The House of Griffins or House of Pomerania, , also known as House of Greifen; House of Gryf, was a dynasty

Dynasty

A dynasty is a sequence of rulers considered members of the same family. Historians traditionally consider many sovereign states' history within a framework of successive dynasties, e.g., China, Ancient Egypt and the Persian Empire...

 of Royal dukes that ruled the Duchy of Pomerania

Duchy of Pomerania

The Duchy of Pomerania was a duchy in Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, ruled by dukes of the House of Pomerania ....

 from the 12th century until 1637, after their power was temporarily derivated to Prussian Royal House. The name was used by the dynasty since the 15th century and had been taken from the ducal coat of arms

Coat of arms

A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...

, which depicted a griffin

Griffin

The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle...

 already in the late 12th century. The first verifiable use of the griffin as the dynasty's heraldic beast occurred in a seal of Casimir II, Duke of Pomerania

Casimir II, Duke of Pomerania

Casimir II was the duke of Pomerania-Demmin from 1187 until his death. He was succeeded by Wartislaw III, Casimir's son with princess Ingardis of Denmark....

, which showed a griffin within a shield. This seal was attached to a 1194 document.

Wartislaw I, from 1121 to 1135 a vassal of Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth of Poland, was the first known non-legendary member of the family. As Pomerania

Pomerania

Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...

's neighbors sought to take over the rule from the Griffins, the dynasty was in constant need of allies, leading to various intermarriages with other noble houses, especially those of neighboring Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

, Rügen

Principality of Rugia

The Principality of Rugia or Principality of Rügen was a Danish principality consisting of the island of Rügen and the adjacent mainland from 1168 until 1325. It was governed by a local dynasty of princes of the Wizlawiden dynasty...

, Mecklenburg

Mecklenburg

Mecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...

, Brandenburg

Margraviate of Brandenburg

The Margraviate of Brandenburg was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806. Also known as the March of Brandenburg , it played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe....

 and Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

. The most prominent Griffin was Eric of Pomerania

Eric of Pomerania

Eric of Pomerania KG was King Eric III of Norway Norwegian Eirik, King Eric VII of Denmark , and as Eric King of Sweden...

, king of the Kalmar Union

Kalmar Union

The Kalmar Union is a historiographical term meaning a series of personal unions that united the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway , and Sweden under a single monarch, though intermittently and with a population...

. Due to close connections to Poland, Casimir IV, Duke of Pomerania, the grandson of last Piast Polish king Casimir III the Great was a candidate to the throne of Poland in 14th century. The last Griffin ruler of Pomerania was Duke Bogislaw XIV, who abdicated in 1634. Another prominent member of the dynasty was Duchess Anna von Croy, daughter of Duke Bogislaw XIII, who died in 1660.

After vassalage to Poland, the dynasty entered Henry the Lion

Henry the Lion

Henry the Lion was a member of the Welf dynasty and Duke of Saxony, as Henry III, from 1142, and Duke of Bavaria, as Henry XII, from 1156, which duchies he held until 1180....

's Duchy of Saxony

Duchy of Saxony

The medieval Duchy of Saxony was a late Early Middle Ages "Carolingian stem duchy" covering the greater part of Northern Germany. It covered the area of the modern German states of Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saxony-Anhalt and most of Schleswig-Holstein...

 in 1164 and the Holy Roman Empire

Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...

 in 1181 except for a Danish period from the late 1180s to 1227.

Origins and branches

The origins of the Griffins are not clear. Most theories derive them from either local Slavic nobility or a cadet branch of Polish house of Piasts. Medieaval Polish chronicler Jan Długosz connected them with Polish noble family of Świebodzice, who also used a griffin

Griffin

The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle...

 as their coat-of-arms.

In the 17th century, the Griffins derived their roots from legendary persons called Gryphus or Baltus.

The first known members of the Griffins were the brothers Wartislaw I

Wartislaw I, Duke of Pomerania

Wartislaw I was the first historical ruler of the Duchy of Pomerania and the founder of the Griffin dynasty....

 and Ratibor I

Ratibor I, Duke of Pomerania

Ratibor I of the House of Pomerania was Duke of Pomerania. He was married to Pribislawa, and was the ancestor of the Ratiborides sideline of the Griffins....

. Wartislaw would be the ancestor of the line of dukes that ruled the Duchy of Pomerania until 1630; Ratibor would be the ancestor of the Ratiborides branch of the Griffins, that was to rule the lands of Schlawe-Stolp until the line went extinct and the area was incorporated in the Duchy of Pomerania. The first known member of the Swantiborides branch of the Griffins, notable for as castellans of Pomeranian cities, was Wartislaw (II) Swantiboriz.

Wartislaw I to Bogislaw IV and Otto I

1. Wartislaw I († between 1134 and 1148)
   1. Bogislaw I (* about 1130; † 1187) ∞ (I) Walburgis († 1177), daughter of Valdemar I of Denmark
      Valdemar I of Denmark
      Valdemar I of Denmark , also known as Valdemar the Great, was King of Denmark from 1157 until 1182.-Biography:...
      
