Western Pomerania has been subjected to numerous tests. The position between strong neighbours: Brandenburg, Denmark and Prussia did not make it easy to maintain independence. The ruler who knew it best was Boguslaw X, coming from the old Griffin dynasty. Boguslaw’s fate resembled life during a storm. He fought, and he won, but he also lost. His quality education made him able to prepare his duchy for a confrontation with strong neighbours. He centralized the administration and established a court, a chancellery and the Marshall office. He limited the minting of coins by cities and based the monetary system on silver and gold coins minted by the ducal mint. He introduced direct property taxes. Logging in the duke’s forests was allowed only with a special permit, which brought considerable income. The prince also regulated hunting. He increased the number of soldiers, with the help of which he successfully fought robber knights and robberies on the roads. Trading flourished on safe routes, which contributed to the development of cities. He began to orient his policy towards Poland. In 1490, in Grodno,
he made a pact with Kazimierz VI Jagiellon and married his daughter Anna. During twelve years of happy marriage, the princess gave birth to eight children, including five sons, who ensured the extension of the Griffin dynasty. However, Duke’s colourful and exciting lifestyle ended with the necessity to pay homage to the Holy Roman Emperor, and when Western Pomerania was recognized as a direct fief of the Reich. He fairly earned the nickname THE GREAT, and the monument at the Royal Castle in Szczecin reminds us of his fight for the independence of these lands. Regarding the above story, going to “Zamek” Cinema and watching the animated film THE GREAT JOURNEY OF BOGUSLAW X (which presents only one fragment of his numerous expeditions in an innovative formula) is worth considering.
