Humans have inhabited Pomerania for thousands of years. In the Classical Age, Pomerania was settled by Germanic and Baltic tribes. In the early Middle Ages, Western Slavic peoples migrated to Pomerania, settling in the area. They were also joined by Scandinavians who crossed the Baltic Sea.
In the 900s, the rising powers of the Kingdom of Denmark, the Frankish Kingdom of Germany, and the Kingdom of Poland came to hold authority over Pomerania, though their rule was far from absolute. Poland and Germany sponsored the ascent of Christianity to be the dominant religion in the region, displacing the traditional polytheistic faith of the people there. During the late 1100s, various powerful local forces competed for control of Pomerania, though ultimately the powerful Holy Roman Empire cemented its control for most of the Middle Ages. Here is a timeline of who and when controlled the Duchy of Pomerania as a vassal:
- Poland: 1120s, 1130s
- Saxony: 1160s, 1170s
- Holy Roman Empire: 1181-1185
- Denmark: 1185-1127
After that, Pomerania was again ruled by the Holy Roman Empire. However, this empire was heavily decentralized, with local princes having significant authority.
Over the course of the late Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and afterward, many large powers and local princes fought for control of Pomerania. Notably, the Teutonic Order or knights fought against Poland for control of the Baltic coast, including Pomerania. These wars devastated the local area. In the Thirty Years' War, in particular, Pomerania suffered many deaths and its farmers were forced into serfdom.
Prussian Rule
The following is the flag of Pomerania under German rule:
From 1815 to 1945, this was the flag of the Province of Pomerania
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Previously, Pomerania was symbolized on banners by a griffin. In fact, one of the noble houses which used to rule over Medieval Pomerania was called the House of Griffins, after their symbol.
In the 1600s, the two main forces competing for control of Pomerania were the powerful Swedish Empire and Brandenburg-Prussia, a German-ruled duchy. In the Great Northern War, Prussia secured its control over Pomerania. Over the course of the 1800s, Prussia would come to cement its control over the whole of Germany, forging the German Empire in 1871. Though Germany lost World War One and therefore sacrificed some territory, it maintained control of most of Pomerania. However, following its defeat in World War Two, most Germans fled from or were expelled by force from eastern Pomerania. This happened because the Soviet Union wished to expand its turf at the cost of Poland, so compensated Poland by giving it control over easter Pomerania.
Following WW2, both East Germany and Poland were ruled by communist dictatorships. The secret police of East Germany was particularly brutal and thorough. From the city of Gdansk, Polish workers unionized and fought against communist suppression. By the late 1980s, the communist system was collapsing. East Germany reunited with West Germany and became a democracy, while Poland became a democracy as well.
