Pomerelia

{{Short description|Historical region in Poland}} {{distinguish|Pomerania}} {{Infobox settlement |native_name = {{native name list |name1=Pomorze Wschodnie |tag1=pl |name2=Pòrénkòwô Pòmòrskô |tag2=csb}} |settlement_type = Historical region |image_skyline = {{multiple image |border = infobox |total_width = 270 |image_style = border:1 |perrow = 2/2/1 |caption_align = center |image1 = Torun rynek staromiejski (2).jpg{{!}}Toruń Old Town |image2 = Pelplin - Katedra widok 001GP.jpg{{!}}Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Pelplin |image3 = Fontanna Neptuna październikową nocą.jpg{{!}}Neptune's Fountain, Gdańsk |image4 = Chojnice.jpg{{!}}Town Hall, Chojnice |image5 = The headland of Hel Peninsula.jpg{{!}}Hel Peninsula |caption1 = Toruń Old Town |caption2 = Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Pelplin |caption3 = Neptune's Fountain, Gdańsk |caption4 = Town Hall, Chojnice |caption5 = Hel Peninsula}} |image_map = Krainy-historyczne-Polski.png |map_caption = {{legend|#7931d9|Historic regions of Poland within Eastern Pomerania marked in purple}} |coordinates = {{Coord|54.366667|18.633333|format=dms|display=inline,title|type:landmark}} |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = {{POL}}<br>{{RUS}}¹ |seat_type = Largest city |seat = Gdańsk |blank_name_sec2 = Highways |blank_info_sec2 = 32px|link=A1 autostrada (Poland) 32px|link=Expressway S5 (Poland) 32px|link=Expressway S6 (Poland) 32px|link=Expressway S7 (Poland) |footnotes = ¹ Small portion of the Vistula Spit around Polski<ref name=mbat/>}} '''Pomerelia''',{{efn|{{langx|de|Pommerellen}} {{IPA|de|pɔməˈʁɛlən||De-Pommerellen.ogg}}; {{langx|la|Pomerellia}} or {{lang|la|Pomerania}}.}} also known as '''Eastern Pomerania''',{{efn|{{langx|pl|Pomorze Wschodnie|links=no}}; {{langx|csb|Pòrénkòwô Pòmòrskô}}.}} '''Vistula Pomerania''',{{efn|{{langx|pl|Pomorze Nadwiślańskie|links=no}}.}} and also before World War II as '''Polish Pomerania''', is a historical sub-region of Pomerania on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in northern Poland.

Gdańsk Pomerania{{efn|{{langx|pl|Pomorze Gdańskie|links=no}}; {{langx|csb|Gduńsczé Pòmòrzé|links=no}}; {{langx|de|Danziger Pommern|links=no}}}} is largely coextensive with Pomerelia, but slightly narrower, as it does not include Chełmno Land and Michałów Land.

Its largest and most important city is Gdańsk. Since 1999 the region has formed the core of Pomeranian Voivodeship.

==Overview== Pomerelia is located in northern Poland west of the Vistula river and east of the Łeba river, mostly within the Pomeranian Voivodeship, with southern part located in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship and small parts in West Pomeranian Voivodeship. It has traditionally been divided into Kashubia, Kociewie, Tuchola Forest, Vistula Fens and Chełmno Land (including the Michałów Land, sometimes with the addition of Lubawa Land). The Lębork and Bytów Land is considered by Polish historiography a part of Gdańsk Pomerania, while German historiography tends to treat it as a part of Farther Pomerania. Pomerelia has been inhabited by ethnic Kashubians, Kociewians, Borowians and Chełminians, respectively. A small portion of Gdańsk Pomerania in the eastern part of the Vistula Spit around the abandoned village of Polski<ref name=mbat>{{cite book|last1=Biskup|first1=Marian|last2=Tomczak|first2=Andrzej|year=1955|title=Mapy województwa pomorskiego w drugiej połowie XVI w.|language=pl|location=Toruń|page=129}}</ref> is now part of the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia.

==Name== [[File:Tomb of Dukes of Pomerania in Oliwa Cathedral.png|thumb|left|Tomb of the medieval dukes of Gdańsk Pomerania of the House of Sobiesław with the Latin name ''Pomerania'' at the Oliwa Cathedral in Gdańsk]] The term Pomerelia originally meant small-Pomerania and has been in use since the Late Middle Ages. The name served as a distinction from the regions Hither and Farther Pomerania to the west.

