Wartislaw III, Duke of Pomerania
Encyclopedia
Wartislaw III was a Griffin
duke of Pomerania-Demmin
. Son of Casimir II of Pomerania-Demmin
and Ingardis of Denmark, he was married to a Sophia of an unknown house. As he did not have any children, Pomerania-Demmin ceased to exist with his death.
Ingardis ruled Pomerania-Demmin in place of young Wartislaw from Casimir's death 1219 until 1226. At that time, Pomerania-Demmin as well as the other part duchy Pomerania-Stettin were under Danish overlordship, which diminished after the 1227 Battle of Bornhöved
and was finally dismissed when Wartislaw successfully countered a Danish expedition in 1234 with his Lübeck
allies.
1236 was a harsh year for Pomerania-Demmin, as Wartislaw lost a great part of his possessions to his rivaling neighbors Mecklenburg
and the Margraviate of Brandenburg
. First, a Mecklenburgian expedition led by Henry Borwin III of Mecklenburg-Rostock annexed most of Circipania
, the western part of the duchy comprising the terrae Gnoien
, Altkalen
and Demmin
, leaving only the residential burgh of Demmin
under Wartislaw's control. Also, Wartislaw had to recognize Brandenburg
's overlordship over the remainder of his duchy in the 1236 Treaty of Kremmen
. In the same treaty, he ceded the terrae Stargard
, Wustrow
and Beseritz
to Brandenburg, which soon after were taken over by Mecklenburg and became known as Mecklenburg-Strelitz
.
Yet, in the North, Wartislaw was able to expand his sphere of influence up to the Ryck
river into the territory of Hilda, now Eldena abbey
set up there by the princes of Rügen
. Wartislaw involved into developing Eldena's market and saline settlement Greifswald
by granting it market rights together with the Rugian prince and received the town as a thief from Eldena in 1248.
Besides his struggles with his neighbors, Wartislaw enforced the Ostsiedlung
in his duchy alike his cousin and Pomeranian co-ruler Barnim I
of Pomerania-Stettin. He invited German nobles to join his court and settlers to develop the countryside, also, he granted German town law
in its Lübeck law
specification to the growing towns of Greifswald
(1250), Demmin
(~ 1250), Kolberg (now Kołobrzeg) (1255, along with Cammin bishop Hermann von Gleichen), Greifenberg (now Gryfice)
(1262), also, together with Barnim I of Pomerania-Stettin, Wolgast
(1257), Wollin (now Wolin)
(1262) and Stavenhagen
(1252).
When Wartislaw died without leaving a son, Pomerania-Demmin would have fallen to Brandenburg
, if not Barnim I had been accepted as co-ruler in the 1250 Treaty of Landin
and therefore integrated what was left of Pomerania-Demmin after the territorial losses of 1236 into his Stettin-based duchy. Wartislaw III's and his mother Ingardis' burial site is Eldena Abbey
near Greifswald
.
Wartislaw III (* ~ 1210; † 17 May 1264) was a Griffin
duke of Pomerania-Demmin
. Son of Casimir II of Pomerania-Demmin
and Ingardis of Denmark, he was married to a Sophia of an unknown house. As he did not have any children, Pomerania-Demmin ceased to exist with his death.
Ingardis ruled Pomerania-Demmin in place of young Wartislaw from Casimir's death 1219 until 1226. At that time, Pomerania-Demmin as well as the other part duchy Pomerania-Stettin were under Danish overlordship, which diminished after the 1227 Battle of Bornhöved
and was finally dismissed when Wartislaw successfully countered a Danish expedition in 1234 with his Lübeck
allies.
1236 was a harsh year for Pomerania-Demmin, as Wartislaw lost a great part of his possessions to his rivaling neighbors Mecklenburg
and the Margraviate of Brandenburg
. First, a Mecklenburgian expedition led by Henry Borwin III of Mecklenburg-Rostock annexed most of Circipania
, the western part of the duchy comprising the terrae Gnoien
, Altkalen
and Demmin
, leaving only the residential burgh of Demmin
under Wartislaw's control. Also, Wartislaw had to recognize Brandenburg
's overlordship over the remainder of his duchy in the 1236 Treaty of Kremmen
. In the same treaty, he ceded the terrae Stargard
, Wustrow
and Beseritz
to Brandenburg, which soon after were taken over by Mecklenburg and became known as Mecklenburg-Strelitz
.
