Farther Pomerania
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Farther Pomerania or Further Pomerania (German: Hinterpommern; Polish: Pomorze Zachodnie) is the part of Pomerania east of the Oder River. Farther Pomerania is sometimes known as Upper Pomerania or Middle Pomerania (Polish: Pomorze Środkowe), as it is between Hither Pomerania and Gdańsk Pomerania.
Contents |
Major towns of Farther Pomerania include:
- Bytów (Bütow)
- Darłowo (Rügenwalde)
- Kołobrzeg (Kolberg)
- Koszalin (Köslin)
- Lębork (Lauenburg)
- Słupsk (Stolp)
- Stargard Szczeciński (Stargard im Pommern)
- Szczecinek (Neustettin)
Farther Pomerania was part of the territory of Pomeranians organised in various Pomeranian duchies. Since 962 it was a Polish province of Mieszko I. In 992 lands were gifted by Mieszko I to the pope or (according to other sources) to sons of Mieszko I and Oda von Haldensleben. After a result of a military campaign, in 1116, 1119 and 1121 all lands of Pomerania was conquered by Bolesław III Wrymouth and divided into smaller parts. Pomerelia with Gdańsk (Danzig) as a capital became a part of Poland under Bolesław III's direct rule, the Duchy of Słupsk and Sławno with duke Ratibor I and Farther Pomerania with duke Wartislaw I became Polish vassal states.
Wartislaw I became the founder of the Slavic Griffin dynasty that ruled Farther Pomerania (usually as vassals of other countries) until 1637. Pomeranian Dukes managed lands on both sides of the Oder river and therefore in different history periods territories were vassal's or real estate of:
- Kingdom of Poland (962-992)
- Holy Roman Empire or independent (992-1116)
- Kingdom of Poland (1116-1181)
- Holy Roman Empire (1181-1214)
- Denmark (1214-1227)
- some parts -1326
- Holy Roman Empire (1227-1631), parts to Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1466-1618)
- independent duchies (1569-1648)
- Swedish territory in the Holy Roman Empire (1631-1635, some parts from 1631-1660, 1631-1719)
- Poland (eastern and south-central lands (1637-1772); some small areas lost 1657-1686)
- Holy Roman Empire/German Protestant State(central lands) (1600-1648)
- independent/joint control (1648-1652)
- Margraviate of Brandenburg (1652-1713)
- Kingdom of Prussia (1713-1807)
- parts ceded to Sweden(1783-1815)
- French-aligned Prussia (1807-1813)
- Kingdom of Prussia (1813-1871)
- German Empire/Prussia (1871-1945)
- Republic of Poland (from 1945- present)
After German vassalization, the region saw a huge influx of German settlers invited by the Pomeranian nobility to found towns and cultivate the countryside. By the 18th century, Farther Pomerania was linguistically:
- in major cities German,
- in rural areas Kashubian
- Slavic (mainly Polish) in the areas of Leba and Lauenburg, roughly germanized by 1850.
- After Potsdam Conference in 1945, Farther Pomerania became part of the territory of Poland, and most of the German population was (in many cases forcibly) expelled.
- became part of Holy Roman Empire in the 12th century
- 1121-1238 Duchy of Slawno (German: Herzogtum Schlawe)
- 1238-1317 divided
- 1317-1654 part of the Duchy of Pomerania (districts: Duchy of Kashubia, Duchy of Vandalia, Principality of Cammin)
- 1654-1815 part of Brandenburg-Prussia (districts: Duchy of Kashubia, Duchy of Vandalia, Principality of Cammin)
- 1815-1945 District of Köslin, part of Prussian Province of Pomerania
- 1945-1950 part of Szczecin Voivodeship
- 1950-1975 Koszalin Voivodeship
- 1975-1998 Koszalin Voivodeship, Słupsk Voivodeship
- after 1999 divided between Pomeranian Voivodeship and West Pomeranian Voivodeship
Lębork (Lauenburg) and Bytów (Bütow) had a slightly different history:
- 1310 to Teutonic Knights (together with Pomerelia)
- 1454 to Poland (Royal Prussia)
- 1455 as a Polish fief administrated by dukes of Pomerania
- 1637 after the extinction of the dukes of Pomerania, restored to Poland
- 1657 as a Polish fief, administrated by Prince-electors of Brandenburg-Prussia
- 1698 Prussians stopped recognizing Polish suzerainty over the towns
- 1815 reorganized as Province of Pomerania in the Kingdom of Prussia
- 1945 to Poland as planned at the Tehran Conference