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Archeology on Medieval Knights' Manor House in Poland
- Anna Marciniak-Kajzer
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- Published by:
- Jagiellonian University Press
- Published online:
- 10 January 2018
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- 01 January 2017
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The relicts of medieval knight’s manor in Poland today are so called ‘grodziska stozkowate’ (motte) - the anonymous hills having in themselves remnants of wooden buildings, exceptionally made of stone or brick and numerous tiny artifacts being the trace of the past household equipment. Unlike to the castles they are not so often visited but more often destroyed. The book presents the image of medieval knight’s manor, which we know due to archaeological excavations carried on for half a century. Description of buildings household equipment and movables used by the people of the past was completed by transfers from written sources which allows for better understanding the live of mediaeval knights’ family.
Stanisław Kołodziejski
VI - Short Bibliography for Concerning Archaeological Stes
- Anna Marciniak-Kajzer
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- Book:
- Archeology on Medieval Knights' Manor House in Poland
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- Jagiellonian University Press
- Published online:
- 10 January 2018
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- 01 January 2017, pp 173-182
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Summary
Barłogi gm. Grzegorzew, woj. wielkopolskie
K. Gorczyca, Barłogi st. 2 gm. Rzgów…; L. Kajzer, Zamki i dwory obronne…, p. 189–190.
Bebelno gm. Włoszczowa, woj. świętokrzyskie
C. Hadamik, Bebelno koło Włoszczowy…; C. Hadamik, Średniowieczne dwory obronne w powiecie włoszczowskim…, pp. 12–21.
Bestwina gm. Czechowice–Dziedzice, woj. śląskie
H. Malinowska-Łazarczyk, Bestwina, pow. Bielsko-Biała…; S. Kołodziejski, Średniowieczne rezydencje obronne możnowładztwa na terenie województwa krakowskiego…, p. 113.
Będkowice gm. Wielka Wieś, woj. małopolskie
S. Kołodziejski, Średniowieczne rezydencje obronne możnowładztwa na terenie województwa krakowskiego…, p. 114.
Będzieszyn gm. Ostrów Wielkopolski, woj. wielkopolskie
L. Kajzer, Wstęp do badań nad siedzibami obronnymi Kaliskiego…; J. Tomala, Budownictwo obronne…, pp. 61–62.
Biała Wielka (Kopiec), gm. Kłobuck, woj. śląskie
W. Błaszczyk, T. Radkiewicz, Wyniki badań powierzchniowych…; S. Kołodziejski, Średniowieczne rezydencje obronne możnowładztwa na terenie województwa krakowskiego…, pp. 116–17.
Biskupice gm. Grodziec, woj. wielkopolskie
K. Gorczyca, Biskupice, pow. Grodziec…
Borówek gm. Bielawy, woj. łódzkie
A. Kosiorek, „Dwór na kopcu” w Borówku…
Broniszewice gm. Czermin woj. wielkopolskie
J. Tomala, Budownictwo obronne…, pp. 62–63.
Brzeziny–Trójnia gm. Lubartów, woj. lubelskie
A i R. Niedźwiadkowie, A. Rozwałka, Wyniki badań gródka stożkowatego w Brzezinach–Trójni…
Budzynek gm. Dalików, woj. łódzkie
A. Szymczak, Budzynek gm. Dalików…; L. Kajzer, O budownictwie obronnym województwa łęczyckiego…, pp. 111–122.
Chłapowo gm. Dominowo, woj. wielkopolskie
Studia i materiały…, vol. 1, p. 109; E. Naumowicz-Śmigielska, Chłapowo, gm. Dominowo…
Chrostowa gm. Łapanów, woj. małopolskie
A. Jodłowski, Gródek średniowieczny w Chrostowej…; S. Kołodziejski, Średniowieczne rezydencje obronne Półkoziców…, pp. 147–166.
Czarnuszka gm. Dobrzyca, woj. wielkopolskie.
Studia i materiały…, vol. 1 p. 137; J. Tomala, Budownictwo obronne…, p. 70.