Yet, in the North, Wartislaw was able to expand his sphere of influence up to the Ryck
river into the territory of Hilda, now Eldena abbey
set up there by the princes of Rügen
. Wartislaw involved into developing Eldena's market and saline settlement Greifswald
by granting it market rights together with the Rugian prince and received the town as a thief from Eldena in 1248.
Besides his struggles with his neighbors, Wartislaw enforced the Ostsiedlung
in his duchy alike his cousin and Pomeranian co-ruler Barnim I
of Pomerania-Stettin. He invited German nobles to join his court and settlers to develop the countryside, also, he granted German town law
in its Lübeck law
specification to the growing towns of Greifswald
(1250), Demmin
(~ 1250), Kolberg (now Kołobrzeg) (1255, along with Cammin bishop Hermann von Gleichen), Greifenberg (now Gryfice)
(1262), also, together with Barnim I of Pomerania-Stettin, Wolgast
(1257), Wollin (now Wolin)
(1262) and Stavenhagen
(1252).
When Wartislaw died without leaving a son, Pomerania-Demmin would have fallen to Brandenburg
, if not Barnim I had been accepted as co-ruler in the 1250 Treaty of Landin
and therefore integrated what was left of Pomerania-Demmin after the territorial losses of 1236 into his Stettin-based duchy. Wartislaw III's and his mother Ingardis' burial site is Eldena Abbey
near Greifswald
.
Wartislaw III (* ~ 1210; † 17 May 1264) was a Griffin
duke of Pomerania-Demmin
. Son of Casimir II of Pomerania-Demmin
and Ingardis of Denmark, he was married to a Sophia of an unknown house. As he did not have any children, Pomerania-Demmin ceased to exist with his death.
Ingardis ruled Pomerania-Demmin in place of young Wartislaw from Casimir's death 1219 until 1226. At that time, Pomerania-Demmin as well as the other part duchy Pomerania-Stettin were under Danish overlordship, which diminished after the 1227 Battle of Bornhöved
and was finally dismissed when Wartislaw successfully countered a Danish expedition in 1234 with his Lübeck
allies.
1236 was a harsh year for Pomerania-Demmin, as Wartislaw lost a great part of his possessions to his rivaling neighbors Mecklenburg
and the Margraviate of Brandenburg
. First, a Mecklenburgian expedition led by Henry Borwin III of Mecklenburg-Rostock annexed most of Circipania
, the western part of the duchy comprising the terrae Gnoien
, Altkalen
and Demmin
, leaving only the residential burgh of Demmin
under Wartislaw's control. Also, Wartislaw had to recognize Brandenburg
's overlordship over the remainder of his duchy in the 1236 Treaty of Kremmen
. In the same treaty, he ceded the terrae Stargard
, Wustrow
and Beseritz
to Brandenburg, which soon after were taken over by Mecklenburg and became known as Mecklenburg-Strelitz
.
Yet, in the North, Wartislaw was able to expand his sphere of influence up to the Ryck
river into the territory of Hilda, now Eldena abbey
set up there by the princes of Rügen
. Wartislaw involved into developing Eldena's market and saline settlement Greifswald
by granting it market rights together with the Rugian prince and received the town as a thief from Eldena in 1248.
Besides his struggles with his neighbors, Wartislaw enforced the Ostsiedlung
in his duchy alike his cousin and Pomeranian co-ruler Barnim I
of Pomerania-Stettin. He invited German nobles to join his court and settlers to develop the countryside, also, he granted German town law
in its Lübeck law
specification to the growing towns of Greifswald
(1250), Demmin
(~ 1250), Kolberg (now Kołobrzeg) (1255, along with Cammin bishop Hermann von Gleichen), Greifenberg (now Gryfice)
(1262), also, together with Barnim I of Pomerania-Stettin, Wolgast
(1257), Wollin (now Wolin)
(1262) and Stavenhagen
(1252).
