Czersk stands on a hill above an old Vistula ford, the chief castle of Masovia south of the Bzura.
A wooden castle was built here under Władysław Herman or Bolesław III; Czersk is first named in the Rus' chronicle (the Laurentian Codex) under 1142 and became a castellan's seat in the 12th century (en.wikipedia). Its district runs from the Warsaw country to the Pilica, the frontier with Sandomierz, and across the Vistula toward the Wilga; it lies in the diocese of Poznań, not Płock. The first castellan known by name is Piotr Pilch, in 1224; none is named for 1200.
Under Konrad, Czersk becomes a ducal residence and prison (Henry the Bearded, 1229).
Who he is
- Name
- not named for 1199-1200 (first named castellan: Piotr Pilch, 1224)
- Title
- castellan (kasztelan) for the duke
- Since
- not pinned
- Born
- not pinned
- Family
- not pinned
- Confidence
- low
Wikipedia (en): Czersk, Masovian Voivodeship
Overlord
the duke of Masovia (Konrad, under his mother's regency)
What it holds
- The castle of Czersk and its market settlement
- The Vistula ford
- The villages from the Warsaw country to the Pilica and across the river toward the Wilga
How it was acquired
An office held at the duke's pleasure; the castellan keeps the castle, leads its levy, judges and collects the dues of the district.
Allies and rivals
The palatine and the other castellans; the great families of the district.
How things stand that morning
Held for Konrad; castellan not named. The Pilica frontier with Sandomierz is quiet: both sides are held by Casimir's house.
Wealth
The district's dues in kind and services, the market and toll at the castle, and the duke's share of court fines.
Military
The castle levy of the district under the castellan; no numbers known.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: en.wikipedia gives the first mention (1142), the 12th-century castellany and the first named castellan (1224); the district's extent is drawn from the later Czersk land.
On the map: Drawn from the later Czersk and Warsaw lands; the Warsaw country may have formed its own small district in 1200 (not pinned).
Primary sources for Masovia and Kuyavia
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.