Regimental constitution of 1634

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The regimental constitution was published as a constitution for the Duchy of Pomerania on November 19, 1634 in order to ensure order in the country after the Pomeranian ducal dynasty died out through an interim government .

During the Thirty Years' War , Pomerania was occupied from 1630 by Swedish troops, who had effectively taken over government power in the country. Bogislaw XIV , since 1625 sole and last duke of the Griffin family , had remained without descendants. In this case, the Brandenburg electors had been assured of succession in the Treaty of Grimnitz . However, the Swedish King Gustav II Adolf had reserved the administration of Pomerania in the defensive alliance of August 25, 1630 until the final decision on the successor to Bogislaw and the replacement of the war costs by the successor. It was foreseeable that the Brandenburg elector would not be able to inherit in the event of the duke's death.

In the spring of 1633 the duke suffered a stroke that made him largely incapable of governing . The ducal councils worked out a regimental constitution, which was approved by the duke and the estates . This established the formation of a government, which consisted of a governor, a president and seven other members and should initially stand next to the seriously ill Duke. In order to forestall an expected Swedish coup d'état, this government should immediately take full governance upon the Duke's death.

In the regimental constitution comprising 14 points, the existing order was essentially confirmed. In addition to the form and responsibilities of the government of the country and the governments of the former partial duchies, the court regulations were established. The Augsburg confession and the Pomeranian church order were declared to be binding for the church in the state, all ecclesiastical and sovereign institutions as well as the schools. Any denominational change was rejected.

In place of the duke, the Pomeranian estates guaranteed the protection of the ducal council, headed by Volkmar Wolf Freiherr von Putbus as governor. After Bogislaw's death on March 10, 1637, the Pomeranian estates decided to maintain the regimental constitution in a state parliament, which the Swedish representative agreed to. However, the Brandenburg elector refused the interim government, had the emperor issue a feudal letter in 1638 and officially objected to the government. The “princely Pomeranian councils left behind” resigned on March 17, 1638. The Swedes then took over the entire administration of the country and set up a provisional government.

During the negotiations for the Peace of Osnabrück , the Pomeranian ambassadors demanded that the regimental constitution of 1634 be confirmed. However, they had to accept verbal promises. In Swedish Pomerania , after lengthy negotiations, the estates succeeded in enforcing much of the regimental constitution in the regimental form of 1663 . In the Brandenburg region of Western Pomerania , the regimental constitution was confirmed to the estates as early as 1654.

literature

  • Hans Branig : History of Pomerania. Part 1. From the development of the modern state to the loss of state independence 1300–1648. Publications of the Historical Commission for Pomerania, Series V, Volume 22 / I. Böhlau Verlag, Cologne and Vienna 1997, ISBN 3-412-07189-7 , pp. 193-196.
  • Norbert Buske : Pomerania: territorial state and part of Prussia . Thomas Helms Verlag, Schwerin 1997, ISBN 3-931185-07-9 , pp. 46-49.
  • Martin Wehrmann : History of Pomerania. Volume II: Up to the Present. 2nd Edition. Verlag Friedrich Andreas Perthes, Gotha 1919–21. (Reprint: Augsburg 1992, ISBN 3-89350-112-6 ), pp. 135-142.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Norbert Buske : Pomerania: territorial state and part of Prussia . Thomas Helms Verlag, Schwerin 1997, ISBN 3-931185-07-9 , p. 55.
  2. ^ Michael North : History of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-406-57767-3 , p. 55.