Prussian people: Encyclopedia II - Prussian people - Medieval history

Prussian people - Medieval history

Though a peaceful farming people, the Old Prussians were pagans. In 13th century Prussia was slowly and painfully overrun and subdued by crusades established by the popes. Baptised Prussians were educated at the diocese in Magdeburg and many western Germans including Dutch moved to Prussian lands. Meanwhile, the Lithuanians utilized the time bought by the blood of the Prussians (allied with the Sudovians) to form the grand duchy of Lithuania, the first Baltic state as such. Lithuania had been divided into duchies or "dukedoms", where the "duke" meant was a tribal chieftain.

The grand duchy of Lithuania united all the duchies and made one duke the grand duke. This polity grew in power and influence over a few hundred years under several grand dukes, allying with Poland and carving out an empire in Russia. Under Vytautas the Great, it turned suddenly on its original enemies, the Teutonic Order, and defeated the order's army at the Battle of Grunwald, 1410.

By way of settlement (The Treaty of Lake Melno, 1422), the border was established between Prussia and Lithuania and remained so until the 20th century. People from Poland moved to western Prussia with the Reformation and Counter Reformation. Significant pockets of Old Prussians were left in a matrix of Germans in East Prussia (now Kaliningrad), and remained under Teutonic Order government until 1525, when it became a Duchy. The historical states of Prussia now came into floruit, and the Prussians made significant contributions.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Medieval history", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki