War of the kingdom of Poland-Lithuania against the Teutonique Order

The War between the Union of Poland-Lithuania and the Order teutonic took place of 1409 with 1411, between the Union of Poland-Lithuania and the teutonic Ordre.

Taken care of weapons

Baltic Crusades

At the 13th century, the knights of the Order teutonic had been called by the duke Conrad Ier de Mazovie who was threatened by the Old man-Prussians, remained pagan, in the area of Chełmno. A bubble of the pope giving him freehand to act as it wished it, the order installed a powerful base in the area, occupying the coastal regions of the Baltique countries which constitute the Latvia now, the Lithuania and the Estonia. At the 14th century of the incursions in Poland allowed him to control the important cities of the area around Chełmno and in Poméranie. To support their efforts of war against the pagan State of Lithuania, the knights teutonic proclaimed a series of Croisade S, which enabled them to receive the support of other European countries.

Union of Poland-Lithuania

Into 1385 the Union of Krewo was to change the balance of the forces: the marriage of the large duke of Lithuania Jogaila Algirdaitis and of the queen of Poland Hedwige of Anjou indeed made it possible to associate the crown of Poland with that of Lithuania. The two nations had understood that it was only while acting in concert that they could thwart the plans of teutonic expansion of the Order. Jogaila agreed to convert with Christianity and became king de Pologne under the name of Ladislas II Jagellon (or Władysław II Jagiełło or Jogaila). Because of this conversion of Lithuania to Christianity, the teutonic Croisade S anti-pagan of the knights lost their justification.

However in 1398, the knights invaded what now constituted the Christian States of Poland and Lithuania. Not having sufficient resources military, Polish and Lithuanian could only undergo the invasion.

State teutonic

The Knights sructuré a State which they extend by the purchase of grounds, colonization (foundation of new cities), alliance with the Livonie NS and the conquest. They follow their own objectives, which are not any more that of the conversion of the tribes (the Baltic Croisades are finished), but the reinforcement of their local power. The large enemies of Teutoniques are, in this logic of fight for hegemony, the Grand-Duchy of Lithuania in the East and the Royaume of Poland in the South.

The beginning of the war

In 1409, a rising in the teutonic possession of Samogitie burst. It served as a pretext for Jagellon which had announced that it would be held ready if Teutons would invade Lithuania. The August 14th 1409, the Large Master of the teutonic Ordre Ulrich von Jungingen declared the war with the Union of Poland-Lithuania. Immediately the teutonic forces passed to the offensive and invaded the Large-Poland and the Cujavie, but the Poles pushed back the invasion and reconquered Bydgoszcz. An agreement of Armistice fixed until the June 24th 1410, allowed the Lithuanians and the Poles to prepare to push back the teutonic threat once and for all.

The knights Teutoniques expected a double attack: Poles towards Gdańsk and Lithuanians towards the Samogitie. To counter this threat, Ulrich von Jungingen concentrated his forces with Świecie while leaving most of its army in the Eastern castles of Ragneta/Ragainė, Ryn close to Giżycko, and Klaipėda. Poles and Lithuanians continued to examine the situation while organizing several incursions, entering deeply in enemy territory. Ulrich von Jungingen required a new armistice until the July 4th to make it possible reinforcements of Mercenaire S to come from Western Europe. But this time also made it possible the Polish and Lithuanian forces to gather.

The June 30th 1410, the forces of Large-Poland and Small-Poland cross the the Vistula on a footbridge and unite with those of Mazovie and the Grand-Duché of Lithuania. Polish forces of Lasislas and Lithuanian soldiers of his cousin Vytautas Large the (to which Lasislas had yielded the capacity in Lithuania after its marriage) meet the July 2nd 1410. One week later they cross the territory of the knights Teutoniques, moving towards the enemy general headquarter with the castle of Malbork (Marienburg). The knights were made take by surprise.

Ulrich von Jungingen then decides to withdraw his troops of the sector of Świecie to organize a line of defense on the river Drwęca. The passages on the river are furnished with palisades and the castles in the vicinity are reinforced. After having discussed with its Council war, Lasislas overflows the enemy forces in the east and continues its walk towards Malbork by Działdowo (Soldau) and Dąbrówno (Gilgenburg). The July 13rd, these two castles are captured and the road of Malbork is open.

Battle of Grunwald

Consequences

The army of Poland-Lithuania was an amalgam of nationalities and religions. The troops roman catholics of Pole and Lithuanians combatant side by side with orthodoxe Christian , Moslem S, Tatares, and Bohémien S. The latter were there because Ladislas II Jagellon and the king of Bohemia, Venceslas Ier had signed a defensive treaty to avoid the invasions of the teutonic knights. This victory led to the Paix of Toruń in 1411.

See too

References

Internal bonds

Involved forces:

teutonic Poland-Lithuania
State

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