      ;
      (II) Anastasia, daughter of Mieszko III of Poland and Eudoxia of Kiev
      1. (I) Ratibor (* 1160; † 1183) ∞ Salome, daughter of Mieszko III of Poland and Eudoxia of Kiev
      2. (I) Wartislaw II.
         Wartislaw II, Duke of Pomerania
         Wartislaw II was a duke of Pomerania-Demmin. He either was a son of Bogislaw I and Walburga of Denmark, or Wartislaw of the Swantiboride sideline of the Griffins, castellan of Szczecin....
         
          (* 1160; † 1184) ∞ Sophia, daughter of Bolesław IV. of Poland
      3. (II) Bogislaw II. (* um 1177; † 1220) ∞ Miroslawa (†1233) , Daughter of Mestwin I of Pomerelia and Swinislawa
         1. Woislawa († 1229)
         2. Barnim I (* ca. 1217/19; † 1278) ∞ (I) Marianne, Daughter of William of Lüneburg and Helene of Denmark
            (II) Margarete of Brunswick
            (III) Mathilde (Mechthild) († 1316), Daughter of Otto III of Brandenburg and Beatrix of Böhmen
            1. (I) Anastasia (* 1245; † 1317) ∞ Henry I. of Mecklenburg (1230–1302)
            2. (II) Bogislaw IV (*1258; † 1309) --> Pomerania-Wolgast, see section below
            3. (III) Barnim II (* about 1277; † 1295)
            4. (III) Otto I.
               Otto I, Duke of Pomerania
               Otto I was Duke of Pomerania-Stettin.Youngest, and probably posthumous, son of Duke Barnim I and his third wife, Mechtild of Brandenburg, Otto became titular co-ruler at his birth, along with his elder half-brother Barnim II and his much older half-brother Bogislaw IV.Bogislaw was effectively sole...
               
                (* about 1279; † 1344) --> Pomerania-Stettin, see section below
            5. (III) Miroslawa († 1328) ∞ Nikolaus I of Schwerin
            6. (III) Beatrix († 1300 or 1315) ∞ Henry II of Werle
            7. (?) Dobroslawa ∞ Jaczo of Salzwedel
      4. (II) Casimir II.
         Casimir II, Duke of Pomerania
         Casimir II was the duke of Pomerania-Demmin from 1187 until his death. He was succeeded by Wartislaw III, Casimir's son with princess Ingardis of Denmark....
         
          (* ca 1180, † 1219) ∞ Ingardis of Denmark
         1. Wartislaw III(* ca 1210; † 1264) ∞ Sophia
         2. Elisabeth († 1222)
      5. (II) Dobroslawa (* before 1187, † ca 1226)
   2. Casimir I.
      Casimir I, Duke of Pomerania
      Casimir I was duke of Pomerania since his uncle Ratibor I's death in 1155/56. A son of Wartislaw I, he co-ruled Pomerania with his older brother Bogislaw I, receiving Pomerania-Demmin as his share just as Bogislaw received Pomerania-Stettin, and ruling the remainder in common.After the lost 1164...
      
       (* after 1130; † 1180) ∞ Pritolawa
2. Ratibor I († 1156) --> Ratiborides
3. Swantibor --> Swantiborides

Bogislaw IV to Bogislaw X (Pomerania-Wolgast, -Barth, and -Stolp)

1. Bogislaw IV (*1258; † 1309) ∞ (I) Mechthild († vor 1309), Daughter of John I of Brandenburg and Jutta of Saxony
   Jutta of Saxony
   Jutta of Saxony was a Danish Queen consort, spouse of King Eric IV of Denmark. Jutta was the daughter of Albert I, Duke of Saxony. She married king Erik in 1239, and became junior queen consort, since her husband was junior king, even though there were no senior queen at the time...
   
    
   (II) Margareta, (Daughter of Wizlaw II of Rügen and Agnes of Brandenburg
   Agnes of Brandenburg
   Agnes of Brandenburg was a Danish Queen consort, spouse of King Eric V of Denmark. As a widow, she served as the regent of Denmark for her son Eric during his minority from 1286 until 1293.- Biography :...
   
   
   1. (II) Euphemia of Pomerania
      Euphemia of Pomerania
      Euphemia of Pomerania was a Danish Queen consort, spouse of King Christopher II of Denmark. She was the daughter of Bogislaw IV, Duke of Pomerania and his second wife, Magarete of Rügen.Euphemia wed Christopher in 1300...
      
       (1289–1330) ∞ Christopher II of Denmark
      Christopher II of Denmark
      Christopher II was king of Denmark from 1320 to 1326 and again from 1329 until his death. He was son of Eric V. His name is connected with national disaster, as his rule ended in an almost total dissolution of the Danish state.-Biography:Being the brother of King Eric VI, Christopher was a...
      
      
   2. (II) Margareta (1287–1337) ∞ (I) Nikolaus of Rostock († 1314), (II) John of Ścinawa († 1365)
   3. (II) Wartislaw IV (* before 1290; † 1326) ∞ Elisabeth of Lindau-Ruppin (?)
      1. Bogislaw V
         Bogislaw V, Duke of Pomerania
         Bogislaw V was a Duke of Pomerania.Eldest son of Duke Wartislaw IV and Elisabeth of Silesia, Bogislaw had two brothers, Barnim IV and Wartislaw V. The brothers were joint rulers from their father's death in 1326. They allied with King Casimir III of Poland, whose daughter Elisabeth married...
         