Czułczyce gm. Sawin, woj. lubelskie
J. Cichomski, Czułczyce gm…
Dąbrówka gm. Dopiewo, woj. wielkopolskie
Studia i materiały…, vol. 1, p. 157; E. Naumowicz-Śmigielska, Wstępne sprawozdanie z badań wykopaliskowych…
Dmosin woj. łódzkie
T. Horbacz, Z. Lechowicz, Przyczynek do problematyki osadnictwa…
Dobrzyca woj. wielkopolskie
P. Wawrzyniak, Dobrzyca…; J. Tomala, Budownictwo obronne…, pp. 72–77.
Dziankówek, gm. Lubień Kujawski, woj. kujawsko-pomorskie
L. Wojda, Weryfikacje siedzib mieszkalno-obronnych…, pp. 160–166.
Głuszynek gm. Topólka, woj. kujawsko-pomorskie
L. Kajzer, Głuszynek, gm. Topólka…
Gniazdków gm. Chotcza, woj. woj. mazowieckie
Z. Lechowicz, Wyniki badań na stanowisku 1 w Gniazdkowie…; A. Nierychlewska, Budownictwo obronne…, pp. 120–124.
IV - An Attempt to Reconstruct the Image of a Medieval Knight's Manor House in Poland
- Anna Marciniak-Kajzer
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- Archeology on Medieval Knights' Manor House in Poland
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- Jagiellonian University Press
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- 10 January 2018
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- 01 January 2017, pp 121-146
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Summary
Being aware of the currently popular post-modernist doubt about the possibility of reconstructing past reality, I will still make an attempt at describing the knightly manor house, as it appears to archaeologists. Even with the assumption that: …one can study only what one has dreamed about, I hope that it will be a useful attempt to summarize years of effort from many Polish researchers, as so far there has been no comprehensive compilation.
Concepts that connect motte-and-bailey residences with a country's defence policy are becoming less frequent in literature. Many authors have already written about the lack of actual military advantage of such facilities. Of course one cannot generalize here. A small mound surrounded by a shallow moat in the middle of a meadow had quite different possibilities of defence compared to a manor house located on the tip of a promontory in an upland region, where on the one hand, natural steep slopes were rising up above the height of ten meters, and on the other hand, access was prevented by a deep ditch and / or rampart. The defensive advantage of the former, surrounded by marshes and a moat that was probably drying up periodically, depended to a large extent on the season of the year. Access to the residence built on the mound was much easier in winter, when the swamp was frozen, or during a dry summer. Then, in addition to their own courage, the residents were defended by a palisade, or as is apparent from this study, more frequently by a solid fence. In the light of these remarks, one observation seems to be very interesting, namely the term ‘manor house’ or ‘castle’ is used most frequently in relation to residences located on elevations or high promontories, and quite sporadically when referring to typical lowland motte-and-bailey settlements.
Some authors also pointed to the fact that the choice of location for the family hearth itself may indicate the different approach of individual founders to the issue of defence. Sometimes the seat is clearly visible from a distance - towering over the area, which demonstrates the aspirations of the owner. In other cases, the manor house seems to be almost hidden from unwanted visitors to avoid verification of its defensive potential.
II - Foreword
- Anna Marciniak-Kajzer
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- Archeology on Medieval Knights' Manor House in Poland
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- Jagiellonian University Press
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- 10 January 2018
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- 01 January 2017, pp 11-30
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Introduction
For the majority of historical researchers, the manor houses of knights belong to the past and are something that has been and gone forever. For an archaeologist, however, they still exist, albeit in a heavily modified form. Therefore, the basic question is what is the state of the manor house today, or in reality, what are its remains, and how to identify, verify and investigate them? The most common response of the archaeologist to this question is that the designation of a manor house is a fortified residence, that is an archaeological site with distinct land features. In Poland most frequently it is the so-called motte-type residence, in the form of a mound often surrounded with a moat. Another form, typical of more mountainous regions, is the cutting off the end of a headland by a ditch, often referred to as a dry moat. The strict typological classification into upland, headland and lowland etc. fortifications was not successful. In principle we are still using the old nomenclature and saying it is a ring-shaped fortified town if it is surrounded with embankments, or a motte and bailey residence if the courtyard is situated on a raised earthwork. Misunderstandings are sometimes caused by the fact that these terms intuitively have chronological associations, that is ring-shaped fortifications are of early medieval construction whereas the motte and bailey residences have late medieval origins.
The presumption that the seat of the dominant social class, or knights, should stand out against the background of peasant households, is certainly well-grounded. In general it is emphasized that these seats were most frequently fortified. In the case of motte and bailey settlements or residences located on headlands, defence was ensured by the elevated location. In other cases, surrounding embankments or moats formed part of the defence system. It is obvious that sites with distinctive land features are easier to be discovered. Excavations of such sites provide artefacts typical of manor houses that differ from findings discovered within rural settlements in terms of quality, diversity and the high standard of workmanship. This fact supports the classification of such sites as relics of settlements occupied by representatives of the privileged social classes - knights or nobility. However, reliance only on the presence
Frontmatter
- Anna Marciniak-Kajzer
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- Archeology on Medieval Knights' Manor House in Poland
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- Jagiellonian University Press
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- 10 January 2018
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- 01 January 2017, pp 1-4
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III - Archaeology and Relics of Medieval Knights’ Manor Houses
- Anna Marciniak-Kajzer
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- Archeology on Medieval Knights' Manor House in Poland
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- 10 January 2018
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- 01 January 2017, pp 31-120
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“The one who desires to be called dominus needs to build up the prestige of one's domus, rising it higher and enclosing it with a moat to highlight one's extraterritoriality, and building a tower to support one's status as master; the estate itself must also be built in a solid way.”
