Czersk stands on a hill above an old Vistula ford, the chief castle of Masovia on the left bank south of the Bzura.
A wooden castle was built here under Władysław Herman or Bolesław III; Czersk is first named in the Rus' chronicle under 1142 and became a castellan's seat in the 12th century. In 1200 it is a castle with a market settlement guarding the crossing toward the Rus' road and the Pilica frontier with Sandomierz; it lies in the diocese of Poznań. A market square of urban character appears in the mid-13th century, when Czersk becomes a ducal capital (from 1247); town law comes only in 1350 (en.wikipedia).
Who holds it
- Name
- Konrad (under his mother Helen's regency); castellan not named for 1200
- Title
- duke, through his castellan
- Since
- 1194
- Born
- about 1187/1188
- Family
- see Masovia and Kuyavia
- Confidence
- medium
Wikipedia (en): Czersk, Masovian Voivodeship
Lord in 1200
The duke through his castellan of Czersk (not named for 1200; Piotr Pilch holds the office in 1224).
How things stand that morning
Held for Konrad; quiet that winter.
Charter
None in 1200; town law in 1350 (en.wikipedia).
Council
None: the castellan and the duke's officers govern the settlement.
Communities
Polish townsfolk.
Fairs and markets
Not pinned; a weekly market under the castle by Polish custom.
Militia
The castle levy; the settlement's men serve under the castellan.
Walls and castle
Earth-and-timber ducal castle on the hill; the brick castle is of 1388-1410.
Trade and crafts
The Vistula ford and its toll, the regional market.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: en.wikipedia Czersk gives the first mention, the castellany, the 1224 castellan and the later dates.
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.