Lecture: Bogusław IV and Warcisław IV – father and son in the politics of Western Pomerania

The Polish Historical Society – Szczecin Branch invites you to the Pomeranian Library for a lecture from the #ZoomNaHistorię series, combined with a meeting with Prof. Edward Rymar, an eminent researcher of the history of Western Pomerania. The starting point for the lecture will be the author's latest book, "Father and Son. Bogusław IV (c. 1256 - February 9, 1309), Duke of Pomerania and Wolgast. Warcisław IV (c. 1291 - August 1, 1326), Duke of Wolgast, Słupsk, and Rügen," dedicated to two rulers who governed Western Pomerania at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries. The monograph presents a key period in the history of the region, in which, despite the formal division of the state in 1295 into the Szczecin and Wolgast parts, Western Pomerania functioned on many levels as a politically coherent entity. The author discusses the diplomatic activities, armed conflicts, and internal politics of the duchy, showing how the coordinated decisions of father and son allowed the Gryfites to effectively maneuver between neighboring powers—Brandenburg, Denmark, the Teutonic Order, and a unifying Poland. The publication corrects many views established in historiography and provides important findings on the genealogy, chronology, and functioning of the ruling elites. The meeting will be an opportunity to listen to a lecture, talk to the author, and discuss the significance of the period in question for the history of the region.