De obsidione civitatis Colmense.
The Siege of Kolberg Begins
The Prussian army arrives and lays siege to the city of Kolberg.
After this, the Prussian army came and besieged the city of Kolberg.
The Bishop's Charge and the Sortie
The bishop, troubled by the siege, summons the nobles and charges them to scout the enemy, linking their tribulation to their sins.
Disturbed by this, the bishop summoned the nobles and feudal vassals to him, charging them, on account of their sins, to go out and scout the size and strength of the army more diligently.
Capture of the Giant Warrior
The scouts engage the Prussians, wound and capture an exceptionally tall warrior, and bring him back to the city.
As they went out, they encountered some Prussians, with whom they engaged in battle, and they wounded one of them — an exceedingly tall man who surpassed all the others in height by more than a head and shoulders — and led him away, half-dead, with them to the city.
A Prisoner Exchange and the Lifting of the Siege
The Prussian captain, desperate over the capture, offers to withdraw entirely if the wounded man is returned, and both sides honor the agreement.
Because of his capture, the captain of the Prussians was disturbed beyond measure, and he promised to withdraw from the siege and to harm no Christian person, on the condition that the wounded man be returned to him.1 And this was carried out by both sides.
Read the original Latin
Posthec venit exercitus Pruthenorum, etb civ'itatem Colmense obsedit. De quo episcopus turbatus vocavit ad se nobiles et feodatarios, injungens eis pro peccatis, ut exirent et diligencius explorarent numerum exercitus et valorem. Quibus euntibus occurrerunt quidam Prutheni, cum quibus convenerunt in bello, et unum ex eis virum longissimum, qui plus quam ab humero et sursum omnes alios in longitudine excedebat, vulneraverunt, secum ad civitatem semivivum deducentes. Pro cujus capcione capitaneus Pruthenorum turbatus ultra modum, promisit recedere ab obsidione, et nulli cristiano homini nocere, ut eid dictuse vir sic vulneratus redderetur,. etf hoc ex utraque parte factum fuit.
Notes
- 1 ↩The forms 'eid' and 'dictuse' are uncertain scribal readings; the translation follows the most plausible intended sense: 'to him' (ei) and 'the said' (dictus).
Chronicon Terrae Prussiae (Chronicle of the Prussian Land) companion
Keep reading the sources for yourself
The full 428-chapter chronicle — and 78+ other historic works — readable daily in the free Chosen Portion iOS app
The knights kept fixed daily hours of prayer alongside their campaigns; Chosen Portion keeps the fixed daily reading and drops the campaigning.
- The complete chronicle in modern English, in portions under 5 minutes
- Pericope headings that let you navigate 428 chapters by theme
- A daily reading habit that outlasts the 5-week course