When Wartislaw died without leaving a son, Pomerania-Demmin would have fallen to Brandenburg
, if not Barnim I had been accepted as co-ruler in the 1250 Treaty of Landin
and therefore integrated what was left of Pomerania-Demmin after the territorial losses of 1236 into his Stettin-based duchy. Wartislaw III's and his mother Ingardis' burial site is Eldena Abbey
near Greifswald
.
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-Demmin
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 ....
. Son of Casimir II of Pomerania-Demmin
Casimir II, Duke of Pomerania
Casimir II 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....
and Ingardis of Denmark, he was married to a Sophia of an unknown house. As he did not have any children, Pomerania-Demmin ceased to exist with his death.
Ingardis ruled Pomerania-Demmin in place of young Wartislaw from Casimir's death 1219 until 1226. At that time, Pomerania-Demmin as well as the other part duchy Pomerania-Stettin were under Danish overlordship, which diminished after the 1227 Battle of Bornhöved
Battle of Bornhöved (1227)
The Battle of Bornhöved took place on 22 July 1227 near Bornhöved in Holstein. Count Adolf IV of Schauenburg and Holstein — leading an army consisting of troops from the cities of Lübeck and Hamburg, about 1000 Dithmarsians and combined troops of Holstein next to various north German nobles —...
and was finally dismissed when Wartislaw successfully countered a Danish expedition in 1234 with his Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
allies.
1236 was a harsh year for Pomerania-Demmin, as Wartislaw lost a great part of his possessions to his rivaling neighbors Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
and 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....
. First, a Mecklenburgian expedition led by Henry Borwin III of Mecklenburg-Rostock annexed most of Circipania
Circipania
Circipania was a medieval territory in what is now northeastern Germany. The name derives from Latin circum and Pane . The region was enclosed roughly by the upper Recknitz, Trebel and Peene rivers, the western border ran between Güstrow and Rittermannshagen...
, the western part of the duchy comprising the terrae Gnoien
Gnoien
Gnoien is a small town in the Rostock district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated 40 km southeast of Rostock....
, Altkalen
Altkalen
Altkalen is a municipality in the Rostock district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.-References:...
and Demmin
Demmin
Demmin is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It was the capital of the former district Demmin.- Name :...
, leaving only the residential burgh of Demmin
Demmin
Demmin is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It was the capital of the former district Demmin.- Name :...
under Wartislaw's control. Also, Wartislaw had to recognize Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
's overlordship over the remainder of his duchy in the 1236 Treaty of Kremmen
Treaty of Kremmen
The Treaty of Kremmen was signed in Kremmen, Germany, on June 20, 1236. Wartislaw III of Pomerania-Demmin had to recognize the Margraviate of Brandenburg's overlordship over the remainder of his duchy, and ceded the terrae Stargard, Wustrow and Beseritz to Brandenburg.-References:...
. In the same treaty, he ceded the terrae Stargard
Burg Stargard
Burg Stargard is a municipality in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated southeast of Neubrandenburg.Burg Stargard is a small town in Mecklenburg Strelitz...
, Wustrow
Wustrow
Wustrow is a town in the Lüchow-Dannenberg district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated north of Salzwedel. It is part of the Samtgemeinde Lüchow.The town consists of the following subdivisions:# Blütlingen# Dolgow...
and Beseritz
Beseritz
Beseritz is a municipality in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany....
to Brandenburg, which soon after were taken over by Mecklenburg and became known as Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a duchy and later grand duchy in northern Germany, consisting of the eastern fifth of the historic Mecklenburg region, roughly corresponding with the present-day Mecklenburg-Strelitz district , and the western exclave of the former Bishopric of Ratzeburg in modern...
.
Ryck
The Ryck is a river in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.From its source near Bartmannshagen, part of the Süderholz community northeast of Grimmen, the Ryck flows for about 28 km to the east, reaching Greifswald shortly before its mouth. The larger part of the river outside Greifswald is also...
river into the territory of Hilda, now Eldena abbey
Eldena Abbey
Eldena Abbey , originally Hilda Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery near the present town of Greifswald in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany...
set up there by the princes of Rügen
Rani (Slavic tribe)
The Rani or Rujani were a West Slavic tribe based on the island of Rugia and the southwestern mainland across the Strelasund in what is today northeastern Germany....
