The Stettin–Stargard maritime trade war, also known as the Wheat War, was an armed conflict fought between the cities of Stettin (now Szczecin) and Stargard in Pommern (Stargard) in the Holy Roman Empire, over primacy in maritime trade, lasting from 1454 to 1464, with roots dating back to the mid-14th century.
The war was caused by mutual disregard for de facto conflicting privileges. Stettin had the staple right (all ships leaving the duchy were required to dock at the port of Stettin), while Stargard possessed the right of free and tariff-free navigation to the Baltic Sea. During the conflict, there were numerous skirmishes between the adversaries, with the most tragic being the Stargard attack on Stettin on 22 February 1460, when 6 guards of the were killed, and several dozen people were taken captive. The war ended as a result of mediation by Hanseatic cities in November 1464.
Origin The conflict between the two cities began in 1295 when, as a result of the division of Pomerania, Stargard found itself in the Duchy of Wolgast, while Stettin and the maritime port of Stargard were in the Duchy of Stettin.. Although in 1311 Duke Wartislaw IV of Wolgast confirmed all the privileges granted to Stargard, including its town rights in 1243, later reaffirmed by Duke Barnim I in 1253, including the right to free trade along the entire Ina river and the use of its mouth, Stettin continued to hinder Stargard's trade exchange.The date of granting municipal rights to Stargard is disputed. It is believed that in 1243, the rights were granted by the Bishop of Kamień, and 10 years later, after taking over the lands, by Duke Barnim I of Stettin. Those who support the year 1243 include: , , . And the year 1253: and .
In 1344, the Stettin domain was taken over by Barnim III, who ceased to honor Stargard's earlier privileges. This forced the Stargardians to pay double tariff: the first on the so-called "Goleniów planks", and the second at the port of Ihnamünde (Inoujście). Stargard, unwilling to pay taxes, obtained another confirmation of its rights to tariff-free navigation in the duchy's waters from Duke of Wolgast in 1355. However, this did not significantly change the attitude of the Stettin dukes. Consequently, in 1374, the Stargardians paid 7,000 silver grzywnas to Duke Swantibor I to exempt them from tolls at these two locations. Following the Hanseatic victory over Denmark and the Treaty of Stralsund concluded in 1370, all cities belonging to the league had the right to free passage through the Danish Straits. However, Stargard merchants preferred to monopolize the area of Pomerania, dealing almost exclusively with wheat trade – most of the Pomeranian wheat was transported through Stargard (e.g., in 1363, 260 last of wheat were shipped from here to Lübeck).. The dispute did not abate for long. It reignited in the 1380s when Stettin merchants, with the knowledge and consent of Duke Bogislaw VII, attacked Stargard ships in the port of Inoujście. In addition to such actions, Stettin also unsuccessfully attempted to incite Gollnow (Goleniów) against Stargard.
At the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries, Stettin had completely subordinated most of the cities in the lower Oder region - including Greifenhagen (Gryfino), Altdamm (Dąbie), and Pölitz (Police) - to itself. Only Stargard and, to some extent, Gollnow maintained their independence in the catchment area of this stretch of the Oder. Stettin citizens were well aware of Stargard's trading power and directed their actions towards slowing down the city's commercial development. In 1408, Stettin merchants appealed to Duke Swantibor I of Stettin to prevent the export of grain from the duchy. They argued that the inhabitants of Stolp (Słupsk) were taking identical actions against Stettin, allegedly at the instigation of Stargard. The dispute between the two cities also had a broader perspective. In the event of Stettin's defeat, the cities dominated by it could gain trade independence. In 1409, Stargard obtained another confirmation of its rights. Unable to act in other areas, Stettin began a diplomatic offensive against its neighbor. Its result was the confirmation of existing privileges and exemption from tariffs on the waters and roads of Pomerania, issued by Duke Sigismund of Luxembourg. Additionally, the Stettin city council and merchant guilds issued a ban on the purchase of grain by people outside the duchy's borders. Violation of this law threatened confiscation of the transported goods. The ultimate way to deal with Stargard was to reconfirm the rights issued in 1447, which forced it to contribute municipal goods in Stettin.The Loeper collection, No. 13, folio 214, p. 427 An open conflict between Stargard and Stettin was only a matter of time, as the people of Stargard had no intention of submitting to Stettin.
Course of the conflict The conflict began in the spring of 1454 when the people of Stettin destroyed the port of Ihnamünde and blocked the southern mouth of the Ina river. In response, the people of Stargard initiated a diplomatic action to contest the actions of Stettin and partially unblocked the river channel. They lodged complaints with Duke Eric II of Stolp, Duke Wartislaw IX of Wolgast, and Bishop Henning of Kamień. In their letters, they informed the recipients about the damages inflicted by the enemy, the trade reprisals, and accused Stettin of unlawfully collecting tariffs on the Gollnow logs. Additionally, in response to Stettin's attack, Stargard began collecting tariffs on goods from Stettin transported through the city into the depths of Farther Pomerania and Greater Poland.
