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.

The Thirty Years' War

Pomerania became involved in the Thirty Years' War during the 1620's, and with the town of Stralsund under siege by imperial troops its ruler Bogislaus XIV, the Duke of Stettin, concluded a treaty with the Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus in June 1628. In July 10, 1630 the treaty was extended into an eternal pact and by the end of that year the Swedes had completed the military occupation of Pomerania. After this point Gustavus Adolphus was the real ruler of the country, and even though the rights of succession to Pomerania, held by the Kurfurst George Wilhelm of Brandenburg was recognised, the King still demanded that Brandenburg break with the Emperor. In 1634 the Estates of Pomerania, assigned the interim government to an eight member directorate, which lasted until Brandenburg by right of the Imperial investiture ordered the directorate disbanded in 1638.

Related Topics:
Thirty Years' War - Stralsund - Stettin - Gustavus Adolphus - 1628 - July 10 - 1630 - Brandenburg

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As a consequence Pomerania would lapse into a state of anarchy, thereby forcing the Swedes to act and from 1641 the administration was led by a council ("Concilium status") from Stettin, until the peace treaty in 1648 settled rights to the province in Swedish favour. At the peace negotiations in Osnabrück Brandenburg received Lower Pomerania except Stettin, a strip of land east of the Oder containing the districts of Damm and Gollnow and the island of Wollin. These territories together with Upper Pomerania and the islands of Rügen and Usedom were ceded to the Swedes as a fief from the Emperor. The Recess of Stettin in 1653 settled the border with Brandenburg, in a manner favourable to Sweden. The border against Mecklenburg, along Trebek and Recknitz, followed a settlement of 1591.

Related Topics:
1641 - Osnabrück - Lower Pomerania - Oder - Damm - Gollnow - Wollin - Rügen - Usedom - Fief

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~