In the Polish language, the area has been called {{lang|pl|Pomorze}} ('Pomerania') since the Early Middle Ages. In the early 14th century, the Teutonic Knights invaded and annexed the region from Polan into their monastic state, which already included historical Prussia, located east of the region. As a result of Teutonic rule, the name of Prussia was extended to the lands west of the Vistula river, even though it hadn't been inhabited by Baltic Prussians (the majority of Pomerelia's inhabitants were Poles and Kashubians<ref name="Friedrich"/>). The earliest reference of the term Pomerelia can be found in the "Pomerellische Handveste" from 1441 by the Teutonic Grandmaster Konrad von Ehrlichshausen.<ref>Reinhold Cramer: ''Ueber den Ursprung des Wortes Pomerellen und die pomerellische Handveste''. In: ''Anzeiger für Kunde der deutschen Vorzeit'', Neue Folge. Organ des Germanischen Museums. Achter Band, Jahrgang 1861, Sp. 6–9 ([https://books.google.de/books?id=-EkAAAAAcAAJ&pg=RA1-PA5 Google Books]).</ref>

The area was incorporated into the Crown of Poland following the Polish–Teutonic War (1454–1466).{{sfn|Friedrich|2011|p=19}} Subsequently, two names were employed: ''Pomerelia'' was used when referring to the Pomeranian Voivodeship (Gdańsk Pomerania) and the Chełmno Voivodeship, while ''Royal Prussia'' was used as the name of the wider province, which, however, also included the Malbork Voivodeship and the Prince-Bishopric of Warmia, covering the Prussian historical areas of Pomesania, Pogesania and Warmia.

After the Partitions of Poland, the area was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia and formed part of the newly established province of ''West Prussia''. The term Pomerelia remained as a historical name for the region, but without any official meaning.

Outside of Prussia and later Germany, the area was termed Pomerelia (such as in the Belgian Theatrum Orbis Terrarum from 1570), Polish Pomerania ({{lang|pl|Pomorze Polskie}})<ref>James Boswell, The Scots Magazine, t. 35, Edinburgh 1773, p 687 [https://books.google.com/books?id=wS4oAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22Polish+Pomerania%22&pg=PA687 Google Books], The Magazine of Magazines t. 13, Limerick 1757 p. 158 [https://books.google.com/books?id=i8kRAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22Polish+Pomerania%22&pg=PA158 Google Books], John Mottley, The history of the life of Peter I., emperor of Russia, London 1739, p. 89 [https://books.google.com/books?id=TFxjAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22Polish+Pomerania%22&pg=PA89 Google Books], The Universal Magazine, t. 20, London 1757, p. 50 [https://books.google.com/books?id=LCk2AAAAMAAJ&dq=%22Polish+Pomerania%22&pg=PA50 Google Books]</ref> or West Prussia.

The term Pomerelia fell out of use when the region became part of Poland in the 20th century, being replaced by terms like Gdansk Pomerania or Eastern Pomerania.

==History== ===Outline=== ====Early history==== {{main|Early history of Pomerania}} In its early history, the territory which later became known as Pomerelia was the site of the Pomeranian culture (also called the Pomerelian face urn culture, 650-150 BC),<ref name=Piskorski23>Jan M Piskorski, ''Pommern im Wandel der Zeit'', 1999, p.23, {{ISBN|83-906184-8-6}}</ref> the Oksywie culture (150 BC-AD 1, associated with parts of the Rugii and Lemovii),<ref name=Rives311>J. B. Rives on Tacitus, ''Germania'', Oxford University Press, 1999, p.311, {{ISBN|0-19-815050-4}}</ref> and the Wielbark Culture (AD 1–450, associated with Veneti, Goths, Rugii, Gepids).<ref name=Piskorski25>Jan M Piskorski, ''Pommern im Wandel der Zeit'', 1999, p.25, {{ISBN|83-906184-8-6}}</ref> In the mid-6th century Jordanes mentioned the Vistula estuary as the home of the Vidivarii.<ref>Andrew H. Merrills, ''History and Geography in Late Antiquity'', Cambridge University Press, 2005, p.325, {{ISBN|0-521-84601-3}}</ref> Pomerelia was settled by West Slavic and Lechitic tribes<ref name=Koebler532>Gerhard Köbler, ''Historisches Lexikon der Deutschen Länder: die deutschen Territorien vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart'', 7th edition, C.H.Beck, 2007, p.532, {{ISBN|3-406-54986-1}}</ref> in the 7th and 8th centuries.<ref name=Piskorski29> Jan M Piskorski, ''Pommern im Wandel der Zeit'', 1999, p.29, {{ISBN|83-906184-8-6}} </ref>

====Early medieval Poland==== {{For|a list of Polish monarchs|List of Polish monarchs}} {{For|a list of dukes|Pomeranian duchies and dukes}} In the tenth century, Pomerelia was already settled by West-Slavic Pomeranians. The area was conquered and incorporated into early medieval Poland either by Duke Mieszko I – the first historical Polish ruler - in the second half of the tenth century<ref>Jerzy Strzelczyk [in:] ''The New Cambridge Medieval History'', Cambridge University Press, 1999, p. 523 {{ISBN|0-521-36447-7}} [https://books.google.com/books?id=u-SsbHs5zTAC&dq=%22Polish+tribes%22+silesian+tribes&pg=RA1-PA522 Google Books]</ref> or even earlier, by his father, in the 940s or 950s<ref>J. Spors (in:) J. Borzyszkowski (red.) Pomorze w dziejach Polski, Nr 19 - Pomorze Gdańskie, Gdańsk 1991, p. 68</ref> &ndash; the date of incorporation is unknown.<ref name=Loew32>Loew, Peter Oliver: Danzig. Biographie einer Stadt, Munich 2011, p. 32.</ref> Mieszko founded Gdańsk to control the mouth of the Vistula between 970 and 980.<ref>J. Spors (in:) J. Borzyszkowski (red.) Pomorze w dziejach Polski, Nr 19 - Pomorze Gdańskie, Gdańsk 1991, p. 69–70</ref> According to Józef Spors, despite some cultural differences, the inhabitants of the whole of Pomerania had very close ties with residents of other Piast provinces,<ref>J. Spors (in:) J. Borzyszkowski (red.) Pomorze w dziejach Polski, Nr 19 - Pomorze Gdańskie, Gdańsk 1991, p. 67</ref> from which Pomerelia was separated by large stretches of woodlands and swamps.<ref name=Loew32/>

