Another Look at the Pilgrimage of the Duke of Szczecin Świętobor I to the Holy Land in 1411

Abstract

The author of the commentary does not engage in a polemic with Krzysztof Kwiatkowski’s article “Niewola księcia pomorsko‑szczecińskiego Kazimierza [V] po bitwie grunwaldzkiej (1410/1411) – obserwacje historycznokulturalne” (Studia z Dziejów Średniowiecza 2017, vol. 21, pp. 111–126). However, he draws attention to Kwiatkowski’s erroneous interpretations, in which, without offering any new arguments, he asserts “facts” that do not emerge from the cited sources. The author suggests that we are dealing here with historical fantasy that has no place in serious history. Kwiatkowski also commits errors in citing sources and does not take account of the most important study of pilgrimages to the Holy Land. Summing up, the author of the commentary claims that the subject of Prince Świętobor I’s pilgrimage demands historical knowledge of material predating Kwiatkowski’s article.