{"id":3265,"date":"2026-04-21T20:29:04","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T20:29:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/historiapomorza.pl\/epoka\/the-griffin-dynasty-1523-1637\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T12:29:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T12:29:10","slug":"the-griffin-dynasty-1523-1637","status":"publish","type":"epoka","link":"https:\/\/historiapomorza.pl\/en\/epoka\/the-griffin-dynasty-1523-1637\/","title":{"rendered":"The Griffin Dynasty, 1523\u20131637"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Dynastic policy<\/p>\n\n

The reign of Duke Bogus\u0142aw X, who died in 1523, was a turning point\u2014a transition from the medieval monarchy to the modern state and Renaissance culture (also in its political dimension). He had nine legitimate children: Christopher (d. c. 1521), Anne (b. 1491\/1492, d. 1550), George (1493\u20131531), Casimir (1494\u20131518), Elizabeth (d. before 1518), Sophia (c. 1500\u20131568), Barnim (c. 1500\u20131501), Barnim again (1501\u20131573), and finally Otto (1502\/1503\u20131518), as well as an illegitimate son, Joachim (d. c. 1549). After Bogus\u0142aw’s death in 1523, the oldest living son, George I, was the natural heir. The duke was married twice; from his first marriage to Amalia of the House of Wittelsbach, he had a son, Philip (1515\u20131560), who will be discussed later. Following the death of George, who ruled for barely eight years, a re-division of the Duchy into the Szczecin and Wo\u0142ogoszcz parts occurred.<\/p>\n

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Portrait of Bogus\u0142aw X, painter unknown, c. 1650, PD, source: [https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Bogislaw_X_von_Pommern.JPG](https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Bogislaw_X_von_Pommern.JPG) (accessed: March 21, 2026)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

As a result of drawing lots, both parts of the Duchy were assumed by: the Szczecin part by Barnim IX the Old (also referred to in historiography as XI; he had already ruled during the last two years of George I’s reign), while the Wo\u0142ogoszcz part was taken by the aforementioned Philip I the Pious. From then on, until the reunification under Bogus\u0142aw XIV in 1625, we are dealing with two parts of the Duchy (de facto with two duchies): the Duchy of Szczecin and the Duchy of Wo\u0142ogoszcz.<\/p>\n

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Portrait of Barnim IX, copperplate engraving, Georg Walch, Germany, 1632\u20131654, PD, from the collection of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, source: [https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Portret_van_Barnim_IX,_Herzog_von_Pommern-Stettin,_RP-P-1911-4168.jpg](https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Portret_van_Barnim_IX,_Herzog_von_Pommern-Stettin,_RP-P-1911-4168.jpg) (accessed: March 21, 2026)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Linia szczeci\u0144ska przedstawia\u0142a si\u0119 nast\u0119puj\u0105co. Po \u015bmierci Barnima IX (XI) w 1573 rz\u0105dy przej\u0105\u0142 Jan Fryderyk, syn ksi\u0119cia Filipa I. Jego nast\u0119pc\u0105 na Szczecinie zosta\u0142 jego brat Barnim X M\u0142odszy, kt\u00f3ry panowa\u0142 jednak tylko 3 lata. Nast\u0119pnym panuj\u0105cym, jednak ledwie kilka tygodni, by\u0142 kolejny syn Filipa I \u2013 ksi\u0105\u017c\u0119 Kazimierz VII (tylko w 1603). Po jego rezygnacji kolejne trzy lata to rz\u0105dy Bogus\u0142awa XIII, kt\u00f3rego nast\u0119pc\u0105 w 1606 zosta\u0142 Filip II Pobo\u017cny. Po jego \u015bmierci w 1618 rz\u0105dy (na dwa lata) przej\u0105\u0142 jego brat Franciszek, a nast\u0119pnie ostatni z Gryfit\u00f3w na ksi\u0105\u017c\u0119cym tronie \u2013 Bogus\u0142aw XIV. Za jego rz\u0105d\u00f3w Ksi\u0119stwo Pomorskie ponownie zosta\u0142o zjednoczone (1625), jednak splot niekorzystnych okoliczno\u015bci \u2013 bezpotomna \u015bmier\u0107, wojna trzydziestoletnia i panowanie Szwed\u00f3w na Pomorzu \u2013 sprawi\u0142, \u017ce Ksi\u0119stwo upad\u0142o i w ten spos\u00f3b po 500 latach zako\u0144czy\u0142 si\u0119 okres pomorskiej pa\u0144stwowo\u015bci i istnienia samej dynastii.<\/p>\n

