Polish–Teutonic War (1431–1435)

Last updated

This is the 1431-1435 Polish-Teutonic War. For a list of all Polish-German Wars, see Polish-German Wars.

Contents

Polish–Teutonic War
Part of the Polish–Teutonic Wars
Polish Knights 1333-1434.PNG
Polish knights of the era
Date1431–1435
Location
Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights
Result

Polish victory

Belligerents
Commanders and leaders

The Polish–Teutonic War (1431–1435) was an armed conflict between the Kingdom of Poland and the Teutonic Knights. It ended with the Peace of Brześć Kujawski and is considered a victory for Poland.

Hostilities

The war broke out after Teutonic Grand Master Paul von Rusdorf signed the Treaty of Christmemel, creating an alliance with Švitrigaila, who was waging a civil war against his brother Polish King Jogaila (Władysław Jagiełło) for the throne of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Sigismund of Luxemburg made a commitment to the Teutonic Order in an effort to break the Polish–Lithuanian union.

In 1431, while the main Polish forces were involved in Lutsk in Volhynia, the Teutonic Knights invaded Poland. Finding little opposition, the Knights ravaged Dobrzyń Land, taking the town of Nieszawa, and tried to move on to the Kuyavia and Krajna regions. However, the Teutonic army was defeated on 13 September 1431 in the Battle of Dąbki, near Nakel (Nakło nad Notecią). [1] In September a two-year truce was signed among Poland, Lithuania and the Teutonic Knights at Staryi Chortoryisk. [2]

Hussite invasion of Prussia

A Hugo Schullinger painting of Hussite warriors Hugo Schullinger - Cechove u more Baltskeho.jpg
A Hugo Schüllinger painting of Hussite warriors

In June 1433 Poland allied itself with the Czech Hussites in order to stop the Teutonic Order from sending secret support to Švitrigaila via its Livonian branch. [3] [4] The Teutonic Knights had supported the Pope and Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund against the heretic Hussites during the Hussite Wars. Czech forces under Jan Čapek of Sány were granted safe passage through Poland for their last and largest "beautiful ride." [3] [5] The Polish forces were also supported by Pomeranian Duke Bogusław IX of the Duchy of Stolp (Słupsk). [6] In addition, the Moldavians, whose ruler Iliaş had been replaced by the more pro-Polish Stephen II, had joined the Polish alliance. [6] For four months the Hussite army, including forces led by Feodor Ostrogski, ravaged Teutonic territories in Neumark, Pomerania, and western Prussia. [7] First they unsuccessfully besieged Konitz (Chojnice) for six weeks, then moved north to Schwetz (Świecie) and Danzig (Gdańsk). [8] They captured several towns and castles, including Dirschau (Tczew) on the Vistula River (29 August 1433). [4] [9] Despite their failed siege of Danzig, the Hussites reached the Baltic Sea near Oliwa at the beginning of September and celebrated their "beautiful ride" by symbolically filing their bottles with water from the sea. [9] Returning to the south via Starogard Gdański, the expedition occupied a castle in the frontier settlement of Nowy Jasiniec.

Negotiation and conclusion of the peace

On 13 September 1433 a truce was signed at Jasiniec in force until Christmas. Polish–Teutonic negotiations continued at Brześć Kujawski, and Hussite–Catholic negotiations continued at the Council of Florence and at the Czech Diet in Prague. [8] The Polish-led invasion of Neumark and Pomerania had proven successful, cutting the Teutonic Order off from support from the Holy Roman Empire, and convincing the Order to sign a treaty with the Poles. [4] While the Order's leaders had been willing to fight on, the citizens of Prussia demanded an immediate end to the war. [10] [11] The Poles put forth several conditions: an end to the Knights' appeals to the emperor, the pope or the Council of Florence for dispute resolution; the surrender of Nieszawa; and an end to their alliance with Švitrigaila. The Knights rejected these conditions, and the Poles threatened a new invasion. Finally, on 15 December 1433, twelve-year Truce of Łęczyca was signed between the Poles and the Order at Łęczyca [4] (leading some Polish historians to divide this Polish–Teutonic War into two wars: in 1431–1433; and in 1435). [12] The Teutonic Knights agreed [10] [13] to other Polish demands, including that the Order cease its support for Švitrigaila; moreover, each side would control the territories that it occupied until a peace was signed (uti possidetis), and no party would seek mediation by foreign powers in order to alter this truce. [11] [14] This marked the end of the war on Polish soil; the struggle on Lithuanian lands would continue for two more years, [13] as the truce with Poland did not extend to the Livonian Order. [11]

