The Warsaw Trial over Pomerania (year 1339)

The Warsaw Trial (or to be more precise - the Warsaw-Uniejów Trial) took place in 1339.

It was a trial between Poland and the German Teutonic Order over the ownership of Eastern Pomerania. Statements at the Trial of Warsaw - made by 126 witnesses from all levels of the society at a hearing convened at Pope Benedict XII's request and held in Warsaw from February 4 to September 15, 1339. During the session, Polish citizens were asked to testify about the devastation done to Poland by the Teutonic Knights. The judges concluded that Eastern Pomerania (see: the Treaty of Kepno), Chelmno and Michalow lands should all be returned to Poland and that the Teutonic Knights should make a large indemnity payment:

"Liber et Regestrum Regni et Regis polonie valde vtite et necessarium regno. In quo continentur acta et attestaciones excellencium et insignium personarum, omni eoeceptione maiorum, probancium et dcclarantium, quod Terre Pomeranie, Chelmen et Michalouien spectant et pertinent, spectare pertinerequc debent ad proprietatem ius et corpus regni polonie Continetur eciam sententia diffinitiuu per Judices apostolicos videlicet Balhardam de Carceribus Titulen prepositum, Coloczen diuecesis et petrum Geruasy Canonicum Aniczien: per Benedictum papam duodecimum specialiter delegatos, lata indiciatiter, que, nulla appellacioine suspensa, in rem transiuit iudicatam, que appropriat et adiudicat terras prefatas regi et regno Polonie et declarat Magislrum et ordinem Prussie in dietis lerris nullum ius habuisse nec habere posse."

Digital Library of Wielkopolska | Lites ac res gestae inter Polonos ordinemque Cruciferorum 1339



Below are fragments from that trial (should be interesting to any lawyer or/and any historian):

I post original Latin text, and English translation below:

Lites I (2), 95:

"[Casimir III the Great] intendit, quod ducatus et terra Pomoranie cum omnibus territoriis et districtibus sitis et locatis infra ipsum, scilicet Gdansk, Swecze, Slupsk, Tharszow, Stalgart, Meva necnon aliis opidis, castris et villis infra ducatum Pomoranie constitutis, sunt site infra regnum predictum Polonie et ad ipsum regnum pertinent ab antiquo, et quod hoc est notorium."

English:

"[Casimir III the Great] intends to prove that the duchy and land of Pomerania with all the territories and districts situated and located within it, namely Gdańsk, Świecie, Słupsk, Tczew, Starogard, and Gniew, and also the other towns, castles and villages located within the duchy of Pomerania, is situated within the aforesaid Kingdom of Poland and has belonged to the same kingdom since antiquity, and that this is notorious."

Lites I (2), 163:

"Dixit eciam, quod una et eadem lingua est in Pomorania et Polonia, quia omnes homines communiter habitantes in ea lo****ur polonicum (...) terra et ducatus Pomoranie est de regno Polonie et infra regnum, et est vox et fama publica de predictis tam inter indigenas quam inter Alamannos et alios alienigenas habitantes intra regnum Polonie et extra"

English:

"There is one and the same language in Poland and Pomerania because all the people living in [Pomerania] commonly speak Polish (...) the land or duchy of Pomerania is of the Kingdom of Poland and within the kingdom, and there is common knowledge about the aforesaid among both the indigenous people and the Germans and other foreigners living within the Kingdom of Poland and beyond"

Lites I (2), 211:

"[dux Mistiwoyus] de gente principum de Polonia"

English:

"[Duke Mściwój] of the people of the princes of Poland"

Lites I (2), 216:

"[Starosta of Sieradz] audivit a parentibus et senioribus suis, quod principes et duces, qui fuerunt in illa terra, fuerunt Poloni et sub rege Polonie consistebant"

English:

"[Starosta of Sieradz] heard from his parents and elders that the princes and dukes who were in that land were Poles and lived under the King of Poland"

Lites I (2), 271:

"gentes illius terre Dobrinensis lo****ur polonicum, sicut in terra, que est de regno Polonie et infra ipsum regnum"

English:

"the people of that land of Dobrzyn speak Polish, just as in a land that is of the Kingdom of Poland and within the same kingdom"

Lites I (2), 291:

"in dicta terra Pomoranie sunt et fuerunt semper Poloni"

English:

"there are and always have been Poles in the land of Pomerania"

Lites I (2), 338:

"[dux Mistiwoyus] ui lingua et moribus ac legibus se tenebat tamquam Polonus et semper de regno Polonie et infra ipsum regnum"

English:

"[Duke Mściwój] in language, customs, and laws thought of himself as a Pole and of the Kingdom of Poland and within the same kingdom"

Lites I (2), 367:

"[Archbishop Janisław of Gniezno]: semper ab antiquo, de quo memoria hominum in contrarium non existit, dicta terra Pomoranie pertinet et pertinuit ad regnum Polonie et est infra ipsum regnum et per principes Polonie possessa."

English:

"[Archbishop Janisław of Gniezno]: always from antiquity, about which memory of men to the contrary does not exist, the said land of Pomerania belongs and has belonged to the Kingdom of Poland, and it is within that kingdom and possessed by princes of Poland."

Lites I (2), 404:

"[Miecław of Konecko] audivit a multis senioribus et progenitoribus suis, quod predicta terra Pomoranie semper est et fuit ab antiquo tempore, de cuius contrario hominum memoria non existit, de regno Polonie et infra metas regni Polonie constituta et ipse testis qui loquitur, existens iuvenis fuit in predicta terra Pomoranie et vidit quod omnes habitantes erant Poloni et quod se tenebant de regno Polonie"

English:

"[Miecław of Konecko] heard from his many elders and progenitors that the aforesaid land of Pomerania always is and was from ancient times, of which memory of men does not exist to the contrary, of the Kingdom of Poland and located within the boundaries of the Kingdom of Poland, and the witness who is speaking as a youth was in the aforesaid land of Pomerania and saw that all the inhabitants were Poles and that they held themselves to be of the Kingdom of Poland"

^^^ Probably linguistic differences were still much smaller at that time.

Kashubian has evolved since that time, and has become more linguistically diverged. But even today there is a large degree of mutual intelligibility. Of course Kashubians only live in one - namely north-western - part of Pomerelia. Other parts of Eastern Pomerania are inhabited by ethnographic groups such as Kociewiaks and Borowiaks, who speak Greater Polish dialect. Kociewiaks have lived along the western bank of the Vistula River, starting from the outskirts of Gdansk, and towards the south.

These documents all prove that ethnic issues were very important in the Middle Ages, contrary to what some people say.

A few more excerpts:

"[Casimir III the Great] intendit, quod terra Culmensis cum omni districtu et territorio suo et cum civitate Culmensi, Thorun, necnon omnibus opidis, castris, villis sitis et locatis infra dictum territorium Culmense a flumine Visla usque ad flumen Ossa vulgariter nuncupatum, pertinet ab antiquo ad regnum Polonie et est sita infra metas eiusdem regni, et quod principes Polonie, qui pro tempore fuerunt, ipsam possederunt nomine regni euisdem, et quod de hoc est publica vox et fama."

English:

"[Casimir III the Great] intends to prove that the land of Chełmno with each district and territory and with the city of Chełmno, Toruń, and also all the towns, castles, and villages located and situated under the said territory of Chełmno from the Vistula River to the river commonly named Osa belongs from antiquity to the Kingdom of Poland and is located within the borders of the same kingdom and that the princes of Poland at that time possessed the same in the name of the same king and that concerning this there is public knowledge."

Lites I (2), 283:

"...interfecerunt ibi omnes Polonos, quotquot poterunt invenire.... Theutonici stantes infra dictam civitatem Gdansk, defraudaverunt Polonos qui erant infraeam."

English:

"[Duke Kazimierz of Kujawy testified that the Teutonic Knights] killed all the Poles they could find there [in Gdańsk], [and that] the Germans staying within the said city of Gdańsk defrauded the Poles who were within it."

Origins of witnesses:



Source of tables:

https://ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstr...liman Diss Final Draft 7-14-07.pdf?sequence=1