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Portrait of Philip I the Pious, Lucas Cranach the Younger, 1541, PD, from the collection of the National Museum in Szczecin, source: [https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Filip_I_pomorski.jpg](https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Filip_I_pomorski.jpg) (accessed: March 21, 2026)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

In turn, in the Duchy of Wo\u0142ogoszcz, following the death of Philip I (1560), the throne was assumed by his son, John Frederick, who ruled jointly with his brother Bogus\u0142aw XIII until 1569, when he took over the Duchy of Szczecin. Duke Bogus\u0142aw XIII did not formally assume control of the entire Duchy of Wo\u0142ogoszcz, but only its western stretches. The throne in Wo\u0142ogoszcz was taken by his brother Ernest Louis, who ruled until 1592. He was succeeded by his son, Philip Julius, over whom, due to his minority, guardianship was exercised by his uncle\u2014Bogus\u0142aw XIII. Philip Julius was the last independent Duke of Wo\u0142ogoszcz; after his death in 1625, both parts were reunited in the hands of his cousin, Bogus\u0142aw XIV.<\/p>\n\n

The complex history of divisions and inheritance outlined above sketches the fate of the Griffin state only within a general framework. For not all members of the lineage inherited; we must also remember the duchesses and princesses, whose role was often significant and influenced both dynastic and international politics. Additionally, the clarity of the situation is complicated by internal (administrative) divisions, including the separate Bishopric of Kamie\u0144, the L\u0119bork-Byt\u00f3w fief, and other areas, sometimes possessing a semi-independent status. Younger princes frequently received such endowments while preparing for independent rule, or could treat them as a source of income in the event of a low probability of ascending the ducal throne in Szczecin or Wo\u0142ogoszcz. The scheme below organizes this\u2014perhaps\u2014complex knowledge:<\/p>\n

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The Griffin Dynastic Line from Bogus\u0142aw X to Bogus\u0142aw XIV. Compiled by Rados\u0142aw Skrycki, Adam Makowski<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The Szczecin line<\/p>\n\n

Barnim IX (XI) 1523\u20131573 -> Jan Fryderyk 1573\u20131600 -> Barnim X M\u0142odszy 1600\u20131603 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Kazimierz VII 1603 -> Bogus\u0142aw XIII 1603\u20131606 -> Filip II 1606\u20131618 -> Franciszek 1618 \u2013 1620 -> Bogus\u0142aw XIV 1620 \u2013 1637\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

The Wo\u0142ogoszcz line:<\/p>\n\n

Filip I 1523\u20131560 -> Jan Fryderyk i Bogus\u0142aw XIII 1560\u20131569 -> Ernest Ludwik 1569\u20131592 -> Filip Juliusz 1592\u20131625 -> Bogus\u0142aw XIV 1625\u20131637\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Portraits of the last Griffins around the great, ten-field coat of arms of the Duchy of Pomerania: Philip II, Philip Julius, Ulrich, Francis, and Bogus\u0142aw XIV, the ‘dedication’ on Eilhard Lubinus’s map of Pomerania, copperplate engraving, 1618 (from the collection of the Main Library of the University of Szczecin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The connections of the Griffins with other ruling houses and dynasties in Europe were also highly significant. The Hohenzollerns of Brandenburg come to the fore, but among the spouses of Pomeranian princes and princesses, we also note families from Silesia, the distant Palatinate (the Wittelsbachs), Schleswig-Holstein, Brunswick-L\u00fcneburg, the Saxon Wettins, and the Dukes of Mecklenburg. Ultimately, the ties with Poland under the last Jagiellonians and the first elected kings loosened during this period. Such extensive marital contacts, focused on the Reich, served not only to forge political alliances but also to elevate the dynasty’s prestige, which was grounded in family relations.<\/p>\n\n