Jogaila's alliance with heretics had damaged his reputation. [7] By 1433, however, Jogaila had regained favor with the Church, particularly since Švitrigaila had allied himself with the Islamic Tatars. [6] Jogaila received tithes from the Church (which expected him to combat the Tatars and the Hussites), and his representatives were invited to be heard before the ecumenical council at Florence. [6]

Decisive battle

When Jogaila died in May 1434, the Order resumed its backing for Švitrigaila, [15] who rallied his supporters, including knights from the Livonian Order, the Orthodox dukes, and his nephew Sigismund Korybut, a distinguished military commander of the Hussites. [16] The final Battle of Wiłkomierz was fought in September 1435 near Ukmergė (Vilkomir, Wiłkomierz), northwest of Vilnius. It is estimated to have involved 30,000 men on both sides. [17] Švitrigaila's army, led by Sigismund Korybut, was split by the attacking Lithuanian–Polish army, led by Michael Žygimantaitis, and soundly defeated. [17] The Livonian Order had suffered a great defeat, sometimes compared to that which had been inflicted on the Teutonic Knights at Grunwald in 1410. [15] [17] On 31 December 1435 the Teutonic Knights signed a peace treaty at Brześć Kujawski. They agreed to cease their support for Švitrigaila, and in the future to support only Grand Dukes who had been properly elected jointly by Poland and Lithuania. The treaty did not change the borders that had been set by the Treaty of Melno in 1422. [18] The Teutonic and Livonian Orders no longer interfered in Polish–Lithuanian affairs; instead, Poland would involve itself in the Thirteen Years' War (1454–66), the civil war that would tear Prussia in half. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Władysław III of Poland</span> Monarch of Poland-Lithuania (r. 1434–44); King of Hungary and Croatia (r. 1440–44)

Władysław III of Poland, also known as Ladislaus of Varna, was King of Poland and Supreme Duke of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1434 as well as King of Hungary and Croatia from 1440 until his death at the Battle of Varna. He was the eldest son of Władysław II Jagiełło (Jogaila) and the Lithuanian noblewoman Sophia of Halshany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Władysław II Jagiełło</span> Grand Duke of Lithuania (1377–1434); King of Poland (1386–1434)

Jogaila, later Władysław II Jagiełło, was Grand Duke of Lithuania, later giving the position to his cousin Vytautas in exchange for the title of Supreme Duke of Lithuania (1401–1434) and then King of Poland (1386–1434), first alongside his wife Jadwiga until 1399, and then sole ruler of Poland. Born a Lithuanian polytheist, he converted to Catholicism in 1386 and was baptized as Ladislaus in Kraków, married the young Queen Jadwiga, and was crowned King of Poland as Władysław II Jagiełło. In 1387, he converted Lithuania to Catholicism. His own reign in Poland started in 1399, upon the death of Queen Jadwiga, lasted a further thirty-five years, and laid the foundation for the centuries-long Polish–Lithuanian union. He was a member of the Jagiellonian dynasty in Poland that bears his name and was previously also known as the Gediminid dynasty in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The dynasty ruled both states until 1572, and became one of the most influential dynasties in late medieval and early modern Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Švitrigaila</span> Grand Duke of Lithuania (r. 1430 to 1432)

Švitrigaila was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1430 to 1432. He spent most of his life in largely unsuccessful dynastic struggles against his cousins Vytautas and Sigismund Kęstutaitis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union of Grodno (1432)</span> Series of acts of the Polish–Lithuanian union

The Union of Grodno was a series of acts of the Polish–Lithuanian union between Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The first acts were signed in 1432 during the Lithuanian Civil War of 1431–1435. The acts confirmed the Union of Vilnius and Radom (1401). The Union established Sigismund Kęstutaitis as the Grand Duke of Lithuania and re-established Władysław II Jagiełło's seniority and dynastic interest in Lithuania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sigismund Korybut</span> Hussite military commander and governor