The Piasts introduced Christianity to pagan Pomerelia, though it is disputed to what extent the conversion materialized.<ref>Machilek, Franz: ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=ZKGfAAAAMAAJ&q=%22das+als+missionsbistum%22 Strukturen und Repräsentanten der Kirche Polens im Mittelalter],'' in Dietmar Popp, Robert Suckale (eds.): ''Die Jagiellonen. Kunst und Kultur einer europäischen Dynastie an der Wende zur Neuzeit'' (Wissenschaftliche Beibände zum Anzeiger des Germanischen Nationalmuseums, Bd. 21), Nürnberg 2002, pp. 109–122; 109.</ref> In the eleventh century the region had loosened its close connections with the kingdom of Poland and subsequently for some years formed an independent duchy.<ref name=Minahan>James Minahan, ''One Europe, Many Nations: A Historical Dictionary of European National Groups'', Greenwood Publishing Group, 2000, p.&nbsp;375, {{ISBN|0-313-30984-1}}</ref> Most scholars suggest that Pomerelia was still part of Poland during the reign of king Bolesław I of Poland and his son Mieszko II Lambert. However, there are also different opinions e.g. Peter Oliver Loew suggests the Slavs in Pomerelia severed their ties with the Piasts and reverted the Piasts' introduction of Christianity already in the first years of the 11th century.<ref>Loew, Peter Oliver: Danzig. Biographie einer Stadt, Munich 2011, p. 32; while James Minahan, ''One Europe, Many Nations: A Historical Dictionary of European National Groups'', Greenwood Publishing Group, 2000, p.&nbsp;375 generally speaks of the 11th century.</ref> The exact date of separation is unknown, however. It was suggested that the inhabitants of Pomerelia participated in the Pagan reaction in Poland, actively supported Miecław who intended to detach Masovia from the power of the rulers of Poland, but after the defeat of Miecław in 1047 accepted the rule of duke Casimir I the Restorer and that the province remained a part of Poland till the 1060s, when Pomerelian troops took part in the expedition of the Polish king Bolesław II the Generous against Bohemia in 1061 or 1068. Duke Bolesław suffered a defeat during the siege of Hradec and had to retreat to Poland. Soon after Pomerelia separated from his realm.<ref>J. Spors (in:) J. Borzyszkowski (red.) Pomorze w dziejach Polski, Nr 19 - Pomorze Gdańskie, Gdańsk 1991, p. 73, B. Śliwiński (red.) Wielka Historia Polski, t. I do 1320, Kraków 1997, p. 89-90. Both these authors connect the unsuccessful campaign against he Czechs with the loss of Pomerelia.</ref> A campaign by Piast duke Władysław I Herman to conquer Pomerelia in 1090–91 was unsuccessful, but resulted in the burning of many Pomerelian forts during the retreat.<ref name=Loew32/>

[[File:West-Slavic peoples until 1125.jpg|thumb|Pomerelia (named M: Gdańsk) within Poland on a map showing West-Slavic and Lechitic peoples before 1125]] In 1116, direct control over Pomerelia was reestablished by Bolesław III Wrymouth of Poland,<ref>{{cite book | author = Andrzej Chwalba | author-link = Andrzej Chwalba | editor = Wydawnictwo Literackie| title = Kalendarium Historii Polski| year = 2000 | location = Kraków | isbn = 83-08-03136-6 | pages = 45 |language=pl}}</ref> who by 1122 had also conquered the central and western parts of Pomerania.<ref>{{cite book | author = Andrzej Chwalba | author-link = Andrzej Chwalba | editor = Wydawnictwo Literackie| title = Kalendarium Historii Polski| year = 2000 | location = Kraków | isbn = 83-08-03136-6 | pages = 45–56 |language=pl}}</ref> While the latter regions (forming the Duchy of Pomerania) regained independence quickly, Pomerelia remained within the Polish realm. It was administered by governors of a local dynasty, the Samborides, and subordinated to the bishopric of Włocławek.<ref name=Loew32/> In 1138, following the death of Bolesław III, Poland was fragmented into several provincial principalities. The ''principes'' in Pomerelia gradually gained more local power, evolving into semi-independent entities, much like other fragmented Polish territories, with the difference that the other parts of the realm were governed by Piast descendants of Bolesław III. The Christian centre became Oliwa Abbey near Gdańsk.

