The state of research on the Wielbark culure in the area of the Dobrzyń Land leaves much to be desired. Exactly thirty years ago Krystyna Hahuła wrote her MA thesis titled Early Pre-Roman and Roman period in the Interfluve of Vistula, Drwęca and Skrwa rivers. A few years later the author’s main findings were published in a small text called Wielbark Culture on the Dobrzyń Land. For almost three decades this work has served as a source of knowledge about settlements in the Roman period for this area. Research conducted since the beginning of the twenty-first century has shed some new light on the transformation of settlements of the region. This text does not claim to be comprehensive on the subject; it is merely an attempt to signal changes taking place in the Roman period in the Vistula, Drwęca and Skrwa interfluve in the context of the latest findings.
The document of the Grand Master Ulrich von Jungingen concerning conferring Culm law on Dobrzyń Land on 28 October 1409 has already been discussed in the literature of the subject (Marian Biskup, Karol Górski). Nevertheless, the study by K. Górski was published forty years ago, and numerous studies have appeared which deal with both the Polish-Teutonic relations and the history of Dobrzyń Land. Using the sources allows us to place this increasingly interesting document in a completely new overall context. In this article we shall deal with the problem of identifying the witnesses of the privilege and we shall make an attempt to establish motives which made them support the authority of the Order in occupied Dobrzyń Land at the beginning of the war 1409–1411. This question also appears in literature (Janusz Bieniak, Beata Możejko), however accounts are scattered, which justifies the need to prepare a study of the problem in one place. The following people were involved as witnesses of the source we are interested in: Janusz and Jakub from Radzików (sons of Mikołaj from Kutno and grandsons of the Dobrzyń castellan Andrzej; Janusz – the progenitor of the magnate’s family of Kościelecki), Adam Świnka from Strzygi, Jan Świnka from Chojnowo, Adam Świnka from Sarnowo (grandsons of the Rypin castellan Piotr Świnka), Piotr from Starorypin (a descendant of the Dobrzyń pantler Eberhard and the Dobrzyń cup-bearer Mikołaj, probably a brother of the would be Dobrzyń standard-bearer Jan Rasz) and Namięta from Łapinóż (not coming from a clerical family). Six out of seven witnesses of Ulrich von Jungingen’s privilege for Dobrzyń Land of 28 October 1409 came from families belonging to the clerical noble strata. The Radzikowskis and the Świnkas belonged to outstandingly significant families (the position of the Starorypińskis was slightly lower). Only Namieta from Łapinóż came from a nonclerical noble family. The Świnkas and the Radzikowskis held the highest official positions in the Dobrzyń hierarchy during the rule of vassal princes of the Crown, and during the Teutonic lien from 1392–1405, cooperating with subsequent landlords of Dobrzyń Land, including the Teutonic Order. For this reason after Władysław Jagiełło took over the land, they were removed from their offices to which they had been appointed by Teutonic grand masters. The same happened to the Starorypińskis family. The Radzikowskis, the Świnkas and the Starorypińskis were connected with one another in family terms. They also had family connections and land in the Teutonic State. Representatives of the Radzikowskis family and the Starorypińskis family were institutionally connected with grand masters, holding from the end of the 14th century functions of diners of Konrad and later of Ulrich von Jungingen. All those factors made them support the authority of the Teutonic Order in conquered Dobrzyń Land in the autumn of 1409. Nevertheless, soon after the most outstanding witness of the Grand Master Ulrich von Jungingen’s privilege – Janusz from Radzików, Skępe and Kościelec – went over to Jagiełło’s side. He was probably influenced by the following factors: his relatives who were against his involvement in the Teutonic Order, financial corruption and hopes for further promotion prospects in the Kingdom of Poland, which were quite realistic. As far as the remaining witnesses are concerned, it is known that Jakub from Radzików supported the Teutonic Order until the end of the war (which resulted in a serious delay in his clerical career). No doubt the same situation took place in the Świnkas family (plausibly Jan from Chojnów). Their careers after the war varied. Adam Świnka from Strzygi and Zielona soon got on the right side of Władysław Jagiełło, who appointed him Dobrzyń castellan (his brother Jakub also made a clerical career), Jan from Chojnowo and Adam from Sarnowo fell victim to repression. It is not known what attitudes were adopted by Piotr from Starorypin and Namięta from Łapinóż in the later period of the war. However we know that the probable brother of Piotr – Jan Rasz – fought on the Teutonic side until the end of the military conflict of 1409–1411. None of the representatives of the Starorypińskis and heirs of Łapinóż held any offices until the end of the rule of Władysław Jagiełło.
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