The Principality of Rugia or Principality of Rügen () was a Danish principality consisting of the island of Rügen and the adjacent mainland from 1168 until 1325. It was governed by a local dynasty of princes of the Wizlawiden (House of Wizlaw) dynasty.

Danish conquest and Conversion

thumb|left|160px|Slavic stone embedded in St. Mary's walls, Jaromar I/" class="wiki">Bergen auf Rügen, pobably the tombstone of Jaromar I
The Danes conquered the Rani stronghold of Arkona in 1168 and forced the Slavs to become vassals of Denmark. The Rani were eventually converted to Christianity. The wooden statues of their gods were burned and monasteries and churches were built throughout the Rani lands.

The now Danish duchy of Rügen not only functioned as a bridgehead for Danish expansions into Vendland, but also Rani forces successfully participated in Danish raids into Circipania and areas conquered by Pomerania's Wartislaw I in the 1120s. After Pomerania had become part of the Holy Roman Empire in 1181, she sent out a navy in 1184 to subdue Rügen for the empire, too. A Danish and Rani counterattack destroyed the Pomeranian navy in the Bay of Greifswald - granting Danish access to all of the Wendish Baltic coast and making Denmark the predominant power until 1227. In this year's Bornhöved battle the Danes again lost all Wendish lands except for Rügen.

After the Danish conquest, the princes moved their capital from Charenza to nearby Rugard (now incorporated in Bergen auf Rügen).

While the island of Rügen was incorporated into the Danish Archdiocese of Roskilde, the mainland portion was incorporated into the Saxon Bishopric of Schwerin as a compensation for the Duchy of Saxony's aid in the conquest.

Princes

Before the Danish conquest, there were mentions about several Rani tribal leaders ("kings" or "princes"):

• ~955 Wizlaw

• ~1066 Kruto (Krito)

• ~1100 Grines (Grimmus)

• ~1138 Ratislaus (Ratislaw,Ratze)

Tezlaw was mentioned by Saxo Grammaticus already in 1164 as a king. After the Danish conquest, he became a prince, and was soon succeeded by his brother, Jaromar I.

• 1168-1170 Tezlaw

• 1170-1218 Jaromar I (Tezlaw's brother)

• 1218-1221 Barnuta (oldest son of Jaromar I, ancestor of the House of Gristow)

• 24. November 1221-1249 Wizlaw I (Barnuta's brother)

• 1249-1260 Jaromar II (son of Wizlaw I)

• 1260-1302 Wizlaw II (son of Jaromar II)

• 1303-1304 Sambor and Wizlaw III (sons of Wizlaw II, Sambor died in 1304)

• 1304-1325 Wizlaw IIIWerner Buchholz, Pommern, Siedler, 1999, pp.100-101, ISBN 3886802728

While the main branch of the House of Wizlaw (House of Rügen) went extinct with the death of Wizlaw III, two branches remained:

• The House of Gristow, ancestors of Barnuta. Barnuta resigned for unknown reasons and was entitled "Herr" (Lord) of the Rugian terra Gristow north of the Ryck river. His descendants remained at Gristow.Werner Buchholz, Pommern, Siedler, 1999, pp.102, ISBN 3886802728

• The House of Putbus, a branch derived from the Rugian princes already in pagan times. The members of this branch were entitled "Herr" of Putbus in Southeast Rügen, and in Prussian times were entitled "Fürst" (prince). This branch still exists.

Ostsiedlung

thumb|left|250px|Bishop Svantevit at Arkona, by Laurits Tuxen/" class="wiki">Absalon topples the god Svantevit at Arkona, by Laurits Tuxen
When Rügen became a Danish principality, not only religion changed. In the course of the Ostsiedlung, large amounts of German settlers had been encouraged to come to Rugia by the Rani prince Jaromar I and his successors. In the early 1200s, the mainland section of the duchy, which in large parts consisted of woodland, was settled by Germans, who established new villages and towns as well as settling in existing Rani dwellings. The first German settlements are recorded in the Ryck valley and the Tribsees area in the Trebel valley. The German settlement on the islands of Rügen started only in the 1300s, when the mainland was already densely German settled. In the following centuries, Rani and German population mixed and shared a common fate. As the Rani language, culture and administration was transformed into German in the 13th century, the Rani ceded to exist as a distinguishable ethnic group.