Two Samborides administering Pomerelia in the 12th century are known by name: Sobieslaw I and his son, Sambor I.<ref name=Loew32/>

Pomerelia was under the direct ecclesiastical administration of the Polish Archdiocese of Gniezno until the 12th century, when it was integrated into the newly formed Polish Diocese of Włocławek, based in Kuyavia, a region neighbouring Pomerelia to the south, itself a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Gniezno.<ref name=gl/>

====Danish conquest and independence==== In 1210, king Valdemar II of Denmark invaded Pomerelia, whose ''princeps'' Mestwin I became his vassal.<ref>{{cite book | author = Andrzej Chwalba | author-link = Andrzej Chwalba | editor = Wydawnictwo Literackie| title = Kalendarium Historii Polski| year = 2000 | location = Kraków | isbn = 83-08-03136-6 | pages = 58 |language=pl}}</ref> The Danish suzerainty did not last long, however. Mestwin had already gained more independence from Poland and expanded southward, and his son Swietopelk II, who succeeded him in 1217,<ref name=Loew33>Loew, Peter Oliver: Danzig. Biographie einer Stadt, Munich 2011, p. 33.</ref> gained full independence in 1227.<ref name="Minahan"/>

====Duchy of Pomerelia==== After Mestwin I's death, Pomerelia was internally divided among his sons Swietopelk II, Wartislaw, Sambor II and Ratibor.<ref name=Lingenberg191>Lingenberg, Heinz: ''Die Anfänge des Klosters Oliva und die Entstehung der deutschen Stadt Danzig. Die frühe Geschichte der beiden Gemeinwesen bis 1308/10'' (Kieler historische Studien, Bd. 30), Stuttgart 1982, p. 191.</ref> Swietopelk II, who took his seat in Gdańsk, assumed a leading position over his brothers: Sambor II, who received the castellany of Lubieszewo (the center later moved to Tczew), and Ratibor, who received the Białogard area, were initially under his tutelage.<ref name=Lingenberg191/> The fourth brother, Wartislaw, took his seat in Świecie, thus controlling the second important area besides Gdańsk.<ref name=Lingenberg191/> Wartislaw died before 27 December 1229, his share was to be given to Oliwa Abbey by his brothers.<ref name=ScriptRerPruss686>Hirsch, Theodor et al. (eds.): [https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/view/bsb10001071?page=9 ''Scriptores rerum Prussicarum,'' vol. 1], Leipzig 1861, pp. 67, 686-687.</ref> The remaining brothers engaged in a civil war: Sambor II and Ratibor allied with the Teutonic Order<ref name=ScriptRerPruss686/><ref name=Wichert208>Wichert, Sven: ''Das Zisterzienskloster Doberan im Mittelalter'' (Studien zur Geschichte, Kunst und Kultur der Zisterzienser, vol. 9), Berlin 2000, p. 208</ref> and the Duke of Kuyavia<ref name=ScriptRerPruss686/> against Swietopelk, who in turn allied with the Old Prussians,<ref name=Wichert208/> took Ratibor prisoner and temporarily assumed control over the latter's share.<ref name=ScriptRerPruss686/> The revolt of the Old Prussians against the Teutonic Order in 1242 took place in the context of these alliances.<ref name=Wichert208/> Peace was restored only in the Treaty of Christburg (Dzierzgoń) in 1249, mediated by the later pope Urban IV, then papal legate and archidiacone of Lüttich (Liege).<ref name=Wichert208/>

In the west, the Pomerelian dukes' claim to the lands of Sławno and Słupsk, where the last Ratiboride duke Ratibor II had died after 1223, was challenged by the Griffin dukes of Pomerania, Barnim I and Wartislaw III.<ref name=Schmidt141142>Schmidt, Roderich: ''Das historische Pommern. Personen, Orte, Ereignisse,'' Köln/Weimar 2007, pp. 141-142.</ref> In this conflict, Swietopelk II initially won the upper hand, but could not force a final decision.<ref name=Schmidt141142/>

[[File:Saint Catherine's Church, Gdańsk.jpg|thumb|left|upright|St. Catherine's Church, Gdańsk, completed in 1239]] Swietopelk II, who styled himself ''dux.'' since 1227, chartered the town of Gdańsk with Lübeck law and invited the Dominican Order.<ref name=Loew33/> His conflicts with the Teutonic Order, who had become his eastern neighbor in 1230, were settled in 1253 by exempting the order from the Vistula dues.<ref name=Loew33/> With Swietopelk II's death in 1266, the rule of his realm passed to his sons Wartislaw and Mestwin II.<ref name=Loew33/> These brothers initiated another civil war, with Mestwin II allying with and pledging allegiance to the Brandenburg margraves (Treaty of Arnswalde, 1269).<ref name=Loew33/> The margraves, who in the 1269 treaty also gained the land of Białogarda, were also supposed to help Mestwin II securing the lands of Sławno and Słupsk, which after Swietopelk II's death were in part taken over by Barnim III.<ref name=Schmidt143>Schmidt, Roderich: ''Das historische Pommern. Personen, Orte, Ereignisse,'' Köln/Weimar 2007, p. 143.</ref> With the margraves' aid, Mestwin II succeeded in expelling Wartislaw from Gdansk in 1270/71.<ref name=Loew33/> The lands of Sławno, however, were taken over by Mestwin II's nephew Vitslav II, Prince of Rügen in 1269/70, who founded the town near the fort of Dirlow (now Darłowo).<ref name=Schmidt143/>

