Port · Principality of Pomerelia · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Gdańsk

Gdańsk is a castle with a market settlement, not a chartered town.

The princes' castle stands on a raised island in the Motława marshes near where the river meets the Vistula, with earth ramparts reinforced with timber; beside it lies the settlement of fishermen, craftsmen and traders, and outside it the church of St Nicholas, founded by Sambor about 1190 for German settlers and merchants. Gdańsk has taken over the sea trade of the old Prussian emporium of Truso and is Pomerelia's gate to the Baltic and the Vistula. The bishop of Kujawy has held the tithe of the castle district's grain and of its ships since at least 1148.

Lübeck law comes only about 1224, under Świętopełk II, after merchants from Lübeck and Bremen have settled; the Dominicans take St Nicholas in 1227.

Who holds it

Name
Sambor I
Title
prince of the Pomeranians, lord of the castle
Since
1177/1179
Born
about 1150
Family
See Sambor I.
Confidence
high

en.wikipedia (History of Gdańsk); de.wikipedia (Sambor I).

Lord in 1200

Sambor I, whose own seat it is; his castellan is not named.

Allies and rivals

The bishop of Kujawy (tithe of grain and ships); Oliwa abbey nearby (later a share of the customs).

How things stand that morning

Sambor's seat and Pomerelia's only port of size; no town law, no council.

Charter

None. Lübeck law is granted by Świętopełk II about 1224 (en.wikipedia gives no exact date).

Council

None: the prince's castellan and officers govern.

Communities

Pomeranian (Kashubian) townsfolk; German merchants and settlers round St Nicholas (about 1190); visiting traders from the Baltic (Gotland, Denmark: not pinned for 1200). Later population estimate: about 2,000 people around 1224 (en.wikipedia, History of Gdańsk).

Fairs and markets

No fair is recorded for 1200; the St Dominic's fair is a 13th-century creation (1260).

Militia

The castle garrison and the prince's retinue.

Walls and castle

The princes' timber-and-earth castle on its island; the settlement beside it; St Nicholas outside 'in the field'. No town walls.

Trade and crafts

Imports of salt and cloth; exports of furs, wax, honey and amber; Vistula river traffic; fishing; shipbuilding and crafts in the settlement. Tolls taken in kind for the prince.

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.

In 1200

  1. During 1200German merchant settlement round St Nicholas grows under Sambor's favour.Depends on: peace on the Baltic and Sambor's policy Stopped by: war with Denmark or the Prussians

Later, on the likely course

  1. 1210 (after this year)Valdemar II of Denmark takes Gdańsk; Mestwin swears fealty there.Depends on: Danish expansion
  2. About 1224 (after this year)Świętopełk II grants Lübeck law to the merchant town.

Places of note

  • St Nicholas: Church founded by Sambor about 1190 for German merchants, outside the castle.
  • Oliwa abbey: Sambor's Cistercian foundation, 7 km north-west (Church map).

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Archaeology and a few charters; the state of the settlement in 1200 is inferred from the decades either side.

On the map: The near land is a 6 km disc round the modern city centre.

Primary sources for Pomerelia

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.

Sources and studies

  1. Wikipedia: History of Gdańsk
  2. Wikipedia (de): Sambor I.
  3. Wikipedia (de): Pommerellen
  4. Wikipedia: Oliwa Cathedral
  5. Pommerellisches Urkundenbuch, ed. M. Perlbach (Danzig 1882), nos. 1-2 and the seal index (Internet Archive)

Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.