The settlement was founded in the 8th century at the site of the present-day district of Osetno near downtown Stargard.
In 967 it became part of the emerging Polish state under the first Polish rulers from the Piast dynasty.
Stargard was first mentioned in 1124, when it was part of Poland under Bolesław III Wrymouth, and received Magdeburg city rights in 1243 from Barnim I, Duke of Pomerania.
The name itself is a combination of two Slavic words: stari (old) and gard (town).
In this connotation, the term gard is still being used by the only surviving Pomeranian language speakers, the Kashubs.
However, some experts say that the name is of Scandinavian origin: starn (star) and gate (as in English).

It was one of the most important towns and a major trade center of the Duchy of Pomerania, after it split off from Poland as a result of the 12th-century fragmentation of Poland.
From 1283, the city had a port at the mouth of the Ina River in the nowadays abandoned village of Inoujście.
Defensive city walls were built in the 13th century, and expanded in the 14th, 15th and early 16th centuries.
In 1363 the city joined the Hanseatic League.

As a result of the ongoing fragmentation of Pomerania, in 1368 Stargard became part of the Duchy of Słupsk (Pomerania-Stolp) and in 1377 it became the capital of a separate eponymous duchy, which in 1403 fell back to Duchy of Słupsk, a vassal state of the Kingdom of Poland.
In 1478 Stargard became part of the reunified Duchy of Pomerania.

In the meantime, the trade rivalry with the nearby city of Szczecin led to the outbreak of the Stargard-Szczecin war in 1454, which ended in 1464.
In 1477 Stargard helped Duke Wartislaw X recapture the town of Gartz during a Brandenburgian invasion.
The settlement was founded in the 8th century at the site of the present-day district of Osetno near downtown Stargard. In 967 it became part of the emerging Polish state under the first Polish rulers from the Piast dynasty. Stargard was first mentioned in 1124, when it was part of Poland under Bolesław III Wrymouth, and received Magdeburg city rights in 1243 from Barnim I, Duke of Pomerania. The name itself is a combination of two Slavic words: stari (old) and gard (town). In this connotation, the term gard is still being used by the only surviving Pomeranian language speakers, the Kashubs. However, some experts say that the name is of Scandinavian origin: starn (star) and gate (as in English).
It was one of the most important towns and a major trade center of the Duchy of Pomerania, after it split off from Poland as a result of the 12th-century fragmentation of Poland. From 1283, the city had a port at the mouth of the Ina River in the nowadays abandoned village of Inoujście. Defensive city walls were built in the 13th century, and expanded in the 14th, 15th and early 16th centuries. In 1363 the city joined the Hanseatic League.
As a result of the ongoing fragmentation of Pomerania, in 1368 Stargard became part of the Duchy of Słupsk (Pomerania-Stolp) and in 1377 it became the capital of a separate eponymous duchy, which in 1403 fell back to Duchy of Słupsk, a vassal state of the Kingdom of Poland. In 1478 Stargard became part of the reunified Duchy of Pomerania.
In the meantime, the trade rivalry with the nearby city of Szczecin led to the outbreak of the Stargard-Szczecin war in 1454, which ended in 1464. In 1477 Stargard helped Duke Wartislaw X recapture the town of Gartz during a Brandenburgian invasion.
Stargard