In 1273, Mestwin found himself in open conflict against the margraves who refused to remove their troops from Gdańsk, Mestwin's possession, which he had been forced to temporarily lease to them during his struggles against Wartisław and Sambor. Since the lease had now expired, through this action, the Margrave Conrad broke the Treaty of Arnswalde and subsequent agreements. His aim was to capture as much of Mestwin's Pomerelia as possible. Mestwin, unable to dislodge the Brandenburgian troops himself called in the aid of Bolesław the Pious, whose troops took the city with a direct attack. The war against Brandenburg ended in 1273 with a treaty <ref>[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_UiZKAAAAcAAJ/page/n134 <!-- pg=121 --> '''Full text''' of the treaty of '''Drage Bridge (1273)''' (in Latin) in Morin FH (1838): Codex diplomaticus Brandenburgensis I, p. 121.]</ref> (possibly signed at Drawno Bridge), in which Brandenburg returned Gdańsk to Mestwin while he paid feudal homage to the margraves for the lands of Sławno and Słupsk.<ref>B. Śliwiński (red.) Wielka Historia Polski, t. I do 1320, Kraków 1997, p. 205</ref>

On February 15, 1282, High Duke of Poland and Wielkopolska Przemysł II and the Duke of Pomerelia Mestwin II, signed the Treaty of Kępno which transferred the suzerainty over Pomerelia to Przemysł.<ref name=mhp/> As a result of the treaty the period of Pomerelian independence ended and the region was again part of Poland. Przemysł adopted the title ''dux Polonie et Pomeranie'' (Duke of Poland and Pomerania).<ref name=dok/> Mestwin, per the agreement, retained ''de facto'' control over the province until his death in 1294, at which time Przemysł, who was already the ''de jure'' ruler of the territory, took it under his direct rule.<ref name=mhp/>

The hereditary ruleta of the Duchy included as follows: :*Świętobor, Duke (11th–12th century) :*Swietopelk I, Duke (1109/13–1121) :*Sobieslaw I, Duke (1150s–1177/79) :*Sambor I, Duke (1177/79–1205) :*Mestwin I, Duke (1205–1219/20) :*Swietopelk II, Duke (1215–1266) :*Mestwin II, Duke (1273–1294) :*Przemysł II, Duke (1294–1296)

====Late medieval Poland==== After the death of Mestwin II of Pomerania in 1294, his co-ruler Przemysł II of Poland, according to the Treaty of Kępno, took control over Pomerelia. He was crowned as king of Poland in 1295, but ruled directly only over Pomerelia and Greater Poland, while the rest of the country (Silesia, Lesser Poland, Masovia) was ruled by other Piasts. However, Przemysł was murdered soon afterwards and succeeded by Władysław I the Elbow-high. Władysław, sold his rights to the Duchy of Kraków to King Wenceslaus II of Bohemia in 1297 and accepted him as his suzerain in 1299. However, he lost control of Greater Poland and Pomerelia in 1300 after a nobility revolt.<ref>{{cite book | author = Andrzej Chwalba | author-link = Andrzej Chwalba | editor = Wydawnictwo Literackie| title = Kalendarium Historii Polski| year = 2000 | location = Kraków | isbn = 83-08-03136-6 | pages = 70–71 |language=pl}}</ref> These were captured by Wenceslaus who now, after gaining most of the Polish lands, was crowned in Gniezno as king of Poland by archbishop Jakub Świnka.<ref>{{cite book | author = Andrzej Chwalba | author-link = Andrzej Chwalba | editor = Wydawnictwo Literackie| title = Kalendarium Historii Polski| year = 2000 | location = Kraków | isbn = 83-08-03136-6 | pages = 71 |language=pl}}</ref> Upon the deaths of Wenceslaus and his successor Wenceslaus III and with them the extinction of the Přemyslid dynasty, Pomerelia was recaptured by Władysław I the Elbow-high in 1306.

====Teutonic Order==== thumb|Pomerelia as a part of the Teutonic Knights' state in the early 14th century {{unreferenced section|date=November 2012}} {{main|Teutonic takeover of Danzig|Teutonic Order state|Royal Prussia|Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth}}

During Władysław's rule, the Margraviate of Brandenburg staked its claim on the territory in 1308, leading the local governor appointed by Władysław I the Elbow-high to request assistance from the Teutonic Knights, who evicted the Brandenburgers but took the area for themselves, annexing and incorporating it into the Teutonic Order state in 1309 (Teutonic takeover of Danzig (Gdańsk) and Treaty of Soldin). At the same time, Słupsk and Sławno became part of the Duchy of Pomerania. This event caused a long-lasting dispute between Poland and the Teutonic Order over the control of Pomerelia. It resulted in a series of Polish–Teutonic Wars throughout the 14th and 15th centuries.

