The chain of ducal castles that guard Greater Poland's northern frontier along the Noteć valley, a wide belt of marsh and forest, from Santok at the fork of the Warta and the Noteć (Gallus calls it the guard and key of the kingdom) through Drzeń (Drezdenko), Wieleń, Czarnków and Ujście to Nakło, conquered by Bolesław III in 1109-13.
Beyond lie the Pomeranian dukes (Mieszko's grandsons) and, north-east of Nakło, the Pomerelian princes. Each castle has a castellan with a district and takes toll on the river and on the roads that cross the marsh at the castle.
Who he is
- Name
- Not named in any charter of 1199-1200 we could reach (not pinned)
- Title
- Castellans of the march castles on the Noteć and the lower Warta
- 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
- Santok (castellany)
- Drzeń (Drezdenko) (castellany)
- Wieleń
- Czarnków
- Ujście
- Nakło with the southern Krajna (Greater Polish from 1109-13 until 1220)
- The Noteć crossings and their tolls
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
On 1 January 1200 all six castles are Greater Polish and at peace: the Pomeranian dukes are Mieszko's grandsons, and no raid across the Noteć is recorded for the 1190s. Their castellans are not named for 1199-1200. Whether they answered to Mieszko or to his son in Poznań is not pinned.
Wealth
River and road tolls on the Noteć and the Warta (the way to Pomerania and the Oder), fish, furs and timber.
Military
Earth-and-timber castles on islands and spurs in the Noteć marsh; garrisons and the district knights. No figures.
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- 1220 (later)The Pomeranians take the Nakło district for a time.Depends on: Weak Greater Polish rule after the 1202 succession. Stopped by: A strong duke on the Noteć.
Places of note
- Santok: Guard and key of the kingdom.
- Nakło: Castle conquered by Bolesław III in 1109-13.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Santok, Drzeń, Czarnków, Ujście, Wieleń and Nakło are castellanies or castles named by Gallus and in 12th-century records; their Greater Polish status in 1200 rests on the general account (Santok and Drzeń Greater Polish through the 13th century until Brandenburg took them, Nakło Greater Polish 1109-13 to 1220). Holders not named.
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
- Duchy of Greater Poland, en.wikipedia
- Mieszko III the Old, en.wikipedia
- Santok, en.wikipedia
- Drezdenko, en.wikipedia
- Nakło nad Notecią, de.wikipedia
- Nakło nad Notecią, en.wikipedia
- Gallus Anonymus, Gesta principum Polonorum (Santok as guard and key of the kingdom; the Noteć wars of Bolesław III): as reported by en.wikipedia
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.