         -Stolp (* ca 1318; † 1373/74) ∞ (I) Elisabeth of Poland
         Elisabeth of Poland
         Elisabeth of Poland was Queen consort of Hungary and regent of Poland. She is also known as Elisabeth of Kujavia and Elisabeth Piast.-Early life:...
         
         , daughter of Casimir III of Poland
         Casimir III of Poland
         Casimir III the Great , last King of Poland from the Piast dynasty , was the son of King Władysław I the Elbow-high and Hedwig of Kalisz.-Biography:...
         
          and Anna of Lithuania
         (II) Adelheid of Brunswick-Grubenhagen, daughter of Ernest I of Brunswick-Grubenhagen
         Ernest I, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen
         Ernest I of Brunswick-Grubenhagen was Prince of Brunswick-Grubenhagen.- Life :He was the son of Henry I, the Admirable and his wife Agnes, née Countess of Meissen. Henry the Admirable founded the Principality of Grubenhagen in 1291, after the Guelph princes had divided their inheritance...
         
          and Adelheid of Everstein
         1. (I) Casimir IV (* ~ 1351; † 2.1.1377) ∞ (I) Johanna (Kenna) († 1368), daughter of Olgierd of Lithuania and Mary of Witebsk
            (II) Margareta († 1409), daughter of Siemowit III of Masovia
            Siemowit III of Masovia
            Siemowit III of Masovia was a prince of Masovia and a co-regent of the lands of Warsaw, Czersk, Rawa, Gostynin and other parts of Masovia.- Life :...
            
             and Eufemia of Toppau
         2. (I) Elisabeth of Pomerania (* 1347; † 15.2.1393) ∞ Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
            Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
            Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
            
            
         3. (I) Daughter 2
         4. (II) Wartislaw VII (* 1363/64; † 1395) ∞ Maria of Mecklenburg, daughter of Henry III of Mecklenburg
            Henry III, Duke of Mecklenburg
            Henry III, Duke of Mecklenburg was Duke of Mecklenburg from 1379 until his death.- Life :Henry was the first son of Duke Albert II of Mecklenburg and his wife Euphemia of Sweden, the sister of King Magnus II of Sweden....
            
            
            1. Eric (Bogislaw) of Pomerania
               Eric of Pomerania
               Eric of Pomerania KG was King Eric III of Norway Norwegian Eirik, King Eric VII of Denmark , and as Eric King of Sweden...
               
                (* 1382; † 1459) ∞ Philippa, daughter of Henry IV (England).
            2. Catherine of Pomerania (* ca 1390; † 4.3.1426) ∞ John of Pfalz-Neumarkt
               1. Christopher III of Denmark
         5. (II) Bogislaw VIII (* ca 1364; † 11.2.1418) ∞ Sophie of Holstein
            1. Bogislaw IX (* 1407/10; † 7.12.1446) ∞ Maria of Masovia, daughter of Siemowit IV of Masovia and Alexandra of Lithuania
               Alexandra of Lithuania
               Alexandra was the youngest daughter of Grand Duke of Lithuania Algirdas and his second wife Uliana of Tver. In 1387 Alexandra married Siemowit IV, Duke of Masovia...
               
               
               1. Sophia (* ca 1435; † 24.8.1497) ∞ Eric II, Duke of Pomerania
                  Eric II, Duke of Pomerania
                  Eric II or Erich II, of the House of Pomerania , , was Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast from 1457 to 1474. He was the son of Wartislaw IX of Pomerania-Wolgast and Sophia of Saxe-Lauenburg Eric II or Erich II, of the House of Pomerania (Griffins), (between 1418 and 1425 – 1474), was Duke of...
                  
                  -Wolgast
               2. Alexandra
         6. (II) Barnim V
            Barnim V
            Barnim V was one of the Dukes of Pomerania. He was the son of Bogislaw V. He ruled over parts of Pomerania-Stolp; first the territories near Stargard Szczeciński, and in his last years, 1402–1403, he co-ruled Pomerania-Stolp with his brother, Duke of Pomerania.Sources on the exact date of his...
            
             (* 1369; † 1402/04)
         7. (II) Margareta
      2. Barnim IV
         Barnim IV, Duke of Pomerania
         Barnim IV of Pomerania was a Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast-Rügen.He was the second son of Duke Wartislaw of Pomerania-Wolgast and the brother of Bogislaw V and Wartislaw V....
         
          (* 1325; † 22.8.1365) ∞ Sophie, daughter of John II of Werle
         John II of Werle
         John II, Lord of Werle[-Güstrow] nicknamed The Bald , was from 1309 to 1316 co-regent of Werle and from 1316 to 1337 Lord of Werle-Güstrow. He was the second eldest son of John I of Werle and Sophie of Lindau-Ruppin....
         
