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Draheim (German: Starostei Draheim) or Drahim (Polish: starostwo drahimskie) was a starostwo of the Kingdom of Poland from the 15th century. Pawned to Brandenburg-Prussia in 1657, it was directly incorporated into the Kingdom of Prussia in 1772.
History
The region of the later starostwo was a borderland between Pomerania, Poland, and Brandenburg during the Middle Ages. Until the beginning of the 15th century it was controlled by the Knights Hospitaller; in 1407 German and Polish nobility conquered the castle of Draheim (Stare Drawsko). These robber barons used the region as a base for raids until 1422, when they were defeated by the burghers of Dramburg (Drawsko Pomorskie). In 1438 the Teutonic Knights recognized Polish control of the region.
Poland reorganized the territory as the starostwo or Starostei of Draheim within the Poznań Voivodeship. The administrative seat was the castle, Burg Draheim, although the most important town was Tempelburg (Czaplinek). In the 16th century the region largely converted to Lutheranism during the Protestant Reformation. The starosta, Johann Czarnowski, converted to Roman Catholicism during the Counter-Reformation, however, and expelled the Protestant preachers in 1625; the churches were restored to Catholicism, although the populace remained largely Protestant.
Poland pawned Draheim to Brandenburg-Prussia in the 1657 Treaty of Bromberg. This arrangement was confirmed in the 1660 Treaty of Oliva, but Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg, did not take control of the territory until 1668. Berlin subsequently administered the territory through the office of an Amtmann, who had his seat in Burg Draheim. It was later leased to domain tenants.
According to the Treaty of Bromberg, Frederick William promised not to infringe upon the rights of the Roman Catholic Church in Draheim. The number of Protestants in the territory gradually shrank. It was not until the reign of King Frederick William I of Prussia (1713–40) that a Protestant church was built in Tempelburg.
Draheim's role as a fief of Poland ended with the First Partition of Poland in 1772. The territory was reorganized as part of the Province of Pomerania in 1817; Draheim was included within Landkreis Neustettin, Regierungsbezirk Köslin.
References
This article incorporates text translated from the corresponding German Wikipedia article as of June 18, 2008.
Further reading
- Christoph Motsch: Grenzgesellschaft und frühmoderner Staat. Die Starostei Draheim zwischen Hinterpommern, der Neumark und Großpolen (1575–1805). Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2001, ISBN 3-525-35634-X. (German)
- Haik Thomas Porada, Michael Lissok: Die frühere Starostei Draheim und die Stadt Tempelburg. In: Pommern. Zeitschrift für Kultur und Geschichte. Heft 2/2002, ISSN 0032-4167, S. 2–9. (German)
- Martin Wehrmann: Geschichte von Pommern. Band 2. 2. Auflage. Friedrich Andreas Perthes, Gotha 1921, S. 179. Nachdruck: Weltbild Verlag, Augsburg 1992, ISBN 3-89350-112-6. (German)