The childless death of Bogus\u0142aw XIV did not de facto mean the immediate end of the lineage. The duke’s sister, Anne, who had married Duke Ernest von Croy, was still alive. Her only son, Ernest Bogislaw von Croy, was therefore a descendant of Philip I through the female line; one can hypothetically assume that under favorable circumstances, he would have become Bogus\u0142aw XIV’s successor. Unfortunately, the war and the political weakness of the last Griffin caused matters to take a different direction\u2026<\/p>\n\n

Domestic and international policy<\/p>\n\n

The matters related to the religious breakthrough in Pomerania, which occurred after the death of Bogus\u0142aw XIV, were discussed in a separate essay. At this point, it should only be mentioned that the adoption of Lutheranism as the ruling religion in the Duchy stimulated the development of science and art, thanks to which, from the second half of the 16th century, we can speak of a ‘golden age’ of Pomeranian culture. The dukes became the primary and most important patrons, drawing models from Western Europe. Such projects as the reconstruction of the ducal castle in Szczecin, initiated during the reign of John Frederick, the construction of Philip II’s Kunstkammer, and the commissioning of the great map of the Duchy from Eilhard Lubinus are but a few of the initiatives that built the splendor of the rulers.<\/p>\n

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The atlas version of Eilhard Lubinus’s map, published in Amsterdam by Willem Blaeu in 1664 (Main Library of the University of Szczecin, Special Collections, Call No. K. 1100)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The interests and broad horizons of the dukes during this period were fostered by numerous travels, including the Grand Tours they undertook across almost the entirety of Western Europe, as well as visits to universities. Along with stays in other countries, their experience, contacts, and… collections grew, becoming an indispensable element for building the position of a modern and enlightened ruler, while simultaneously allowing them to overcome the geographic and cultural peripherality of Pomerania. This period is well documented by the permanent exhibition ‘The Golden Age of Pomerania’ at the National Museum in Szczecin.<\/p>\n

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Monument to Heinrich Rubenow, mayor, founder, and first rector of the University of Greifswald. In the background, the mid-18th-century rectorate building. Photo by Adam Makowski, CC BY-NC 4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Istotnymi instytucjami budowania pomorskiej to\u017csamo\u015bci by\u0142y dwie plac\u00f3wki naukowe i edukacyjne: uniwersytet w Greifswaldzie, za\u0142o\u017cony w 1456 roku oraz Pedagogium Ksi\u0105\u017c\u0119ce w Szczecinie (1544). Wok\u00f3\u0142 tego ostatniego toczy\u0142y si\u0119 dyskusje na temat jego charakteru; projektowano je nawet jako uniwersytet, ewentualnie mia\u0142o zast\u0105pi\u0107 podupad\u0142\u0105 akademi\u0119 greifswaldzk\u0105. Ostatecznie przybra\u0142o charakter szko\u0142y \u201ep\u00f3\u0142wy\u017cszej\u201d. Na map\u0119 Pomorza po przyj\u0119ciu reformacji nale\u017cy na\u0142o\u017cy\u0107 ca\u0142\u0105 siec szk\u00f3\u0142 elementarnych, wiejskich i \u2013 przede wszystkim \u2013 miejskich. W tych ostatnich, zwanych \u0142aci\u0144skimi, musia\u0142o uczy\u0107 przynajmniej dw\u00f3ch nauczycieli (na wsiach z regu\u0142y by\u0142 jeden). W 1563 roku liczba szk\u00f3\u0142 miejskich wzros\u0142a do oko\u0142o 30, przy czym uczono tam w kilku klasach i robi\u0142a to wi\u0119ksza (ni\u017c zalecanych minimum dw\u00f3ch) liczba nauczycieli. Program nauczania by\u0142 \u015bci\u015ble zwi\u0105zany z now\u0105 religi\u0105. Opr\u00f3cz szk\u00f3\u0142 \u0142aci\u0144skich, \u201ekoncesjonowanych\u201d, istnia\u0142y tak\u017ce tzw. szko\u0142y niemieckie, o ni\u017cszym statusie, dzia\u0142aj\u0105ce czasami bez, a czasami z koncesj\u0105 w\u0142adz miejskich.<\/p>\n\n

