War of Szczecin against Stargard over maritime trade

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 Tariff Bridge [pl] were killed, and several dozen people were taken captive.

[1] 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, Szczecin continued to hinder Stargard's trade exchange.

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.

[3] 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.

It reignited in the 1380s when Szczecin merchants, with the knowledge and consent of Duke Bogislaw VII, attacked Stargard ships in the port of Inoujście.

At the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries, Szczecin had completely subordinated most of the cities in the lower Oder region (including Gryfino, Dąbie, and Police) to itself.

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 Szczecin city council and merchant guilds issued a ban on the purchase of grain by people outside the duchy's borders.

The conflict began in the spring of 1454 when the people of Szczecin destroyed the port of Inoujście and blocked the southern mouth of the Ina river.

In their letters, they informed the recipients about the damages inflicted by the enemy, the trade reprisals, and accused Szczecin of unlawfully collecting tariffs on the Goleniów logs.

[8] In 1454, the people of Szczecin, to prevent river transport, besides blocking to the riverbed, stretched chains between the banks in an attempt to stop barges from Stargard.

As a sign of victory and contempt for the people of Szczecin, they tore down the chains obstructing the river channel and hung them on the Mill Gate, where they remain to this day.

Accepting the resolutions of the assembly of the estates, the Duke of Wolgast acknowledged that if Szczecin did not change its stance towards Stargard, he would be forced to intensify reprisals against its merchant fleet.

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.

Additionally, they reminded of the provisions of the privilege granted in 1301, which awarded the entire water area between Krępa [pl] and the northern arm of the Ina to Szczecin.

[11] Duke Otto III, under the influence of the people of Szczecin, sent his envoys to Stargard to warn the citizens of the consequences of violating the privilege from 1301.

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.

[14] The Stargard trade suffered the greatest losses (10,000 guilders) in the summer of 1458 when the people of Szczecin attacked their convoy on the Świna river.

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.

Finally, in late 1458, Lübeck, the main city of the Hanseatic League, took steps to ease the dispute,[18] as it was concerned about ending the conflict due to ongoing battles with Poland.

In a memorial dated 8 May 1459, the people of Szczecin agreed to have the dispute settled by the court, which, according to them, should examine the legal force of the privileges of both cities.

[20] Additionally, the supporting prince of Stargard, Duke Eric II of Słupsk, estimated the losses incurred in the conflict at 150,000 gulden.

In April 1459, the people of Szczecin confiscated the ship of Andreas Goritz and Mertan Vicke, which contained 6 lasts of resin and other goods.

In the autumn of 1457, on the market in Barth, merchants from Stralsund were robbed by courtiers of Eric II, the Duke of Słupsk, who favored Stargard.

In response, the city council of Stargard prohibited its residents from docking at the port of Stralsund and exhibiting goods in its market square.

In May 1460, Duke Wartislaw X of Wolgast sent several ships under the command of Gerd von Schwerin to the Baltic Sea against Stargard as reinforcements for the Szczecin units.

Then, on 17 May 1461, at the congress of the combined estates of the duchies of Szczecin, Wolgast, and Słupsk in Kołobrzeg, another attempt was made to bring about the signing of a peace treaty, also without result.

The final resolution of the dispute was achieved through the mediation of the Hanseatic cities, which led to the convening of an arbitral tribunal in Anklam in the spring of 1464.

[30] In 1460, halfway between Stargard and Szczecin – in Kobylanka – the mayors of both cities planted a linden called the "Wreath of Unity" as a gesture intended to put an end to the struggle for primacy in maritime trade.

These new vessels were characterized by greater cargo capacity and draft, allowing them to transport larger quantities of goods, but they required deeper ports for docking.