Treaty of Pyzdry explained

Treaty of Pyzdry
Location Signed:	Pyzdry, Poland
Original Signatories:	King Władysław II Jagiełło Duke Wartislaw VII
Parties:	Kingdom of Poland Duchy of Słupsk

The Treaty of Pyzdry was signed on 2 November 1390 between Władysław II Jagiełło, king of Poland and Wartislaw VII of Pomerania-Stolp (Duchy of Słupsk).^[1] The treaty, signed in Pyzdry, contained an oath of vassalage of Wartislaw to Jagiełło, the obligation to support the latter in the Polish-Teutonic War, and mutual trade alleviations for Pomeranian and Polish merchants.^[2] Wartislaw VII, who with his brothers was allied with the Teutonic Order before,^[3] received the Polish castellany of Nakło and probably some adjacent areas as a fief.^{[4] [5]}

Interpretation of the treaty

Since the treaty does not specify the oath of vassalage of Wartislaw VII to Jagiello,^[6] different interpretations of the treaty are offered by historians:

• Gòrski (1947), Labuda (1948),^[7] Bardach (1960),^[8] Fenrych (1961)^[7] and Czaplinski (1970)^[6] said the oath was for all territory held by Wartislaw VII, including Pomerania-Stolp;
• Mitkowski (1946),^[7] Zientara (1969)^[7] and Jasienica (1978)^[9] said the oath was for the territory Waritislaw received as fiefs from Jagiełło (especially Nakło);
• Mielcarz (1976)^[7] said the oath was binding only Wartislaw himself, as a person, to Jagiełło;
• Gumowski (1951)^[7] said the document shows Wartislaw giving a general solemn promise of service.

In recent historiography, Kosman (1995) interprets the treaty in a way that Pomerania-Stolp became a Polish fief,^[10] while Dzięgielewski (1995),^[11] Czacharowski (2001)^[12] and Buchholz (1999)^[4] say the treaty was an alliance and the oath refers to Nakło being held as a Polish fief. Piskorski (1999) says that after the Duchy of Pomerania retained the Imperial immediacy it had gained in 1348 throughout the 14th and 15th centuries.^[13] With respect to the discourse in Polish historiography, Branig and Buchholz (1997) say that however the treaty is interpreted, it did not have any significance for the future.^[14]

Aftermath

During the Polish-Teutonic wars, the Pomeranian dukes changed sides between Poland and the knights very frequently.^[15] Wartislaw's brothers Barnim V and Bogislaw VIII took on a friendly attitude towards the Teutonic Order, and Naklo returned to the Polish Crown after Wartislaw's death.^[15] Wartislaw went on a pilgrimage in 1392/1393,^[16] and died either in 1394 or 1395.^[17]

Notes and References

1. Book: Geschichte in Daten. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Gerhard. Heitz. Henning. Rischer. Koehler&Amelang. Münster-Berlin. 1995. 3-7338-0195-4. German. 187.
2. Book: Inachin, Kyra T.. Kyra T. Inachin

   . Kyra T. Inachin. Die Geschichte Pommerns . Hinstorff . Rostock . 2008 . 36 . 978-3-356-01044-2 . German.

3. Book: Slawen und Deutsche im südlichen Ostseeraum vom 11. bis zum 16. Jahrhundert. Michael Müller-Wille. Wachholtz. 1995. 153. 3-529-06452-1.
4. Werner Buchholz, Pommern, Siedler, 1999, p.157,
5. Book: Czacharowski, Antoni. Bürgertum und Rittertum im Spätmittelalter. Uniwersytetu Mikołaja Kopernika. 2001. 146. 83-231-1304-1.
6. Władysław Czapliński, Tadeusz Ładogórski, Atlas historyczny polski, Państwowe Przedsiębiorstwo Wydawnictw Kartograficznych, 1970, p.12
7. Book: Branig, Hans . Werner Buchholz. Geschichte Pommerns, Volume I, Vom Werden des neuzeitlichen Staates bis zum Verlust der staatlichen Selbständigkeit, 1300-1648. Werner Buchholz. Böhlau. 1997. 29–30. 3-412-07189-7.
8. Juliusz Bardach, Historia państwa i prawa Polski, Volume 1, Państwowe Wydawn. Naukowe, 1964, p.589
9. Book: Jasienica, Paweł . Jagiellonian Poland. American Institute of Polish Culture. 1978. 100.
10. Marceli Kosman, Na tropach bohaterów Krzyżaków, Książka i Wiedza, 1995,, p.27
11. Book: Dzięgielewski, Jan. Encyklopedia historii Polski: dzieje polityczne. Morex. 1995. II. 520. 83-904121-2-8.
12. Book: Czacharowski, Antoni. Bürgertum und Rittertum im Spätmittelalter. Uniwersytetu Mikołaja Kopernika. 2001. 146–148. 83-231-1304-1.
13. Book: Piskorski. Jan Maria. Pommern im Wandel der Zeiten . 1999 . Zamek Ksiazat Pomorskich . 103. 83-906184-8-6. 43087092.
14. Book: Branig, Hans . Werner Buchholz. Geschichte Pommerns, Volume I, Vom Werden des neuzeitlichen Staates bis zum Verlust der staatlichen Selbständigkeit, 1300-1648. Werner Buchholz. Böhlau. 1997. 30. 3-412-07189-7.
15. Book: Czacharowski, Antoni. Bürgertum und Rittertum im Spätmittelalter. Uniwersytetu Mikołaja Kopernika. 2001. 148. 83-231-1304-1.
16. Book: Piskorski. Jan Maria. Pommern im Wandel der Zeiten . 1999 . Zamek Ksiazat Pomorskich . 117. 83-906184-8-6. 43087092.
17. Zdrenka. Joachim. 1995. Die Pilgerfahrten der pommerschen Herzöge ins Heilige Land in den Jahren 1392/1393 und 1406/1407. Baltische Studien. Elwert. Marburg. 81 . 127 . 10–11.