Danes and Danish property are recorded also.

Abbeys and towns founded by the Rugian princes

Major temples of the Rani (bordeaux) and Liuticians (green) in northern Western Pomerania, 12th century

Ostsiedlung was enhanced by abbeys founded on behalf of the princes of Rügen:

• 1193 Bergen Abbey

• 1199 Hilda abbey (later Eldena, errected by Danish monks from Esrom Abbey that had been in Dargun Abbey before)

• 1231 Neuenkamp Abbey (errected by monks from Lower Saxon Altenkamp)

• 1296 Hiddensee Abbey

The Dargun Abbey, founded 1272 by the Pomeranian dukes, was also sponsored by the Rugian dukes with land.

The abbeys were granted vast lands, in part turned over from the former temple estates. Wittow had been Arkona's temple isle before the Danish conquest, and the other temples, eg in Charenza, also had rich possessions.

Towns were either built within a clearance or near an older Rani burgh and granted Lübeck law when grown to a respective size. The date Lübeck law was granted is given in the following list as it is usually seen as the town's aniversary, even if the town itself was projected and built earlier:

• 1234 Stralsund

• 1255 Barth

• 1258 Damgarten

• 1270 Rügenwalde

• 1285 Grimmen

One exception is the town of Greifswald: While projected and built while within the Rugian principality, the area was claimed by the Griffin Duchy of Pomerania before it was granted market rights in 1241 by the Rugian and Pomeranian dukes in common and granted Lübeck law not by the Rugian, but by the Pomeranian duke allone.

The other exception is the town of Schadegast: Founded close to Stralsund, the town had to be levelled on behalf of the Stralsund burghers in 1269.

Military expeditions

After the 1168 Danish conquest, the Rugian dukes became a valuable ally to the Danes who participated in many Danish expeditions:

• 1177 Rugian troops participate in Danish raids of Usedom, Wollin and the County of Gützkow

• 1178 Rugian troops participate in a Danish raid of the terra Wusterhusen and Wolgast

• 1184 Battle of the Bay of Greifswald: The Rugian navy encounters the Pomeranian navy on its way to conquer Rügen and entirely defeats it. This made way for the Danes to again loot Usedom and Wolgast.

• 1185 Rugian troops participate in Danish raids of the Peene river estituary and Cammin

• 1219 Rugian troops participate in Danish conquest of Estonia

• 1259 Rugian troops raid Seeland aiding Christopher I of Denmark in a civil war with the archbishops of Lund, the Rugians sacked Copenhagen, raided Skane and Lolland

• 1260 Rugian troops take Lilleborg fortress (Bornholm)

Territorial changes

In 1235, Wizlaw I gained half of the terra Wolgast, yet lost it to the Pomeranian dukes before 1250. Wizlaw II did not succeed in inheriting Schlawe-Stolp from his mother, but gained the terra Loitz in 1275

Inheritance by the Dukes of Pomerania

The principality of Rügen was inherited by the Griffins ruling the Duchy of Pomerania, after the last Rugian prince Wizlaw III died in 1325 and two wars were fought with Mecklenburg for Rügen inheritance (Rügischer Erbfolgekrieg).

Further status of the region

Denmark at several occasions tried to again acquire the principality, yet without or only with temporary success. In 1625, a Danish offer of 150,000 riksdaler for Rügen was rejected. During the Swedish-Brandenburgian War (1675-79) Christian V of Denmark conquered the principality twice, but was unable to keep it afterwards. The last time the principality was under Danish rule was from 1715 until 1721.

The area of the principality retained some special status within the Duchy and later Province of Pomerania, where it was at times the splinter duchy of Pomerania-Barth, Swedish Pomerania and the Regierungsbezirk Stralsund, then referred to as Neuvorpommern. Today, the area is administered as the districts of Rügen, Nordvorpommern and Ostvorpommern within the German federal state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.