. Wartislaw involved into developing Eldena's market and saline settlement Greifswald
Greifswald
Greifswald , officially, the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald is a town in northeastern Germany. It is situated in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, at an equal distance of about from Germany's two largest cities, Berlin and Hamburg. The town borders the Baltic Sea, and is crossed...
by granting it market rights together with the Rugian prince and received the town as a thief from Eldena in 1248.
Besides his struggles with his neighbors, Wartislaw enforced the Ostsiedlung
Ostsiedlung
Ostsiedlung , also called German eastward expansion, was the medieval eastward migration and settlement of Germans from modern day western and central Germany into less-populated regions and countries of eastern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The affected area roughly stretched from Slovenia...
in his duchy alike his cousin and Pomeranian co-ruler Barnim I
Barnim I, Duke of Pomerania
Barnim I the Good from the Griffin dynasty was a Duke of Pomerania from 1220 until his death.-Life:...
of Pomerania-Stettin. He invited German nobles to join his court and settlers to develop the countryside, also, he granted German town law
German town law
German town law or German municipal concerns concerns town privileges used by many cities, towns, and villages throughout Central and Eastern Europe during the Middle Ages.- Town law in Germany :...
in its Lübeck law
Lübeck law
The Lübeck law was the constitution of a municipal form of government developed at Lübeck in Schleswig-Holstein after it was made a free city in 1226. The law provides for self-government. It replaced the personal rule of tribal monarchs descending from ancient times or the rule of the regional...
specification to the growing towns of Greifswald
Greifswald
Greifswald , officially, the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald is a town in northeastern Germany. It is situated in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, at an equal distance of about from Germany's two largest cities, Berlin and Hamburg. The town borders the Baltic Sea, and is crossed...
(1250), Demmin
Demmin
Demmin is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It was the capital of the former district Demmin.- Name :...
(~ 1250), Kolberg (now Kołobrzeg) (1255, along with Cammin bishop Hermann von Gleichen), Greifenberg (now Gryfice)
Gryfice
Gryfice is a town in Pomerania, north-western Poland with 16 632 inhabitants . It is the capital of Gryfice County in West Pomeranian Voivodeship , previously in Szczecin Voivodeship .-History:...
(1262), also, together with Barnim I of Pomerania-Stettin, Wolgast
Wolgast
Wolgast is a town in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the bank of the river Peenestrom, vis-a-vis the island of Usedom that can be accessed by road and railway via a bascule bridge...
(1257), Wollin (now Wolin)
Wolin
Wolin is the name both of an island in the Baltic Sea, just off the Polish coast, and a town on that island. It is separated from the island of Usedom by the Świna river, and from mainland Pomerania by the Dziwna river...
(1262) and Stavenhagen
Stavenhagen
Stavenhagen is a municipality in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated 28 km northwest of Neubrandenburg.-Subdivisions:Stavenhagen is divided into following parts:-History:...
(1252).
When Wartislaw died without leaving a son, Pomerania-Demmin would have fallen to Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
, if not Barnim I had been accepted as co-ruler in the 1250 Treaty of Landin
Treaty of Landin
The Treaty of Landin was signed in Landin, Germany in 1250 between Barnim I of Pomerania-Stettin, the Ascanian margraves Johann I and Otto III of Brandenburg. Barnim I was accepted as co-ruler of Wartislaw III of Pomerania-Demmin by the Margraviate of Brandenburg, thereby hindering Brandenburg's...
and therefore integrated what was left of Pomerania-Demmin after the territorial losses of 1236 into his Stettin-based duchy. Wartislaw III's and his mother Ingardis' burial site is Eldena Abbey
Eldena Abbey
Eldena Abbey , originally Hilda Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery near the present town of Greifswald in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany...
near Greifswald
Greifswald
Greifswald , officially, the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald is a town in northeastern Germany. It is situated in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, at an equal distance of about from Germany's two largest cities, Berlin and Hamburg. The town borders the Baltic Sea, and is crossed...
.
Wartislaw III (* ~ 1210; † 17 May 1264) was a 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-Demmin
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 ....
