Castellany of Milicz

Who he is

Title

Castellan of Milicz

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 Milicz on the Barycz
• The frontier forests and fishponds of the Barycz

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). Across the Barycz lies Mieszko III's Greater Poland (the Kalisz land).

Threats

• Greater Polish pressure across the Barycz

Places of note

• Milicz 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