Chains on the Mill Gate towers in Stargard
In 1454, the people of Stettin, to prevent river transport, besides blocking to the riverbed, stretched chains between the banks in an attempt to stop barges from Stargard. As a result of these actions, the people of Stargard appealed to the duke to settle the dispute. He ruled in favor of the merchants from Stargard. As a sign of victory and contempt for the people of Stettin, they tore down the chains obstructing the river channel and hung them on the Mill Gate, where they remain to this day.
Assembly of the estates of the Duchy of Wolgast As a result of the complaint to Wartislaw IX, an assembly of the estates of the Duchy of Wolgast was convened. On 14 July 1454, the assembly issued a decision in defense of Stargard and reaffirmed its navigational rights. It was also emphasized that as long as the people of Stettin continued to destroy the fleet of Stargard, none of the Stettin merchants would be allowed to sail through the Peene or Świna rivers, which were under the jurisdiction of the dukes of Wolgast. Accepting the resolutions of the assembly of the estates, the Duke of Wolgast acknowledged that if Stettin did not change its stance towards Stargard, he would be forced to intensify reprisals against its merchant fleet. This indeed happened in 1454, when several Stettin ships with their cargo were detained in Wolgast. In 1455, the disputes were apparently suspended, as Stargard and Stettin jointly participated in the resolution of the dispute between Kolberg (Kołobrzeg) and Lübeck.
Year 1457 The conflict reignited in 1457 when Stargard merchants began to use the northern branch of the Ina estuary as a port, as they had not been able to completely clear the southern channel, which had been blocked in the spring of 1454. The reaction from the people of Stettin was particularly harsh because, according to the privileges of that city, the people of Stargard were not allowed to use that estuary. Additionally, they reminded of the provisions of the privilege granted in 1301, which awarded the entire water area between and the northern arm of the Ina to Stettin. Duke Otto III, under the influence of the people of Stettin, sent his envoys to Stargard to warn the citizens of the consequences of violating the privilege from 1301. As mediators, Chancellor Jasper von Guntersberg was first sent, followed by Joahum von Mellentin, who made special efforts to resolve the dispute.
Year 1458 The next escalation of the dispute occurred in early 1458, when merchants from Stettin once again attacked merchants from Stargard and destroyed port buildings.. This triggered an open trade war between the two cities. They sent fleets to the Stettin Lagoon and the Baltic Sea with the task of attacking each other's ships. Despite Stettin's clear advantage, the people of Stargard managed to capture a Stettin ship led by Hans Jesse in the spring of 1458, and then several smaller vessels. Due to the military actions, the turnover of Stargard merchants sharply declined in the summer of 1458. In a complaint filed by Stargard on 4 November 1458, to the arbitration court of the Hanseatic cities, merchants listed the material losses incurred by individual townspeople. For example, Jakub Grosere lost goods worth 1000 guilders, Clawess Vipher was robbed of goods worth 600 guilders on his way to Wołogoszcz, and Bleken Sultze estimated his losses at 3000 guilders. The Stargard trade suffered the greatest losses (10,000 guilders) in the summer of 1458 when the people of Stettin attacked their convoy on the Świna river. In addition to goods, they also stole ships and barges at that time. Because blocking the southern mouth of the Ina river and destroying port buildings did not completely halt Stargard's trade, in June 1458, they blocked the river channel between and the mouth of the Ina.
Allies and mediators Both cities began seeking allies. In February 1454, the people of Stettin sent out information to the Hanseatic cities stating that Stargard was violating the old privileges of the city. The main ally of Stettin became Duke Otto III of Stettin. He ordered all merchants passing through his duchy to go to the capital to sell their goods. Another mediator in the dispute was Duke Adolf of Anhalt. In 1458, with the authority of Emperor Frederick III of the Holy Roman Empire, he sent letters to the councils of both cities requesting an analysis of the opponent's arguments. He called for the signing of peace. Until then, the warring cities were to suspend military actions. Duke Adolf's mission ended in failure because Stettin deemed the concessions to Stargard to be too far-reaching, while the people of Stargard felt that the duke was not sufficiently favorable to their city.
In October 1458, the court of the Bishop of Kamień issued a verdict stating that all land and waterways are public, and thus belong to all inhabitants. Such a ruling was not favorable to Stettin. Finally, in late 1458, Lübeck, the main city of the Hanseatic League, took steps to ease the dispute, as it was concerned about ending the conflict due to ongoing battles with Poland. Lübeck merchants proposed that the dispute be resolved by a voluntary court of the Hanseatic cities. Both cities agreed to this proposal, although they did not cease military actions. Due to Lübeck's clear sympathy for Stargard, Stettin – through Duke Otto III – convened an assembly of the estates of the Stettin duchy, which again confirmed the privileges of the city, with an emphasis on the staple rights.
Voluntary court of the Hanseatic cities