806, the Diet was not a parliament in today's sense; instead, it was an assembly of the various estates of the realm...
in Worms
Worms, Germany
Worms is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Rhine River. At the end of 2004, it had 85,829 inhabitants.Established by the Celts, who called it Borbetomagus, Worms today remains embattled with the cities Trier and Cologne over the title of "Oldest City in Germany." Worms is the only...
, John Cicero ordered the interception of the invitation. Both John Cicero and Bogislaw X then were absent from the Reichstag, yet John Cicero had arranged that - in his place - his brother formally received the Duchy of Pomerania as a fief. In the following, Bogislaw X frequently contacted Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian I , the son of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor and Eleanor of Portugal, was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1493 until his death, though he was never in fact crowned by the Pope, the journey to Rome always being too risky...
to personally receive the Duchy of Pomerania
Duchy of Pomerania
The Duchy of Pomerania was a duchy in Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, ruled by dukes of the House of Pomerania ....
as a fief. In 1521, emperor Maximilian I's successor Charles V
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
on his first Reichstag in Worms gave the Duchy of Pomerania as a fief to John Cicero's successor Joachim I and his brother Kasimir as well as to Bogislaw X, exploring an opportunity to receive taxes for the duchy from both the Hohenzollern and the House of Pomerania. However, Bogislaw X was then integrated in the Upper Saxon Circle
Upper Saxon Circle
The Upper Saxon Circle was an Imperial Circle of the Holy Roman Empire, created in 1512.The circle was dominated by the electorate of Saxony and the electorate of Brandenburg. It further comprised the Saxon Ernestine duchies and Pomerania...
and awarded a seat and a vote in the Reichstag, which he seized despite Brandenburgian protests in Nürnberg in 1522.
After Bogislaw X's death in 1523, the Brandenburg-Pomeranian conflict
Brandenburg-Pomeranian conflict
Starting in the 12th century, the Margraviate, later Electorate of Brandenburg was in conflict with the neighboring Duchy of Pomerania over frontier territories claimed by both Brandenburg and Pomerania, and over the status of the Pomeranian duchy, which Brandenburg claimed as a fief, whereas...
continued between Joachim I and Bogislaw X's sons Georg I and Barnim XI
Barnim XI, Duke of Pomerania
Barnim XI , son of Bogislaw X, Duke of Pomerania, became duke on his father's death in 1523. He ruled for a time in common with his elder brother George I; and after George's death in 1531 he shared the duchy with his nephew Philip I, retaining for himself the duchy of Pomerania-Stettin...
who ruled Pomerania in common, but could be solved by diplomacy. In 1526, Joachim I had intervened when the Pomeranian dukes were invited to participate in a Reichstag
Reichstag (Holy Roman Empire)
The Imperial Diet was the Diet, or general assembly, of the Imperial Estates of the Holy Roman Empire.During the period of the Empire, which lasted formally until 1806, the Diet was not a parliament in today's sense; instead, it was an assembly of the various estates of the realm...
in Speyer
Speyer
Speyer is a city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located beside the river Rhine, Speyer is 25 km south of Ludwigshafen and Mannheim. Founded by the Romans, it is one of Germany's oldest cities...
. The Pomeranian case was negotiated in Speyer, and high nobles of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
mediated the conflict thereafter. In 1529, the Treaty of Grimnitz
Treaty of Grimnitz
The Treaty of Grimnitz was the final settlement of a long-standing dispute between the House of Pomerania and the House of Hohenzollern regarding the legal status and succession in the Duchy of Pomerania. It renewed and amended the Treaty of Pyritz of 1493.With some formal caveats, the House of...
finally settled the conflict, confirming and amending the treaty of Pyritz: In Grimnitz, Pomerania was confirmed as an immediate imperial fief, yet the Electors of Brandenburg had to be present at every formal investiture and were allowed to touch the Pomeranian flag during the process, furthermore they were allowed to entitle themselves as dukes of Pomerania with the exception of cases when both the Pomeranian dukes and the Brandenburgian electors were present.
The succession clause of the Treaty of Grimnitz would have come into effect in 1637 with the death of the last Griffin
House of Pomerania
The House of Griffins or House of Pomerania, , also known as House of Greifen; House of Gryf, was a dynasty of Royal dukes that ruled the Duchy of Pomerania from the 12th century until 1637, after their power was temporarily derivated to Prussian Royal House...
duke of Pomerania, yet, as this duke had concluded a conflicting treaty with Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
seven years before, the Treaty of Stettin (1630)
Treaty of Stettin (1630)
The Treaty of Stettin or Alliance of Stettin was the legal framework for the occupation of the Duchy of Pomerania by the Swedish Empire during the Thirty Years' War...
, and Pomerania at that time was occupied by superior Swedish forces, the Brandenburg-Pomeranian conflict
Brandenburg-Pomeranian conflict
Starting in the 12th century, the Margraviate, later Electorate of Brandenburg was in conflict with the neighboring Duchy of Pomerania over frontier territories claimed by both Brandenburg and Pomerania, and over the status of the Pomeranian duchy, which Brandenburg claimed as a fief, whereas...
continued between the houses of Hohenzollern
House of Hohenzollern
The House of Hohenzollern is a noble family and royal dynasty of electors, kings and emperors of Prussia, Germany and Romania. It originated in the area around the town of Hechingen in Swabia during the 11th century. They took their name from their ancestral home, the Burg Hohenzollern castle near...
and Sweden
House of Sweden
House of Sweden is a building in Washington, D.C. which houses the diplomatic missions of the Kingdom of Sweden, the Principality of Liechtenstein, and the Republic of Iceland to the United States of America. The building is located at 2900 K Street N.W...
.