Pomerania

Pomerania (Polish: Pomorze, German: Pommern) is a land or province which before World War II belonged to Germany and is currently divided between Germany and Poland. It neighbors Prussia and is situated at the Baltic Sea on both sides of the Oder river and reaches nearly to the Vistula river. The history of the region is rich and varied, perhaps due to its having been under the rule of many different powers through the centuries of its existence.

Note: this article is in a transitional phase, as it was merely a list of events with no sources. An attempt is being made at turning this into something coherent, but the reader should bear in mind that this is an uncited work in progress. Questions to be answered appear in italics.

One of the earliest references to Pomerania comes in 995, when Boleslaus I of Poland conquered the territory. These lands were later assimilated into the Holy Roman Empire. In around 1020 Canute the Great in arrangement with Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor, took land in northern Germany as fief to reign. Pomerania or parts thereof may have been part of that fief. The emperor, now Henry III, continued to involve himself in Pomeranian politics, mediating an agreement between the Dux Bomeraniorum and the duke of Bohemia and Casimir I of Poland in 1046 at an imperial court at Merseburg. What was the quarrel and what was the result? Where is our source for this?

Presumably, this settlemen was not satisfactory to the Polish dukes, because in 1107, Duke Boleslaus III of Poland brought warriors to Pomerania and destroyed Belgard, Koeslin, Cammin and Wollin. By 1121/22 Boleslaus III had also conquered Stettin. Duke Wartislaus I of Pomerania then accepted the suzerainty of Boleslaus III. Once his reign was consolidated (1124), Boleslaus asked Otto of Bamberg to convert Pomerania to Christianity, which he accomplished. After Otto's departure, however, some people fell back into heathen ways and Otto returned in 1128, aided by the emperor Lothat II.

This makes no sense, since the above paragraphs imply that Boleslaus had already conquered Pomerania. 1135 Duke Boleslaus III again set out on a trip north to conquer Pomerania, but at the imperial court (Reichstag) of Merseburg Boleslaus had to accept rule over Pomerania as lien from emperor Lothar. This ended with Boleslaus' death in 1138.

Construction of a castle was started. Who began construction?

In 1164 the dukes of Pomerania become liens-taker of Henry the Lion. Liens-taker isn't English, and I'm not sure what this means

During the reign of Otto I, Margrave of Brandenburg and son of Albert I of Brandenburg (1100-1170) the Brandenburger held the suzerainty over Pomerania. How did we get her -- what happened between 1164 and 1170 to transfer rule to Brandenburg?

In 1181 Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor invested Duke Bogislaw with Pomerania. Why did he do this and where is Bogidslaw duke? The next paragraph implies that Bradenburg lost its rights, but then regained them -- what happened? And where (except with Canute in 1024) do the Danes come in? Does this mean that the Danes contested other claims?

1198/99 Brandenburg again held the suzerainty over Pomerania. This right is recognized by king (later emperor) Frederick II in 1214. After the Battle of Bornhoeven remaining Danish suzerainty rights were removed. Treaties of 1236 and 1250 between Pomeranian dukes and margraves of Brandenburg verify the Brandenburg lordship. Stargard and the northern Uckermark come into direct ownership of Brandenburg.

In 1231 Emperor Frederick II again invested the Ascanian Brandenburg margraves with the dukedome of Pomerania.

In 1266 Barnim I, duke of Pomerania, who had inherited his brothers' parts, married Mechthild, the daughter of Otto III, Margrave of Brandenburg. Then in 1269 duke Barnim willed the city of Danzig including all connected Danziger Land to his father-in-law, the margrave of Brandenburg. Schwetz was to be inherited after his death. Barnim died in 1278 at Altdamm. Presumably Danzig, Schwetz, and Altdamm are in Pomerania...except I thought that some might be in Prussia? But if they are in Prussia, why are they here? Also, I think we need clarification on "his brother's parts" -- does this mean "his brother's lands or holdings?

After the line of the dukes of Pomerania died out in 1294, strifes broke out and in 1295 Adolf of Nassau verified the Lehnshoheit of Brandenburg over Pomerania. From Brandenburg it was dispensed to the sons of Barnim I, Otto I and Bogislaw IV. New lines Pommern-Wolgast and Pommern-Stettin were started. Harbors, waterways etc were to be held in common and it remained that way until those lines became exinct in 1464. How did Adolf get the right to do this? Also, can we get a better translation for Lehnshoheit?

The Teutonic Knights held already several properties in ownership west of the Vistula River. This land under suzerainty of Brandenburg was challenged by duke Wladislaw Lokietek of greater Poland and Kujavia. He based his Polish claim on the temporary occupation of Pomerania due to the conquest by Boleslaw I of Poland around 1000 AD. This is very unclear -- where do the Teutonic knights come in? Also, from what is said earlier, it appears that Boleslaw III also held Pomerania for several years, and that Pomerania had once been under Polish suzereignty...?

In summer 1300 Wenceslaus II of Bohemia was drawn in, occupied greater Poland and transferred the protection of Pommerellia to his partner, the Teutonic Knights. His son, Wenceslaus III, claimed Meissen from the Brandenburgers, a claim he removed.

Wladislaw Lokietek was not finished with his demands and after 1306 he conquered the castle of Danzig. This required the margrave of Brandenburg to occupy the city of Danzig. Now Lotietek called the Teutonic Knights for help. The Brandenburgers had to leave, but then the Teutonic Knights also chased the Polish occupiers from the Danzig castle. Landmaster Heinrich won Dirschau (today Tczew) and Schwetz and was lord over all of Pommerellia. The margraves had to leave the land to the Teutonic Order in the 1309 treaty of Soldin and received 10,000 Mark. Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor verified this in 1313. The districts Schlawe, Ruegenwalde, Stolp ( today Slups) remained with Brandenburg.

Here follows a 500 year gap in Pomerania's history -- what happened?

After the extinction of the Ascanian Brandenburg line several other ruling houses were invested with the administration of Pomerania by the empire. After Napoleon's break-up of the empire in 1806, the land was a part of the Deutsche Bund, then German Empire of 1871.

After 1945 the eastern part of Pomerania, according to an agreement signed in Potsdam in 1945 by United Kingdom, United States of America and Soviet Union, was given under the temporary administration of Poland until a peace treaty. There was never any peace treaty, but Willy Brandt and Helmut Kohl signed bilateral agreements with Poland according to which Germany recognizes the current factual reality of the Oder-Neisse line.

The eastern part of Pomerania, now called Pomorze, is a geographical and historical region in Poland that encompasses three Polish voivoidships : Zachodniopomorskie, Pomorskie and Kujawsko-Pomorskie.

The western part of Pomerania, situated to the west of the Oder/Neisse Line, in 1949 became a part of the German Democratic Republic, later German Bundesland Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.