. Son of Casimir II of Pomerania-Demmin
Casimir II, Duke of Pomerania
Casimir II 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....
and Ingardis of Denmark, he was married to a Sophia of an unknown house. As he did not have any children, Pomerania-Demmin ceased to exist with his death.
Ingardis ruled Pomerania-Demmin in place of young Wartislaw from Casimir's death 1219 until 1226. At that time, Pomerania-Demmin as well as the other part duchy Pomerania-Stettin were under Danish overlordship, which diminished after the 1227 Battle of Bornhöved
Battle of Bornhöved (1227)
The Battle of Bornhöved took place on 22 July 1227 near Bornhöved in Holstein. Count Adolf IV of Schauenburg and Holstein — leading an army consisting of troops from the cities of Lübeck and Hamburg, about 1000 Dithmarsians and combined troops of Holstein next to various north German nobles —...
and was finally dismissed when Wartislaw successfully countered a Danish expedition in 1234 with his Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
allies.
1236 was a harsh year for Pomerania-Demmin, as Wartislaw lost a great part of his possessions to his rivaling neighbors Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
and 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....
. First, a Mecklenburgian expedition led by Henry Borwin III of Mecklenburg-Rostock annexed most of Circipania
Circipania
Circipania was a medieval territory in what is now northeastern Germany. The name derives from Latin circum and Pane . The region was enclosed roughly by the upper Recknitz, Trebel and Peene rivers, the western border ran between Güstrow and Rittermannshagen...
, the western part of the duchy comprising the terrae Gnoien
Gnoien
Gnoien is a small town in the Rostock district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated 40 km southeast of Rostock....
, Altkalen
Altkalen
Altkalen is a municipality in the Rostock district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.-References:...
and Demmin
Demmin
Demmin is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It was the capital of the former district Demmin.- Name :...
, leaving only the residential burgh of Demmin
Demmin
Demmin is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It was the capital of the former district Demmin.- Name :...
under Wartislaw's control. Also, Wartislaw had to recognize Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
's overlordship over the remainder of his duchy in the 1236 Treaty of Kremmen
Treaty of Kremmen
The Treaty of Kremmen was signed in Kremmen, Germany, on June 20, 1236. Wartislaw III of Pomerania-Demmin had to recognize the Margraviate of Brandenburg's overlordship over the remainder of his duchy, and ceded the terrae Stargard, Wustrow and Beseritz to Brandenburg.-References:...
. In the same treaty, he ceded the terrae Stargard
Burg Stargard
Burg Stargard is a municipality in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated southeast of Neubrandenburg.Burg Stargard is a small town in Mecklenburg Strelitz...
, Wustrow
Wustrow
Wustrow is a town in the Lüchow-Dannenberg district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated north of Salzwedel. It is part of the Samtgemeinde Lüchow.The town consists of the following subdivisions:# Blütlingen# Dolgow...
and Beseritz
Beseritz
Beseritz is a municipality in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany....
to Brandenburg, which soon after were taken over by Mecklenburg and became known as Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a duchy and later grand duchy in northern Germany, consisting of the eastern fifth of the historic Mecklenburg region, roughly corresponding with the present-day Mecklenburg-Strelitz district , and the western exclave of the former Bishopric of Ratzeburg in modern...
.
Ryck
The Ryck is a river in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.From its source near Bartmannshagen, part of the Süderholz community northeast of Grimmen, the Ryck flows for about 28 km to the east, reaching Greifswald shortly before its mouth. The larger part of the river outside Greifswald is also...
river into the territory of Hilda, now Eldena abbey
Eldena Abbey
Eldena Abbey , originally Hilda Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery near the present town of Greifswald in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany...
set up there by the princes of Rügen
Rani (Slavic tribe)
The Rani or Rujani were a West Slavic tribe based on the island of Rugia and the southwestern mainland across the Strelasund in what is today northeastern Germany....
. Wartislaw involved into developing Eldena's market and saline settlement Greifswald
Greifswald
Greifswald , officially, the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald is a town in northeastern Germany. It is situated in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, at an equal distance of about from Germany's two largest cities, Berlin and Hamburg. The town borders the Baltic Sea, and is crossed...
by granting it market rights together with the Rugian prince and received the town as a thief from Eldena in 1248.