***<\/p>\n\n

Throughout nearly the entire period under discussion, two centers of power existed in Pomerania\u2014the courts in Szczecin and Wo\u0142ogoszcz. Gradually, the structure of the division of power and the competencies of individual offices crystallized, focusing primarily around the ruler, yet with a clear distinction between court and state administration. The most important office at the ducal court, which in both cases numbered approximately 200 people, was the marshal, who was primarily responsible for the organization and functioning of the duke’s immediate entourage. The ducal chancellery, headed by a chancellor, operated separately; its competencies included international and domestic affairs, court administration, court justice, and fiscal matters.<\/p>\n\n

The court of justice (s\u0105d nadworny) served as the central judicial body. With limited possibilities of appeal to the Imperial Chamber Court (Reichskammergericht), it constituted the highest legal authority in both duchies (excluding the Bishopric of Kamie\u0144). Appeals against judgements of lower courts\u2014municipal, castle, and landvogt courts\u2014were brought before it. In certain cases (concerning the nobility and municipal patriciate), it could simultaneously act as a court of first instance.<\/p>\n\n

Najwy\u017cszym urz\u0119dnikiem skarbowym by\u0142\u00a0rentmistrz<\/strong>\u00a0krajowy. Pocz\u0105tkowo podlega\u0142y mu dochody zar\u00f3wno ksi\u0105\u017c\u0119ce jak i krajowe, natomiast z czasem jego kompetencje zosta\u0142y ograniczone do kasy \u201erz\u0105dowej\u201d oraz prywatnej szkatu\u0142y ksi\u0119cia. Mimo tego ograniczenia, sekularyzacja d\u00f3br ko\u015bcielnych po przyj\u0119ciu reformacji wzmocni\u0142a doch\u00f3d pa\u0144stwowy, zatem i rola rentmistrza wzros\u0142a. Sam Ko\u015bci\u00f3\u0142 na Pomorzu, wraz ze zmian\u0105 wyznania, zosta\u0142 ca\u0142kowicie podporz\u0105dkowany ksi\u0105\u017c\u0119tom, kt\u00f3rzy byli tak\u017ce tytularnymi biskupami kamie\u0144skimi. Na jego czele sta\u0142\u00a0superintendent<\/strong>, a funkcjonowanie, uposa\u017cenie i organizacj\u0119 okre\u015bla\u0142y kolejne ordynacje ko\u015bcielne. Zmiany te doprowadzi\u0142y nie tylko do wzmocnienia skarbu i utworzenia Ko\u015bcio\u0142a \u201epa\u0144stwowego\u201d, ale tak\u017ce nowego podzia\u0142u terytorialnego \u2013 liczba domen wzros\u0142a o 11 (do \u0142\u0105cznej liczby 25, do kt\u00f3rych nale\u017cy doliczy\u0107 kolejnych 6 w ksi\u0119stwie kamie\u0144skim).<\/p>\n\n

During this period, and particularly in its second half, a further strengthening of the role of the Pomeranian estates occurred, especially that of the nobility. This would have tragic consequences during the Thirty Years’ War, when the defense of the Duchy largely depended on the attitude of the lev\u00e9e en masse summoned by the duke and the self-taxation of the nobility for war purposes. The source of the political and economic power of this social group was the intensive development of the manorial-serf economy, which was reinforced following the secularization of church property. The rise in the significance of the nobility took place at the expense of the autonomy of towns, particularly medium and small ones, which was further compounded by the loosening of ties with the Hanseatic League, then losing its importance. The largest of them, primarily Stralsund, retained relative independence, while the residential towns\u2014Szczecin and Wo\u0142ogoszcz\u2014held somewhat less. As a rule, the interests of a town abroad were represented by the duke himself.<\/p>\n\n

***<\/p>\n\n

A relatively long period of peace, free from conflicts with neighbors, allowed for a focus on domestic affairs and the settlement of relations with the southern neighbor\u2014Brandenburg.<\/p>\n\n