In regards to church administration, Gdańsk Pomerania remained part of the Polish Diocese of Włocławek, a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Gniezno.<ref name=gl>{{cite magazine|last=Labuda|first=Gerard|year=1993|title=Chrystianizacja Pomorza (X–XIII stulecie)|magazine=Studia Gdańskie|language=pl|location=Gdańsk-Oliwa|volume=IX|pages=48–49}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Gloger|first=Zygmunt|title=Geografia historyczna ziem dawnej Polski|year=1900|location=Kraków|language=pl|pages=165–166}}</ref>

In 1380, the first Scots settled in Gdańsk, founding what would eventually become a significant Scottish diaspora in Poland.<ref>{{cite book|last=Wijaczka|first=Jacek|editor-last1=Kopczyński|editor-first1=Michał|editor-last2=Tygielski|editor-first2=Wojciech|year=2010|title=Pod wspólnym niebem. Narody dawnej Rzeczypospolitej|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=Muzeum Historii Polski, Bellona|chapter=Szkoci|page=201|isbn=978-83-11-11724-2}}</ref> First mention of Armenians, another historically important diaspora in Poland, in Gdańsk dates to 1427.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Chodubski|first=Andrzej|year=1993|title=O osadnictwie ormiańskim na Wybrzeżu Gdańskim|journal=Słupskie Studia Historyczne|language=pl|issue=3|page=85}}</ref>

====Kingdom of Poland and Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth==== [[File:RON województwo pomorskie map.svg|thumb|Location of the Pomeranian Voivodeship (1466–1772) within the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] In 1440, many cities of the region joined the newly formed anti-Teutonic Prussian Confederation.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Górski|first=Karol|title=Związek Pruski i poddanie się Prus Polsce: zbiór tekstów źródłowych|year=1949|publisher=Instytut Zachodni|location=Poznań|language=pl|page=XXXVII}}</ref> In 1454, the organization asked Polish King Casimir IV Jagiellon to reincorporate the region into the Kingdom of Poland, to which the King agreed and signed an act of re-incorporation in Kraków.<ref>Górski, pp. 51, 56</ref> After the subsequent Thirteen Years' War (1454–1466), the longest of all Polish–Teutonic wars, the Teutonic Knights renounced any claims to the region and recognized it as part of Poland.<ref>Górski, p. 88-90, 206-207</ref> Pomerelia was organized into the Pomeranian Voivodeship, part of the larger Polish provinces of Royal Prussia and Greater Poland. Lauenburg and Bütow Land (Lębork and Bytów) was a Polish fief ruled by Pomeranian dukes until 1637, when it was incorporated directly into Poland.

According to Zygmunt Gloger, during the rule of Sigismund III Vasa, Gdańsk was one of the two largest cities of Poland (alongside Kraków), and one of the three largest cities in Slavic countries (alongside Kraków and Prague).<ref name=zg>{{cite book|last=Gloger|first=Zygmunt|title=Geografia historyczna ziem dawnej Polski|year=1900|location=Kraków|language=pl|page=168}}</ref> It was the largest port of Poland, and most of its exports (especially grain) were made through the port. Gdańsk and the Vistula Fens were mostly German or Dutch-speaking Lutheran or Reformed, while most of the region remained Polish/Kashubian Catholic. In the 17th century Pomerelia was attacked and destroyed by the Swedish army.{{cn|date=August 2025}}

====Partitions of Poland==== Pomerelia was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia during the late 18th century Partitions of Poland, becoming part of the new Province of West Prussia. Following the unification of Germany, it became part of the Prussian-led German Reich in 1871. The region was subjected to Germanisation policies.{{cn|date=August 2025}}

====Interwar period==== After World War I, in 1918, Poland regained its independence as the Second Polish Republic, and the Treaty of Versailles restored most of the region from Weimar Germany back to Poland, forming the Pomeranian Voivodeship (Greater Pomerania as of 1938). Danzig with the Vistula Fens became the Free City of Danzig. In the interbellum, the region was sometimes referred to as the Polish Corridor.<ref>''The New York Times'': March 18, 1919: [https://www.nytimes.com/1919/03/18/archives/outlines-polish-corridor-paris-paper-sketches-proposed-strip-to.html Outlines Polish "Corridor"; Paris Paper Sketches Proposed Strip to Danzig.]; March 17, 1919: [https://www.nytimes.com/1919/03/17/archives/plan-to-give-germany-land-communication-across-polish-corridor-to.html Plan to Give Germany Land Communication Across Polish Corridor to the Baltic]</ref>