         
         1. Wartislaw VI
            Wartislaw VI, Duke of Pomerania
            Wartislaw VI of Pomarania was the eldest son of the Duke Barnim IV of Pomerania-Wolgast-Rügen....
            
             (* ca 1345; † 1394) ∞ Anna, daughter of John I, Duke of Mecklenburg-Stargard
            John I, Duke of Mecklenburg-Stargard
            John I, Duke of Mecklenburg [-Stargard] , was from 1344 to 1352 Duke of Mecklenburg and from 1352 to 1392 Duke of Mecklenburg-Stargard.- Family :...
            
            
            1. Barnim VI (* ca 1365; † 1404) ∞ Veronica of Hohenzollern
               1. Wartislaw IX
                  Wartislaw IX, Duke of Pomerania
                  Duke Wartislaw IX of Pomerania-Wolgast was the eldest son of the Duke Barnim VI, Duke of Pomerania and Veronica of Hohenzollern. He reigned from 1417 until his death in 1457 and he married to Sophia of Saxe-Lauenburg-Ratzeburg in 1420...
                  
                   (* um 1400; † 1457) ∞ Sophia of Saxe-Lauenburg, daughter of Eric IV
                  1. Eric II.
                     Eric II, Duke of Pomerania
                     Eric II or Erich II, of the House of Pomerania , , was Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast from 1457 to 1474. He was the son of Wartislaw IX of Pomerania-Wolgast and Sophia of Saxe-Lauenburg Eric II or Erich II, of the House of Pomerania (Griffins), (between 1418 and 1425 – 1474), was Duke of...
                     
                      (* ca 1425; † 1474) ∞ Sophia († 1497), daughter Bogislaw IX of Pomerania-Stolp
                     1. Bogislaw X (* 1454; † 1523)
                     2. Casimir VII. (VI.) (* ca 1455; † 1474)
                     3. Wartislaw XI (after 1465–1475)
                     4. Barnim († 1474)
                     5. Elisabeth, Priorin in Verchen abbey († 1516)
                     6. Sophia, (* 1460, † 1504) ∞ Magnus II of Mecklenburg
                     7. Margarete († 1526), married to Balthasar of Mecklenburg
                        Balthasar, Duke of Mecklenburg
                        Balthasar of Mecklenburg was Duke of Mecklenburg, Coadjutor and administrator of the Diocese of Hildesheim and the Diocese of Schwerin from 1474 to 1479....
                        
                        
                     8. Catherine (ca. 1465–1526), ∞ Duke Henry IV of Brunswick and Lunenburg
                        Henry IV, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
                        Henry , Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, called Henry the Elder or Henry the Evil, was prince of Wolfenbüttel from 1491 until his death.-Life:...
                        
                         (1463–1514), Prince of Wolfenbüttel
                        Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
                        The Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was a subdivision of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, whose history was characterised by numerous divisions and reunifications. Various dynastic lines of the House of Welf ruled Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel until the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806...
                        
                        
                     9. Mary, Äbtissin of Wollin († 1512)
                  2. Wartislaw X
                     Wartislaw X, Duke of Pomerania
                     Duke Wartislaw X of Pomerania was the second son of Duke Wartislaw IX of Pomerania and his wife, Sophia of Saxe-Lauenburg....
                     
                      (* ca 1435; † 1478) ∞ (I) Elisabeth
                     Elisabeth of Brandenburg (1425-1465)
                     Elizabeth of Brandenburg was a princess of Brandenburg by birth and marriage Duchess of Pomerania.- Life :...
                     
                      († 1465), widow of Joachim of Pommern-Stettin, daughter of John of Brandenburg-Kulmbach
                     John, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach
                     John, nicknamed the Alchemist was a Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach and served as the peace-loving Margrave of Brandenburg after the abdication of his father, Frederick I, the first member of the House of Hohenzollern to rule Brandenburg.-Biography:John was the eldest son of Frederick I,...
                     
                     
                     (II) Magdalena of Mecklenburg, widow of Count Burkhard of Barby
                     1. (I) Swantibor († 1464)
                     2. (I) Ertmar († 1464)
                  3. Elisabeth
                  4. Christoph
               2. Barnim VII
                  Barnim VII, Duke of Pomerania
                  Barnim VII was the son of Duke Barnim VI, Duke of Pomerania. He was from 1425 Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast-Demmin and later also Duke of Pomerania-Barth. He supported his brother Wartislaw IX, Duke of Pomerania against Brandenburg.- References :...
                  
                   (* um 1390; † 1450)
               3. Elisabeth, Äbtissin of Kammin
            2. Wartislaw VIII
               Wartislaw VIII, Duke of Pomerania
               Wartislaw VIII was a duke of Pomerania from the House of Griffins house. He ruled in Pomerania-Wolgast from 1394 together with his brother Barnim VI...
               
                ∞ Agnes of Saxe-Lauenburg, daughter of Eric IV of Saxe-Lauenburg
               1. Barnim VIII.
                  Barnim VIII, Duke of Pomerania
                  Barnim VIII, Duke of Pomerania was Duke of Pomerania -Wolgast-Barth.Barnim VIII was the son of Duke Wartislaw VIII of Pomerania-Wolgast...
                  