Besides his struggles with his neighbors, Wartislaw enforced the Ostsiedlung
Ostsiedlung
Ostsiedlung , also called German eastward expansion, was the medieval eastward migration and settlement of Germans from modern day western and central Germany into less-populated regions and countries of eastern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The affected area roughly stretched from Slovenia...
in his duchy alike his cousin and Pomeranian co-ruler Barnim I
Barnim I, Duke of Pomerania
Barnim I the Good from the Griffin dynasty was a Duke of Pomerania from 1220 until his death.-Life:...
of Pomerania-Stettin. He invited German nobles to join his court and settlers to develop the countryside, also, he granted German town law
German town law
German town law or German municipal concerns concerns town privileges used by many cities, towns, and villages throughout Central and Eastern Europe during the Middle Ages.- Town law in Germany :...
in its Lübeck law
Lübeck law
The Lübeck law was the constitution of a municipal form of government developed at Lübeck in Schleswig-Holstein after it was made a free city in 1226. The law provides for self-government. It replaced the personal rule of tribal monarchs descending from ancient times or the rule of the regional...
specification to the growing towns of Greifswald
Greifswald
Greifswald , officially, the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald is a town in northeastern Germany. It is situated in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, at an equal distance of about from Germany's two largest cities, Berlin and Hamburg. The town borders the Baltic Sea, and is crossed...
(1250), Demmin
Demmin
Demmin is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It was the capital of the former district Demmin.- Name :...
(~ 1250), Kolberg (now Kołobrzeg) (1255, along with Cammin bishop Hermann von Gleichen), Greifenberg (now Gryfice)
Gryfice
Gryfice is a town in Pomerania, north-western Poland with 16 632 inhabitants . It is the capital of Gryfice County in West Pomeranian Voivodeship , previously in Szczecin Voivodeship .-History:...
(1262), also, together with Barnim I of Pomerania-Stettin, Wolgast
Wolgast
Wolgast is a town in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the bank of the river Peenestrom, vis-a-vis the island of Usedom that can be accessed by road and railway via a bascule bridge...
(1257), Wollin (now Wolin)
Wolin
Wolin is the name both of an island in the Baltic Sea, just off the Polish coast, and a town on that island. It is separated from the island of Usedom by the Świna river, and from mainland Pomerania by the Dziwna river...
(1262) and Stavenhagen
Stavenhagen
Stavenhagen is a municipality in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated 28 km northwest of Neubrandenburg.-Subdivisions:Stavenhagen is divided into following parts:-History:...
(1252).
When Wartislaw died without leaving a son, Pomerania-Demmin would have fallen to Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
, if not Barnim I had been accepted as co-ruler in the 1250 Treaty of Landin
Treaty of Landin
The Treaty of Landin was signed in Landin, Germany in 1250 between Barnim I of Pomerania-Stettin, the Ascanian margraves Johann I and Otto III of Brandenburg. Barnim I was accepted as co-ruler of Wartislaw III of Pomerania-Demmin by the Margraviate of Brandenburg, thereby hindering Brandenburg's...
and therefore integrated what was left of Pomerania-Demmin after the territorial losses of 1236 into his Stettin-based duchy. Wartislaw III's and his mother Ingardis' burial site is Eldena Abbey
Eldena Abbey
Eldena Abbey , originally Hilda Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery near the present town of Greifswald in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany...
near Greifswald
Greifswald
Greifswald , officially, the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald is a town in northeastern Germany. It is situated in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, at an equal distance of about from Germany's two largest cities, Berlin and Hamburg. The town borders the Baltic Sea, and is crossed...
.
Wartislaw III (* ~ 1210; † 17 May 1264) was a 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-Demmin
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 ....
. Son of Casimir II of Pomerania-Demmin
Casimir II, Duke of Pomerania
Casimir II 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....
and Ingardis of Denmark, he was married to a Sophia of an unknown house. As he did not have any children, Pomerania-Demmin ceased to exist with his death.
