The High Marshall of Pomerania-Wolgast, Degener Buggenhagen was killed before his eyes in 1417 or 1419 by Henneke von Behr, the favorite of the Duchess Agnes, widow of his uncle Wartislav VIII.

Probably influenced by these events, Wartislav IX agreed with the cities and nobility of his country on the establishment of a Quatember Court, to ensure the rule of law.

Like his cousins in Stettin, he had to deal with the ambitions of the House of Hohenzollern, who ruled neighbouring Brandenburg from 1411 onwards.

His worries focused on the Brandenburger estates of Torgelow and Pasewalk, which the Dukes of Wolgast held since 1369 as securities for a loan.

He died just six months after the formal opening of the alma mater gryphiswaldensis, but he had arranged numerous grants and the fledgling university was financially secure.