Swedish Pomerania

Swedish Pomerania (Swedish: Svenska Pommern) was a Dominion under the Swedish Crown from the 17th to the 19th century, situated on the German Baltic Sea coast. Following the Polish War and the Thirty Years' War Sweden held extensive control over the lands on the Southern Baltic Coast including Pomerania and parts of Silesia and Prussia. At the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 Sweden received Upper Pomerania, or Vorpommern, a strip of Lower Pomerania, or Hinterpommern, with the islands of Rügen, Usedom and Wollin.

Constitution and administration

The nobility of Pomerania was firmly established and held extensive privileges, as opposed to the other side of the spectrum which was populated by a numerous class of serfs. Even by the end of the 18th century the class of serfs made up two thirds of the population on the country side. The estates owned by the nobility was divided into districts and the royal domains which covered about a quarter of the country were divided into amts.

Related Topics:
Nobility - Serfs - 18th century

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The position of Pomerania in the Swedish Realm came to depend on the talks that were opened up between the Estates of Pomerania and the Government of Sweden. The talks showed few results until the Instrument of Government of July 17, 1663 (promulgated by the recess of April 10, 1669) could be presented and only in 1664 did the Pomeranian Estates salute the Swedish Monarch as their new ruler.

Related Topics:
Government of Sweden - Instrument of Government - July 17 - 1663 - April 10 - 1669

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The Royal Government of Pomerania (Die königliche landesregierung), was composed of the Governor General, who always were a Swedish Privy Councillor, as chairman and five Councillors of the Royal Government, among them the President of the Appellate Court, the Chancellor and the Castle Hauptmann of Stettin, overinspector of the Royal Amts. When the circumstances so demanded the Estates, nobility, burgesses and until the 1690's also the priests, could be called to the meeting of a Landtag. The nobility was represented by one deputy per district, who in turn were mandated by their respective district convents of nobles. The estate of the burgesses consisted of one deputy per politically franchised city, particularly Stralsund. The Landtag were presided over by a Marshall (Erb-landmarschall). A third element of the meeting of the Estates were the five, initially ten, Landtag Councillors who were appointed by the Royal Government of Pomerania, following the nomination by the Estates. The Landtag Councillors formed the Land Council, which mediated with the Swedish Government and oversaw the constitution.

Related Topics:
Governor General - Landtag

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The Estates, which had exercised great authority under the Pomeranian Dukes, were unable to exert any significant influence on Sweden, even if the Constitution of 1663 had provided them with a veto in as far as Pomerania was affected. Their rights of petition were however not limited, and by the privileges of Frederick I of Sweden on 1720 also an explicit right to participate in legislation and taxation.

Related Topics:
Frederick I of Sweden - 1720

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