Casimir II (Duke of Pomerania)

Representative of the Grifich dynasty. The youngest son of the Duke of Pomerania and Szczecin Bohuslav I and the Polish Princess Anastasia, daughter of Prince Meshko III the Old .

In 1187, after the death of Boguslav I, his sons Boguslav II and Casimir II became the new dukes of Pomerania-Szczecin. However, due to the infancy of the brothers, the Szczecin coughtier Vartislav II Svetoborovich initially possessed real power (d. 1196 ), and two years later, the Prince of Ruyan, Jaromar II , appointed by the Danish king Knud VI . For the first time, Casimir was mentioned by name in his mother’s document around 1192 .

Casimir II Pomeranian was a supporter of strengthening relations with the Kingdom of Poland. In 1205, during the Danish attack on Pomerania on the side of Casimir Pomeransky, his maternal cousin, Great Poland Prince Vladislav III Tonkonogy, joined. Later, the Greater Poland Prince met with Danish King Waldemar II , resolving disputes with him and coordinating zones of influence in Pomerania. In 1207, the archbishop of Gnieznenski Heinrich Ketlich received a papal bull on the subordination of the Cummin bishopric of Gniezno .

In 1211, after the division of the Pomeranian princedom between the brothers, Casimir II took possession of part of the territory with the capital in Demmin , and his older brother Boguslav II - the second half of Pomerania with a residence in Szczecin . The brothers ruled some lands together.

In 1211, Casimir II married Ingard, the daughter of a Danish dignitary. On the one hand, this contributed to the weakening of the Danes' raids, and on the other hand led to the intensity of attacks from the Brandenburg Margrave . In 1214, Brandenburgers invaded Pomerania and captured the city of Szczecin , which was recaptured by the Danes. Holy Roman Emperor Otto IV recognized the supreme power of Denmark over Western Pomerania. In 1205, the Danes captured and destroyed the city of Demmin , declared the dowry of Ingarda. This coincided with the transition of this territory to Casimir II and the election of Demmin as his residence.

In 1214, the brothers Boguslav II and Casimir II signed documents in which they called themselves “princes of Slavic and dukes of Pomerania”. The first independent documents relating to the Duchy of Demminsky date back to 1215 . In them, Casimir appears as "the Duke of Pomerania and the Prince of Lyutich."

In 1217, Duke Casimir II of Pomerania participated in the Fifth Crusade to Palestine. At the head of a significant part of the Pomeranian knighthood, Casimir went on a crusade. The Pomeranian flotilla united with the crusader detachments from Frisia, Scandinavia, the archbishopric of Cologne and Bremen at the end of May 1217 off the coast of Holland. The Crusaders arrived in the Holy Land in the spring of 1218 . Casimir Pomeransky participated in the siege and capture of the fortress of Damietta , and then in the defense of this fortress in 1219 . In the second half of 1219, Duke Casimir of Pomeranian returned from the crusade to his homeland.

Casimir II was married to Ingard, who was sometimes considered the daughter of King of Denmark Waldemar I and his son Knud VI . According to the Polish historian Edward Rimar, she was the daughter of the Danish dignitary Esburn and Elena (daughter of the Swedish jarl Guttorma). The couple had two children:

• Elizabeth (c. 1210 - c. 1222)
• Vartislav III (c. 1211-1264), Duke of Pomerania- Demmin (1219-1264).

Sources

• Kozłowski K., Podralski J., Gryfici. Książęta Pomorza Zachodniego , Szczecin 1985, ISBN 83-03-00530-8 .
• Rymar E., Rodowód książąt pomorskich , Szczecin 2005, ISBN 83-87879-50-9 .
• Szymański JW, Książęcy ród Gryfitów , Goleniów - Kielce 2006, ISBN 83-7273-224-8 .
• Smoliński M., Potencjalny udział oddziałów zachodniopomorskich w V krucjacie (1217?, 1219?), Świetle relacji krucjatowych Olivera z Paterborn [w]: Kozłowski K. i Rymar E. (pod red. Wziekieziezieziezieziezieziekie 2004 II . , ISBN 83-89341-13-1 , ss. 175-200.

Links

• Madsen U., Kasimir II. Herzog in Demmin (niem.) , [Dostęp 2012-04-13].