Płock, the capital of Poland from 1079 to 1138 and the seat of Masovia since 1138, is a ducal castle on the high Vistula bank (the Cathedral Hill, Wzgórze Tumskie) with the cathedral of the Virgin, completed under Bishop Alexander of Malonne in 1144, the bishop's court and the Benedictine abbey of St Adalbert.
Below and beside them lies a market settlement of craftsmen, fishermen and traders where the Vistula road meets the routes to Rus' and to the Prussian lands. A school is said to have opened here in 1180 (de.wikipedia; a traditional date). In 1200 it has no town law and no council; German town law comes about 1226 or in 1237 (de.wikipedia), renewed in 1255.
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): Płock; Wikipedia (de): Płock
Lord in 1200
The duke (Konrad, under Helen's regency) through his castellan of Płock, not named for 1200; the bishop of Płock (Church map record) holds the cathedral and its lands beside the castle.
How things stand that morning
The ducal seat, held for Konrad; no threat that winter.
Charter
None in 1200. German town law about 1226, or by a charter of 1237 (de.wikipedia); renewed 1255 (en.wikipedia).
Council
None: the castellan and the duke's officers govern the settlement.
Communities
Polish townsfolk; the cathedral clergy and the monks of St Adalbert's. No foreign merchant colony is pinned for 1200.
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
Ducal castle of earth and timber ramparts on the bluff, with the cathedral beside it; the brick castle is later.
Trade and crafts
Vistula shipping and the river crossing; grain, salt, wax, honey, furs and fish; craftsmen serving the castle and the cathedral clergy.
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.
- about 1226 or 1237 (after this year)German town law under Konrad.Depends on: Konrad's own rule and settlers Stopped by: war
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: en.wikipedia and de.wikipedia Płock give the capital years, the cathedral (1144) and the town-law dates; the castellan of 1200 is 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.