A Sambian hillfort on the high north bank of the Pregel near its mouth, where the Teutonic Order and King Ottokar II of Bohemia build the castle of Königsberg in 1255.
In 1200 it is a fortified place of the free Sambians, a refuge and assembly place for its district, not a town.
Who holds it
- Name
- not named
- Title
- the Sambian nobles of the district
- Since
- not pinned
- Born
- not applicable
- Confidence
- medium
Lord in 1200
The Sambian nobles of the district (no lord named)
How things stand that morning
A Prussian hillfort.
Charter
None: no town law. In 1200 no place in Pomerelia has German or any other town law.
Communities
Sambian Prussians.
Militia
The lord's men and the district levy.
Walls and castle
Earth-and-timber ramparts on the bluff over the Pregel.
Trade and crafts
River traffic on the Pregel; amber and furs from the Sambian hinterland.
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.
- 1255 (after this year)The Order builds Königsberg on the site.Depends on: the conquest of Sambia
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Known from Peter of Dusburg's account of the conquest (1326).
Primary sources for The Prussians
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
- Peter of Dusburg, Chronicon terrae Prussiae (1326), as summarised in Wikipedia: Peter of Dusburg
- Wikipedia: Sambia Peninsula
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.