ABSTRACT
Although the Peace of Westphalia ended the Thirty Years W ar in Germany, war continued between France and Spain till 1659 and conflict was to break out once more around the Baltic in 1655. The end of hostilities in the Empire also brought no immediate relief for Brandenburg and other parts of Germany: the Swedes refused to leave till 1650 when the Empire finally paid the Swedish troops’ pay arrears. Even then they would not budge from East Pomerania till the borders were settled to their satisfaction. They used their m ilitary muscle to squeeze the last drop from the surrender and to plunder the ducal manors and forests as long as possible. Before Frederick W illiam could enter the main town of Kolobrzeg/Kolberg in 1653, he had to agree to hand over a wide stretch of the right bank of the Oder, denying him access to the river and its trade, to share half the tolls on the small East Pomeranian ports and to shoulder most of the debts of the whole duchy.