Ingardis ruled Pomerania-Demmin in place of young Wartislaw from Casimir's death 1219 until 1226. At that time, Pomerania-Demmin as well as the other part duchy Pomerania-Stettin were under Danish overlordship, which diminished after the 1227 Battle of Bornhöved
Battle of Bornhöved (1227)
The Battle of Bornhöved took place on 22 July 1227 near Bornhöved in Holstein. Count Adolf IV of Schauenburg and Holstein — leading an army consisting of troops from the cities of Lübeck and Hamburg, about 1000 Dithmarsians and combined troops of Holstein next to various north German nobles —...
and was finally dismissed when Wartislaw successfully countered a Danish expedition in 1234 with his Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
allies.
1236 was a harsh year for Pomerania-Demmin, as Wartislaw lost a great part of his possessions to his rivaling neighbors Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
and 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....
. First, a Mecklenburgian expedition led by Henry Borwin III of Mecklenburg-Rostock annexed most of Circipania
Circipania
Circipania was a medieval territory in what is now northeastern Germany. The name derives from Latin circum and Pane . The region was enclosed roughly by the upper Recknitz, Trebel and Peene rivers, the western border ran between Güstrow and Rittermannshagen...
, the western part of the duchy comprising the terrae Gnoien
Gnoien
Gnoien is a small town in the Rostock district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated 40 km southeast of Rostock....
, Altkalen
Altkalen
Altkalen is a municipality in the Rostock district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.-References:...
and Demmin
Demmin
Demmin is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It was the capital of the former district Demmin.- Name :...
, leaving only the residential burgh of Demmin
Demmin
Demmin is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It was the capital of the former district Demmin.- Name :...
under Wartislaw's control. Also, Wartislaw had to recognize Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
's overlordship over the remainder of his duchy in the 1236 Treaty of Kremmen
Treaty of Kremmen
The Treaty of Kremmen was signed in Kremmen, Germany, on June 20, 1236. Wartislaw III of Pomerania-Demmin had to recognize the Margraviate of Brandenburg's overlordship over the remainder of his duchy, and ceded the terrae Stargard, Wustrow and Beseritz to Brandenburg.-References:...
. In the same treaty, he ceded the terrae Stargard
Burg Stargard
Burg Stargard is a municipality in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated southeast of Neubrandenburg.Burg Stargard is a small town in Mecklenburg Strelitz...
, Wustrow
Wustrow
Wustrow is a town in the Lüchow-Dannenberg district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated north of Salzwedel. It is part of the Samtgemeinde Lüchow.The town consists of the following subdivisions:# Blütlingen# Dolgow...
and Beseritz
Beseritz
Beseritz is a municipality in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany....
to Brandenburg, which soon after were taken over by Mecklenburg and became known as Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a duchy and later grand duchy in northern Germany, consisting of the eastern fifth of the historic Mecklenburg region, roughly corresponding with the present-day Mecklenburg-Strelitz district , and the western exclave of the former Bishopric of Ratzeburg in modern...
.
Ryck
The Ryck is a river in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.From its source near Bartmannshagen, part of the Süderholz community northeast of Grimmen, the Ryck flows for about 28 km to the east, reaching Greifswald shortly before its mouth. The larger part of the river outside Greifswald is also...
river into the territory of Hilda, now Eldena abbey
Eldena Abbey
Eldena Abbey , originally Hilda Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery near the present town of Greifswald in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany...
set up there by the princes of Rügen
Rani (Slavic tribe)
The Rani or Rujani were a West Slavic tribe based on the island of Rugia and the southwestern mainland across the Strelasund in what is today northeastern Germany....
. Wartislaw involved into developing Eldena's market and saline settlement Greifswald
Greifswald
Greifswald , officially, the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald is a town in northeastern Germany. It is situated in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, at an equal distance of about from Germany's two largest cities, Berlin and Hamburg. The town borders the Baltic Sea, and is crossed...
by granting it market rights together with the Rugian prince and received the town as a thief from Eldena in 1248.
