Barnim VI, Duke of Pomerania ( – 22 September 1405 in Pütnitz, near

Ribnitz-Damgarten Ribnitz-Damgarten () is a town in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, situated on Lake Ribnitz (''Ribnitzer See''). Ribnitz-Damgarten is in the west of the district Vorpommern-Rügen. The border between the historical regions of Mecklenburg and ...

) was duke of Pomerania-Wolgast from 1394 to 1405. He was the son of

Wartislaw VI Wartislaw VI of Pomerania (1345 – 13 June 1394) was a member of the House of Griffin. From 1365 to 1377, he ruled Pomerania-Wolgast jointly with his brother Bogislaw VI. From 1377 until his death, he was the sole ruler of Pomerania-Barth ...

of Pomerania-Wolgast. Barnim is known for his engagement in

piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

. He erected a fort and a port for this purpose in

Ahrenshoop Ahrenshoop is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany on the Fischland-Darß-Zingst peninsula of the Baltic Sea. It used to be a small fishing village, but is today known for its tourism and as a holi ...

, which was destroyed by

Rostock Rostock (; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Roztoc''), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (), is the largest city in the German States of Germany, state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the sta ...

in 1395. He allowed the

Victual Brothers The Victual Brothers () were a loosely organized guild of privateers who later turned to piracy. They affected maritime history, maritime trade during the 14th century in both the North Sea, North and Baltic Sea, Baltic Seas. They were initially ...

, a pirate organization assaulting vessels of the

Hanseatic League The Hanseatic League was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Growing from a few Northern Germany, North German towns in the ...

in the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

, to use the

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) f ...

river as a winter refuge and the

Bay of Greifswald The Bay of Greifswald Teutonic Knights The Teutonic Order is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to t ...

not to further support the Victual Brothers (then also "Likedeelers"), but kept on engaging in piracy himself. On one of his expeditions, he was caught by the Hanseatic League in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

's port. From 1400-1403, he aided the dukes of Mecklenburg-Werle in their campaigns against

Lübeck Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-larg ...

. Barnim himself was wounded once at Lübeck's gates.Werner Buchholz (ed.), Pommern, Siedler, 1999, p.147 In 1405, Barnim died of the

Black Death The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic that occurred in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the list of epidemics, most fatal pandemics in human history; as many as people perished, perhaps 50% of Europe's 14th century population. ...

. To avoid this fate, he went on a pilgrimage to Kenz near Barth, but died on his way in Pütnitz (a part of today's

) on 23 September 1405. He was buried in Kenz, where a large wooden statue resembling Barnim was furnished.

Marriage and issue

He married Veronica of Hohenzollern, daughter of

Frederick V, Burgrave of Nuremberg Frederick V of Nuremberg (before 3 March 1333 – 21 January 1398) was a Burgrave (''Burggraf'') of Nuremberg, of the House of Hohenzollern. Life He was the elder son of John II, Burgrave of Nuremberg and Elisabeth of Henneberg. From the ...

, and had at least two sons: *

Barnim VII, Duke of Pomerania Barnim VII (1390 – 22 September 1450 in Wolgast) was the son of Duke Barnim VI, Duke of Pomerania. He was from 1425 Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast-Demmin and later also Duke of Pomerania-Barth. He supported his brother Wartislaw IX, Duke of Pome ...

Wartislaw IX, Duke of Pomerania Duke Wartislaw IX of Pomerania-Wolgast ( – 17 April 1457, Wolgast) was the eldest son of the Duke Barnim VI, Duke of Pomerania ( dynasty of Griffins) and Veronica of Hohenzollern, daughter of Frederick V, Burgrave of Nuremberg. He reigned f ...

File:Kirche in Kenz.JPG, Kenz church. In the

Late Middle Ages The late Middle Ages or late medieval period was the Periodization, period of History of Europe, European history lasting from 1300 to 1500 AD. The late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period ( ...

, the church was a prime destination for

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

s due to a nearby

holy spring A holy well or sacred spring is a well, spring or small pool of water revered either in a Christian or pagan context, sometimes both. The water of holy wells is often thought to have healing qualities, through the numinous presence of its guard ...

. Barnim, infected with the

, died during his pilgrimage and was buried in Kenz. File:Barnim VI Kenotaph.png,

Cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty grave, tomb or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere or have been lost. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although t ...

for Barnim VI in St. Mary's church, Kenz, containing a wooden statue File:Barnim VI Epitaph.png,

Epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...

for Barnim VI in St. Mary's church, Kenz File:Barnim VI Grabstein.png, Tombstone for Barnim VI in St. Mary's church, Kenz

References

Ancestors

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnim 06, Duke of Pomerania Dukes of Pomerania People from Vorpommern-Rügen German pirates 1360s births 1405 deaths Year of birth uncertain 15th-century deaths from plague (disease)

Marriage and issue

See also

References

Ancestors