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Chronicon Terrae Prussiae (Chronicle of the Prussian Land)/Book 4 · Tercia pars: De bellis fratrum domus Theutonice contra Pruthenos
Chapter 105ChrP.4.105

De fratre Ulrico et morte l Pruthenorum.

The Mighty Brother Ulrich

Brother Ulrich of Megdeburgk is introduced as a man of extraordinary physical strength, demonstrated by his feat of lifting two armed squires with a single finger each.

At this time there was a brother named Ulrich of Megdeburgk in the convent at Kunigsbergk, who was so powerfully built that he surpassed the strength of very many men. For he once took hold of two armed squires, each one by a single finger through the belt at his back, and lifted them both up high above him while they struggled against it.

The Guarding of the Christian Ships

Ulrich is assigned to guard the Christian ships, and the Prussians arrive in force to attack them.

He was assigned, along with certain other brothers and armed squires, to guard the ships of the Christians, which had come by sea to the land of Prussia — ships that the Prussians had frequently destroyed before. And so it happened that when he had remained behind with only a few men around the aforementioned ships, the Prussians came armed with five [ships or companies].

Ulrich's Heroic Stand and the Prussian Rout

Brother Ulrich takes up a mast and sinks so many enemy ships that fifty Prussians perish, causing the rest to flee in terror.

And while the ships drew near to destroy their own vessels, Brother Ulrich took up a mast from his own ship, and striking the enemy's ships with it, he sank so many that fifty Prussians went down with their ships. The others, seeing this, were terrified and fell back.

Read the original Latin

Hoc tempore fuit frater Ulricus deMegdeburgk in conventuKunigsbergk, qui adeo fortis erat in corpore, quod plurium virorum vires excederet. Accepit enim duos armigeros quemlibeta cumb uno digilo per cingulum in dorsoc, et eos in sublime ipsis renitentibus elevavit. Hic ordinatus fuit cumd quibusdam fratribus et armigeris ad custodiam navium Cristianorum, que per mare venerant ad terram Prussie, quas Prutheni antea sepius destruxerant. Unde accidit, quod cum ipse cum paucis circa naves predictas remansisset, venerunt Prutheni armati cum V. navibus, et dum ad destruendas naves suas appropinquarent, fra ter Ulricus accepit malum de navi sua, et illorum naves percuciendo, tot submersit, quod l Prutheni cum navibus suisf sunt submersi. Alii hocg videntes perterriti recesserunt.

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