House of Griffin

File:Herb Gryfitów.PNG

Coat of arms of the House of Pomerania depicting a griffin.

The House of Pomerania, (German: Greifen, Polish: Gryfici), also known as House of Greifen or House of Griffins , was a dynasty of dukes that ruled Pomerania from the 12th century until 1637. The name was used since the 15th century and had been taken from the ducal coat of arms, which depicted a griffin since 1214.

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. The last Griffin ruler of Pomerania was Duke Bogislaw XIV, who abdicated in 1634. The last member of the dynasty was Duchess Anna von Croy, daughter of Duke Bogislaw XIII, who died in 1660.

After the short vassalage to the Polish, the dynasty entered Henry the Lion's Duchy of Saxony in 1164 and the Holy Roman Empire in 1181 except for a Danish period from the late 1180s to 1227.

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 Waldemar I. of Denmark;
      (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. (* 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 Wilhelm of Lüneburg and Helene of Denmark
            (II) Margarete of Braunschweig
            (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)
            3. (III) Barnim II (* about 1277; † 1295)
            4. (III) Otto I. (* about 1279; † 1344)
            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. (* 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. (* after 1130; † 1180) ∞ Pritolawa
      1. Swantibor II. († after 1244)
2. Ratibor I († 1156), --> Ratiborides

Bogislaw IV. to Bogislaw X.

1. 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
   1. (II) Eufemia (1289-1330) ∞ Christoph II of Denmark
   2. (II) Margareta (1287-1337) ∞ (I) Nikolaus of Rostock († 1314), (II) John of Schleswig-Holstein-Glogau († 1365)
   3. (II) Wartislaw IV (* before 1290; † 1326) ∞ Elisabeth of Lindau-Ruppin (?)
      1. Bogislaw V. (* ca 1326; † 1374) ∞ (I) Elisabeth, daughter of Casimir III of Poland and the Anna of Lithuania
         (II)Adelheid, daughter of Ernest I of Braunschweig-Grubenhagen and Adelheid of Everstein
         1. (I) Casimir V(* um 1351; † 1377) ∞ (I) Johanna (Kenna) († 1368), daughter of Olgierd of Lithuania and Mary of Witebsk
            (II) Margareta († 1409), daughter of Siemowit III of Masovia and Eufemia of Toppau
         2. (I) Elisabeth of Pomerania (* um 1347; † 1393) ∞ Kaiser Charles IV.
         3. (I) Daughter 2
         4. (II) Wartislaw VII ∞ Maria, daughter of Henry III of Mecklenburg
            1. Eric (Bogislaw) of Pomerania ∞ Philippa, daughter of Henry IV (England).
            2. Katharina (1390–1426) ∞ John of Pfalz-Neumarkt
         5. (II) Bogislaw VIII ∞ Sophie of Holstein
            1. Bogislaw IX ∞ Maria, daughter of Siemowit IV of Masovia and Alexandra of Lithuania
               1. Sophia ∞ Eric II, Duke of Pomerania
               2. Alexandra
         6. (II) Barnim V
         7. (II) Margareta
      2. Barnim IV (* 1325; † 1365) ∞ Sophie, daughter of John II of Werle
         1. Wartislaw VI (* ca 1345; † 1394) ∞ Anna, daughter of John I of Mecklenburg-Stargard
            1. Barnim VI (* ca 1365; † 1404) ∞ Veronica of Hohenzollern
               1. Wartislaw IX (* um 1400; † 1457) ∞ Sophia of Saxony-Lauenburg
                  1. Eric II. (* 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. Sophie of Pomerania, (* 1460, † 1504) ∞ Magnus II of Mecklenburg
                     7. Margarete († 1526), married to Balthasar of Mecklenburg
                     8. Catherine († 1526)
                     9. Mary, Äbtissin of Wollin († 1512)
                  2. Wartislaw X (* ca 1435; † 1478) ∞ (I) Elisabeth († 1465), widow of Joachim of Pommern-Stettin, daughter of John of the Neumark
                     (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 (* um 1390; † 1450)
               3. Elisabeth, Äbtissin of Kammin
            2. Wartislaw VIII ∞ Agnes of Sachsen-Lauenburg
               1. Barnim VIII. (* ca 1406, † 1451) ∞ Anna of Wunstorf
                  1. Agnes (1434–1512) ∞ (I) 1449 Frederic III of Brandenburg (the Fat)
                     (II) 1478 George II. of Anhalt-Zerbst
            3. Sophie ∞ Henry I of Braunschweig
         2. Bogislaw VI
         3. Elisabeth ∞ Magnus I of Mecklenburg
      3. Wartislaw V
   4. (II) Jutta (1290-1336), Äbtissin in Krummin abbey
   5. (II) Elisabeth (1291-1349) ∞ Eric I of Saxony-Lauenburg

Otto I. to Otto III.

