Casimir IV (, ; 1351 – 2 January 1377) was a
duke of Pomerania in
Pomerania-Stolp since 1374.
Life
Casimir was the son of
Bogislaw V, Duke of Pomerania and
Elizabeth of Poland. His maternal grandfather
Casimir III the Great
Casimir III the Great (; 30 April 1310 – 5 November 1370) reigned as the King of Poland from 1333 to 1370. He also later became King of Ruthenia in 1340, retaining the title throughout the Galicia–Volhynia Wars. He was the last Polish king fr ...
, the last
king of Poland
Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of Royal elections in Poland, free election of monarchs made it a uniquely electab ...
from the
Piast dynasty
The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented List of Polish monarchs, Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I of Poland, Mieszko I (–992). The Poland during the Piast dynasty, Piasts' royal rule in Pol ...
, had no sons and brought him up at his court. After his grandfather's death in 1370, young Casimir initially became his partial successor, as the last
will
Will may refer to:
Common meanings
* Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death
* Will (philosophy), or willpower
* Will (sociology)
* Will, volition (psychology)
* Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will
...
gave him lands of
Dobrzyń,
Bydgoszcz
Bydgoszcz is a city in northern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Kuyavia. Straddling the confluence of the Vistula River and its bank (geography), left-bank tributary, the Brda (river), Brda, the strategic location of Byd ...
,
Kruszwica
Kruszwica () is a town in central Poland, in the Inowrocław County in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. It has a population of 9,161 (2010). Initially founded in the 6th century, Kruszwica is the oldest town in the region and features a medieva ...
,
Złotów and
Wałcz as
fief
A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...
s. Yet, his ambitions were soon thwarted by
Louis I of Hungary
Louis I, also Louis the Great (; ; ) or Louis the Hungarian (; 5 March 132610 September 1382), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1342 and King of Poland from 1370. He was the first child of Charles I of Hungary and his wife, Elizabeth of ...
, who became the next king of Poland on the grounds of earlier pacts, and nullified the Piast's last will. Duke Casimir only held the land of Dobrzyń as a temporary fief.
In 1360, Casimir married his first wife
Kenna of Lithuania. She was the daughter of
Algirdas
Algirdas (; , ; – May 1377) was List of Lithuanian monarchs, Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1345 to 1377. With the help of his brother Kęstutis (who defended the western border of the Duchy) he created an empire stretching from the pre ...
and
Uliana Alexandrovna of Tver, raised in the
Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...
faith. With her marriage, she joined the
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
and was baptised again under the name "Johanna". She died on 27 April 1368, leaving no children.
After a year, Casimir IV married his second wife
Margaret of Masovia. She was the daughter of
Siemowit III of Masovia and his first wife Euphemia of
Opava
Opava (; , ) is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 55,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Opava (river), Opava River. Opava is one of the historical centres of Silesia and was a historical capital of Czech Sile ...
. They had no children. After Casimir’s death of wounds (received in fighting
Władysław the White on behalf of King Louis), she married
Henry VII, Duke of Lubin and Brzeg.
Although after the death of his father Bogislaw V in 1374 Casimir IV stayed several times in
Pomerania-Stolp, most of the time he spent in
Bydgoszcz
Bydgoszcz is a city in northern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Kuyavia. Straddling the confluence of the Vistula River and its bank (geography), left-bank tributary, the Brda (river), Brda, the strategic location of Byd ...
; with his death in 1377 his fiefs fell back to Poland.
See also
*
List of Pomeranian duchies and dukes
*
Pomerania during the Late Middle Ages
*
Duchy of Pomerania
The Duchy of Pomerania (; ; Latin: ''Ducatus Pomeraniae'') was a duchy in Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, ruled by dukes of the House of Pomerania (''Griffins''). The country existed in the Middle Ages between years 1121–11 ...
**
Partitions of the Duchy of Pomerania
***
Pomerania-Stolp
*
House of Pomerania
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Casimir 04, Duke of Pomerania
1351 births
1377 deaths
Dukes of Pomerania
14th-century nobility from the Holy Roman Empire
14th-century Polish people