Besides his struggles with his neighbors, Wartislaw enforced the Ostsiedlung
Ostsiedlung
Ostsiedlung , also called German eastward expansion, was the medieval eastward migration and settlement of Germans from modern day western and central Germany into less-populated regions and countries of eastern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The affected area roughly stretched from Slovenia...
in his duchy alike his cousin and Pomeranian co-ruler Barnim I
Barnim I, Duke of Pomerania
Barnim I the Good from the Griffin dynasty was a Duke of Pomerania from 1220 until his death.-Life:...
of Pomerania-Stettin. He invited German nobles to join his court and settlers to develop the countryside, also, he granted German town law
German town law
German town law or German municipal concerns concerns town privileges used by many cities, towns, and villages throughout Central and Eastern Europe during the Middle Ages.- Town law in Germany :...
in its Lübeck law
Lübeck law
The Lübeck law was the constitution of a municipal form of government developed at Lübeck in Schleswig-Holstein after it was made a free city in 1226. The law provides for self-government. It replaced the personal rule of tribal monarchs descending from ancient times or the rule of the regional...
specification to the growing towns of Greifswald
Greifswald
Greifswald , officially, the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald is a town in northeastern Germany. It is situated in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, at an equal distance of about from Germany's two largest cities, Berlin and Hamburg. The town borders the Baltic Sea, and is crossed...
(1250), Demmin
Demmin
Demmin is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It was the capital of the former district Demmin.- Name :...
(~ 1250), Kolberg (now Kołobrzeg) (1255, along with Cammin bishop Hermann von Gleichen), Greifenberg (now Gryfice)
Gryfice
Gryfice is a town in Pomerania, north-western Poland with 16 632 inhabitants . It is the capital of Gryfice County in West Pomeranian Voivodeship , previously in Szczecin Voivodeship .-History:...
(1262), also, together with Barnim I of Pomerania-Stettin, Wolgast
Wolgast
Wolgast is a town in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the bank of the river Peenestrom, vis-a-vis the island of Usedom that can be accessed by road and railway via a bascule bridge...
(1257), Wollin (now Wolin)
Wolin
Wolin is the name both of an island in the Baltic Sea, just off the Polish coast, and a town on that island. It is separated from the island of Usedom by the Świna river, and from mainland Pomerania by the Dziwna river...
(1262) and Stavenhagen
Stavenhagen
Stavenhagen is a municipality in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated 28 km northwest of Neubrandenburg.-Subdivisions:Stavenhagen is divided into following parts:-History:...
(1252).
When Wartislaw died without leaving a son, Pomerania-Demmin would have fallen to Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
, if not Barnim I had been accepted as co-ruler in the 1250 Treaty of Landin
Treaty of Landin
The Treaty of Landin was signed in Landin, Germany in 1250 between Barnim I of Pomerania-Stettin, the Ascanian margraves Johann I and Otto III of Brandenburg. Barnim I was accepted as co-ruler of Wartislaw III of Pomerania-Demmin by the Margraviate of Brandenburg, thereby hindering Brandenburg's...
and therefore integrated what was left of Pomerania-Demmin after the territorial losses of 1236 into his Stettin-based duchy. Wartislaw III's and his mother Ingardis' burial site is Eldena Abbey
Eldena Abbey
Eldena Abbey , originally Hilda Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery near the present town of Greifswald in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany...
near Greifswald
Greifswald
Greifswald , officially, the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald is a town in northeastern Germany. It is situated in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, at an equal distance of about from Germany's two largest cities, Berlin and Hamburg. The town borders the Baltic Sea, and is crossed...
.
See also
- List of Pomeranian duchies and dukes
- History of PomeraniaHistory of PomeraniaThe history of Pomerania dates back more than 10,000 years. Settlement in the area started by the end of the Vistula Glacial Stage, about 13,000 years ago. Archeological traces have been found of various cultures during the Stone and Bronze Age, of Veneti and Germanic peoples during the Iron Age...
- Duchy of PomeraniaDuchy of PomeraniaThe Duchy of Pomerania was a duchy in Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, ruled by dukes of the House of Pomerania ....
- House of PomeraniaHouse of PomeraniaThe 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...
Sources
- Dietmar Lucht: Herzog Wartislaw III. von Pommern. In: Baltische Studien, Neue Folge Bd. 53, 1967, S. 13–15.
- Edward Rymar: Rodowód Książąt pomorskich, Sczecin 2005, S. 151–154.