Bernard Pretwicz

The coat of arms of the family of Prittwitz and Gaffron, Polish family coat of arms Wczele or Szachownica (chessboard)

Prittwitz probably came from Silesia to Poland at a young age and entered the service of the Polish King Sigismund I, who before his accession Duke of Glogau and Opole, as well as royally- Bohemian governor of his elder brother, the King Vladislav of Bohemia and Hungary had been in Silesia. Both may have known each other from that time. Perhaps also because his father Peter had already been in Polish military service, since he owned two goods in Poland. In any case, son Bernhard is already mentioned in 1526 as a man at the Polish royal court. Later he also served as his successor Sigismund II of Poland.

In 1537, Prittwitz is called a royal Captain and commander a flock of 120 horsemen. But probably since 1530 he provided his service in the border area to the "Tatar Empire". At that time, all the enemies of Christianity s and all non-Christian peoples of the Orient were called Tartars, predominantly the Turks. The city of Bar as well as the neighboring towns of Trembowla and Ulanów had been invaded by Tartars in earlier times.

By 1538 Prittwitz must have already achieved first great merit in the fight against the Tartars and thus also the favor of Queen Bona Sforza, an Italian, because the Queen finally obtained the king, that contrary to the prevailing opinion of the "foreigner" Prittwitz im In 1538, the large estates around Koniacyn, in present-day Vinnytsia Oblast, were donated. But after all, Prittwitz's successes meant that he had to report in 1538/1539 even before the Polish Reichstag report. Also in 1539 Queen Bona provided for further benefits: It was left to Prittwitz city and Scharawka Castle (55 km northwest of Bar) with all its goods for lifelong use, from 1550 as property.

Finally, in 1540, Queen Bona entrusted him with the office of Starost of Bar, whose district belonged to her own. As a starost in the confines of Poland, Bernard Pretwicz's main mission was to protect Podolia from Tatar expeditions that devastated the region every year. With the income of the starosty, he managed to maintain a regular troupe to defend the province against the Tatar attacks. The resources of the starosty being insufficient, it engaged many Cossacks who often paid themselves by plundering the lands of the sultan, sometimes supplying them weapons and clothes. The pay of a Cossack was in any case half as high as that of a horse archer. The other starosts of the confines Fyodor Sanguszko, starost of Bratslav and Vinnytsia on the Southern Bug, and Dmytro Vyshnevetsky, staroste of Kaniv and Cherkasy on the Dnieper did the same.

At that time, only Polish noblemen were appointed to a "Starost" (Polish district administrator), which became - with the royal goods lying in this district - mostly hereditary - feud. Both in peace and in wartime, the Starost was the district captain, so in addition to his post as head of administration at the same time military Commander in Chief. So the appointment of a "foreigner" like Prittwitz to the Starost was an extraordinary honor.

Signature of Bernhard von Prittwitz as Captain on Bar in 1550: "Berhanrth prytwycz, Haupman auff baur with meyner eygen Hannth schryff"

Prittwitz became "the man of providence for the Podolian lands" (source: Pulaski ): The small fortress bar offered shelter and food for only 30 men. Therefore, Prittwitz gradually built up a new type of defense system. From Cheremissen and Cossacks he formed his own troop of about 300 men, which he housed in smaller, well-mounted groups in castle-like fortifications in villages in the area. In the border areas he also positioned spies. For the first time Prittwitz made it impossible for the Tartars to unexpectedly invade Polish settlements in the Bar district. Because of the new "warning system" it was now possible to concentrate the "flying border protection" within a very short time at the endangered spot. Also new was that the enemy was even attacked and persecuted until it was wiped out, trapped or killed. Prittwitz is said to have won more than 70 battles with the Tatars over the years. His defense system and his fighting technique were therefore taken over by all Cossacks. Thus, the Silesian Prittwitz became one of the first great Cossack leaders. Prittwitz became "the man of providence for the Podolian lands" (source: Pulaski ): The small fortress bar offered shelter and food for only 30 men. Therefore, Prittwitz gradually built up a new type of defense system. From Cheremissen and Cossacks he formed his own troop of about 300 men, which he housed in smaller, well-mounted groups in castle-like fortifications in villages in the area. In the border areas he also positioned spies. For the first time Prittwitz made it impossible for the Tartars to unexpectedly invade Polish settlements in the Bar district. Because of the new "warning system" it was now possible to concentrate the "flying border protection" within a very short time at the endangered spot. Also new was that the enemy was even attacked and persecuted until it was wiped out, trapped or killed. Prittwitz is said to have won more than 70 battles with the Tatars over the years. His defense system and his fighting technique were therefore taken over by all Cossacks. Thus, the Silesian Prittwitz became one of the first great Cossack leaders.

In March 1540, the Tatars had advanced to the city of Vinnytsia in northern Podolia. Prittwitz confronted them with a small group of Cossacks, drove them about 100 km to Ochakiv in the Jedisan, at that time one of the most important permanent places of the Ottoman Empire on the Black Sea, took away their rich prey and returned with Tatar women and children as prisoners. In 1541, Prittwitz invaded the Tartar territories again and pushed forward to Belgrad in the Budschak. In 1550, the Tartars, this time together with the Wallachians, re-entered the Polish Podolia and besieged the fortress bar, well equipped with weapons, with at least 56 large and 1,120 small barracks. Prittwitz resisted this time not only the siege and the attacks back, but brought the Tartars by their own breakout a great defeat.

Later, when King Sigismund II August, out of political calculations, prohibited him from retaliating against the Tartars, Prittwitz instead provided better border and city fortifications within his area of responsibility. These safeguards were a prerequisite for the beginning of peaceful settlement. Thus, under the protection of the "glorious starost" Prittwitz, the entire region of Bar and Vinnytsia was populated, trade and agriculture began to flourish.

During his tenure, not a single village in the Bar district has been cremated by Tatars. The fact is that many villages, towns and castles in Podolia have been rebuilt during this period.