Sigismund Korybut was a duke from the Korybut dynasty, best known as a military commander of the Hussite army and a governor of Bohemia and Prague during the Hussite Wars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peace of Thorn (1411)</span> Part of the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War

The (First) Peace of Thorn was a peace treaty formally ending the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War between allied Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania on one side, and the Teutonic Knights on the other. It was signed on 1 February 1411 in Thorn (Toruń), one of the southernmost cities of the Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights. In historiography, the treaty is often portrayed as a diplomatic failure of Poland–Lithuania as they failed to capitalize on the decisive defeat of the Knights in the Battle of Grunwald in June 1410. The Knights returned Dobrzyń Land which they captured from Poland during the war and made only temporary territorial concessions in Samogitia, which returned to Lithuania only for the lifetimes of Polish King Władysław Jagiełło and Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas. The Peace of Thorn was not stable. It took two other brief wars, the Hunger War in 1414 and Gollub War in 1422, to sign the Treaty of Melno that solved the territorial disputes. However, large war reparations were a significant financial burden on the Knights, causing internal unrest and economic decline. The Teutonic Knights never recovered their former might.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War</span> 15th-century war in Northern Europe

This is the 1409-1411 Polish-Lithuanian-Teutonic War. For a list of all Polish-German Wars, see Polish-German Wars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sigismund Kęstutaitis</span> Grand Duke of Lithuania (r. 1432 to 1440)

Sigismund Kęstutaitis was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1432 to 1440. Sigismund was his baptismal name, while his pagan Lithuanian birth name is unknown. He was the son of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Kęstutis and his wife Birutė.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Marienburg (1410)</span> Part of the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War

The siege of Marienburg was an unsuccessful two-month siege of the castle in Marienburg (Malbork), the capital of the monastic state of the Teutonic Knights. The joint Polish and Lithuanian forces, under command of King Władysław II Jagiełło and Grand Duke Vytautas, besieged the castle between 26 July and 19 September 1410 in a bid for complete conquest of Prussia after the great victory in the Battle of Grunwald (Tannenberg). However, the castle withstood the siege and the Knights conceded only to minor territorial losses in the Peace of Thorn (1411). Marienburg defender Heinrich von Plauen is credited as the savior of the Knights from complete annihilation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treaty of Melno</span> 1422 treaty ending the Gollub War

The Treaty of Melno or Treaty of Lake Melno was a peace treaty ending the Gollub War. It was signed on 27 September 1422, between the Teutonic Knights and an alliance of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania at Lake Melno, east of Graudenz (Grudziądz). The treaty resolved territorial disputes between the Knights and Lithuania regarding Lithuania Minor and Samogitia, which had dragged on since 1382, and determined the Prussian–Lithuanian border, which afterwards remained unchanged for about 500 years. A portion of the original border survives as a portion of the modern border between the Republic of Lithuania and Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, making it one of the oldest and most stable borders in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golub War</span> 1422 territorial conflict between the Teutonic Knights and allied Poland and Lithuania

This is the 1422 Polish-Teutonic War. For a list of all Polish-German Wars, see Polish-German Wars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Wiłkomierz</span>

The Battle of Wiłkomierz took place on September 1, 1435, near Ukmergė in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. With the help of military units from the Kingdom of Poland, the forces of Grand Duke Sigismund Kęstutaitis soundly defeated Švitrigaila and his Livonian allies. The battle was a decisive engagement of the Lithuanian Civil War (1432–1438). Švitrigaila lost most of his supporters and withdrew to southern Grand Duchy; he was slowly pushed out and eventually made peace. The damage inflicted upon the Livonian Order has been compared to the damage of Battle of Grunwald upon the Teutonic Order. It was fundamentally weakened and ceased to play a major role in Lithuanian affairs. The battle can be seen as the final engagement of the Lithuanian Crusade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polish–Teutonic Wars</span>

Polish–Teutonic Wars refer to a series of conflicts that took place between the Kingdom of Poland and the Teutonic Order, a medieval German military order with roots in the Baltic region. These wars occurred primarily during the 14th and 15th centuries and were characterized by territorial disputes, political maneuvering, and religious differences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lithuanian Civil War (1432–1438)</span> War of succession in medieval Lithuania

