William of Brunswick to Henry Piast

[William of Brunswick]

To Heinrich of the Polish Royal House, William, son of Henry the Lion, sends his esteem,

Otto tells me that you have already landed in England, so I thought to have this meet you in Canterbury. I wished to express thanks for the indulgence you have shown my little brother. I also wished to tender my personal regards, and hope that you will have news to share of the Empire, which since father's departure has seemed further away than ever before.

I understand that Frederick has already departed for Outremer. I wonder what he has left behind him? How has Saxony fared in his hands? These questions and more make me restless, for I feel strongly that obligation a lord must bear for his people and his own land. And what of Silesia? There are rumors of gold fluttering about Winchester, and I have heard the name of your Duchy pass more lips in the past month than I have in all the time since I have come to England. I hope that they are true, and that prosperity is coming ever more strongly to your people.

I will end the message here, though there is more I wish to ask. The pleasure of a face from home--or near to it--is one that I am very much looking forward to. I hope that in some way Otto and I can be the same for you, after so long a journey.

God's grace and protection to you,
Wilhelm of the House of Welf.

[Henry Piast]

To Wilhelm of the Herzog House of Welf, Heinrich, son of Boleslaw the Tall, sends his esteem,

This has indeed found me in Canterbury, during veneration of the arm of Saint Bartholomew, and so I share with you the intent of my supplications for Our Lord Jesus Christ to guide us all with the same firmness of faith He guided this holy arm when it was bringing Gospel into the East. It is a sign of our times that we must once again tread the path set forth by Saint Bartholomew.

Frederick was still mustering forces in Regensburg when I was in Bohemia in May, visiting my sister and my brother-in-law Diepold of Caslav who was intent on taking the Cross and joining the army in Esztergom. Once I reached Carniola, my father-in-law Berthold of Merania had already departed as the commander of the third division and the Frederick's standard-bearer. I was told that Frederick intended to strengthen his alliance with Serbs by marrying my wife's sister to one of their princes. By now Frederick may be in Thrace or even further, and I can't help but feel the fire of guilt that I had not joined my relatives on their holy call. All the more reason for me to come to Westminster and chart future from there, God willing.

I do understand your concern for the lands of the Empire being left to lesser supervision, and it is my father's teaching that we can only spread the Faith with strength if we stand strong with the mouths we can feed, castles we can defend, and armies we can levy. These are trying times and not all places on the path of my pilgrimage I could call altogether peaceful and god-fearing, especially in Italy. But as you write, we shall talk of it in person.

As for the rumours, they are true! We have discovered riches in our land, and new settlers draw to the villages to replenish the earth as Our Lord has willed us to. Both Magdeburg and Pforta supports us. Goldberga is rising to be the symbol of this prosperity, though my own estates in Röchlitz are growing as well. Silesia is changing quickly, and even those who had come with Frederick to restore my father's birthright to the land just before I was born would not recognise it today for all the roads, steads, beehives and monasteries one shall see on the way from Regensburg to Wrocław.

I anticipate our meeting with eagerness. Your brother and you bring hope for the fraternal camaraderie I can find reassurance in while in this unfamiliar land at the western reaches of Christendom where the weather is inclement and the language spoken is so different from what I have come to know and understand.

May blessings of Our Lord never leave you,

Heinrich of the House of Piast

[William of Brunswick]

To Heinrich of the House of Piast, Wilhelm of the House of Welf writes with feelings of gladness for the fortunes of his people.

I had thought the rumors of gold perhaps too fanciful to be true, but it makes me glad to know that prosperity has come to Silesia, and looks to stay there for a time. The Wheel of Fortune turns, but hopefully it will stay as it is for a good while. This talk of Bartholomew's example has me curious, however. Do you intend to take the cross, as so many of your people have done? I will not deny that it has crossed my own mind, and if circumstances were slightly different, perhaps I would have marched with Barbarossa's people. But things are not always as we wish them to be, and it seems I am to remain here for a time. Perhaps we will march together with my Uncle, or perhaps other marches will call me at a later time. Who can say?

With some question of the future, I remain,
Wilhelm of the House of Welf.