                   (* ca 1406, † 1451) ∞ Anna of Wunstorf
                  1. Agnes (1434–1512) ∞ (I) 1449 Frederick of Altmark
                     Frederick of Altmark
                     Frederick III of Brandenburg, nicknamed the Fat, also the Younger was Margrave of the Brandenburg and Lord of the Altmark.- Life :...
                     
                      (the Fat)
                     (II) 1478 George II of Anhalt-Zerbst
                     George II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
                     George II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Dessau....
                     
                     
            3. Sophie ∞ Henry I of Brunswick
               Henry the Mild, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
               Henry of Brunswick-Lüneburg , Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, called Henry the Mild, was prince of Lüneburg from 1388 to 1409 jointly with his brother Bernard I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, from 1400 to 1409 also of Wolfenbüttel, and from 1409 until his death sole prince of Lüneburg.Henry was the...
               
               
         2. Bogislaw VI
            Bogislaw VI, Duke of Pomerania
            Bogislaw VI, Duke of Pomerania was duke of Pomerania-Wolgast.In 1365, after the death of his father, Bogislaw IV, he ruled Pomerania jointly with his brother Wartislaw VI. As they were both minors, they stood under the guardianship of their uncle Bogislaw V, who died in 1374...
            
            
         3. Elisabeth ∞ Magnus I of Mecklenburg
            Magnus I, Duke of Mecklenburg
            Magnus I, Duke of Mecklenburg was Duke of Mecklenburg from 1383 until his death. Magnus was the third son of Duke Albert II of Mecklenburg and his wife Euphemia, the sister of the King Magnus Eriksson of Sweden...
            
            
      3. Wartislaw V
         Wartislaw V, Duke of Pomerania
         Wartislaw V. was a duke of Pomerania from the House of Griffins. He initially ruled Pomerania-Wolgast jointly with his elder brothers Barnim IV and Bogislaw V. He stood in their shadow and after 1368, he ruled his own part of the Duchy: the Land of Neustettin...
         
         
   4. (II) Jutta (1290–1336), Äbtissin in Krummin abbey
   5. (II) Elisabeth (1291–1349) ∞ Eric I of Saxe-Lauenburg

Otto I to Otto III (Pomerania-Stettin)

1. Otto I
   Otto I, Duke of Pomerania
   Otto I was Duke of Pomerania-Stettin.Youngest, and probably posthumous, son of Duke Barnim I and his third wife, Mechtild of Brandenburg, Otto became titular co-ruler at his birth, along with his elder half-brother Barnim II and his much older half-brother Bogislaw IV.Bogislaw was effectively sole...
   
    (* ca 1279; † 1344) ∞ Elisabeth (*1281), daughter of Gerhard II of Holstein and Ingeborg of Sweden
   1. Barnim III (before 1300; † 24.08.1368) ∞ Agnes (1318–1371), daughter of Henry II, Duke of Brunswick-Lunenburg (Grubenhagen)
      Henry II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
      Henry II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, , also called de Graecia or Henry the Peaceful, was the eldest son of Henry I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg....
      
      
      1. Otto
      2. Casimir III
         Casimir III, Duke of Pomerania
         Casimir or Kasimir III '; , oldest son of Barnim III, was one of the Dukes of Pomerania-Stettin . He died during a campaign against the Margraviate of Brandenburg in an ambush on Königsberg in 1372.-See also:*List of Pomeranian duchies and dukes*History of Pomerania*Duchy of Pomerania*House of...
         
          (* before 1348; † 1372)
      3. Swantibor I (III)
         Swantibor III, Duke of Pomerania
         Swantibor III, Duke of Pomerania, or, accoding to a different way of counting, SwantiborI. was a member of the House of Griffins, a Duke of Pomerania-Stettin] and for a while governor of the Mittelmark.- Life :...
         
          (* ca 1351; † 21.6.1413) ∞ Anna of Hohenzollern, daughter of Albrecht of Nuremberg (the Pretty)
         1. Otto II (* ca 1380; † 27.3.1428) ∞ Agnes, daughter of [John II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Stargard|]] and Wilheida of Lithuania
         2. Casimir V (VI)
            Casimir V, Duke of Pomerania
            Duke Casimir V of Pomerania was a member of the House of Griffins and a Duke of Pomerania. He ruled in Pomerania-Stettin together with his brother Otto II from 1413 to 1428...
            
             (* after 1380; † 12.4.1435) ∞ (I) Catherine of Brunswick-Lüneburg († 1429), daughter of Bernard I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Celle)
            Bernard I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
            Bernard , Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, ruled over several principalities of Brunswick-Lüneburg. In the genealogy of the House of Welf, he is considered the first member of the Second House of Lüneburg....
            
             
            (II) Elisabeth († 1451), daughter of Eric I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Grubenhagen)
            Eric I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
            Eric I, the Elder was Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg from 1495 and the reigning prince of Calenberg-Göttingen.- Ancestry :Eric I was born on 16 February 1470 in Neustadt am Rübenberge at the castle of Rovenburg....
            
