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Foundation and the Middle Ages
Early settlements are associated with the Wielbark culture; after the Great Migrations, they were replaced by a Pomeranian settlement that probably dates back to the 7th century.[11] In the 980s, a stronghold was built most probably by Mieszko I of Poland who thereby connected the Piast realm with the trade routes of the Baltic Sea.[12] The first written record of this stronghold is the vita of Saint Adalbert, written in 999 and describing events of 997.[12] This date is generally[citation needed] regarded as the founding of Gdańsk in Poland; in 1997 the city celebrated the millennial anniversary of the year 997 when Saint Adalbert of Prague baptized the inhabitants of the settlement on behalf of Boleslaw the Brave of Poland. In the 12th century, the settlement became part of the Samborides' duchy and consisted of a settlements at the modern Long Market, craftmens' settlements along the Altstädter Graben ditch, German merchant settlements around the St Nicolas church and the old Piast stronghold.[11] In 1186, a Cistercian monastery was set up in nearby Oliwa, which is now within the city limits. In 1215, the ducal stronghold became the centre of a Pomerelian splinter duchy. In 1224/25, Germans in the course of the Ostsiedlung established a settlement in the area of the earlier fortress.[citation needed]
About 1235, the town was granted city rights under Lübeck law by Pomerelian duke Swantopolk II, an autonomy charter similar to that of Lübeck which was also the primary origin of many settlers.[11] In 1300, the town had an estimated population of 2,000.[13] While overall the town was not that an important trade centre at that time, it had some relevance in the trade with Eastern Europe.[13] In 1308, the town was in rebellion and the Teutonic Knights were sent to restore order. Subsequently, they took over control the town.[14] Medieval massacre records of 10,000 inhabitants are perceived divergently in modern literature:[15] while sources state it as a fact,[16] other sources discard it as a medieval exaggeration
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