De edificacione castri Swecze'.
Entrusting Sardowicz and the Rising Rebellion
The brothers entrust the castle of Sardowicz to loyal Samborius, then marvel at the astonishing rebellion of sons against their father, which disgraces the faith.
The brothers, therefore, seeing that new wars were threatening them, handed over the castle of Sardowicz to their loyal Samborius, the son of Swantepolcus, along with all its appurtenances, and entrusted it to him. Behold, a wonderful thing and beyond all measure astonishing: sons set themselves against their father on account of the severity he exercised to the disgrace of the faith and of the faithful.1
Appeal to Rome and the Preaching of a Crusade
The brothers send messengers to the papal legate and master general to report the new war, prompting the legate to preach a crusade against the tyrant by apostolic authority.
This done, the brothers sent messengers to the legate of the apostolic see and to the master general, nuncian.2 Witnesses to them of the new war and the state of the land of Prussia.3 When this was heard, the legate personally preached a crusade against the said tyrant, and ordered it to be proclaimed in various kingdoms and provinces by apostolic authority.
The Tyrant Builds Swecza to Block the Vistula
The tyrant, rejoicing in evil, builds the castle of Swecza opposite Golmensisf to block the Vistula River and cut off the brothers’ vital river passage.
But because perverse malice and wicked perversity take pleasure in the reprobate — rejoicing when they've done evil and exulting in the worst of deeds — this man, having gloated greatly over the castle of Santirium, which he had built to the grave prejudice of the faith and of the Christian faithful, began to build another castle on the opposite side, as it were, of what is now the city of Golmensisf, called Swecza, so that passage by ship on the Vistula River, both above and below, so necessary to the brothers, would be entirely closed off.4
The Master’s Countermove and Siege Plan
Upon learning of the castle’s construction, the master orders a dual assault: ships from Colmine and a land force from Thorn with Duke Casimir, aiming to halt the building.
When this came to the ears of the master, he ordered the brothers from Colmine to descend with their ships, while he himself, however, together with the brothers from Thorn and Duke Casimir, would make for the said place with his army on horseback. For he wanted to hinder the building of the said castle.
Swantepolcus Flees, Then Returns to Defend Swecza
Swantepolcus initially panics at the sight of the brothers’ ships, destroys the bridge and tents, and flees.
Swantepolcus, seeing the brothers' ships being brought to shore, tore down the tents and the bridge by which access to the castle had been open. He threw it down and fled.
The Failed Assault and Fortification of Swecza
Swantepolcus regains courage when the brothers’ forces are divided by the river, repairs the bridge, sends defenders, and after a fierce but unsuccessful assault by the brothers and Duke Casimir, further fortifies the castle.
At last, looking back and seeing that the brothers' horsemen could not join up with those who had come down by ship from Colmen, on account of the depth of the river that lay between them, he regained his courage, returned with his men, and when he saw the master himself moving to attack the castle, he quickly had the bridge repaired and sent three hundred men to the castle to defend it. The brothers, therefore, together with Duke Casimir, attacked the castle with the greatest force, and the fighting between them was so fierce that many men on both sides were mortally wounded, and many fell dead from the castle. But because the castle was so strongly fortified that it could not easily be taken by storm, the brothers withdrew, leaving the task unfinished. Swantepolcus returned and fortified the same castle all the more securely.5
Read the original Latin
Fratres itaque videntes sibi nova bella imminere castrum Sardowicz fideli suo Samborio, fiho Swantepolci resignantes cum omnibus attinenciis commiserunt. Ecce mira res et ultra modum stupenda, filii opposuerunt se patri prop ter severitateme, quam in fidei et fidelium ignominiam exercebat. Hoc facto fratres miserunt nuncios legato sedis apostolice et magistro generali, nuncian. tes eis novum bellum et statum terre Prussie. Quo audito legatus personaliter crucem contra dictum tyrannum predicavit, et mandavit in diversis regnis et provinciis auctoritate apostolica predicari. Sed quia perversa malicia et maliciosa perversitas reproborum letatur, cum male fecerit, et exultat in rebus pessimis, ideo iste gavisus valde de Castro Santirio, quod in grave construxit prejudicium fidei et cristifidelium, incepit edificare aliud castrum ex opposito quasi civitatis nunc Golmensisf, quod dicitur Swecza, ut omnino in fluvio Wisele tarn supra quam infra transitus navigio necessarius valde fratribus non pateret. Quod cum ad aures magistri deveniret, mandavit fratribus de Colmine, ut cum suis navigio descenderent, ipse autem cum fratribus de Thorun et duce Casimiro ad dictum locum intenderet cum exercitu equitare. Volebat enim dicti castri edificacionem impedire.
Swantepolcus, videns naves fratrum ad litus applicari, sublatis tentoriis pontem, per quem aditus ad castrum patuit. dejecit et fugit. Tandem retrospiciens vidensque, quod fratres equites cum suo exercitu non possent convenire ad eos, qui de Colmine navigio descenderant, propter profunditatem fluminis, quod fuit medium inter eos, resumpta audacia cum suis rediit, et dum videret magistrum se ad impugnacionem castri inclinare, refecto celeriter ponte, misit ccc viros ad castrum, ut defenderent. Aggressi ergo fratres cum duce Casimiro castrum fortissime impugnaverunt, et tarn durum fuit inter eos bellum, quod utriusque partis plures homines fuerunt letaliter vulnerati, et de Castro multi mortui ceciderunt, sed quia castrum adeo firmatum fuit, quod de facili non potuit expugnari, fratribus infecto negocio recedentibus, Swantepolcus reversus ipsum castrum melius confirmavit.
Notes
- 1 ↩The phrase 'prop ter severitateme' is uncertain; 'prop ter' may be an abbreviated or corrupted form of 'propter,' and 'severitateme' is a medieval spelling of 'severitatem.' The translation assumes the sense 'on account of the severity.'
- 2 ↩The word 'nuncian' at the end of the sentence is uncertain; it may be a scribal error or variant of 'nuncios' (messengers). It is left untranslated pending further review.
- 3 ↩The opening word 'tes' is uncertain; it may be a truncated or corrupted form of 'testes' (witnesses). The translation assumes this sense.
- 4 ↩The word 'tarn' (possibly a corruption of 'tam') is uncertain; the translation reads it as 'both' in the correlative construction 'both above and below.'
- 5 ↩infecto negocio: lit. 'the business having been left undone' — a standard medieval Latin idiom for abandoning an enterprise.
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