Remarks on the treaty of 20 March 1289 between the Brandenburg Margraves of the Johannine line and Prince Vitslav II of Rügen, and the place of this agreement in the plans to seize Gdańsk Pomerania after the death of Mestwin II
Remarks on the treaty of 20 March 1289 between the Brandenburg Margraves of the Johannine line and Prince Vitslav II of Rügen, and the place of this agreement in the plans to seize Gdańsk Pomerania after the death of Mestwin II

Summary/Abstract: On 20 March 1289 in Prenzlau, the Rugian Prince Vitslav II concluded a treaty with the Brandenburg Margraves from the Johannine line: Otto IV “with the Arrow” and Conrad. The agreement concerned an equal division of Gdańsk Pomerania, which was intended to be seized after the death of Mestwin II. It also contained clauses regarding the possibility of acquiring the Sławno land by peaceful means or by force. Its takeover was to be handled by Vitslav II. The Brandenburg Margraves, Otto IV and Conrad, committed themselves to military and financial support of Vitslav II in this undertaking. After seizing the Sławno land, Vitslav II agreed to pay the Margraves 3,050 silver marks. The Treaty of Prenzlau has been discussed several times in the literature of the subject. However, for some reason the development of research on the relationship between Brandenburg and Pomerania has not broadened the knowledge of its content in the literature on the subject. With regard to some items, one can even speak of a regression in the knowledge of the provisions of the Treaty of Prenzlau. For this reason, this study attempts to indicate the simplifications that contributed to the ever-rudimentary knowledge of the agreement in the works of contemporary researchers. It seems that the Prenzlau Treaty should be considered in the light of the fief law functioning in the German Reich. It was concluded by the parties that recognized and respected this law. This fact possibly explains why it was necessary for Vitslav II to pay the Brandenburg Margraves a fee after the seizure of the Sławno land.

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