Lithuanian Crusade

The Lithuanian Crusade was a series of economic Christian colonization campaigns by the Teutonic Order and the Livonian Order, two crusading military orders, under the religious pretext of forcibly Christianizing the "pagan" Grand Duchy of Lithuania into Roman Catholicism. The Livonian Order occupied Riga in 1202 and the Teutonic Order conquered Culmerland in 1230s. They first conquered other neighboring Baltic tribes – Curonians, Semigallians, Latgalians, Selonians, Old Prussians (see Livonian Crusade and Prussian Crusade). The first raid against the Lithuanians and Samogitians was in 1208 and the Orders played a key role in Lithuanian politics, but they were not a direct and immediate threat until 1280s. By that time the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was already a centralized state and could mount centralized defense. Thus for the next century the Order organized annual colonialist reise (raids) into the Samogitian and Lithuanian lands without great success but at immense human cost: border regions in Samogitia and Suvalkija became sparsely inhabited wilderness due to ethnic cleansing and genocide, although the Order gained very little territory. The war between the Teutonic Order and Lithuania was one of the longest wars in the history of Europe.[1]

Lithuanian Crusade
Part of the Northern Crusades

Lithuanians fighting Teutonic knights (14th-century bas-relief from Malbork Castle)
Date1283–1422
Location
Western Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Samogitia, Prussia, Livonia
Result Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War
Belligerents
Commanders and leaders

partly:

 Grand Duke of Lithuania

The Grand Duchy finally converted to Christianity in 1386, when Grand Duke Jogaila accepted baptism from Poland before his wedding to reigning Queen Jadwiga and coronation as King of Poland. However, the baptism did not stop the crusade as the Order publicly challenged sincerity of the conversion at the Papal court. Lithuania, together with its new ally Poland, defeated the Order in the decisive Battle of Grunwald in 1410, which is often cited as the end of the Lithuanian Crusade. The final peace was reached by the Treaty of Melno (1422).

It was the end of 225 years long warfare (1197–1422), including 86 years of the initial confrontation (1197–1283), 128 years of the regular warfare (1283–1411) and 11 years of the final fights (the period between the Peace Treaty of Thorn 1411 and the Peace Treaty of Melno 1422).[1][2]

Changes in the territory of Lithuania from the 13th to 15th century. At its peak, Lithuania was the largest state in Europe.

Background

The crusades had the ideological underpining of converting "infidels" by force, also killing the infidel was claimed to be glorification of Christ, as formulated in the 12th century by St. Bernard of Clairvaux – “Killing an infidel makes honour to a Christian, because it glorifies the Christ”. Only in the Council of Constance in 15th century such view would be contested and discussion on the rights of pagans would be started. Lithuania itself was quite tolerant to other religions – it is known that during the reign of kings Mindaugas and Gediminas Franciscan and Dominican monasteries were already been established in Lithuania with Lithuanian monks. Gediminas in his letters to a Pope complained, that crusaders destroyed Christian churches themselves in order to have a pretext for war.

The Baltic Crusade started in 1197. First encounters of military missioners with the Lithuanians were already in 1185, when Saint Meinhard experienced an attack by the Lithuanians and decided to build a stone fortress. Lithuanian troops were also supporting the local resistance of Semigallians and Latgalians. Lithuanians supported the Prussian uprisings and arranged military raids together with Prussians and Yotvingians – for example the siege of Vėluva (Wehlau) castle in Sambia during the reign of Treniota in 1264 or military revenge actions against Poland for devastating actions against Yotvingians, led by Vaišvilkas and Švarnas.

First military campaigns of Livonian Order against Lithuanians were unsuccessful and doomed – the Order suffered major defeats in the battles of Saule (1236), Durbe (1260), Karuse (1270) and Aizkraukle (1279). The defeats were decisive to Livonian Order – it ceased to exist as a unit and was attached to the Teutonic Order. Only in 1283, after the conquest of Prussians, the Teutonic Order focused its campaigns on Lithuania. One of the main aims of Teutonic Orde was to conquer Samogitia – part of Lithuania, which like a wedge was separating territories conquered by the Teutonic Order and territories conquered by the Livonian Order. The river Nemunas became a frontier, which Teutonic Order was not able to cross for 200 years of fight. Starting the reign of Gediminas, Lithuania also started rapid expansion to the East, conquering Ruthenian lands and gaining more resources for the long lasting wars.

