Innocenty IV wobec konfliktu między księciem gdańsko-pomorskim Świętopełkiem i zakonem krzyżackim oraz jego sojusznikami z lat 1242–1253 w świetle dokumentów papieskich i wyroków sądów kościelnych

Abstract

From 1242, a fierce war raged between Świętopełk, the Duke of Pomerania and Duke of Gdańsk, on one hand, and, on the other, the Teutonic Order and its allies, which included Konrad of Masovia and his sons, the rulers of Greater Poland, Przemysł I and Bolesław the Pious, Świętopełk’s brothers Sambor II and Racibor, and Michał, Bishop of Kujawy. The causes of this conflict, its course (despite certain chronological uncertainties), and the effects of the war are already well known in the literature on the subject. Briefly, they included competition in Christianization and the shared subjugation of at least parts of Prussia between Świętopełk and the Teutonic Knights, control of navigation on the Vistula, abolition of customs duties, and the Order’s desire to take over the Vistula Spit. The causes also included attempts to deprive Świętopełk of his duchy by Konrad Mazowiecki, including the possibility of killing the duke of Gdańsk, the building up of Kuyavian rule by Kazimierz Konradowic, and the territorial claims to the Nakło lands put forward by the princes of Greater Poland. A desire to carry out a new division of the lands of Eastern Pomerania by Świętopełk’s brothers Sambor II and Racibor, and to gain feudal independence from their older brother, and the fiscal actions of Michał, Bishop of Kuyavia, are also relevant here. In addition to military actions, both sides in the conflict fought a diplomatic struggle trying to win over Pope Innocent IV to their arguments. At that time, the Pope was in dispute with Emperor Frederick II Hohenstaufen. The Teutonic Order played a role in this dispute. Despite the support that the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, Heinrich von Hohenlohe, gave to Emperor Frederick II Hohenstaufen between 1245 and 1246, a political turn took place within the ranks of the order. A faction led by Dietrich von Grüningen, a later Deutschmeister, was formed to support Innocent IV in his actions against Emperor Frederick II Hohenstaufen. Up to the Council of Lyon, Innocent IV received information about the dispute between the Teutonic Order and Świętopełk mainly from Teutonic diplomats and papal legates supporting the Teutonic Order. It was not until 1245 that the Holy See began to listen to the Pomeranian side. For this reason, earlier papal orders, the aim of which was actually to make Świętopełk submit to the will of the Teutonic Knights and their allies, turned into court hearings. They were conducted by papal legates, an unnamed bishop of Portuense, Opizon of Mezzano, and James of Liège. The legates were to be assisted by the courts of bishops from dioceses close to the areas where the Pomeranian-Teutonic war was taking place. At the same time, a new judicial procedure for electing judges and prosecutors for both sides of the conflict was developed and applied. The rulings of these courts, which were ultimately unfavourable to Świętopełk, were perhaps related to the clearly biased position of James of Liège. The Duke of Gdańsk-Pomerania, faced with an inability to defeat his opponent in the field, the gradual depletion of resources invested in the war, and, above all, the desire to recover his son Mściwoj II, who had been in the Teutonic Order’s captivity for a considerable time, agreed to the verdicts given.From 1242, a fierce war raged between Świętopełk, the Duke of Pomerania and Duke of Gdańsk, on one hand, and, on the other, the Teutonic Order and its allies, which included Konrad of Masovia and his sons, the rulers of Greater Poland, Przemysł I and Bolesław the Pious, Świętopełk’s brothers Sambor II and Racibor, and Michał, Bishop of Kujawy. The causes of this conflict, its course (despite certain chronological uncertainties), and the effects of the war are already well known in the literature on the subject. Briefly, they included competition in Christianization and the shared subjugation of at least parts of Prussia between Świętopełk and the Teutonic Knights, control of navigation on the Vistula, abolition of customs duties, and the Order’s desire to take over the Vistula Spit. The causes also included attempts to deprive Świętopełk of his duchy by Konrad Mazowiecki, including the possibility of killing the duke of Gdańsk, the building up of Kuyavian rule by Kazimierz Konradowic, and the territorial claims to the Nakło lands put forward by the princes of Greater Poland. A desire to carry out a new division of the lands of Eastern Pomerania by Świętopełk’s brothers Sambor II and Racibor, and to gain feudal independence from their older brother, and the fiscal actions of Michał, Bishop of Kuyavia, are also relevant here. In addition to military actions, both sides in the conflict fought a diplomatic struggle trying to win over Pope Innocent IV to their arguments. At that time, the Pope was in dispute with Emperor Frederick II Hohenstaufen. The Teutonic Order played a role in this dispute. Despite the support that the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, Heinrich von Hohenlohe, gave to Emperor Frederick II Hohenstaufen between 1245 and 1246, a political turn took place within the ranks of the order. A faction led by Dietrich von Grüningen, a later Deutschmeister, was formed to support Innocent IV in his actions against Emperor Frederick II Hohenstaufen. Up to the Council of Lyon, Innocent IV received information about the dispute between the Teutonic Order and Świętopełk mainly from Teutonic diplomats and papal legates supporting the Teutonic Order. It was not until 1245 that the Holy See began to listen to the Pomeranian side. For this reason, earlier papal orders, the aim of which was actually to make Świętopełk submit to the will of the Teutonic Knights and their allies, turned into court hearings. They were conducted by papal legates, an unnamed bishop of Portuense, Opizon of Mezzano, and James of Liège. The legates were to be assisted by the courts of bishops from dioceses close to the areas where the Pomeranian-Teutonic war was taking place. At the same time, a new judicial procedure for electing judges and prosecutors for both sides of the conflict was developed and applied. The rulings of these courts, which were ultimately unfavourable to Świętopełk, were perhaps related to the clearly biased position of James of Liège. The Duke of Gdańsk-Pomerania, faced with an inability to defeat his opponent in the field, the gradual depletion of resources invested in the war, and, above all, the desire to recover his son Mściwoj II, who had been in the Teutonic Order’s captivity for a considerable time, agreed to the verdicts given