STUDIES and MATERIALS Christof
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STUDIA I MATERIAŁY – STUDIES AND MATERIALS Acta Militaria Mediaevalia VIII Kraków – Rzeszów – Sanok 2012, s. 177-212 Christof Krauskopf WEAPON FINDS FROM THE “GRÜTTPOTT” AT STOLPE ON THE ODER Abstract: Ch. Krauskopf, Weapon finds from the “Grüttpott” at Stolpe on the Oder, AMM: VIII, AMM VIII: 177-212 The “Grüttpott”, a round brick made keep at Stolpe on the Oder in northern Brandenburg, was probably built under Danish influence at around 1200. Taken by the Ascanians after 1250, the castle changed several times possession, before it was besieged by Frederick II, Elector of Brandenburg, in 1445 to get it back from Pomeranian dominion. During the siege, a great number of weapons and other objects was buried when the upper stories of the keep collapsed. 1991 hundreds of artefacts, as there are crossbow parts, bolt heads, brigandine plates, a fragment of a helm, fragments of several exploded handguns, firearm projectiles, bones and many objects of daily life were found. In this article the weapon finds are discussed. Key words: brigandine, helmet, firearms, crossbow, siege, castle 1 The „Grüttpott“ – a Danish-Pomeranian kingdom had gained great influence over the castle in Brandenburg1 Slavic territories along the southern Baltic coast. During the 2nd half of the 12th c., the Danish The Ascanians reacted by attempting to secure kingdom succeeded in its efforts to expand into the northern border of their territory: according to the Slavic and German territories on the southern the Chronicle of the Margraves of Brandenburg, shore of the Baltic Sea. The important Slavic temple written at the end of the 13th c., they occupied and at Arkona on the island of Rügen was taken in refortified the old Slavic stronghold at Oderberg. 1168. In 1184, the Danes defeated the Pomeranian Ascanian expansion had taken place at the fleet, and a year later Boguslaw I, the Duke of same time as the Danes control of the region to the Pomerania, was forced to become a vassal of the south of the Baltic Sea. Albrecht the Bear formally Danish king Canute VI (Petersohn 1979, 438-440; inherited the territory of the Slavic Hevelli or Holst 2009, 95, u Anm. 6), who went on to Stodorane, based around Brandenburg on the conquer the county of Holstein in 1200-1201. The Havel, when the last native prince, Pribislaw- Ascanian margraves of Brandenburg were also Heinrich, died childless in 1150. The succession eager to expand their territory. In 1211, they moved was disputed but Albrecht finally took possession northwards toward the Baltic Sea and, with the of Brandenburg itself in 1157. The dynasty already consent of the Holy Roman Emperor Otto IV, held the lands of Zauche, which lay to the seized the Pomeranian towns of Pasewalk and south-east of Brandenburg, as allodium. These Stettin. This move brought them into direct had been granted as a gift to Albrecht’s son in conflict with the Danes. In 1214, Otto’s successor 1130. The Ascanians used the two territories as Frederick II confirmed Danish dominion over a base for expansion to the east. Their way led Pomerania and Holstein, and, in the same year, them via Spandau, Bernau, Biesenthal, Bötzow the Danish king Waldemar II recaptured both (Oranienburg), Eberswalde and Oderberg to the towns. In little more than 50 years, the Danish Oder valley (fig. 1). At Oderberg they took 1 This article concentrates on the weapon finds. Other objects, as ceramics, stove tiles, buckles and more, will not be discussed. I would like to thank Arkadiusz Michalak, Zielona Góra, and Jan H. Sachers, Bielefeld, for providing me with literature which was not available in libraries nearby. And last but not least I would like to thank my colleague Jamie Jones, Wünsdorf, for his great help in translating this article. 178 Christof Krauskopf f b e c d g h k k i e c d l 0 10 m n b a m 0 10 m Fig. 2. Cross section of the Grüttpott, published in 1934 (after Kunstdenkmäler 1934). In the upper storey, the rubble containing the finds is depicted (grey display by the author). Ryc. 2. Przekrój Grüttpott, opublikowany w 1934 r. (wg Kunst- denkmäler 1934). W górnej kondygnacji rumowisko zawierające omawiane znaleziska (na szaro – oznaczenia autora). Fig. 1. Castles around 1200 between Spandau and the Oder: – castles under Danish dominion; – Ascanian castles; – Danish influence sphere south of the Baltic Sea (drawing by C. Krauskopf; after Holst 2009, fig. 1). Ryc. 1. Zamki pomiędzy Spandau i Odrą ok. 1200 r.: – zamki pod kontrolą Danii; – zamki pod kontrolą Dynastii Askańskiej; – strefa wpływów duńskich na południowym wybrzeżu Morza Bałtyckiego (rys. C. Krauskopf; wg Holst 2009, fig. 1). possession of the Slavic earthwork fortifications on the hill above the site of the later town and, as already mentioned above, built a new castle contra sclavos2 (Chronica... 