The 1653 Treaty of Stettin established the precise border dividing Pomerania between Sweden and Brandenburg following the Peace of Westphalia.
Key Facts
- Date signed
- 4 May 1653
- Parties
- Brandenburg and Sweden
- Territory divided
- Duchy of Pomerania
- Western partition outcome
- Became Swedish Pomerania
- Eastern partition outcome
- Became Brandenburgian (Farther) Pomerania
- Preceding framework
- Peace of Westphalia (1648)
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The House of Pomerania became extinct during the Thirty Years' War, leaving both Brandenburg and Sweden claiming succession to the duchy. Brandenburg grounded its claim in the Treaty of Grimnitz (1529), while Sweden relied on the Treaty of Stettin (1630). The Peace of Westphalia (1648) agreed in principle to partition the Swedish-held territory but left the precise boundary undefined.
On 4 May 1653, Brandenburg and Sweden signed the Treaty of Stettin, formally demarcating the border between their respective portions of Pomerania. The agreement resolved the outstanding territorial ambiguity left by the Peace of Westphalia, translating the partition agreement into a concrete boundary line across the duchy.
Western Pomerania was confirmed as Swedish Pomerania under Swedish sovereignty, while Farther Pomerania passed to Brandenburg. This division shaped the political geography of the southern Baltic coast for more than a century, until Brandenburg-Prussia eventually absorbed Swedish Pomerania in the early nineteenth century.
Political Outcome
Pomerania partitioned: Western Pomerania to Sweden, Farther Pomerania to Brandenburg
Pomerania held by Sweden with Brandenburg claiming succession rights; border undefined
Formal border established; Sweden retains western portion, Brandenburg gains eastern portion