Vitslav II, Prince of Rügen

Vitslav II (c. 1240 – 1302), variously called Vislav, Vizlav, Wislaw, Wizlaw and Witslaw in English sources (German: Wizlaw II) was a prince of Rügen.

Vitslav was probably born between 1240 and 1245 as the son of Prince Jaromar II of Rügen and Euphemia, a daughter of Duke Swantopolk II of East Pomerania. After his father, who had taken part on the side of the church in battles in Denmark between the Danish royal house and the Archbishopric of Lund. When his father was stabbed to death by a woman in 1260 out of revenge, Vitslav became the reigning Prince of Rügen.

From the beginning of his reign Vitslav II maintained good relations with the Hanseatic town of Lübeck, whose merchants he exempted from customs duties within his principality and with whom, in 1266, he renewed the existing trade agreements. In 1269, he supported the town of Stralsund, located within his territory, by withdrawing rights from the Schadegard, built in the immediate vicinity of Stralsund, and gave up the town founded in order to compete with Stralsund.

Probably over claims to the dowry of his mother, a daughter of Prince Swietopelk of East Pomerania, he succeeded in 1270 in gaining possession of the enfeoffment of Schlawe. Possibly in the same year, but no later than 1271, he founded Rügenwalde, but sold his enfeoffments in 1277, after he had been driven out of the area in 1275 by Mestwin II. The territory of Schlawe (Schlawer Land) with its town and Rügenwalde went to Margrave John II, Otto IV and Conrad of Brandenburg.

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