Two old castles of the Piast heartland between Poznań and Kalisz.
Giecz, one of the first Piast strongholds, was sacked by the Bohemians in 1038 and rebuilt; it is still a castellan's seat with a romanesque church. Ląd guards a crossing of the Warta between Pyzdry and Konin; beside the castle stands the Cistercian abbey, a daughter of Altenberg near Cologne, founded by Mieszko III according to tradition about 1145 (Church map ground).
Who he is
- Name
- Not named in any charter of 1199-1200 we could reach (not pinned)
- Title
- Castellans of Giecz and of Ląd
- Since
- not pinned
- Born
- not known
- Family
- not known
- Confidence
- low
No name given: the brief forbids naming castellans without a charter.
Overlord
Duke Mieszko III (or his son Władysław in the southern share)
What it holds
- Giecz castle and its district (round modern Środa and Dominowo)
- Ląd castle and its district on the Warta (round Lądek, Zagórów and Pyzdry)
How it was acquired
Castellanies are ducal offices: the duke appoints and removes the castellan.
Allies and rivals
The castellan answers to the duke; his knights and the castle folk owe him service.
How things stand that morning
Both held for Mieszko III by castellans not named for 1199-1200.
Wealth
The ducal dues of the district's villages, the market and the toll at the castle.
Military
The castle's garrison and the knights of the district.
Places of note
- Giecz: Castle and romanesque church.
- Ląd: Castle and Cistercian abbey.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Both castellanies are old; their holders in 1200 are not named; the districts are drawn round the castles.
On the map: Castle districts are drawn as the castle and its nearest neighbours; their real extent in 1200 is not recorded.
Primary sources for Greater Poland
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Chronicle of the Poles, by Master Vincent (Wincenty Kadłubek), Wincenty Kadłubek (about 1190 to 1208). Book 4 is a contemporary's account of the fight for the senior throne of Kraków. Read online
- The annals of the Kraków chapter and the other Polish annals (kept from the 11th century; the Kraków chapter annals continued to 1266). Short dated entries that fix the chronology Kadłubek blurs: the deaths of dukes and bishops, Mieszko the Old's captures of Kraków, Prussian raids on Masovia, church consecrations. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.