            
            1. (I) Joachim the Elder (* um 1424)
            2. (I) Anna († 1447) ∞ John V of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
               John V, Duke of Mecklenburg
               John V of Mecklenburg was Duke of Mecklenburg from 1436 to 1442.John V of Mecklenburg was the son of the Duke John IV of Mecklenburg and Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg...
               
               
            3. (I) Joachim the Younger (* after 1424; † 1451) ∞ Elisabeth
               Elisabeth of Brandenburg (1425-1465)
               Elizabeth of Brandenburg was a princess of Brandenburg by birth and marriage Duchess of Pomerania.- Life :...
               
                (* 1425; † 1465), daughter of John of Brandenburg
               John, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach
               John, nicknamed the Alchemist was a Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach and served as the peace-loving Margrave of Brandenburg after the abdication of his father, Frederick I, the first member of the House of Hohenzollern to rule Brandenburg.-Biography:John was the eldest son of Frederick I,...
               
                and Barbara of Saxe-Wittenberg
               1. Otto III
                  Otto III, Duke of Pomerania
                  Otto III, Duke of Pomerania was a member of the House of Griffins and a Duke of Pomerania-Stettin.- Life :...
                  
                   (* 29.5.1444; † 10.9.1464)
         3. Albrecht
         4. Margareta
      4. Bogislaw VII (*before 1355; † 1404)
   2. Mechthild († 1331) ∞ Johann III of Werle († 1352)

Bogislaw X to Bogislaw XIV

1. Bogislaw X (* 1454; † 1523) ∞ Anna (1476–1503), daughter of Casimir IV. of Poland
   1. Sophie of Pomerania
      Sophie of Pomerania
      Sophie of Pomerania was a Queen consort of Denmark and Norway as the spouse of King Frederick I of Denmark...
      
       (* 1498, † 1568) ∞ Frederick I of Denmark
      Frederick I of Denmark
      Frederick I of Denmark and Norway was the King of Denmark and Norway. The name is also spelled Friedrich in German, Frederik in Danish, and Fredrik in Swedish and Norwegian...
      
      
   2. George I
      George I, Duke of Pomerania
      George I of Pomerania was a Duke of Pomerania from the House of Griffins.- Life :George was the eldest son of Duke Bogislaw X of Pomerania and his second wife Anna Jagiellonica, a daughter of King Casimir IV of Poland. He was named after his uncle and godfather, Duke Georg the Bearded of Saxony,...
      
       (* 1493, † 1531) ∞ (I) Amalia (* 1490; † 1525), daughter of Elector Palatine Philip
      Philip, Elector Palatine
      Philip the Upright, Elector Palatine of the Rhine was an Elector Palatine of the Rhine from the house of Wittelsbach from 1476 to 1508....
      
       and Margaret of Bavaria
      Margaret of Bavaria, Electress Palatine
      Margaret of Bavaria was a princess of Bavaria-Landshut and by marriage Princess of the Palatinate.- Life :...
      
      
      (II) Margarete of Brandenburg
      Margaret of Brandenburg
      Margaret of Brandenburg-Salzwedel was a Polish queen consort as the spouse of king Przemysł II of Poland and later a Saxon duchess consort as spouse of Albert III of Saxe-Ratzeburg...
      
      , daughter of Joachim I of Brandenburg and Elisabeth of Denmark.
      1. (I) Bogislaw (* 1514)
      2. (I) Phillip I
         Philip I, Duke of Pomerania
         Philip I of Pomerania was Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast.- Life :Philip was the only surviving son of Duke George, from his first marriage to Amalie of the Palatinate. After his mother died, on 6 January 1525, he received his education at the court of his maternal grandfather in Heidelberg...
         
          (* 1515; † 1560) ∞ Maria
         Maria of Saxony, Duchess of Pomerania
         thumb|Croÿ Carpet of 1554 or 1556Maria of Saxony was a member of the Ernestine line of the house Wettin and a Princess of Saxony by birth and by marriage a Duchess of Pomerania.- Life :...
         
          († 1583), daughter of John of Saxony
         John, Elector of Saxony
         John of Saxony , known as John the Steadfast or John the Constant, was Elector of Saxony from 1525 until 1532...
         
         
         1. Georg (died early)
         2. Erich (died early)
         3. John Frederick (* 1542; † 1600)
         4. Bogislaw XIII (* 1544; † 1606) ∞ Clara, daughter of Francis of Brunswick-Lüneburg
            1. Philip II
               Philip II, Duke of Pomerania
               Philip II, Duke of Pomerania was from 1606 to 1618 the reigning duke of Pomerania-Stettin and is considered among the one of the most artistic of the Pomeranian dukes. He married Sophia of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg in 1607...
               
                (* 1573; † 1618) ∞ Sophia, daughter of John II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg
            2. Francis
               Francis, Duke of Pomerania
               Francis of Pomerania was Duke of Pomerania-Szczecin and Bishop of Cammin.- Life :...
               
                (* 1577; † 1620) ∞ Sophia, daughter of Christian I of Saxony
            3. Bogislaw XIV (* 1580; † 1637) ∞ Elisabeth, daughter of John II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg and Elisabeth of Brunswick-Grubenhagen
            4. Ulrich (* 1589; † 1622) ∞ Hedwig of Brunswick († 1650)
            5. Anna
               Anna of Pomerania
               Anna of Pomerania was Duchess-Consort of Croy and Havré, and allodial heiress of the extinct ducal house of Pomerania....
               
