De apostasia quinta et vindicta ejus.
The Nattangian Apostasy and Its Outrages
Duke Ronislaus rebuilds his castle with Lithuanian aid, prompting the Teutonic master to prepare for war, but before his forces can gather the Nattangians fall into apostasy, treacherously seizing brothers, plundering horses, and ravaging the land with violence against the faithful and the Church.
That year, Duke Ronislaus of Masovia, who was mentioned earlier, grieving over the destruction of his castle at Wisne, enlisted the help of the Lithuanians and rebuilt it. When the master learned of this, he was disturbed beyond measure — for he feared that new dangers were arising for himself and his people, for the faith and for the faithful — and he ordered all who were subject to him, from the greatest to the least, to prepare for war, so that he might somehow be able to hinder such a fortification. But before the brothers' army could gather and while it was scattered in various places, the Nattangians — at the instigation of a diabolical spirit, renewing their customary malice — to the disgrace of Jesus Christ committed the sin of apostasy once again, choosing a certain man called Sabine as leader of the army. The chief men and captains of this crime were Gauwina, Stanto, Trintae, Missino, and several others — may their memory pass into perpetual oblivion — who arranged themselves to carry out this kind of malice in the following way: the aforementioned Stanto, together with certain of his accomplices, secretly and treacherously entered the castle of Parthenstein and captured Brother Rudolph, called Rodcmer, and Brother Frederick of Libencele, along with their households. But Missino, with men from the territory of Scluniena, plundered the brothers' horses from Königsberg. The rest ran through the land, killing Teutonic soldiers, seizing women and children, and bringing great shame upon the churches, the sacraments of the Church, and its ministers.
Divine Illumination and the Commander's Return
God mercifully reveals the secrets of the conspiracy through certain individuals, and the commander of Königsberg hastens back with his army to punish the Nattangian rebellion.
But God, who does not allow the peoples who believe in him to be shaken by any terrors, but by his own piety grants peace and makes the territories of the Christians secure from every enemy — God divinely illuminated the hearts of certain people in this apostasy, and they revealed all the secrets of this malice. When this had been done, the commander of Königsberg returned with his army in haste from the territory of Wohenstorph, wanting to punish the rebellion of the Nattangians.
Repentance, Restitution, and a New Conspiracy
The men of Sclumenc repent and return the stolen horses, restoring peace in Nattangia, but meanwhile the Sambians conspire to kill their nobles and attack the brothers, reluctantly choosing Naudiotamf as their war leader.
When the men from the territory of Sclumenc perceived this, led by repentance they returned the horses of the brothers from Königsberg, pledging that they wished to remain faithful to the faith and to the brothers.12 Others gave back the captives, and so the land of Nattangia rested in peace. But while the commander of Königsberg was returning with his army, as has been said, the Sambians—and especially the peasants—formed a conspiracy to kill all their nobles and afterward to attack the brothers and the faithful by force, choosing as their war leader a certain young man called Naudiotamf, the son of Joduteg, who on that occasion, not daring to object, unwillingly consented.345
Revelation, Judgment, and Restored Peace
Naudiotamf reveals the Sambian conspiracy and its instigators before the master at Königsberg, and the guilty are put to death by God's just judgment, restoring peace to the Christians.
But after ten days, in the presence of the master and the brothers at Königsberg Castle, he revealed all the secrets of this apostasy and its principal instigators, naming them one by one.6 Wherefore the master and the others, observing that he had found the accused guilty of an unmanageable crime, had them put to death by the just judgment of God through various punishments, and so peace was once again restored to the Christians.7
Read the original Latin
Hoc anno Ronislaus dux Masowie, de quo dictum est, dolens de subversione castri sui Wisne, assumpto sibi Lethowinorum adjutorio, reedificavit illud. Quod cum perciperet magister, turbatus ultra modum (timuit enim sibi et suis, fidei et fidelibus iterum nova pericula suboriri), demandavit omnibus sibi subjectis, a majore usque ad minimum, ut ad bellum se prepararent, si quomodo posset edificacionem hujusmodic impedire. Sed antequam fratrum exercitus conveniret et dispersus essetd in diversis locis, Nattangi, dyabolico spiritu instigante, consuetam maliciam innovantes, in obprobium Jesu CristL apostasie vicium iterum commiserunt, quendam dictum Sabine in ducem exercitus eligentes. Principales et capitanei hujus sceleris fuerunt Gauwina, Stanto, Trintae, Missino, et plures alii, quorum memoria transeat in oblivionem perpetuam, qui ad perpetrandam hujusmodi maliciam sic se ordinaverunt, quod Stanto predictus cum quibusdam suis complicibus, occulte et fraudulenter intravit castrum Parthenstein, et fratrem Rudolphum dictum Rodcmer, et fratrem Fridericum de Libencele 2 3 cum eorum familia captivavit. Sed Missino cum viris de territorio Scluniena equos fratrum de Kunigsbergk depredavit. Ceteri discurrentes per terram, vires Theutonicos occidentes, mulieres et parvulos eorum ceperunt, ecclesiis, et ecclesie sacramentis et ministris magnam verecundiam facientes. Sed deus, qui in se credentesb populos nullis sinit concuti terroribus, sed sua pielate concessa pace Cristianorum fines ab omni hoste facit securos, quorundam in hac apostasia corda divinitus illustravit, qui omnia secreta hujus malicie detexerunt. Quo facto commendator de Kunigsbergk cum exercitu rediit festinus de territorio Wohenstorph, volens rebellionem Nattangie castigare.
Quod cum perciperent viri de territorio Sclumenc, penitencia ducti, retulerunt equos fra trum de Kunigsbergk, obligantes se, quod vellent fidei et fratribus fideliter adherere. Alii captivos reddiderunt, et sic terra Nattangie in pace quievit. Sed dum commendator de Kunigsbergk cum suo exercitu rediret, ut dictum est, Sambite et maxime rustici'1 conspiracionem fecerunt, ut omnes nobiles suose occiderent, et postea fratres et cristifideles invaderent manu forti, eligentes sibi quendam juvenem dictum Naudiotamf, filium Joduteg, in ducem belli, qui illa vice non audens contradicere invitus consensit. Sed post dies xim in presencia magistri et fratrum in Castro Kunigsbergk omnia secreta hujus apostasie et principales auctores nominatim detexit. Unde magister et alii attendentes, quod imtestabilis criminis reos invenit, fecit justo dei judicio diversis suppliciis trucidari, et sic iterum pax reddita est Cristianis.
Notes
- 1 ↩'fra trum' is a scribal abbreviation or corruption of 'fratrum' (of the brothers); translated accordingly.
- 2 ↩'Sclumenc' is a toponym of uncertain etymology; left untranslated.
- 3 ↩'suose' is a scribal error for 'suos' (their own); translated as 'their nobles'.
- 4 ↩'Naudiotamf' and 'Joduteg' are personal names of uncertain etymology; left as given.
- 5 ↩'Sambite' is an ethnonym (the Sambians); case form uncertain.
- 6 ↩'xim' is the Roman numeral X (= ten); rendered as 'ten days'.
- 7 ↩'imtestabilis' appears to be a scribal error, possibly for 'inextricabilis' (unmanageable) or 'intestabilis'; translated as 'unmanageable' reflecting the sense of a crime beyond remedy.
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