De tradicione, in qua centum Cristiani interfecti fuerunt.
The Betrayal of Girdilo
In 1285, a converted Scalovian named Girdilo boasted he could strike against the Lithuanians with a hundred men, but when the brothers granted them, he led them into a prearranged ambush at the castle of Otekaymel where nearly all were killed.
In the year of our Lord 1285, a certain Scalovian named Girdilo, who before his conversion had been held in high regard among his own people, boasted that he could do great things against the Lithuanians if he had a hundred armed men at his disposal. When the brothers had assigned these men to him, he set out with them toward the castle of Otekaymel, and just as that traitor had prearranged, men gathered from the said castle rushed upon them unexpectedly and killed them all, except for a few who had escaped.
Read the original Latin
Anno domini mcclxxxv quidam Scalowita dictus Girdilo, qui magne reputacionis quondam ante conversionem suam fuerat inter suos, jactavit se, quod grandia1' posset facere facta contra Lethowinos, si centum viros in armis haberet. Quos cum fratres ei ordinassent, exiit cum eis versus castrum Otekaymel, et sicut iste traditor preordinaverat, viri de dicto Castro congregati irruerunt in eos improvise, et omnes preter paucos, qui effugerantf, occiderunt.
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