The Brandenburg diplomata contain this important piece of information regarding the activities of Herbert, the titular bishop of Brandenburg in the year 1114. Hartbert apparently cruised through his province rotting out pagans and destroying Suavic idols. In the former cultic area, at the town of Leitzkau (called Lizecho, Lezka or in some versions Litzeka – a few miles east of Magdeburg), he built a wooden church. This was the same town at which in 1005 the Henry II the Illiterate assembled an army to move against Poland. When he returned again in 1017 to once again set out against Bolesuav of Poland, he found the town had been destroyed by the Suavs and the Frankish Teutons had been driven out. Interestingly, the name Lizecho/Litzeka/Lezka hints at the leader/founder of the town being Leszek (Lizeka would thus mean literally “Leszek’s”).
The town name may have something to do with Lestek, the son of Siemovit who was the great-grandfather of Bolesuav though that is not necessarily the case, of course. Perhaps the reference is to another Lestek. On the other hand, the fact that Henry assembled an army there may indicate that the choice of place was deliberate to send a message that he was coming for Bolesuav having first “defiled” Bolesuav’s ancestors’ ancient home. Of course, the name may also be connected with the earliest name recorded for the undisputed Poles, that is, Licikaviki (as per Widukind of Corvey).
The description below also mentions a “donation” by Hartbert to the church of a nearby town of Gouuene. This too is, of course, a Suavic name cognate with such words as gowin. Bruckner identified this with the town of Göbel although there is also the nearby town of Gommern. The curious thing about this name is that it appears in many places. It is present in Poland (Gowino in Wejherowo area – Gòwino in Kaszubian) but also in Western Europe. Thus, for example, we have Gwynedd in Wales but we also have Govan (the former Gouuen) on the Clyde in Scotland which “is believed to be among the very oldest of all the continuously settled sites in the entire length of the great river and is thought to reach back to Neolithic times…” That town sits just west of Glasgow. Curiously, Glasgow (earlier, perhaps, Cathures) features a typical Suavic suffix -ow. That Vikings raided Scotland is well known. That in their ranks were sometimes found Suavic mercenaries is suspected. Will leave it at that.
Year 1114
“In the name of the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, I Herbert, the humble servant of the Brandenburg church, want this known by all the faithful of Christ, both those absent and those present [that], for the salvation of my soul and [for] all the Christian faith, I have persecuted the pagans in the hope of propagating and strengthening the Christian religion and [that] together with a few of my close companions, namely the monk Adalbero of the now established, divine mercy willing, Magdeburg church [?], in so far as we could, we destroyed many [and] countless idols for the glory of the Holy Mother of God, Mary and of the apostles Peter and Paul, and of all apostles, of Saint Steffan, the first martyr, and of all holy martyrs and of the holy bishop and confessor Martin and of all the holy confessors, of the hermit monks and of Cecilia, the holy virgin and martyr and of all the holy virgins and widows and of all the fearful nuns [of Christ] and of all the other saints, [and that, in accordance with] our abilities, in the capital place by the name of Lizecho* in the province called Morschene [that is] between the Elbe on the border of Saxony and the Havel, we built a church. To this aforementioned wooden church dedicated to God we have donated the town that was called Gowen, with the consent of Avellon – who held it as fief – [with the purpose of] the salvation of his soul, those of his ancestors and those of his progeny…”
* note: originally, Lezka
“In nomine sancte et individue Trinitalis. Ego Herbertus, ecclesie Brandenburgensis minister humillimus, omnibus Christi fidelibus tam absentibus quam presentibus notum esse cupio, qualiter pro remedio anime mee et omnium cristianorum ritum sum persecutus paganorum in spe propagande amplificandeque religionis cristiane una cum familiaribus meis admodum paucis, scilicet monacho cuidam michi subsistenti Adalberone animi devotione ac nunc magdeburgensi concessus ecclesie divina fauente clementia, prout potuimus, multa atque innumerabilia destruximus idola et in honore sancte Dei genetricis Marie et apostolorum Petri et Pauli atque omnium apostolorum Sancti Steffani protomartyris et Sanctorum martyrum omnium Sancti Martini confessoris atque pontificis nec non et omnium sanctorum confessorum Monachorum Heremitarum et in honore beate Cecilie virginis et martyris et omnium sanctarum virginum viduarum monialium timentium [Christi] et omnium sanctorum secundum facultatem nostram in loco capitu[a]li qui Lizecho* nuncupatur in provincia quae Morschene vocatur, inter Albiam et Hauelam situs, in confinio terre Saxonice templa construximus. In predicto autem loco ecclesiam ligneam Deo dicatam villa que vocatur Gouuene dotavimus Auellone consentiente aduocato, quia sui ex beneficio suerat, pro animabus suorum omnium predecessorum quin etiam sua ac successorum…”
* Lezka
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