Samborides
Encyclopedia
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...
. They were first documented about 1155 as governors (princeps) in the eastern Pomerelia
Pomerelia
Pomerelia is a historical region in northern Poland. Pomerelia lay in eastern Pomerania: on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea and west of the Vistula and its delta. The area centered on the city of Gdańsk at the mouth of the Vistula...
n lands serving the royal Piast dynasty
Piast dynasty
The Piast dynasty was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. It began with the semi-legendary Piast Kołodziej . The first historical ruler was Duke Mieszko I . The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir the Great...
of Poland, and from 1227 ruled as autonomous princes until 1294, at which time the dynasty died out. The subsequent war for succession between the Polish Piast dynasty
Piast dynasty
The Piast dynasty was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. It began with the semi-legendary Piast Kołodziej . The first historical ruler was Duke Mieszko I . The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir the Great...
, the Imperial Margraviate of 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 the State of the Teutonic Order resulted in the Teutonic takeover of Danzig (Gdańsk)
Teutonic takeover of Danzig (Gdansk)
The city of Danzig was captured by the State of the Teutonic Order on 13 November 1308, resulting in a massacre of its inhabitants and marking the beginning of tensions between Poland and the Teutonic Order. Originally the knights moved into the fortress as an ally of Poland against the...
in 1308.
Geography
The dynasty's dominion, Pomerelia, roughly corresponded with the area of today's Pomeranian VoivodeshipPomeranian Voivodeship
Pomeranian Voivodeship, or Pomerania Province , is a voivodeship, or province, in north-central Poland. It comprises most of Pomerelia , as well as an area east of the Vistula River...
in northern 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 Samborides from 1227 used the Medieval Latin
Medieval Latin
Medieval Latin was the form of Latin used in the Middle Ages, primarily as a medium of scholarly exchange and as the liturgical language of the medieval Roman Catholic Church, but also as a language of science, literature, law, and administration. Despite the clerical origin of many of its authors,...
title dux Pomeraniae; their Duchy of Pomerelia was therefore referred to as "Duchy of Pomerania", even though there was another 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 ....
to the west, ruled by the House of Griffins
House of Pomerania
The House of Griffins or House of Pomerania, , also known as House of Greifen; House of Gryf, was a dynasty of Royal dukes that ruled the Duchy of Pomerania from the 12th century until 1637, after their power was temporarily derivated to Prussian Royal House...
, who likewise bore the title "Dukes of Pomerania".
In Polish usage, where the term Pomorze (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...
) tends to be associated with the entire strip of land on the Baltic coast
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
between the Vistula
Vistula
The Vistula is the longest and the most important river in Poland, at 1,047 km in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is , of which lies within Poland ....
river in the east the and Recknitz
Recknitz
The Recknitz is a river in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in northeastern Germany. The Recknitz's glacial valley stretches as far south as the heights at Glasewitz near Güstrow. The river has no definite source, but rather builds up from streams and drainage ditches...
in the west, the distinction is achieved by the use of Pomorze Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
ie for Pomerelia, and Pomorze Szczecińskie
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....
for the former Griffin duchy, to whom the title "Duke of Pomerania" and the term "Duchy of Pomerania" would be used exclusively after the Samborides' extinction.
During the rule of Duke Swietopelk II, Samboride holdings spread from Słupsk in the west going east across the Vistula River including Żuławy Gdańskie (Danziger Werder), and in the south bordered the Polish dukedoms of Greater Poland
Greater Poland
Greater Poland or Great Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska is a historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief city is Poznań.The boundaries of Greater Poland have varied somewhat throughout history...
and Kuyavia
Kuyavia
Kujawy , is a historical and ethnographic region in the north-central Poland, situated in the basin of the middle Vistula and upper Noteć Rivers, with its capital in Włocławek.-Etymology:The origin of the name Kujawy was seen differently in history...
, the Noteć
Notec
Noteć is a river in central Poland with a length of 388 km and a basin area of 17,330 km². It is a tributary of the Warta river and lies completely within Poland....
(Netze) river being the border.
Origins
The Polish name "House of Sobieslaw" derives from Duke Sobieslaw ISobieslaw I, Duke of Pomerania
Sobieslaw I or Subislaw I was the first recorded Duke of Pomerelia of the Samborides dynasty....
, steward for the Piast dukes of Greater Poland
Greater Poland
Greater Poland or Great Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska is a historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief city is Poznań.The boundaries of Greater Poland have varied somewhat throughout history...
in Pomerelia, while "Samborides" as used in English and German derives from his probable son and successor, Duke Sambor I. According to traditional historiography the first certain princeps of Pomerelia was Sambor, as the records concerning Sobieslaw I stems from the 15th century Oliwa
Oliwa
Oliwa, also Oliva is one of the quarters of Gdańsk. From east it borders Przymorze and Żabianka, from the north Sopot and from the south with the districts of Strzyża, VII Dwór and Brętowo, while from the west with Matarnia and Osowa...
chronicle of the 15th century seemed not reiliable. Polish historians however do not share this reservation and have been using his father as the name for the dynasty.
