De morte plurium Pruthenorum.
Prussian Devastation of Culm
Prussian forces ravage the land of Culm but are defeated at the city, where their captain is killed and Christian captives are rescued.
Not long after, an army of Prussians entered the land of Culm and ravaged it with fire, plunder, and a great slaughter of Christian people. At length they came to the city of Culm, where the citizens met them with armed force; and when battle was joined, they killed their captain and many others, and so the entire Christian people were rescued and delivered from them.1
Scumandus and the Sudovian Incursion
Scumandus leads Sudovian forces into Culm, dividing his army to ravage Thorn and Culm before encamping at Birgelow.
Concerning the devastation of the land of Culm and the killing of certain brothers and armigeri.2 After this, Scumandus with the Sudovians entered the land of Culm and divided his army into two parts, of which one advanced against Thorn and the other against the city of Culm, killing, capturing, and burning whatever lay in their path. But around the hour of evening they gathered at the castle of Birgelow, and there they pitched camp.
Night Raid at Birgelow
Brothers and armigeri launch a night raid on the sleeping Sudovian camp at Birgelow, killing many before suffering losses themselves.
That same night the brothers of the said castle went out with their armigeri and fell upon the sleeping army; after killing many and inflicting mortal wounds, a great cry arose. When the guards who kept the night watch over the army heard it, they came at once, already armed, and killed two brothers with a half-company and several armigeri.3
Siege of Schonense and the Oath of Diwanus
Diwanus besieges Schonense and threatens to hang its defenders, while the small garrison uses deception to appear stronger than it is.
Concerning the attack on the castle of Schonense and the death of Diwanus, captain of the Barthens. At last Diwanus, captain of the Barthens, with eight hundred men besieged the castle of Schonense and swore by the power of his gods that unless they quickly surrendered the castle into his hands, he would hang both brothers and armigeri before the gate of the castle.4 In this castle there were only three brothers and a few armigeri; the brothers dressed these armigeri in their own cloaks and shields to terrify the besiegers, so that they would appear to be more brothers than they were.
The Fall of Diwanus and Divine Judgment
In the ensuing battle, Diwanus is killed by a crossbow bolt; his death is likened to that of Heliodorus, struck down by God for blasphemy.
When this had been done, and while the necessary preparations for attacking the camps were being arranged on both sides, they moved in to assault the camps. Many of the enemy were wounded and killed, and Brother Arnoldus Crop, shooting with a crossbow, pierced the said Diwan through the neck. When he was dead, the others — the enterprise having been left undone, they withdrew. To this blasphemous Diwan it happened just as it did to Heliodorus, who when he tried to plunder the treasury in the temple of the Lord was struck down by God and fell to the ground; and he who had entered with many runners and attendants, with no one bringing him any help, was carried away on a litter.
Read the original Latin
Non longe postea exercitus Pruthenorum intrans terram Colmensem, ipsam incendio et rapina et multa strage hominumcristianorum vexavit. Tandem ve nerunt ad, civitatem Colmensem *, ubi eis cives occurrerunt armata manu, et inito certamine capitaneumb ipsorum et multos alios interfecerunt, et sic redemptus fuit captus ab eis omnis populus cristianus. De vastacione terre Colmensis et occisione quorundam fratrum et m (i59) armigerorum. Post hec Scumandus cum Sudowitis intrans terram Colmensem, divisit exercitum suum in duas partes, quarum una processit contra Thorun, alia con tra Colmensem civitatem, occidentes, capientes et comburentes, quicquid in via occurrit eis. Sed circa horam vesperarum convenerunt apudc castrumBirgelow, ibique castra metati sunt. In ipsa nocte fratres dicti castri cum suis armigeris exierunt, et exercitum dormientem inquietantes, occisis pluribus et letaliter vulneratis factus fuit clamor magnus, quo audito custodes, qui vigilias noctis servabant super dictum exercitum, jam parati in armis supervenerunt, et duos fratres cum dimidio et plures armigeros occiderunt. De impugnacione castri Schonense et morte Diwani capitqnei Barthorum, ies (igo) Demum Diwanus capitaneus Barthorum cum octingenlis viris obsedit castrum Schonense, et juravit per potenciam deorum suorum, quod nisi cito traderent castrum in manus suas, ipse tarn fratres quam armigeros suspenderet ante portam castri. In hoc Castro non fuerunt nisi tres fratres et pauci armigeri, quibus armigeris induerunt fratres pallia sua et parmas ad terrorem obsidencium, ut fratres plures apparerent.
Quo facto dum ordinatis ex utraque parte, que ad impugnacionem castrorum sunt necessaria, ad impugnacionem accederent, vulneratis de hostibus pluribus et occisis, frater Arnoldus Crop sagittans cum balista dictum Diwanum per collum transfixit. Quo mortuo, alii. infecto negocio recesserunt. Isti Diwano blasphemo accidit sicut Heliodoro, qui cum vellet in templo domini erarium depredari, occisus a deo concidit in terrara, et qui cum multis cursoribus et satellitibus ingressus fuit, nullo sibi auxilium ferente, in sella gestatoria portabatur.
Notes
- 1 ↩The manuscript reads 've nerunt' (likely a scribal corruption of 'venerunt') and 'capitaneumb' (for 'capitaneum'). The asterisk after Colmensem marks an editorial gap. Translation follows the most plausible intended sense.
- 2 ↩The parenthetical 'm (i59)' appears to be a manuscript annotation or reference marker, not rendered in translation.
- 3 ↩The phrase 'cum dimidio' is ambiguous — it may mean 'with half [a unit]' or 'with a half-company.' The translation renders it as 'with a half-company' as the most plausible military sense, but the exact meaning is uncertain.
- 4 ↩The manuscript reads 'capitqnei' for 'capitanei' and 'octingenlis' for 'octingentis.' The parenthetical 'ies (igo)' appears to be a gloss or scribal note meaning 'id est' (that is). Translation follows the corrected sense.
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