                ∞ Ernest of Croy and Aerschot
               1. Ernest Bogislaw of Croy
                  Ernst Bogislaw von Croÿ
                  Ernst Bogislaw von Croÿ was a Lutheran Bishop of Kammin and official in the service of Brandenburg-Prussia.-Family:...
                  
                  
         5. Ernest Louis (* 1545, † 1592) ∞ Sophia Hedwig (1561–1631), daughter of Julius of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
            1. Hedwig Maria
            2. Elisabeth Magdalena
            3. Philipp Julius
               Philipp Julius, Duke of Pomerania
               Philipp Julius was duke of Pomerania in the Teilherzogtum Pomerania-Wolgast from 1592 to 1625.-Early life:...
               
               (* 1584, † 1625) ∞ Agnes, daughter of John George of Brandenburg.
         6. Barnim X (IX)
            Barnim X, Duke of Pomerania
            Barnim X, or according to another count Barnim XII was a duke of Pomerania and a member of the House of Griffins. He administered from 1569, the Rügenwalde district...
            
            
         7. Casimir VI (IX)
            Casimir VI, Duke of Pomerania
            Duke Casimir VI of Pomerania was a non-reigning duke of Pomerania from the House of Griffins and a Protestant Bishop of Cammin .- Life :...
            
              (* 1557, † 1605)
         8. Amalia (died unmarried)
         9. Margaret ∞ Duke Francis II of Saxe-Lauenburg
         10. Anna ∞ Ulrich of Mecklenburg-Güstrow
      3. (I) Margaret (1518–1569) ∞ Ernest III of Brunswick-Grubenhagen
         Ernest III, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen
         Ernest III of Brunswick-Grubenhagen-Herzberg , was a member of the noble family of Guelph and a duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen....
         
         
      4. (II) Georgia (* 1531; † 1574) ∞ Stanislaus Latalski Count of Latochin
   3. Anna
      Anna of Pomerania, Duchess of Lubin
      Anna of Pomerania was a Princess member of the House of Pomerania and by marriage Duchess of Brzeg....
      
       (* 1492, † 1550) ∞ George I of Silesia
      George I of Brieg
      George I of Brieg , was a Duke of Legnica during 1488-1505 and of Brzeg since 1505 until his death....
      
       of Silesia-Liegnitz
   4. Barnim (* before 1501, † before 1501)
   5. Barnim IX
      Barnim XI, Duke of Pomerania
      Barnim XI , son of Bogislaw X, Duke of Pomerania, became duke on his father's death in 1523. He ruled for a time in common with his elder brother George I; and after George's death in 1531 he shared the duchy with his nephew Philip I, retaining for himself the duchy of Pomerania-Stettin...
      
       (* 1501, † 1573)
   6. Elisabeth († before 1518)
   7. Otto (* before 1503, † before 1518)
   8. Casimir VIII (* 1494, † 1518)
   9. Christopher; probably an illegitimate son, as Junker Christopher, Tochof of Schwerin

Ratiborides

Members of the Ratiborides (Ratiboriden) branch were most probably descendants of Ratibor I

Ratibor I, Duke of Pomerania

Ratibor I of the House of Pomerania was Duke of Pomerania. He was married to Pribislawa, and was the ancestor of the Ratiborides sideline of the Griffins....

, a brother of Wartislaw I

Wartislaw I, Duke of Pomerania

Wartislaw I was the first historical ruler of the Duchy of Pomerania and the founder of the Griffin dynasty....

.
Warcisław I was a son of Swantybor Pomeranorum Dux. Info Dlugosz 335th card
Swantybor father Warcisław info historian Mikreliusz Pomerania.
Swantybor sons Ratibor and Wartislaw.Swantybor died 1107

1. Ratibor I
   Ratibor I, Duke of Pomerania
   Ratibor I of the House of Pomerania was Duke of Pomerania. He was married to Pribislawa, and was the ancestor of the Ratiborides sideline of the Griffins....
   
   
   1. Bogislaw, ∞ (I) N.N.; (II) a daughter of Miesko III of Poland
      1. (I) Bogislaw (III), ∞ another daughter of Miesko III of Poland
      2. (II ?) Ratibor II (either half-brother of Bogislaw III or cousin)

Swantiborides

The Swantiborides (Swantiboriden) were related to the Griffins, but the link remains unclear. Probably they descend from Swantibor, a Pomeranian duke overthrown in a rebellion and expelled to Poland in 1105/06. This Swantibor might have been a cousin of Swantopolk, a Pomeranian duke defeated by Boleslaw III of Poland in a campaign of 1111/12. Yet, these assumptions all remain speculative.

1. Wartislaw (II) Swantiboriz (↑ 1196), Castellan of Stettin (Szczecin
   Szczecin
   Szczecin , is the capital city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the country's seventh-largest city and the largest seaport in Poland on the Baltic Sea. As of June 2009 the population was 406,427....
   