====World War II==== {{multiple image|align=right|caption_align=center|perrow=2|total_width=300 |image1 = Pomnik Piaśnicki z 1955 - fot. Marcin Drewa 03.JPG |image2 = Szpęgawsk, monument at the place of execution.jpg |footer = Memorials at the sites of Nazi massacres of Poles in Wielka Piaśnica and Szpęgawsk}} The region was the site of the Battle of Westerplatte, the first battle of the German invasion of Poland which started World War II in September 1939, as well as several other important battles incl. at Hel, Gdynia and Kępa Oksywska. Afterwards it was occupied and illegally annexed by Nazi Germany, and the Polish population was subjected to various crimes, such as mass arrests, imprisonment, slave labor, kidnapping of children, deportations to Nazi concentration camps and genocide, incl. the ''Intelligenzaktion''. The Nazis established the Stutthof concentration camp, the first Nazi concentration camp outside of pre-war German borders, with multiple subcamps in the region. Major sites of massacres of Poles in the region included Piaśnica, Szpęgawsk, Mniszek, Igielska Valley, Luszkówko, Skarszewy, Rudzki Most and Grupa.<ref>{{cite book|last=Wardzyńska|first=Maria|year=2009|title=Był rok 1939. Operacja niemieckiej policji bezpieczeństwa w Polsce. Intelligenzaktion|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=IPN|pages=145–153, 167, 169–170, 182}}</ref>

====Post-war period==== After the defeat of Germany in the war in 1945, almost the entire region, including the former Free City of Danzig, was reclaimed by Poland according to the Potsdam Agreement, except for a small portion of the Vistula Spit around the village of Narmeln (Polski) which was annexed by the Soviet Union. The local German minority population which included numerous members of the Volksdeutscher Selbstschutz complicit in its atrocities, fled or was expelled to Germany, also in accordance to the Potsdam Agreement.

====Contemporary==== Historic Pomerelia nowadays forms the bulk of the Pomeranian Voivodeship, but its southern part is part of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, while a small western fragment (Gmina Biały Bór) is in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship.

===Historical population=== During the Early Middle Ages Pomerelia was inhabited by West Slavic, Lechitic tribes, with occasional presence of Scandinavians operating a few trading posts in the area. The region then became a territory of the nascent Polish state and continued as such (briefly interrupted by a Danish invasion) into the 13th century.

Following the Teutonic invasion in the early 14th century, the Teutonic Knights committed a massacre in captured Gdańsk, and then supported German colonization. German speakers settled particularly in the major urban centers, where they constituted the majority of the population, while in smaller towns and in rural areas, speakers of Kashubian and Greater Polish (i.e. Kociewiacy, and Borowiacy) predominated.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://www.kul.pl/files/845/pdf/szady_geografia_struktur_2010.pdf|title=Geography of Religious and Denominational Structures in the Crown of the Polish Kingdom in the Second Half of the 18th Century|last=Szady|first=Bogumił|publisher=Wydawnictwo KUL|year=2010|pages=164–165}}</ref> The Teutonic Order developed the land in amelioration projects, dyking of the founding of German-settled estates and villages.<ref>{{cite book|title=Die statistischen Erhebungen über die deutschen Katholiken in den Bistümern Polens, 1928 und 1936|author=Kazimierz Śmigiel|publisher=J.G. Herder-Institut|year= 1992|page=117}}</ref> At that time, the majority of Pomerelia's inhabitants were still Poles and Kashubians.<ref name="Friedrich">{{cite book |last1=Friedrich |first1=Karin |title=Brandenburg-Prussia, 1466-1806 The Rise of a Composite State |date=2011 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=9780230356962 |page=13|quote=In Pomerelia, the Polish and Kaszub population formed the majority and eventually served the Order as loyal subjects, holding land and following their own Polish traditions.}}</ref> As the result of the Thirteen Years' War of 1454-1466, Pomerelia became again part of Poland. Dutch and Scottish immigrants, including religious refugees, settled in the region and were mostly assimilated. It was annexed by Prussia in the Partitions of Poland in 1772 and 1793. Temporarily, during the Napoleonic Wars until 1815, Gdańsk became a Free City, while the southern part with Toruń became part of the Polish Duchy of Warsaw.

