Pomerelia

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Pomerelia (German: Pommerellen) is a historical region in northern Poland. Pomerelia was situated in eastern Pomerania on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea, centered on the city of Gdańsk at the mouth of the Vistula. It is now located in the Polish geographic region of Gdańsk Pomerania.

1 Early history
2 Duchy of Pomerelia
3 End of independence
4 Population
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Early history

The territory is situated entirely in the eastern part of what Greek and Roman historians called "Magna Germania", a cultural rather than ethnographic concept. When the territory began to be called Pomerania in the 11th century, Pomerelia, along with the rest of Pomerania was inhabited by West Slavic tribes and was under the rule of Duchy of Polans.

[edit] Duchy of Pomerelia

Main article: Pomeranian duchies and dukes

In 1116/1121, Pomerania was conquered by [Poland]]. While the Duchy of Pomerania regained independance quickly, Pomerelia remained within the Polish realm. In 1136, following the death of Duke Bolesław III, Poland was fragmented into several semi-independent principalities. The princeps in Pomerelia gradually gained more power, evolving into semi-independent dukes, in contrast with other Polish territories that were governed by Piast descendants of Bolesław III. The Samborides ruling Pomerelia gradually evolved into independent dukes, who ruled the duchy until 1294. Before 1227, they were vassals of Poland and Denmark. The duchy was temporarily partitioned into the principalities of Gdańsk (Danzig), Białogarda (Belgard a.d.Leba), Świecie (Schwetz), and Lubieszewo-Tczew (Liebschau, Dirschau). The most famous dukes were Mestwin I (1207–1220), Swantopolk II (1215–1266), and Mestwin II (1271–1294).

Christianity was introduced by Emperor Lothar and Otto von Bamberg. In 1181 Pomerania came under the direct control of the Holy Roman Empire. It was under Danish suzerainty from 1210-1227, after which it became independent again.

[edit] End of independence

Main article: Teutonic takeover of Danzig

After the death of Mestwin II of Pomerania in 1294, his co-ruler Przemysł II of Poland claimed Pomerelia basing it on the treaty of Kępno from 1282 (in which Mestwin declared Przemysł II his sole successor).

Disputing this claim, the Margraviate of Brandenburg invaded the territory in 1308, leading Władysław I the Elbow-high to request assistance from the Teutonic Knights, which evicted the Brandenburgers. After Władysław refused to pay the substantial fee to the Teutonic Knights, the province was annexed and incorporated in into the monastic state of the Teutonic Knights in 1309 (Teutonic takeover of Danzig). After the Second Peace of Thorn (1466), parts of the region became part of the Polish province of Royal Prussia.

As part of Polish province of Royal Prussia, Pomerelia was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia during the 18th century Partitions of Poland, becoming part of the Province of West Prussia. After World War I (1914-1918), the Treaty of Versailles transferred most of the region from Weimar Republic to the new Second Polish Republic, as the so-called Polish Corridor.