D. BarthelemyWhere Did the Knights Build their Manor Houses?
In the case of late medieval settlement studies the issue of geographic determinism seems to be less significant when compared with earlier periods. I feel obliged from the chronicler's point of view only to mention that these issues have been the subject of consideration in historical studies at least since the times of F. Ratzel1. A criticism of the monist approach to settlement studies was expressed mainly by the French school of social geography, which led to further discussions evolving between environmental and humanist determinism, that gave rise to modern historical geography. A concise overview of the issues concerning the relationship between man and the environment in the Middle Ages can be found in the works of J. Tyszkiewicz. Without going into further methodological considerations, we can say that throughout history, environmental resources were the most significant factor that determined the choice of the site for settlement. Environmental resources shall be very widely understood as the climate, soil quality, access to water and building materials, as well as food availability and also the exploitation of natural resources. In the Late Middle Ages the choice of location for a residence was considerably limited due to the private ownership of land.
Even the social elites referred to in this book had restricted choice options as to the land they owned. Certainly the choice was all the greater when the larger landed estates were in possession of a particular family or individual. When analyzing the preferences in the choice of the location for the seat, one should pay attention to what forms of terrain were actually available within a particular landed estate. Here, however, our possibilities are considerably limited. Hardly ever are we able to identify the founder of the residence that is being excavated. Even if we narrow down the group of potential founders to a particular family, it is still difficult to establish the boundaries of their landed estate, in which their seat was located.
I - Author's Preface
- Anna Marciniak-Kajzer
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- Book:
- Archeology on Medieval Knights' Manor House in Poland
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- Jagiellonian University Press
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- 10 January 2018
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- 01 January 2017, pp 7-10
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The Middle Ages is a period that has been inspiring our imagination for a long time. Even contemporary fantasy literature, especially in its film versions, draws most frequently from the medieval climate, with the buildings, everyday objects and clothing styled after the fashion of the Medieval period. The greatest of emotions and interest are aroused by knights and castles. Some of the medieval strongholds have survived in their entirety to this day and have been changed to a smaller or lesser extent by the following generations, others enrapture with their picturesque ruins. However, not many people ask themselves the question where did the medieval knights actually live when they were not accompanying their master in war, or were not staying in their lord's impressive castles. Where did they spend their time with their families whilst bringing up the next generation of knights? Most certainly the majority of them, at least in Poland, did not reside in such mighty castles.
So where did the medieval knights actually live? The answer to this question may vary taking into consideration the extensive territories of Europe. Even the issue of the duration of the Middle Ages causes many difficulties and differs for the various regions of our continent. In this book, however, I would like to concentrate on the fortified manor houses of knights that functioned in medieval Poland, that is within Central Europe. Our country was, at the time, overgrown with widespread forests cut with marshy river valleys and with mountain ranges in the south. Such a landscape had a considerable influence on the form and specificity of settlements and homesteads.
In the major part of Europe the motte and bailey residence, with its tower buildings on top of an artificial mound, was the initial form of settlement dwelt in by the knight. However, it is not my intention to study the origins of this type of fortified manor house. This is a huge issue and it is extremely popular among scholars, not only archaeologists.
Above all, I would like to make an attempt at the reconstruction of the appearance of such a manor house, including the objects that could be found inside. In this work the reader will not come across any attempts at creation of a typology, which is so popular among archaeologists.
V - The Ending
- Anna Marciniak-Kajzer
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- Archeology on Medieval Knights' Manor House in Poland
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- Jagiellonian University Press
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- 10 January 2018
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- 01 January 2017, pp 147-172
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It is finally time to spend a moment in reflection concerning the picture of a medieval knight's manor house that we can get on the basis of archaeological materials and that is presented in this work. I have already mentioned many times that the state of research is insufficient and we shall return to this subject in this chapter later on. First let us have a look at the situation in the neighbouring territories to the Kingdom of Poland, i.e. our conventional area for consideration.