During the conquest of the Pomeranian lands between 1113 and 1121, the Polish duke Bolesław III Wrymouth about 1116 had installed governors ruling in the Pomerelian lands, probably the ancestors of Sobieslaw I. An affiliation with the Pomeranian dukes Zemuzil
Zemuzil, Duke of Pomerania
Zemuzil, Siemomysł or Siemosił is the first historically verifiable Duke of Pomerania, recorded in 1046 in the Annals of Niederaltaich .-Historical record:...
and Świętobor
Świętobor, Duke of Pomerania
Świętobor was a Pomeranian duke of 11th and 12th century. According to Gesta principum Polonorum of the chronicler Gallus Anonymus, he was a relative of king of Poland, Bolesław III Wrymouth. In one particular instance, Świętobor was imprisoned by his rivals and Bolesław set out with military aid...
or a relation with the Polish Piast dynasty has never been conclusively established.
The most important duke was Swietopelk II who in Kashubian
Kashubians
Kashubians/Kaszubians , also called Kashubs, Kashubes, Kaszubians, Kassubians or Cassubians, are a West Slavic ethnic group in Pomerelia, north-central Poland. Their settlement area is referred to as Kashubia ....
traditional history carries the nickname "the Great". Swietopelk received Pomerelia as vassaldom from his suzerain, the Polish High Duke Leszek I the White
Leszek I the White
Leszek I the White , also listed by some sources as Leszek II the White, was Prince of Sandomierz and High Duke of Poland from 1194 until his death, except for the short periods following when he was deposed as Polish ruler...
of the Piast dynasty in 1216 or 1217. Perhaps acting in concert with the Piast prince Władysław Odonic of Greater Poland he benefited from his ally action when they had High Duke Leszek I and Duke Henry I the Bearded
Henry I the Bearded
Henry I the Bearded , of the Silesian line of the Piast dynasty, was Duke of Silesia at Wrocław from 1201 and Duke of Kraków and thus High Duke of all Poland - internally divided - from 1232 until his death.-Heir of Wroclaw:...
of Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
kidnapped and then Leszek murdered during the Gąsawa
Gasawa
thumb|left|100 px|Coat of arms of Gąsawa.thumb|left|St. Nicolas church in Gąsawa: main altarGąsawa called Gmina Gąsawa. It lies approximately south of Żnin and south-west of Bydgoszcz...
Piast assembly in 1227. As a result Swietopelk declared himself an independent ruler and dux of Pomerania.
Swietopelk II was the greatest military commander of the dynasty, having defeated various armies of Piast, Prussian, Danish, German and Griffite invaders during his long reign. He was the first Polish (Slavic) ruler who actively was challenged and fought military campaigns the Teutonic Order and many times aided the pagan Prussians
Old Prussians
The Old Prussians or Baltic Prussians were an ethnic group, autochthonous Baltic tribes that inhabited Prussia, the lands of the southeastern Baltic Sea in the area around the Vistula and Curonian Lagoons...
against the Order and Piast princes carrying crusading campaigns against them. His brothers Sambor II
Sambor II, Duke of Pomerania
Sambor II of Tczew was a duke of Pomerania and prince of Lubiszewo Tczewskie.Sambor was a son of Mestwin I, Duke of Pomerania, and member of the Samborides. He was married to Mechtild of Mecklenburg. His daughter, Margaret Sambiria, became Queen of Denmark in 1248 by marriage with Christopher I of...
and Ratibor ceded some of their holdings to the Teutonic Knights allowing the Order State to get a first important foothold on the right bank of the Vistula River.
Swietopelk's son and last Samboride ruler Mestwin II fought various traditional enemies, including the Teutonic Order, and as a matter of necessity when fighting for his throne became a vassal of the Ascanian margraves of Brandenburg by signing the Treaty of Arnswalde
Treaty of Arnswalde
In the Treaty of Choszczno , signed on 1 April 1269, the Brandenburgian Margraves of the House of Ascania John II, Otto IV and Conrad signed a treaty with Duke Mestwin II of Pomerania in Choszczno...
in 1269. In 1282 however he concluded an inheritance agreement at Kępno
Kepno
Kępno is a town in Poland. It lies on the outskirts of the Greater Poland Voivodeship, as it borders on Silesia and the Łódz Land, at the crossing point of two transport routes: north to south and east to west . As of December 31, 2009 Kępno had a population of 14,760...
with Duke Przemysł II of Greater Poland, King of Poland from 1295, who upon his death incorporated Pomerelia into the Lands of the Polish Crown.
Samborides ancestry
- Sobieslaw ISobieslaw I, Duke of PomeraniaSobieslaw I or Subislaw I was the first recorded Duke of Pomerelia of the Samborides dynasty....
