Culmer Land

Culmer Land (Polish Ziemia Chelminska) is a region in northeastern Poland. Its capital is Chelmno[?](German: Culm) and geographically it is located at the right bank of the Vistula river, from the mouth of the Drweca[?] (German Drewenz) river to Chelmno[?]. Where the Vistula river is making a sharp turn right, the Drweca formed the eastern border of the region while southern and western border is the Vistula river.

In the middle ages the Culmer Land region was a part of Mazovia being subject of constant raids of the pagan Prussians. To protect his land from invasions, the ruler of Mazovia (Konrad I Mazowiecki[?]), called the Teutonic Order for help. They were to keep Culmer Land as a fief in exchange for protecting Mazovia from pagan Prussians. The Teutonic Order, which has recently been thrown out of Hungary for fraud, prepared a false document promising them Culmer Land and any Land they can conquer in Prussia and with that in hand obtained a Papal bull and an Imperial bull of Frederick II before going to Prussia.

In 1242 Prussia was divided into four dioceses under the archbishop of Riga Livonia by the papal legate William of Modena[?]. The four parts were called Culmer Land (Kulmer Land, Kulmerland), Pomesania (Pomesanien), Ermeland (Ermland) or (Polish)Warmia and Samland (Latin Sambia). Culm (Chelmno) and Thorn (Torun) at the Vistula river and north of the Drewenz (Drweca) river were at the border to Masovia (Mazowsze).

Poland was able to recover this land in 1466 after the Thirteen Years War with Teutonic Knights, when it became a part of Royal Prussia.