Civil war in Pomerelia

On 10 January 1266, Swantopolk II, the ruler of the Duchy of Gdańsk died. Following his death, his state had been partitioned between his sons, Wartislaw II of Gdańsk, and Mestwin II. The exact boundaries of the partition remain unknown, due to the lack of necessary historical records. It is known that Wartislaw was given the city of Gdańsk, with the surrounding area. In such partition he might have also become the ruler of the land of Białogarda, however it remains unknown who was the ruler of the area at the time. Until 1262, the area belonged to the Duchy of Białogarda, under the rule of Ratibor of Białogarda. 1268 marks the first year in which Wartislaw II is named the ruler of Białogarda in any existing documentation. It remains unknown which of the brothers received the Słupsk and Sławno Land in the partition. Later, the Słupsk and Sławno Land had been attacked, either in 1266 by Barnim I, duke of the Duchy of Pomerania, or in 1269, by Barnim I and Vitslav II, prince of the Principality of Rügen, which resulted, with Sławno being conquered. == Conflict ==

Mestwin II wasn't satisfied with the partition, being in the belief that, as the oldest heir, he held the right to Gdańsk, the most prestigious city in Pomerelia, and the capital of his father's state. As such, he started planning on gaining control over that area. On 1 April 1269, he met in Choszczno, with John II, Otto IV, and Conrad, the margraves of Brandenburg, from the House of Ascania, from Stendal. During the meeting, he paid homage to them, giving them his lands, which then were given back to him, making him their vassal. The exception was the area of Białogarda, which was then incorporated into the Margraviate of Brandenburg. Additionally, somewhen between 1269 and 1271, Mestwin promised to give Gdańsk to the margraves. The agreement angered the nobility and the knighthood of Świecie, which led to their rebellion against Mestwin, in the summer of 1269. They captured him, and imprisoned him in Raciąż. Following that, they offered the throne of Świecie to Wartislaw II. However, soon after that, Mestwin had been rescued by the knights loyal to him. As such, in the autumn of 1269, he began an attack on states of Wartislaw II, and Sambor II, duke of the Duchy of Lubiszewo. The exact origin of his army remains unknown, however, they could have been either the mercenaries from the State of the Teutonic Order, or the reinforcements sent from the Margraviate of Brandenburg. Most likely at the beginning of 1270, he conquered the Duchy of Lubiszewo, with no major resistance, as Sambor II with his army were at the time in Kuyavia. As such, Mestwin had united the territories of his dynasty under one state, the Duchy of Pomerelia. Following that, his army captured Gdańsk, again, with no major resistance from city defenders. After the fall of the city, Wartislaw and Sambor II escaped to Elbing (now Elbląg, Poland), in the State of the Teutonic Order, and later Wartislaw found refuge in the Duchy of Inowrocław, on the royal court of duke Ziemomysł of Kuyavia. Wartislaw was given a fort in Wyszogród, where, he would organize the operation base for his future attack on Mestwin's territories. While Mestwin II remained with his army in Kuyavia, the military forces of the Margraviate of Brandenburg, had arrived in the Pomerelia. Though, officially claiming to arrive as the military aid to Mestwin, they had captured his territories, including the towns of Gdańsk and Tczew, with the help of the local German-speaking population, who had capitulated the towns to them. == Aftermath ==

Following the capture of the city, the people who conspired with Brandenburg were put in front of the court, made out of Mestwin II and the local nobility. They were accused of treason, and many of them were exiled, executed and had their land property confiscated. The city itself was deprived of its fortifications, and its economical and political status was severely weaken for the following years. Many former subjects of Sambor II who also conspired with Brandenburg had their land property confiscated. On 3 September 1273, Mestwin II had met with John II, Otto IV, and Conrad, the margraves of Brandenburg, to negotiate. In the signed agreement had agreed to give the Lands of Schlawe and Stolp to them as a fiefdom and ruling it as their vassal. He had also agreed to give them his military aid in the case of a war, including against his ally, Bolesław the Pious. == Citations ==