(Subislaw I), princeps of PomereliaPomereliaPomerelia is a historical region in northern Poland. Pomerelia lay in eastern Pomerania: on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea and west of the Vistula and its delta. The area centered on the city of Gdańsk at the mouth of the Vistula...
about 1155–1177/79- Sambor I, princeps of Pomerelia 1177/79–1205
- Sobieslaw II (Subislaw II), died about 1217/23, under tutelage
- Mestwin I the Peaceful, princeps of Pomerelia 1205–1220
- Miroslawa, ∞ Duke Bogislaw II of PomeraniaDuchy of PomeraniaThe Duchy of Pomerania was a duchy in Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, ruled by dukes of the House of Pomerania ....
- Swietopelk II the Great, princeps of Pomerelia from 1220, Duke of Pomerelia at Gdańsk 1227-1266
- Mestwin II, Duke of Pomerelia at Świecie from 1255, last Duke of Pomerelia 1270–1294, ∞ Jutta, daughter of Count Dietrich I of BrehnaBrehnaBrehna is a town and a former municipality in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 July 2009, it is part of the town Sandersdorf-Brehna.It is situated southwest of Bitterfeld. Important in this city is the church...
and Wettin- Katharina, ∞ Duke Pribislaw II of MecklenburgMecklenburgMecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
-ParchimParchimParchim is a town in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is the capital of the Ludwigslust-Parchim district. It was the birthplace of Moltke, to whom a monument was erected in 1876. Founded about 1210, one branch of the family of the duke of Mecklenburg residence in Parchim during part of the 14th...
, Lord of Białogard - Euphemia, ∞ Count Adolph V of HolsteinHolsteinHolstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
-SegebergSegebergSegeberg is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Pinneberg, Steinburg and Rendsburg-Eckernförde, the city of Neumünster, the districts of Plön, Ostholstein and Stormarn, and the city state of Hamburg.-History:The history of the district is connected with the...
- Katharina, ∞ Duke Pribislaw II of Mecklenburg
- Wratislaw II, Duke of Pomerelia at Gdańsk 1266-1270
- Mestwin II, Duke of Pomerelia at Świecie from 1255, last Duke of Pomerelia 1270–1294, ∞ Jutta, daughter of Count Dietrich I of Brehna
- HedwigHedwig (wife of Władysław Odonic)Hedwig , was by marriage Duchess of Greater Poland.Her parentage is disputed among historians and sources. Among the possible origins for Hedwig include:...
, ∞ Duke Władysław Odonic of Greater Poland - Witosława, prioress of ŻukowoZukowoŻukowo is a town in Kartuzy County, in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of northern Poland, with 6,236 inhabitants . It is located along the Radunia river in the historic Pomerelia region, about southwest of Gdańsk....
Abbey - Wratislaw I, Duke of Pomerelia at ŚwiecieSwiecieŚwiecie is a town in northern Poland with 25,968 inhabitants , situated in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship ; it was previously in Bydgoszcz Voivodeship . It is the capital of Świecie County.-History:...
1227-1233 - Sambor IISambor II, Duke of PomeraniaSambor II of Tczew was a duke of Pomerania and prince of Lubiszewo Tczewskie.Sambor was a son of Mestwin I, Duke of Pomerania, and member of the Samborides. He was married to Mechtild of Mecklenburg. His daughter, Margaret Sambiria, became Queen of Denmark in 1248 by marriage with Christopher I of...
, Duke of Pomerelia at LubiszewoLubiszewo TczewskieLubiszewo Tczewskie is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Tczew, within Tczew County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It lies approximately south-west of Tczew and south of the regional capital Gdańsk....
(Liebschau) 1233–1269, ∞ Mechthild, daughter of Prince Henry Borwin II of MecklenburgMecklenburgMecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
- Sobieslaw III (Subislaw III), died 1254
- Margaret SambiriaMargaret SambiriaMargaret Sambiria, in Danish: Margrethe Sambiria or Sambirsdatter, was the Queen consort of Christopher I of Denmark, and acted as regent for Eric V of Denmark...
, ∞ King Christopher I of DenmarkChristopher I of DenmarkChristopher I was King of Denmark between 1252 and 1259. He was the son of Valdemar II of Denmark by his wife, Infanta Berengária of Portugal. He succeeded his brothers Eric IV Plovpenning and Abel of Denmark on the throne. Christopher was elected King upon the death of his older brother Abel in... - Gertrude, unmarried
- Euphemia ∞ Duke Bolesław II the Bald of Silesia
- Salome ∞ Prince Ziemomysł of KuyaviaZiemomysł of KuyaviaZiemomysł of Kuyavia was Prince of Kuyavia from 1267-1271 and 1278-1287. He was a member of the large House of Piast- Early life :...
- Jolanthe
- Ratibor, Duke of Pomerelia at Białogarda 1233-1262
- Miroslawa, ∞ Duke Bogislaw II of Pomerania
- Sambor I, princeps of Pomerelia 1177/79–1205
See also
- List of Pomeranian duchies and dukes