Wizna's castle has watched over the eastern border of Masovia and an important crossing of the Narew since the 11th century, and it has been the seat of a castellan since the mid-12th century (en.wikipedia).
Beyond the Biebrza and the marshes lie the Yotvingians (Sudovians), who raid and are raided: Casimir II campaigned against them about 1192, and Roman of Volhynia raided them in 1196 because they were attacking his borders (en.wikipedia Roman the Great). Its district covers the Narew valley round Wizna and Łomża. No castellan is named for 1200 and no raid is recorded that winter.
Who he is
- Name
- not named for 1199-1200
- Title
- castellan (kasztelan) for the duke
- Since
- not pinned
- Born
- not pinned
- Family
- not pinned
- Confidence
- low
Wikipedia (en): Wizna; Wikipedia (en): Old Prussians
Overlord
the duke of Masovia (Konrad, under his mother's regency)
What it holds
- The castle of Wizna and the Narew crossing
- The Narew valley villages round Wizna and Łomża
- The forest edge toward the Yotvingians
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; frontier quiet as far as the sources show.
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 a frontier district; the crossing is the point of any Yotvingian raid. No numbers known.
Threats
- Yotvingian raids across the Biebrza and the Narew
- Rus' princes of Volhynia pushing up the Narew and the Bug
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: en.wikipedia gives the castle and castellany dates; the Yotvingian frontier is general knowledge.
On the map: The district is drawn round its castle with the places named; castle districts were rights over the people of a group of villages, and their 1200 edges are not known.
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.