POMMERSCHE ASPEKTE IN DER NORDISCHEN UNIONSPOLITIK DES KÖNIGS ERICH VON POMMERN

Abstract

The article deals with the Pomeranian-Scandinavian relations during the reign of Erik of Pomerania, the union King of the North. He was adopted by Queen Margaret I, and crowned in Kalmar 1397 as king of the three Scandinavian realms, thus becoming the founder of a new dynasty, the Pomeranian Griffins. The Pomeranian Dukes supported the union King in his long struggle to secure the Duchy of Schleswig for the Danish Crown. Since Erik was childless in his marriage with the English princess Philippa, he designated his cousin Bogislaw IX as his follower. King Eric tried in different ways to secure his hereditary plan, which failed in the end because of the constitutional struggles during the second half of the 1430s with the Counsellors of the realms. During the crisis the Pomeranian Dukes tried to mediate between the king and the Swedish Counsellors. When Erik of Pomerania tried to recover his political-military position, he was dethroned in 1439–1441 in his Scandinavian realms. This meant the end of the dynasty of the Pomeranian Griffins in Scandinavia, and one of the consequences was that Denmark lost control over the island of Rügen.

Keywords

• Kalmar Union
• King Erik of Pomerania
• Margaret I
• dynasty of the Pomeranian Griffins
• Duchy of Schleswig
• Principality of Rügen