Following the wars waged by Bogus\u0142aw X in the previous century, relations with the Brandenburg Hohenzollerns steadily improved. Still during Bogus\u0142aw’s time, the Pomeranian-Brandenburg treaty was signed in Pyrzyce (1493), according to which Brandenburg renounced its feudal suzerainty over Pomerania, in exchange for which the electors received the right of inheritance in the Duchy in the event of the extinction of the Griffins. The terms were reaffirmed in Grimnitz (1529), a treaty (ratified by the emperor) in which the electors were granted the right to style themselves Dukes of Pomerania. Ultimately, following the almost simultaneous deaths (1571) of the co-rulers in Brandenburg, Elector Joachim II and Margrave John (who ruled only in the New March), a meeting took place in Choszczno in 1572 between Duke John Frederick and Elector John George, resulting in the signing of another mutual inheritance treaty (a so-called survivorship agreement). It confirmed the Hohenzollerns’ right to Pomerania in the event of the Griffins’ extinction, while the latter had the right to assume control of the New March if the Hohenzollern dynasty died out (sanction from the emperor was required to take over the Electoral March). This issue arose on the diplomatic stage several more times (1598, 1601, 1609, 1620), but these talks merely confirmed the previously concluded agreements. They became the basis for Brandenburg claims after 1637, when the problem of the Duchy’s future emerged following the childless death of Bogus\u0142aw XIV.<\/p>\n\n

Kolejn\u0105 konsekwencj\u0105 poprawy wzajemnych stosunk\u00f3w pomorsko-brandenburskich by\u0142a pr\u00f3ba uregulowania \u017ceglugi warcia\u0144sko-odrza\u0144skiej, w kt\u00f3rym to procesie aktywnie uczestniczy\u0142a r\u00f3wnie\u017c Rzeczpospolita. W 1618 roku, w nowomarchijskim Trzebiszewie dosz\u0142o do podpisania stosownego dokumentu mi\u0119dzy Brandenburgi\u0105 a Polsk\u0105, kt\u00f3ry u\u0142atwia\u0142 handel m.in. zbo\u017cem, jednak nie ko\u0144czy\u0142 definitywnie walki gospodarczej mi\u0119dzy Szczecinem a brandenburskim Frankfurtem, kt\u00f3ry posiada\u0142 prawo sk\u0142adu.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

Wa\u017cnym wydarzeniem dyplomatycznym, kt\u00f3re potencjalnie mog\u0142o wzmocni\u0107 mi\u0119dzynarodow\u0105 pozycj\u0119 Pomorza, by\u0142 zorganizowany w Szczecinie tzw. Kongres Pomorski (1570), na kt\u00f3rym dyplomaci pa\u0144stw basenu Morza Ba\u0142tyckiego mieli dokona\u0107 pacyfikacji po I wojnie p\u00f3\u0142nocnej. Cho\u0107 Pomorze mia\u0142o sta\u0107 si\u0119 wa\u017cnym podmiotem polityki mi\u0119dzynarodowej i jednocze\u015bnie arbitrem, poza zrujnowaniem finans\u00f3w pa\u0144stwa niewiele dobrego z tego wydarzenia wynik\u0142o. Zagadnienie to r\u00f3wnie\u017c zosta\u0142o om\u00f3wione w osobnym eseju.<\/p>\n\n

***\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

The years between the death of Bogus\u0142aw X and the childless death of Bogus\u0142aw XIV were a period of intense change and an exceptional flourish of the culture of the Duchy of Pomerania. Numerous reforms took place, including, above all, the change of confession, which brought about a strengthening of the princes’ position and unprecedented investments in education, science, and art. The activity of native creators should also be mentioned: chronicles of Pomerania and Szczecin were written, some of which were published in print (also with illustrations), the history of the Pomeranian Church was compiled, the first ducal printing houses with an ever-expanding publishing repertoire were established, and the community of Pomeranian scholars successfully practiced elaborate poetry. Knowledge about the Duchy found its way into the most important cosmographical works, such as Civitates Orbis Terrarum by Georg Braun and Frans Hogenberg or Cosmographia by Sebastian M\u00fcnster.<\/p>\n\n

Simultaneously, however, the second half of the 16th century revealed a severe economic weakness of the Duchy, which successively sank into debt. The balance of income and expenditure, despite the splendor built by the dynasty, proved to be one of the causes of the downfall of statehood in the long run. These weaknesses manifested themselves with full force during the reigns of Duke Francis and, later, Bogus\u0142aw XIV. Pomerania had to confront the two greatest military powers of contemporary Europe\u2014the Empire and Sweden. Diplomatic maneuvering and attempts to maintain neutrality in a completely new political reality proved ineffective and consequently led to the partition of the state’s territory between Sweden and Brandenburg.<\/p>\n