[[File:Sprachen Westpreussen en.svg|thumb|Administrative divisions and languages in West Prussia, which included Pomerelia, according to the German census of 1910; the numbers in the census included German military stationed in the region, as well as civil clerks and officials. Kashubs who spoke German were considered German.<ref name="Chwalba">Andrzej Chwalba - ''Historia Polski'' 1795-1918 pages 461-463</ref><ref>[http://acienciala.faculty.ku.edu/hist557/lect11.htm Anna Cienciala Lecture Notes 11 The Rebirth of Poland, The University of Kansas]</ref><ref>Poloźenie mniejszości niemieckej w Polsce, 1918-1938 1969 Stanisław Kazimierz Potocki Wydawn. Morskie, page 30</ref><ref>Ruch polski na Śląsku Opolskim w latach 1922-1939 - page 15 Marek Masnyk - 1989</ref><ref>Dzieje robotników przemysłowych w Polsce pod zaborami Elżbieta Kaczyńska Państwowe Wydawn. Naukowe, 1970, page 75''To show lower number of Poles, settled German soldiers were automatically included. The census of 1910 was most likely falsified''</ref> <br>'''Legend for the districts:''' {{legend|#E20613|German language}} {{legend|#009EE2|Polish language}} {{legend|#2FAC66|Kashubian language}} {{legend|#FFEC00|others or bilingual}} ]] Perhaps the earliest census figures (from years 1817 and 1819) about the ethnic or national composition of the region come from Prussian data published in 1823. At that time, entire West Prussia (of which historical Pomerelia was part) had 630,077 inhabitants – 327,300 ethnic Poles (52%), 290,000 Germans (46%) and 12,700 Jews (2%).<ref name="Hassel">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=31DMAJgQV28C&pg=PA42|title=Statistischer Umriß der sämmtlichen europäischen und der vornehmsten außereuropäischen Staaten, in Hinsicht ihrer Entwickelung, Größe, Volksmenge, Finanz- und Militärverfassung, tabellarisch dargestellt; Erster Heft: Welcher die beiden großen Mächte Österreich und Preußen und den Deutschen Staatenbund darstellt|last1=Hassel|first1=Georg|publisher=Verlag des Geographischen Instituts Weimar|year=1823|page=42}}</ref> In this data Kashubians are included with Poles, while Mennonites (numbering 2% of West Prussia's population) are included with Germans. {| class="wikitable" |+Ethnic structure ({{lang|de|Nationalverschiedenheit}}) of West Prussia (including Pomerelia) in 1819<ref name="Hassel" /> ! rowspan="2" |Ethnic or national group ! colspan="2" |Population |- !Number !Percentage |- |Poles | align="right" |327,300 | align="right" |52% |- |Germans | align="right" |290,000 | align="right" |46% |- |Jews | align="right" |12,700 | align="right" |2% |- |'''Total''' | align="right" |'''630,077''' | align="right" |'''100%''' |} Another German author, Karl Andree, in his book "{{lang|de|Polen: in geographischer, geschichtlicher und culturhistorischer Hinsicht}}" (Leipzig 1831), gives the total population of West Prussia as 700,000 inhabitants – including 50% Poles (350,000), 47% Germans (330,000) and 3% Jews (20,000).<ref name="Karl Andree">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_xgUEAAAAYAAJ|title=Polen: in geographischer, geschichtlicher und culturhistorischer Hinsicht|last1=Andree|first1=Karl|publisher=Verlag von Ludwig Schumann|year=1831|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_xgUEAAAAYAAJ/page/n221 212]}}</ref>

There are also estimates of the religious structure (number of temples) of the pre-1772 Pomerelian Voivodeship of Poland. Around year 1772 that voivodeship had 221 (66,6%) Roman Catholic, 79 (23,8%) Lutheran, 23 (6,9%) Jewish, six (1,8%) Mennonite, two (0,6%) Czech Brethren and one (0,3%) Calvinist churches: {| class="wikitable" |+Number of churches of each denomination and synagogues in Royal Prussia around 1772<ref name=":0" /> !Voivodeship !Roman Catholic !Lutheran !Calvinist !Czech Brethren !Mennonite !Jewish |- |Pomerelia |221 |79 |1 |2 |6 |23 |- |Lębork-Bytów |15 |23 |1 | - | - | - |- |Malbork |62 |47 |1 | - |9 | - |- |Warmia |124 | - | - | - | - | - |- |Chełmno |151 |11 | - |1 |1 |9 |- !TOTAL Royal Prussia !573 !160 !3 !3 !16 !32 |}

==Notes== {{notelist}}

==References== {{Reflist|refs=

<ref name=dok>{{cite web |url=http://dziedzictwo.polska.pl/wartoprzeczytac/article,O_przeslawnych_ksiazetach_pomorskich,id,357289.htm |title=O przesławnych książętach pomorskich |author=Aneta Kwiatkowska |date=March 12, 2008 |publisher=dziedzictwo.polska.pl |access-date=11 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100420081558/http://dziedzictwo.polska.pl/wartoprzeczytac/article,O_przeslawnych_ksiazetach_pomorskich,id,357289.htm |archive-date=20 April 2010 }}</ref>

<ref name=mhp>{{cite web |url=http://www.muzhp.pl/kalendarium/119/uklad-w-kepnie-miedzy-przemyslem-ii-a-mszczujem-ii-pomorskim-1282-2-15.html |title=Układ w Kępnie między Przemysłem II a Mszczujem II Pomorskim |author=Muzeum Historii Polski |publisher=Muzhp.pl |year=2010 |access-date=2011-09-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324014810/http://www.muzhp.pl/kalendarium/119/uklad-w-kepnie-miedzy-przemyslem-ii-a-mszczujem-ii-pomorskim-1282-2-15.html |archive-date=2012-03-24 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

}}

==External links== {{commons category-inline}} *[http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/shepherd/roman_empire_1138_1254.jpg Map of Pomerelia] (within a map of the Holy Roman Empire, 1138–1254)

{{Pomerania}} {{Authority control}}

Category:History of Pomeranian Voivodeship Category:Historical regions in Poland