The obvious question arises about the possibility of comparison of the knights’ manor houses from the territory of medieval Poland to those in neighbouring countries, or to estates that were owned by the clergy or belonged to rulers. Even in the content of each chapter there were references to the excavation results of the remains of manor houses in Silesia or Chełmno Land. Admittedly, the reference material here is very rich. Such sites as Plemięta and Bachotek from Chełmno Land as well as Zbrojewsko and Ryczeń from Silesia are a valuable source of analogy. However, there is a formal problem. In principle such a comparison should be carried out on several levels. We should compare knights’ manor houses from the territories of Poland to ones in the neighbouring countries. Similarly, knights’ residences should be compared to those owned by clergymen, as well as owned by dukes, which shall be then multiplied by incorporating the sites from neighbouring countries. To trace the evolution of these settlements and see if they proceeded simultaneously, it would be necessary to present a picture of the dynamic changes, additionally supported by their precise dating. Unfortunately, the present state of research does not allow such an activity. Even in the introduction to this book a reservation was expressed concerning the failure to determine the owners of many of these settlements, which means that there are certainly houses owned by clergy or dukes even among those sites that were considered a priori as ‘knights’ residences. Given such a situation we could propose the thesis that these residences did not differ fundamentally as no important dissimilarities have been noted so far. In academic research, however, it is better to operate with facts rather than speculations and therefore this thesis is still waiting for verification.
Contents
- Anna Marciniak-Kajzer
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- Archeology on Medieval Knights' Manor House in Poland
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- Jagiellonian University Press
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- 10 January 2018
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- 01 January 2017, pp 5-6
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VII - Bibliography
- Anna Marciniak-Kajzer
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- Archeology on Medieval Knights' Manor House in Poland
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- Jagiellonian University Press
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- 10 January 2018
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- 01 January 2017, pp 183-208
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Andrzejewski A., Kajzer L., Z archeologiczno-architektonicznych badań weryfikacyjnych zespołu pałacowego w Ujeździe koło Tomaszowa Mazowieckiego w 2002 roku, “Łódzkie Sprawozdania Archeologiczne”, vol. 8, (2002/2003), p. 290.
Ankersmith F.R., Historiografia i postmodernizm. In: Postmodernizm, R. Nycz (ed.), Kraków 1997, pp. 145–172.
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Ariès P., Historia dzieciństwa. Dziecko i rodzina w dawnych czasach, Gdańsk 1995, pp. 20–21.
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Barthelemy D., Zagospodarowanie przestrzeni prywatnej XI–XIII w. In: Historia życia prywatnego, vol. 2, Od Europy feudalnej do renesansu, G. Duby (ed.), Wrocław 1998, pp. 431–458.
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Bieniak J., Tytuł rycerski jako kryterium identyfikacji osób w średniowieczu. In: Personae–colligationes–facta, Toruń 1991, pp. 66–73.
Biller T., Die Adelsburg in Deutschland: Entstehung, Form und Bedeutung, München 1993.
Błaszczyk W., Radkiewicz T., Wyniki badań powierzchniowych przeprowadzonych na terenie powiatu Częstochowa w roku 1963, “Biuletyn Śląskiego Instytutu Naukowego”, vol. 40, 1964, p. 116.
Bogdanowski J., Obronna wieża mieszkalna dworu Karwacjanów w Gorlicach. In: Architektura rezydencjonalna i obronna województwa rzeszowskiego w świetle badań naukowych prowadzonych w 25-leciu PRL, Łańcut 9–10 maja 1970, Materiały z sesji naukowej, Łańcut 1972, pp. 157–166.
Bogucka M., Historia kultury materialnej a postmodernizm. Kilka uwag do modnego tematu. In: O rzeczach minionych. Studia i Materiały z Historii Kultury Materialnej, vol. 71, Warszawa 2006, pp. 31–34.
Bogucki A., „Strennus” jako tytuł rycerzy pasowanych (XIII–XV w.), “Przegląd Historyczny”, vol. 77, 1986, no. 4 (1987), pp. 625–647.
Bogucki A., Rycerz i panosza w źródłach polskich XIV i XV wieku. In: Społeczeństwo Polski średniowiecznej, S. K. Kuczyński (ed.), vol. 7, Warszawa 1996, pp. 165–200.
Boguszewicz A., Architektura siedziby możnowładczo-rycerskiej w Wierzbnej koło Świdnicyw świetle badań archeologicznych, “Archaeologia Historica Polona”, vol. 15/1, 2005, pp. 279–305.
Böhme H. W., Von der Dollen B., Kerber D., Meckseper C., Schock-Werner B., Zeune J., Burgen in Mitteleuropa. Ein Handbuch, vol. 1 and 2, Stuttgart 1999.