   ) ∞ unknown wife
   1. Bartholomäus († 1219), Castellan of Gützkow
      Gützkow
      Gützkow is a town in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated 18 km south of Greifswald at the Peene River's northern bank. Gützkow was the center of the medieval County of Gützkow.-History:...
      
       ∞ unknown wife
      1. Wartislaw (* 1175/80, ↑ 1233), Castellan of Stettin, Herr von Gützkow 1219 ∞ Dobroslawa, widow of Boleslaw of Poland Prince of Kujavia, daughter of Bogislaw I
         Bogislaw I, Duke of Pomerania
         Bogislaw I of the House of Pomerania was Duke of Pomerania-Stettin from 1156 to 1187. He co-ruled the Duchy of Pomerania with his brother Casimir I of Pomerania-Demmin. His father was Wartislaw I...
         
         
         1. Bartholomäus (+ 1206/10, ↑ 1259/60)
   2. Wartislaw (↑ 1230/32), Castellan of Stettin
   3. Konrad (↑ 1233), Canon at Kammin Cathedral 1176/1186, provost 1186/1189 and 1208, Bishop of Kammin 1219
   4. Casimir (↑ 1219), Castellan of Kolberg (Kołobrzeg) ∞ unknown wife
      1. Swietoslawa / Swiatochna (↑ after 1217)
      2. Swantibor (* 1219, ↑ 1244) ∞ unknown wife
         1. Casimir (↑1277/1280), Castellan of Kolberg ∞ Miroslawa, who secondly married Johann Ramel, Castellan of Kolberg and Pomeranian counsellor 1265/1297.
      3. daughter 3 ∞ Czyrnek, Castellan of Kolberg

Griffins to become kings or queens

1. Eric of Pomerania
   Eric of Pomerania
   Eric of Pomerania KG was King Eric III of Norway Norwegian Eirik, King Eric VII of Denmark , and as Eric King of Sweden...
   
   , son of Wartislaw VII, was King of Norway
   Norway
   Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
   
    (1389–1442), elected King of Denmark
   Denmark
   Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
   
    (1396–1439), and of Sweden
   Sweden
   Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
   
    (1396–1439). He was the first king of the Nordic Kalmar Union
   Kalmar Union
   The Kalmar Union is a historiographical term meaning a series of personal unions that united the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway , and Sweden under a single monarch, though intermittently and with a population...
   
   .
2. Euphemia of Pomerania
   Euphemia of Pomerania
   Euphemia of Pomerania was a Danish Queen consort, spouse of King Christopher II of Denmark. She was the daughter of Bogislaw IV, Duke of Pomerania and his second wife, Magarete of Rügen.Euphemia wed Christopher in 1300...
   
   , daughter of Bogislaw IV, married Christopher II of Denmark
   Christopher II of Denmark
   Christopher II was king of Denmark from 1320 to 1326 and again from 1329 until his death. He was son of Eric V. His name is connected with national disaster, as his rule ended in an almost total dissolution of the Danish state.-Biography:Being the brother of King Eric VI, Christopher was a...
   
    and became queen of Denmark
   Denmark
   Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
   
   .
3. Elizabeth of Pomerania
   Elizabeth of Pomerania
   Elizabeth of Pomerania was the fourth and final wife of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and king of Bohemia. Her parents were Bogislaw V, Duke of Pomerania and Elizabeth of Poland,...
   
   , daughter of Bogislaw V, was the fourth and last wife of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
   Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
   Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
   
    and king of Bohemia. Her daughter Anne of Bohemia
   Anne of Bohemia
   Anne of Bohemia was Queen of England as the first wife of King Richard II. A member of the House of Luxembourg, she was the eldest daughter of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, and Elizabeth of Pomerania....
   
   , of Luxembourg and of Pomerania became Queen of England as a wife of King Richard II of England. She was known as a Good Queen Anne.
4. Sophie of Pomerania
   Sophie of Pomerania
   Sophie of Pomerania was a Queen consort of Denmark and Norway as the spouse of King Frederick I of Denmark...
   
   , daughter of Bogislaw X, married King Frederick I of Denmark
   Frederick I of Denmark
   Frederick I of Denmark and Norway was the King of Denmark and Norway. The name is also spelled Friedrich in German, Frederik in Danish, and Fredrik in Swedish and Norwegian...
   
    and became Queen of Denmark
   Denmark
   Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
   
    and Norway
   Norway
   Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
   
   .

Sources

• Edward Rymar: Rodowód książąt pomorskich, Szczecin 1995.

• Martin Wehrmann: Genealogie des pommerschen Fürstenhauses. Veröffentlichungen the landesgeschichtlichen Forschungsstelle für Pommern, Reihe 1, Bd. 5. Leon Saunier, Stettin 1937.
• Martin Wehrmann: Geschichte von Pommern. Weltbild Verlag 1992, Reprint der Ausgaben von 1919 und 1921, ISBN 3-89350-112-6
• Udo Madsen: Die Greifen - Das herzogliche Geschlecht von Pommern

External links

• http://www.genemaas.net/Pommern.htm
• Rulers of Pomerania
• Greifen, Herzöge von Pommern