Castellany of Bytom Odrzański

Who he is

Name

Not pinned for 1 January 1200; nearest dated holder: Zicezlaus (Sięcisław), castellan 'de Bitom' in the Trzebnica charter, 1202-03: identified here as Bytom on the Oder, since Henry did not hold Upper Silesian Bytom

Title

Castellan of Bytom Odrzański

Confidence

low

Henry the Bearded's foundation charter for Trzebnica (act of 28 June 1202, written down in 1203 after 22 January; Schlesisches Urkundenbuch I, via dokumentyslaska.pl) names the castellans of Henry's first year. Whether the same man held the castle under Bolesław on 1 January 1200 is not pinned.

Overlord

Bolesław I the Tall, duke of Silesia

What it holds

• The castle of Bytom on the Oder
• The river crossing

How it was acquired

Appointed by the duke at his pleasure; the castellan is not a hereditary lord.

How things stand that morning

Held for Bolesław by his castellan (not pinned).

Places of note

• Bytom Odrzański castle: Castellany seat (gród)

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: The castle and its district are attested; the castellan's name for 1200 and the exact bounds of the district are not.

On the map: The district is drawn from its head castle and a few places near its later edges; its 1200 bounds are not documented.

Primary sources for Silesia (Bolesław the Tall)

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