The Lithuanian Civil War of 1432–1438 was a war of succession to the throne of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, after Vytautas the Great died in 1430 without leaving an heir. The war was fought on the one side by Švitrigaila, allied with the Teutonic Knights, and on the other by Sigismund Kęstutaitis, backed by the Kingdom of Poland. The war threatened to sever the Union of Krewo, the personal union between Poland and Lithuania. Švitrigaila's alliance with the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, Paul von Rusdorf, launched the Polish–Teutonic War (1431–1435) but failed to secure victory for Švitrigaila.

Prince Feodor Ostrogski (1360–1446) was a magnate in Volhynia of Rurikid stock, son of Danylo Ostrozky. In some sources he is called Teodor, Fedko or Frederic. He was active in the Hussite Wars and assisted Sigismund Korybut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peace of Brześć Kujawski</span> 1435 peace treaty between Poland and the Teutonic Order

Peace of Brześć Kujawski was a peace treaty signed on December 31, 1435, in Brześć Kujawski that ended the Polish–Teutonic War (1431–1435). The treaty was signed in the aftermath of the Livonian Order's defeat at the hands of the allied Polish-Lithuanian force in the Battle of Wiłkomierz. The Teutonic Knights agreed to cease their support to Švitrigaila and in the future to support only Grand Dukes properly elected jointly by Poland and Lithuania. The treaty did not change borders determined by the Treaty of Melno in 1422. The Peace of Brześć Kujawski showed that Teutonic Knights lost their universal missionary status. Teutonic and Livonian Order no longer interfered with Polish–Lithuanian affairs; instead Poland and Lithuania involved themselves in the Thirteen Years' War, the civil war in Prussia that tore it in half.

The Truce of Łęczyca was signed during the Polish–Teutonic War (1431–1435) between the Kingdom of Poland and the Teutonic Order in Łęczyca on 15 December 1433. The Teutonic Knights, pressured by the citizens of their lands, agreed to the 12-year-old truce to other Polish demands, including that the Order would cease support to Švitrigaila ; in addition each side would control the territories it occupied until a peace would be signed, and no party would seek mediation of foreign powers to change this truce. This marked the end of the war on Polish territories; the struggle on Lithuanian lands would continue for two more years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samogitian uprisings</span>

Samogitian uprisings refer to two uprisings by the Samogitians against the Teutonic Knights in 1401–1404 and 1409. Samogitia was granted to the Teutonic Knights by Vytautas the Great, Grand Duke of Lithuania, several times in order to enlist Knights' support for his other military affairs. The local population resisted Teutonic rule and asked Vytautas to protect them. The first uprising was unsuccessful and Vytautas had to reconfirm his previous promises to transfer Samogitia in the Peace of Raciąż. The second uprising provoked the Knights to declare war on Poland. Hostilities escalated and resulted in the Battle of Grunwald (1410), one of the biggest battles of medieval Europe. The Knights were soundly defeated by the joint Polish–Lithuanian forces, but Vytautas and Jogaila, King of Poland, were unable to capitalize on their victory. Conflicts regarding Samogitia, both diplomatic and military, dragged until the Treaty of Melno (1422).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treaty of Christmemel</span> 1431 treaty between the Teutonic Order and Lithuania

The Treaty of Christmemel was a treaty signed on 19 June 1431 between Paul von Rusdorf, Grand Master the Teutonic Knights, and Švitrigaila, Grand Duke of Lithuania. Švitrigaila was preparing for a war with Poland to defend his claim to the Lithuanian throne and sought allies. The treaty established an anti-Polish alliance and prompted the Knights to invade the Kingdom of Poland, starting the Polish–Teutonic War (1431–35). Lithuania also surrendered Palanga and three miles of the coastline on the Baltic Sea, thus modifying the Treaty of Melno of 1422.

Siemowit V of Rawa, was a Polish prince member of the House of Piast from the Masovian branch. He was a Duke of Rawa Mazowiecka, Płock, Sochaczew, Gostynin, Płońsk, Wizna and Belz during 1426-1434 jointly with his brothers, and after the division of the paternal inheritance between him and his brothers in 1434, sole ruler over Rawa Mazowiecka, Gostynin and Sochaczew.

