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House of Griffin

The House of Griffin or Griffin dynasty, or House of Pomerania, was a dynasty ruling the Duchy of Pomerania from the 12th century until 1637. The name "Griffins" was used by the dynasty after the 15th century and had been taken from the ducal coat of arms. Duke Wartislaw I was the first historical ruler of the Duchy of Pomerania and the founder of the Griffin dynasty. The most prominent Griffin was Eric of Pomerania, who became king of the Kalmar Union in 1397, thus ruling Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway. The last Griffin duke of Pomerania was Bogislaw XIV, who died during the Thirty Years' War, which led to the division of Pomerania between Brandenburg-Prussia, Sweden and Poland. Duchess Anna von Croy, daughter of Duke Bogislaw XIII and the last member of the House of Griffin, died in 1660.

Name of the Dynasty
The dynasty is known by two names, Pomerania, after their primary fief, and Griffin, after their coat of arms, which had featured a griffin since the late 12th century: the first verifiable use of the griffin as the dynasty's heraldic emblem occurred in a seal of Casimir II, Duke of Pomerania, which showed the imaginary beast within a shield, and was attached to a document dated 1194. The name Pomerania comes from Slavic po more, which means "[land] along the sea". == Origins and branches ==
Origins and branches
The origins of the Griffins are not clear. Most theories derive them from either local West Slavic nobility or a cadet branch of the Polish house of Piasts. The first known members of the Griffins were the brothers Wartislaw I and Ratibor I. 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 and Stolp until the line became extinct and the area was incorporated in the Duchy of Pomerania. The first known member of the Swantiborides branch of the Griffins, notable as castellans of Pomeranian cities, was Wartislaw (II) Swantiboriz. == Family tree ==
Family tree
File:Cornelius Krommeny Drzewo genealogiczne ksiazat Pomorza Zachodniego.jpg|Family tree of the House of Pomerania, 1598, National Museum in Szczecin Wartislaw I to Bogislaw IV and Otto I Wartislaw I († between 1134 and 1148) • Bogusław I (* about 1130; † 1187) ∞ (I) Walburgis († 1177), daughter of Valdemar I of Denmark; (II) Anastasia, daughter of Mieszko III of Poland and Eudoxia of Kiev • (I) Ratibor (* 1160; † 1183) ∞ Salome, daughter of Mieszko III of Poland and Eudoxia of Kiev • (I) Wartislaw II. (* 1160; † 1184) ∞ Sophia, daughter of Bolesław IV. of Poland • (II) Bogislaw II. (* um 1177; † 1220) ∞ Miroslawa (†1233), Daughter of Mestwin I of Pomerelia and Swinislawa • Woislawa († 1229) • 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, Margrave of Brandenburg and Beatrix of Böhmen • (I) Anastasia (* 1245; † 1317) ∞ Henry I of Mecklenburg (1230–1302) • (II) Bogislaw IV (*1258; † 1309) → Pomerania-Wolgast (see section below) • (III) Barnim II (* about 1277; † 1295) • (III) Otto I (* about 1279; † 1344) → Pomerania-Stettin (see section below) • (III) Miroslawa († 1328) ∞ Nikolaus I of Schwerin • (III) Beatrix († 1300 or 1315) ∞ Henry II of Werle • (?) Dobroslawa ∞ Jaczo of Salzwedel • (II) Casimir II (* c. 1180, † 1219) ∞ Ingardis of Denmark • Wartislaw III(* c. 1210; † 1264) ∞ Sophia • Elisabeth († 1222) • (II) Dobroslawa (* before 1187, † c. 1226) • Casimir I. (* after 1130; † 1180) ∞ Pritolawa • Ratibor I († 1156) → Ratiborides • Swantibor → Swantiborides Bogislaw IV to Bogislaw X (Pomerania-Wolgast, -Barth, and -Stolp) Bogislaw IV (*1258; † 1309) ∞ (I) Mechthild († vor 1309), Daughter of John I of Brandenburg and Jutta of Saxony (II) Margareta, (Daughter of Wizlaw II of Rügen and Agnes of Brandenburg • (II) Euphemia of Pomerania (1289–1330) ∞ Christopher II of Denmark • (II) Margareta (1287–1337) ∞ (I) Nikolaus of Rostock († 1314), (II) John of Ścinawa († 1365) • (II) Wartislaw IV (* before 1290; † 1326) ∞ Elisabeth of Lindau-Ruppin (?) • Bogislaw V-Stolp (* c. 1318; † 1373/74) ∞ Agnes (1318–1371), daughter of Henry II, Duke of Brunswick-Lunenburg (Grubenhagen) • Otto • Casimir III (* before 1348; † 1372) • Swantibor I (III) (* ca 1351; † 21.6.1413) ∞ Anna of Hohenzollern, daughter of Albrecht of Nuremberg (the Pretty) • Otto II (* c. 1380; † 27.3.1428) ∞ Agnes, daughter of John II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Stargard and Wilheida of LithuaniaCasimir V (VI) (* after 1380; † 12.4.1435) ∞ (I) Catherine of Brunswick-Lüneburg († 1429), daughter of Bernard I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Celle) (II) Elisabeth († 1451), daughter of Eric I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Grubenhagen) • (I) Joachim the Elder (* um 1424) • (I) Anna († 1447) ∞ John V of Mecklenburg-Schwerin • (I) Joachim the Younger (* after 1424; † 1451) ∞ Elisabeth (* 1425; † 1465), daughter of John of