Prince-Bishopric of Cammin

Origins

The bishopric of Pomerania was founded in 1140 at Wolin after the mission of Otto of Bamberg, with Adalbert as first bishop, and moved to Cammin by 1176. Exempt from any archbishop, it answered directly to the pope. In 1248 the bishops acquired the land of Kolberg, forming their secular territory with Köslin and Bublitz.

Rule and society

The bishops ruled a small but distinct territory, with Köslin and Kolberg its main towns and residences. They claimed imperial immediacy, which the dukes of Pomerania contested, and the Pomeranian estates drew the bishopric into ducal politics. After the Reformation in the 1530s the see became Lutheran and was administered by members of the Pomeranian ducal house.

Decline and legacy

The last administrator, Ernst Bogislaw of Croÿ, handed it over after the Peace of Westphalia gave Cammin to Brandenburg, which took possession in 1650 as the Principality of Cammin. The region has been part of Poland since 1945.