References

  1. ↑ Biskup, Marian (1967). "Najazd krzyżacki na Polskę i bitwa pod Dąbkami 1431". Zeszyty Naukowe Wojskowej Akademii Politycznej (in Polish). Historia (15).
  2. ↑ Kiaupienė, Jūratė (2002). "Gediminaičiai ir Jogailaičiai prie Vytauto palikimo". Gimtoji istorija. Nuo 7 iki 12 klasės (in Lithuanian). Vilnius: Elektroninės leidybos namai. ISBN   9986-9216-9-4. Archived from the original on 3 March 2008. Retrieved 2 July 2008.
  3. 1 2 Urban, William (2003). Tannenberg and After. Chicago: Lithuanian Research and Studies Center. pp. 306–308. ISBN   0-929700-25-2.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Rynarzewski, Maciej. "Polish – Bohemian expedition to Nowa Marchia and Pomorze Gdańskie in year 1433" (PDF). Polskie Towarzystwo Historyczne Oddział w Olsztynie. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 March 2009. Retrieved 3 July 2008.
  5. ↑ Turnbull, Stephen; Angus McBride (2004). The Hussite Wars 1419–36. Osprey Publishing. p. 15. ISBN   1-84176-665-8.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Prochaska, Antoni (1908). Król Władysław Jagiełło (in Polish). Kraków: Akademia Umiejętności. p.  265. OCLC   13016756.
  7. 1 2 3 Christiansen, Eric (1997). The Northern Crusades . London: Penguin Books. pp.  242–243. ISBN   0-14-026653-4.
  8. 1 2 Urban, William (2003). Tannenberg and After. Chicago: Lithuanian Research and Studies Center. pp. 347–350. ISBN   0-929700-25-2.
  9. 1 2 Turnbull, Stephen (2003). Tannenberg 1410: Disaster for the Teutonic Knights. Oxford: Osprey. pp. 84–85. ISBN   1-84176-561-9.
  10. 1 2 Prochaska, Antoni (1908). Król Władysław Jagiełło (in Polish). Kraków: Akademia Umiejętności. p.  267. OCLC   13016756.
  11. 1 2 3 Koneczny, Feliks (1903). Dzieje polski za Jagiellonow (in Polish). Kraków: Nakładem Krakowskiego Towarzystwa Oświaty Ludowej. p.  123. OCLC   123147077.
  12. ↑ Giertych, Jędrzej; Brazilla Carroll (1958). Poland and Germany: A Reply to Congressman B. Carrol Reece of Tennessee. Jędrzej Giertych. p. 37. OCLC   4169234.
  13. 1 2 "Wojny polsko-krzyżackie" (in Polish). Encyklopedia WIEM . Retrieved 3 July 2008.
  14. ↑ Rogalski, Leon (1846). Dzieje Krzyżaków: oraz ich stosunki z Polska̜, Litwa̜ i Prussami (in Polish). Vol. II. Warsaw: Nakł. i drukiem S. Orgelbranda. p. 210. OCLC   38718035.
  15. 1 2 Urban, William (2003). Tannenberg and After. Chicago: Lithuanian Research and Studies Center. p. 311. ISBN   0-929700-25-2.
  16. ↑ Piročkinas, Arnoldas (1999). "Žygimantas Kaributaitis – tragiško likimo asmenybė". Mokslas Ir Gyvenimas (in Lithuanian). 10 (502). ISSN   0134-3084. Archived from the original on 15 May 2011.
  17. 1 2 3 Simas Sužiedėlis, ed. (1970–1978). "Pabaiskas, Battle of". Encyclopedia Lituanica . Vol. IV. Boston, Massachusetts: Juozas Kapočius. pp. 140–141. LCCN   74-114275.
  18. ↑ Kamuntavičius, Rūstis; Vaida Kamuntavičienė; Remigijus Civinskas; Kastytis Antanaitis (2001). Lietuvos istorija 11–12 klasėms (in Lithuanian). Vilnius: Vaga. p. 92. ISBN   5-415-01502-7.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.