A stronghold of the Lesser Polish borderland, listed with Bytom in Casimir II's grant of 1177 to Mieszko.
Who holds it
- Name
- Duke Mieszko Tanglefoot (medium confidence)
- Title
- Lord
- Confidence
- medium
Lord in 1200
Duke Mieszko Tanglefoot (medium confidence)
How things stand that morning
Mieszko's (medium confidence).
Charter
No town charter and no German town law in 1200: a ducal castle (gród) with a market settlement (suburbium) under the castellan's court and Polish law.
Council
None. The castellan or the duke's officers judge and collect dues.
Communities
Polish castle folk, craftsmen and traders; no foreign community pinned for 1200.
Militia
None as a town; the castle folk and the knights of the district.
Walls and castle
Stronghold; no town.
Trade and crafts
The road from Bytom to Kraków and to Kalisz.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The castle is attested; its market settlement in 1200 is inferred from the castle-district pattern.
Primary sources for Racibórz (Mieszko Tanglefoot)
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.