Years 1283–1386

In 1283 Teutonic Order devastated and conquered Yotwingians. Part of Yotwingians retreated to Lithunaia, part of them crusaders deported to Sambia. The same year the Order attacked Lithuania for the first time and continuous wars with Teutonic Order had started.[3]

Chronicler Peter von Dusburg noted that the Teutonic Order finalized its conquest of Prussia and launched the Lithuanian Crusade in winter 1283. The first target of the Teutons was Bisenė.[4] Teutonic soldiers, commanded by the Prussian Landmeister Konrad von Thierberg, crossed the frozen Neman River and rigorously attacked the Lithuanian fortress in the morning. It fell in the afternoon and was burned to the ground. Surviving defenders were taken captive. A detachment of the Teutons raided surrounding area taking much loot. Dusburg noted that many Teutons were injured in the attacks and four brothers drowned in the Neman when frozen ice collapsed under their feet.[4] After the burning down of Kolainiai in 1291 and Bisenė in 1316, Junigeda (Veliuona) became the western-most Lithuanian fortress along the Nemunas.[5]

The Teutonic Order was attempting to establish a corridor along the Baltic Sea, in Samogitia, to link up with the Livonian Order to the north. During the reign of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytenis, the Teutonic Knights organized some 20 raids into Samogitia.[6] Vytenis took measures to undermine influence of local Samogitian nobles, as evidenced by an increasing numbers of traitors and refugees.[7] The Livonian Order consolidated its control over Semigalia, where Lithuanians had their garrisons since the Battle of Aizkraukle. The Livonin Order captured Dynaburg Castle, controlled by Lithuanians since 1281, in 1313.[8]

Main battles

Battles against Livonian Order

Battles against Teutonic Order

Other

References
  1. Baranauskas, Tomas. "Veliuona and the Lithuanian crusade" (PDF).
  2. Batūra, Romas (2010) [2010]. Places of Fighting for Lithuania's Freedom In the Expanse of Nemunas, Vistula and Dauguva rivers (PDF) (English ed.). Vilnius: The General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania. ISBN 978-9955-423-91-1.
  3. Baranauskas, Tomas. "Vėlyvieji viduramžiai I dalis (1283–1386 m.)" (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  4. "Bisenė". Gynybiniai įtvirtinimai (XIII-XVIII a.) (in Lithuanian). Society of the Lithuanian Archaeology. Retrieved 2016-07-01.
  5. Baranauskas, Tomas (2003). "Lietuvos medinės pilys rašytinių šaltinių duomenimis" (PDF). Lietuvos archeologija (in Lithuanian). 24: 65. ISSN 0207-8694. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-11-29. Retrieved 2016-07-02.
  6. Simas Sužiedėlis, ed. (1970–1978). "Vytenis". Encyclopedia Lituanica. VI. Boston, Massachusetts: Juozas Kapočius. pp. 221–222. LCC 74-114275.
  7. Kiaupa, Zigmantas; Jūratė Kiaupienė; Albinas Kunevičius (2000) [1995]. The History of Lithuania Before 1795 (English ed.). Vilnius: Lithuanian Institute of History. pp. 112–114. ISBN 9986-810-13-2.
  8. Gudavičius, Edvardas; Rokas Varakauskas (2004). "Vytenis". In Vytautas Spečiūnas (ed.). Lietuvos valdovai (XIII-XVIII a.): enciklopedinis žinynas (in Lithuanian). Vilnius: Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos institutas. pp. 32–33. ISBN 5-420-01535-8.
  9. Turnbull, Stephen (20 December 2011). Crusader Castles of the Teutonic Knights. ISBN 9781780962177. Retrieved 26 May 2019.

See also

Further reading
  1. S. C. Rowell. Lithuania Ascending: A Pagan Empire within East-Central Europe, 1295–1345 (Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth Series). Cambridge University Press, 2014. ISBN 978-1107658769.
  2. S. C. Rowell, Darius Baronas. The conversion of Lithuania. From pagan barbarians to late medieval Christians. Vilnius, 2015, ISBN 9786094251528.
  3. Zenonas Norkus. An Unproclaimed Empire: The Grand Duchy of Lithuania: From the Viewpoint of Comparative Historical Sociology of Empires, Routledge, 2017, 426 p. ISBN 978-1138281547
  4. Alan V. Murray. Crusade and Conversion on the Baltic Frontier 1150–1500 (Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth Series). Routledge, 2001. ISBN 9780754603252.
  5. Murray, Alan V., ed. (5 December 2016). The Clash of Cultures on the Medieval Baltic Frontier. Routledge. ISBN 978-0754664833.
  6. Eric Christiansen. The Northern Crusades, Penguin Books, 1997 ISBN 978-0-14-026653-5
  7. Tomas Baranauskas. Veliuona and the Lithuanian crusade, Lietuvai pagražinti draugija, 2007
  8. Romas Batūra. Places of Fighting for Lithuania's freedom. In the Expanse of Nemunas, Vistula and Dauguva rivers.
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