Lubusz (Lebus) is the old Polish castle on the best Oder ford, the seat of a bishopric founded by Bolesław III about 1125 under Gniezno, and the head of a land that spans both banks of the Oder.
It has belonged to the Silesian dukes since 1138. It is the one place where Silesia touches Brandenburg, and the Wettins, the Ascanians and the archbishops of Magdeburg (who want the see as a suffragan) all covet it.
Who he is
- Title
- Castellan of Lubusz
- Confidence
- low
Castellan (kasztelan, comes castellanus) not named for 1199-1200 in the sources consulted. Silesian castellans appear by name mostly in charters from 1202 onward; no name is carried back to 1 January 1200 here.
Overlord
Bolesław I the Tall, duke of Silesia
What it holds
- The castle of Lubusz with the cathedral of St Adalbert on the castle hill (Church map record for the see)
- The west-bank plateau towards Seelow, Müncheberg and Fürstenwalde
- The east-bank land round Rzepin, Ośno and Sulęcin (extent in 1200 not pinned)
- The Oder ford and its toll
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): medium-high confidence that the land is Silesian that winter. A ducal official of Lubusz, the 'narochnik de Lubus' (a narocznik, who collected the duke's dues in kind), witnesses Henry's Trzebnica charter of 1202-03, so ducal administration there is attested at Henry's accession. Later course: Henry the Bearded trades it to Władysław Spindleshanks for Kalisz in 1206 (an agreement that does not last), Margrave Conrad II of Lusatia takes it in 1209, and Henry recovers it after Conrad's death in 1210.
Threats
- Magdeburg's claim over the see
- The Wettins of Lusatia (Conrad II takes it in 1209)
- The Ascanians of Brandenburg to the west
Places of note
- Lubusz castle: Castellany seat (gród)
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Silesian possession since 1138 is stated by both en.wikipedia and de.wikipedia; the castellan and the land's exact extent in 1200 are not documented.
On the map: The Lubusz land's extent is drawn from its later medieval limits; the Brandenburg side (the Barnim) is drawn by the Eastern Germany map.
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
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.