COA_Pomerania-Groswin_Iberian_style_shield

Groswin was the name-giving seat of one of the castellanies of the

Duchy of Pomerania The Duchy of Pomerania (german: Herzogtum Pommern; pl, Księstwo Pomorskie; 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 ha ...

in the

High Middle Ages The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the period of European history that lasted from AD 1000 to 1300. The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and were followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended around AD 150 ...

.Museum für Ur- und Frühgeschichte (Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany), Archäologisches Landesmuseum Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, ''Bodendenkmalpflege in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: Jahrbuch'' 50th edition,

Deutscher Verlag der Wissenschaften (DVW) (English: ''German Publisher of Sciences'') was a scientific publishing house in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR/). Situated in Berlin, DVW was founded as (VEB) on 1 January 1954 as the successor of the main department of "un ...

, 2002, p.343 It was located in

Western Pomerania Historical Western Pomerania, also called Cispomerania, Fore Pomerania, Front Pomerania or Hither Pomerania (german: Vorpommern), is the western extremity of the historic region of Pomerania forming the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, Weste ...

near modern

Anklam Anklam [], formerly known as Tanglim and Wendenburg, is a town in the Western Pomerania region of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the banks of the Peene river, just 8 km from its mouth in the ''Kleines Haff'', the western ...

. The castellany is thought to have comprised the area between the rivers

Peene The Peene () is a river in Germany. Geography The Westpeene, with the Ostpeene as its longer tributary, and the Kleine Peene/Teterower Peene (with a ''Peene '' without specification (or ''Nordpeene'') as its smaller and shorter affluent) flo ...

and

Zarow The Zarow is a lowland river in Western Pomerania in the east of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany. Description The lower course of the river, also known topographically as Zarow, is formed from two ditches, the Landgraben and t ...

, and the villages Rehberg, Japenzin, Iven, Crien, Wegezin, Thurow, Blesewitz and Görke. The exact location of the Groswin burgh, which was destroyed in the late 12th century, is uncertain, it may have been near Stolpe-Neuhof, Grüttow, Görke or Müggenburg.Joachim Herrmann, Aarni Erä-Esko, ''Wikinger und Slawen: zur Frühgeschichte der Ostseevölker'', Wachholtz, 1982, p.306, Gerhard Becker
''Zur Groswin-Frage''
At Groswin, defense structures within the

river allowed the locals to block the river for ships. Documents mention Groswin also in the spelling variants ''Grossvin'', ''Groswim'', ''Grozwin'', ''Grozswin'', ''Groswyn'', ''Grosum'' ( Knytlinga saga), '' Grotzuina'' (

Saxo Grammaticus Saxo Grammaticus (c. 1150 – c. 1220), also known as Saxo cognomine Longus, was a Danish historian, theologian and author. He is thought to have been a clerk or secretary to Absalon, Archbishop of Lund, the main advisor to Valdemar I of Denmark ...

), ''Brotwin'' (946), ''Groswine'' (1136), ''Grozioni'', ''Grozswine'', and ''Grozswina''. Groswin took over the position of nearby

Altes Lager Menzlin Altes Lager (German for "Old Camp") is a site south of the village of Menzlin near Anklam, Western Pomerania, Germany. The site, on the banks of the river Peene, was an important Viking trading-post during the Viking Age. At that time, Pomerania ...

as a trade center after its decline in the 9th century. The tribal affiliation of the inhabitants, though associated with the greater tribe of the

Veleti The Veleti, also known as Wilzi, Wielzians, and Wiltzes, were a group of medieval Lechitic tribes within the territory of Hither Pomerania, related to Polabian Slavs. They had formed together the Confederation of the Veleti, a loose monarchic c ...

, is uncertain – while the

Ukrani 250px, ''Burgwallinsel'', a former Ukrian Oberuckersee.html"_;"title="burgh_on_an_isle_in_Lake_Oberuckersee">burgh_on_an_isle_in_Lake_Oberuckersee_ The_Ukrani_or_UkriansOberuckersee.html"_;"title="burgh_on_an_isle_in_Lake_Oberuckersee">burgh_o ...

are reported to have dwelled south of the

and the Rani north of the

Ryck The Ryck is a river in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. From its source near Bartmannshagen, part of the Süderholz community northeast of Grimmen, the Ryck flows for about to the east, reaching Greifswald shortly before its mouth. The larger ...

river, the name of the medieval inhabitants of the area between these rivers is not reported. The lands of Groswin became a

castellany A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant o ...

of the

during the westward expansion of

Wartislaw I Wartislaw I (''Warcisław I'') (around 1092 – August 9, 1135) was the first historical ruler of the Duchy of Pomerania and the founder of the Griffin dynasty. Most of the information about him comes from the writings on the life of Otto of ...

in the 1120s, and became part of the

Bishopric of Cammin The Bishopric of Cammin (also Kammin, Kamień Pomorski) was both a former Roman Catholic diocese in the Duchy of Pomerania from 1140 to 1544, and a secular territory of the Holy Roman Empire ( Prince-Bishopric) in the Kolberg (Kołobrzeg) area f ...

in 1140. In 1153, Stolpe Abbey was founded in the Groswin castellany as the first Pomeranian monastery. A market at the Groswin burgh is documented in 1159. In 1185, a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

expedition led by Canut VI destroyed the burgh and devastated the castellany.Haik Thomas Porada, Gesellschaft für Pommersche Geschichte und Alterthumskunde, ''Beiträge zur Geschichte Vorpommerns: die Demminer Kolloquien 1985-1994'', T. Helms, 1997, p.303, Though the name Groswin stayed in use to refer to the area, the position of the former burgh as the areas center was taken over by nearby

References

See also