Battle of Grunwald: Encyclopedia II - Battle of Grunwald - Eve of the battle

Battle of Grunwald - Eve of the battle

In the 13th century, the Teutonic Knights had been invited to the lands surrounding Chełmno to assist in the expulsion of the (pagan) Prussians. They stayed on, and, under a papal edict which gave them effective carte blanche to act as they wished, established a power base in the region, occupying the Baltic coastal regions of what are now Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, and showed every signs of further expansion. Their incursions into Poland in the 14th century gave them control of major towns such as Chełmno(Kulm) and Pomorze(Pommern) region. In order to further their war efforts against the (pagan) Lithuanian state, the Teutonic Knights instituted a series of crusades, enlisting support from other European countries.

In 1385 the Union of Krewo joined the crown of Poland and Lithuania, and the subsequent marriage of Jogaila, Grand Duke of Lithuania, and the Polish monarch Queen Jadwiga was to shift the balance of power; both nations were more than aware that only by acting together could the expansion plans of the Teutonic Order be thwarted. Jogaila accepted Christianity and became the King of Poland as Władysław Jagiełło, which removed much of the rationale of the Teutonic Knights' anti-pagan crusades.

The Knights, however, invaded in 1398 again what were now Christians states of Poland and Lithuania. At this time, the Poles and the Lithuanians had little option but to suffer in silence for they were still not prepared militarily to confront the power of the Knights.

In 1409 an uprising in Teutonic-held Samogitia started. The king of Poland backed up Lithuania and announced that he would stand by his promises in case the Teutons invaded Lithuania. This was used as a pretext and on August 14, 1409 the Teutonic Grand Master Ulrich von Jungingen declared war on the Polish-Lithuanian union. The forces of the Teutonic Order initially invaded Greater Poland and Kuyavia, but the Poles repelled the invasion and reconquered Bydgoszcz(Bromberg), which led to a subsequent armistice agreement that was to last until June 24, 1410. The Lithuanians and the Poles used this time in preparations to remove the Teutonic threat once and for all.

The forces of the Teutonic Knights were aware of the Polish-Lithuanian build-up and were expecting a dual attack by the Poles towards Danzig(Gdańsk) and the Lithuanians towards Samogitia. To counter this threat, Ulrich von Jungingen concentrated part of his forces in Schwetz(Świecie) while leaving large part of his army in the eastern castles of Ragneta/Ragainė, Ryn and Memel(Klaipėda). Poles and Lithuanians continued to screen their intentions by organising several raids deep into enemy territory. Ulrich von Jungingen asked for the armistice to be extended to July 4 in order to let the mercenaries from western Europe arrive. This however gave enough time for the Polish-Lithuanian forces to gather in strength.

On June 30, 1410 the forces of Greater Poland and Lesser Poland crossed the Vistula over a pontoon bridge and joined with the forces of Masovia and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Jagiełło's Polish forces and the Lithuanian soldiers of his cousin Vytautas the Great (to whom Jagiełło had ceded power in Lithuania in the wake of his marriage to the Polish queen) assembled on July 2, 1410 and a week later crossed into the territory of the Teutonic Knights, heading for the enemy headquarters at the castle of Malbork. The Teutonic Knights were caught by surprise.

Ulrich von Jungingen withdrew his forces from the area of Świecie/Schwetz and decided to organise a line of defence on the Drwęca River. The river crossings were fortified with stockades and the castles nearby reinforced. After meeting with his War Council, Jagiełło decided to outflank the enemy forces from the East and continue the march towards Marienburg through Soldau(Działdowo) and Gilgenburg(Dąbrówno). On July 13 both castles were captured and the way towards Marienburg was opened.

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