1. Otto I. (* ca 1279; † 1344) ∞ Elisabeth (*1281), daughter of Gerhard II of Holstein and Ingeborg of Sweden
   1. Barnim III(* ca 1303; † 1368) ∞ Agnes (1318–1371), daughter of Henry II of Braunschweig-Grubenhagen
      1. Otto
      2. Kasimir IV. (* ca 1351; † 1372)
      3. Swantibor I. (III). (* ca 1351; † 1413) ∞ Anna of Hohenzollern, daughter of Albrecht of Nuremberg (the Pretty)
         1. Otto II. (* ca 1375; † 1428) ∞ Agnes, daughter of John II of Mecklenburg-Stargard and [[Wilheida of Lithuania))
         2. Casimir VI. (V.) (* um 1380; † 1434) ∞ (I) Catherine of Braunschweig-Lüneburg († 1429), daughter of Bernhard I of Lüneburg
            (II) Elisabeth († 1451), daughter of Eric of Braunschweig-Grubenhagen
            1. (I) Joachim the Elder (* um 1424)
            2. (I) Anna († 1447) ∞ John V of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
            3. (I) Joachim the Younger (* ca 1424; † 1451) ∞ Elisabeth (* 1425; † 1465), daughter of John of Brandenburg and Barbara of Saxony-Wittenberg
               1. Otto III.(* 1444; † 1464)
         3. Albrecht
         4. Margareta
      4. Bogislaw VII († 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. Sophia (* 1498, † 1568) ∞ Frederic I. of Denmark
   2. George I. (* 1493, † 1531) ∞ (I) Amalia (* 1490; † 1525), daughter of Philipp of the Palatinate and Margarete of Bavaria
      (II)Margareta of Brandenburg, daughter of Joachim I of Brandenburg and Elisabeth of Denmark.
      1. (I) Bogislaw (* 1514)
      2. (I) Phillipp I. (* 1515; † 1560) ∞ Maria († 1583), daughter of John of Sachsen
         1. Georg (died early)
         2. Erich (died early)
         3. John Frederic (* 1542; † 1600)
         4. Bogislaw XIII (* 1544; † 1606) ∞ Clara, daughter of Franz of Braunschweig-Lüneburg
            1. Philipp II. (* 1573; † 1618) ∞ Sophia, daughter of John of Schleswig-Holstein-Sontheburg
            2. Franz (* 1577; † 1620) ∞ Sophia, daughter of Christian I of Saxony
            3. Bogislaw XIV (* 1580; † 1637) ∞ Elisabeth, daughter of John of Schleswig-Holstein-Sontheburg and Elisabeth of Braunschweig-Grubenhagen
            4. Ulrich (* 1589; † 1622) ∞ Hedwig of Braunschweig († 1650)
            5. Anna ∞ Ernest of Croy and Aerschot
               1. Ernest Bogislaw of Croy
         5. Ernest Ludwig (* 1545, † 1592) ∞ Sophia Hedwig (1561-1631), daughter of Julius of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel
            1. Hedwig Maria
            2. Elisabeth Magdalena
            3. Philipp Julius(* 1584, † 1625) ∞ Agnes, daughter of John George of Brandenburg.
         6. Barnim X. (IX.)
         7. Casimir VII. (IX). (* 1557, † 1605)
         8. Amalia (died unmarried)
         9. Margaretha ∞ Duke Franz of Saxony-Lauenburg
         10. Anna ∞ Ulrich of Mecklenburg-Güstrow
      3. (I) Margareta (1518-1569) ∞ Ernest III of Braunschweig-Grubenhagen
      4. (II) Georgia (* 1531; † 1574) ∞ Stanislaus Latalski Count of Latochin
   3. Anna (* 1492, † 1550) ∞ George I of Silesia of Silesia-Liegnitz
   4. Barnim (* before 1501, † before 1501)
   5. Barnim IX. (* 1501, † 1573)
   6. Elisabeth († before 1518)
   7. Otto (* before 1503, † vor 1518)
   8. Casimir VIII. (* 1494, † 1518)
   9. Christoph; wahrscheinlich unehelicher Sohn, als Junker Christoph, Tochof of Schwerin

Sources

• Edward Rymar: Rodowód książąt pomorskich, Szczecin 1995.
• Historical background of the Darłowo commune

• 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

See also

• Dukes of Pomerania

External links

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