Brandenburg and Barbara of Saxe-WittenbergOtto III (* 29.5.1444; † 10.9.1464) • Albrecht • Margareta • Bogislaw VII (*before 1355; † 1404) • Mechthild († 1331) ∞ John III of Werle († 1352) Bogislaw X to Bogislaw XIV Bogislaw X (* 1454; † 1523) ∞ Anna (1476–1503), daughter of Casimir IV. of PolandSophie of Pomerania (* 1498, † 1568) ∞ Frederick I of DenmarkGeorge I (* 1493, † 1531) ∞ (I) Amalia (* 1490; † 1525), daughter of Elector Palatine Philip and Margaret of Bavaria(II) Margarete of Brandenburg, daughter of Joachim I of Brandenburg and Elisabeth of Denmark. • (I) Bogislaw (* 1514) • (I) Phillip I (* 1515; † 1560) ∞ Maria († 1583), daughter of John of Saxony • Georg (died early) • Erich (died early) • John Frederick (* 1542; † 1600) • Bogislaw XIII (* 1544; † 1606) ∞ Clara, daughter of Francis of Brunswick-LüneburgPhilip II (* 1573; † 1618) ∞ Sophia, daughter of John II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-SonderburgFrancis (* 1577; † 1620) ∞ Sophia, daughter of Christian I of SaxonyBogislaw XIV (* 1580; † 1637) ∞ Elisabeth, daughter of John II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg and Elisabeth of Brunswick-GrubenhagenUlrich (* 1589; † 1622) ∞ Hedwig of Brunswick († 1650) • AnnaErnest of Croy and AerschotErnest Bogislaw of CroyErnest Louis (* 1545, † 1592) ∞ Sophia Hedwig (1561–1631), daughter of Julius of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel • Hedwig Maria • Elisabeth Magdalena • Philipp Julius(* 1584, † 1625) ∞ Agnes, daughter of John George of Brandenburg. • Barnim X (IX)Casimir VI (IX) (* 1557, † 1605) • Amalia (died unmarried) • Margaret ∞ Duke Francis II of Saxe-Lauenburg • Anna ∞ Ulrich of Mecklenburg-Güstrow • (I) Margaret (1518–1569) ∞ Ernest III of Brunswick-Grubenhagen • (II) Georgia (* 1531; † 1574) ∞ Stanislaus Latalski Count of Latochin • Anna (* 1492, † 1550) ∞ George I of Silesia of Silesia-Liegnitz • Barnim (* before 1501, † before 1501) • Barnim IX (* 1501, † 1573) • Elisabeth († before 1518) • Otto (* before 1503, † before 1518) • Casimir VIII (* 1494, † 1518) • Christopher; probably an illegitimate son, as Junker Christopher, Tochof of Schwerin == Branches ==
Branches
Ratiborides Members of the Ratiborides (Ratiboriden) branch were most probably descendants of Ratibor I, a brother of Wartislaw I. • Ratibor I • Bogislaw, ∞ (I) N.N.; (II) a daughter of Mieszko III of Poland • (I) Bogislaw (III), ∞ another daughter of Mieszko III of Poland • (II ?) Ratibor II (either half-brother of Bogislaw III or cousin) Swantiborides The Swantiborides () 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 Świętopełk, a Pomeranian duke defeated by Boleslaw III of Poland in a campaign of 1111/12. Yet, these assumptions all remain speculative. • Wartislaw (II) Swantibor (↑ 1196), Castellan of Szczecin ∞ unknown wife • Bartholomew († 1219), Castellan of Gützkow ∞ unknown wife • Wartislaw (* 1175/80, ↑ 1233), Castellan of Szczecin, Lord of Gützkow 1219 ∞ Dobroslawa, widow of Boleslaw of Poland Duke of Kujavia, daughter of Bogislaw I • Bartholomew (+ 1206/10, ↑ 1259/60) • Wartislaw (↑ 1230/32), Castellan of Szczecin • Konrad (↑ 1233), Canon at Kammin Cathedral 1176/1186, provost 1186/1189 and 1208, Bishop of Kammin 1219 • Casimir (↑ 1219), Castellan of Kołobrzeg ∞ unknown wife • Swietoslawa / Swiatochna (↑ after 1217) • Swantibor (* 1219, ↑ 1244) ∞ unknown wife • Casimir (↑1277/1280), Castellan of Kolberg (Kołobrzeg) ∞ Miroslawa, who secondly married Johann Ramel, Castellan of Kolberg and Pomeranian counsellor 1265/1297. • daughter 3 ∞ Czyrnek, Castellan of Kolberg == Griffins Kings and Queens ==
Griffins Kings and Queens
in Poland • Eric of Pomerania, son of Wartislaw VII, was King of Norway (1389–1442), elected King of Denmark (1396–1439), and of Sweden (1396–1439). He was the first king of the Nordic Kalmar Union. • Euphemia of Pomerania, daughter of Bogislaw IV, married Christopher II of Denmark and became queen of Denmark. • Elizabeth of Pomerania, daughter of Bogislaw V, was the fourth and last wife of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and king of Bohemia. Her daughter Anne of Bohemia, of Luxembourg and of Pomerania became Queen of England as a wife of King Richard II of England. She was known as "Good Queen Anne". • Sophie of Pomerania, daughter of Bogislaw X, married King Frederick I of Denmark and became Queen of Denmark and Norway. == Burial sites ==
Burial sites
Main burial sites of the Griffins are the Ducal Castle in Szczecin, Saint John Co-Cathedral in Kamień Pomorski and Saint Peter church in Wolgast. Eric of Pomerania, King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, is buried in the Our Lady of Częstochowa church in Darłowo. == Eponymy ==
Eponymy
'', a microspecies of Ranunculus auricomus'' known from Pomerania, was named in honour of the dynasty. == Sources ==
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