1888, 120; for the castle at Oderberg see Schulz 1998; 1999, 48ff.; Schütz 2006, 272). The chronicler Arnold of Lübeck recorded a battle in 1198 between the Danes, supported by Rugians, Polabians and Obotrites, and a combined force of Ascanian and Pomeranian troops3. Unfortunately, the exact location of the Fig. 3. The Grüttpott upon Stolpe on the Oder. Photo by N. Schlaack. battle is not described, but it is likely that the battle Ryc. 3. Grüttpott k. Stolpe n. Odrą. Fot. N. Schlaack. 2 To the castles in Brandenburg mentioned see also the digital map on castles of Brandenburg (www.dhm.de/ausstellungen/burg- und-herrschaft/brandenburg). 3 Siquidem Otto marcravius de Brandenburch infestabat Kanutum regem, subiciens sibi quosdam Sclavos quos rex sue ditionis esse dicebat. Unde commotus rex expeditionem contra eum ordinavit et classe terram suam intravit per aquam que Odera dicitur, que in mari descensum habet. Cui occurrerunt Rugiani sive Rani cum Polabis et Obotritis. Rex tamen in insula Mone consistebat, Petro cancellario [archbishop Peter Suneson of Roskilde] exercitum ducente (Arnoldus Lubecensis, 1868, 229). Weapon finds from the “Grüttpott” at Stolpe on the Oder 179 1 5 4 2 3 0 3 cm 6 7 8 9 10 11 13 14 15 12 16 17 18 1 19 20 21 Fig. 4. The Grüttpott upon Stolpe on the Oder: 1-21 – brigandine plates. Drawing by I. Borak. Ryc. 4. Grüttpott k. Stolpe n. Odrą: 1-21 – zbrojniki brygantyny. Rys. I. Borak. took place near Oderberg, where the river Finow the Ascanians had probably taken possession of flows into the Oder valley. The first military contact the site earlier. between the two expansionist powers must have One of the most remarkable medieval castles taken place somewhere along the lower Oder: in northern Germany is located about 12 km north Arnold von Lübeck reports that Peter Suneson, of Oderberg (fig. 2). The so-called “Grüttpott”5 at the bishop of Roskilde ...entered with the fleet Stolpe on the Oder is a massive brick-built round [of the Danish king] from his territory into the keep, with a diameter of 18 m and a surviving river called Oder...4. height of nearly 30 m. The lower parts of the walls Both sides built castles in the border regions are up to 6m thick. At first glance, the keep appears to secure and strengthen their control. The to have been built on a motte. However, the mound construction of the new castle within the old was thrown up around the base of the keep, which Slavic earthworks above Oderberg dates according is covered up to a height of about 12 m. Only the to the chronicle of the margraves to 1214, although upper 18 m of the structure are visible above 4 See footnote 3. In other sources, the river Warnow is mentioned. The unlikeliness of this possibility has already been intensely discussed (Fritze 1982, 336; Holst 2009, footnote 3). 5 “Grüttpott” means literally “pot of groats”. The name comes from a legend which tells the story of a robber baron who defended the keep by throwing a pot full of groats onto the attackers below (Woeller 1979, 81). 180 Christof Krauskopf ground. Apart from some minor work in and around the keep, there have been no archaeological excavations at the site6. The theory that the Danes were responsible, either directly or indirectly, for the construction of the keep was first proposed by R. Schulz (Schulz 1998; 1999, 24f.), and new research by J.-Ch. Holst 1 has uncovered evidence that supports this hypothesis. The results of his thorough analysis of the building and the written sources suggest that the keep was built, with Danish involvement, in around the year 1200 and was intended as a practical and symbolic obstacle to Ascanian expansion (Holst 2009, 112f). However, the building was never completed. Defeat at the Battle of Bornhöved in 1227 weakened Danish influence and the Ascanians seized control of the 2 southern Uckermark in 1230 (Petersohn 1979, 440, footnote 14). They received the northern parts of 0 3 cm the Uckermark as a result of the Treaty of Landin in 1250 (Enders 1992, 42; Krabbo, Winter 1955, No. 730). According to Holst, the upper storey of the Grüttpott was finished with bricks that are Fig. 5. The Grüttpott upon Stolpe on the Oder: 1-12 – plate armour. typical of the Ascanian masonry of this period Drawing by I. Borak and R. Schulze. (Holst 2009, 112). Ryc. 5. Grüttpott k. Stolpe n. Odrą: 1-12 – zbrojniki płatów. Rys. I. Borak The first mention of an Ascanian steward at i R. Schulze. Stolpe is in 12517. A marescaldus named Albert 0 10 cm Fig. 6. The Grüttpott upon Stolpe on the Oder. Back part of the sallet. Photo by D. Sommer. Ryc. 6. Grüttpott k.