Battle of Grunwald, 1410 ⚔️ The Downfall of the Teutonic Order ⚔️ DOCUMENTARY

At the beginning of the 15th century, tensions between the Teutonic Order and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth grew steadily. The goal of the Teutonic Order was to baptize and fight against Baltic pagan tribes. But as much of the region converted to Christianity over the past few decades, the original purpose of the Order diminished greatly. Now, a new rivalry emerged between the Teutonic Order and the formerly pagan Lithuania and its ally the Kingdom of Poland over Samogitia, one of the last remaining bastions of pagan religion in the Baltic region. According to the Treaty of Salinas, signed by the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Vytautas and the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, Konrad von Jungingen, Samogitia belonged to the Teutonic Order. This was extremely important, because this stretch of land separated the Knights of Prussia from the Knights of Livonia, and as such it was of significant strategic importance. But the people of Samogitia refused to accept the Teutons as their masters, which led to a series of uprisings against the Order. Grand Master Konrad von Jungingen responded with incursions into Samogitian territory, which resulted in looting and brutal reprisals against the local pagan population. The Samogitian uprisings were secretly supported by Vytautas, but the Grand Duke could not intervene against the Teutonic Order due to numerous internal problems he faced within his own realm. Conversely, in 1402, Švytry Gaila, the brother of the Polish king Jogaila, and a contender for the Lithuanian throne, received full support of the Teutonic Knights. At the head of their army, he then marched into Lithuania to overthrow the Grand Duke Vytautas. CuriosityStream has millions of subscribers and new shows every week on history, science, tech, military history, and more. I just watched the daunting Fortress of Richard the Lionheart, an incredibly well-made documentary about the impregnable castle that was the emblem of the might of Richard I, which protected his lands in France and helped him assert his supremacy in Normandy. And as our viewer you get a special discount on CuriosityStream. Click the link below to visit curiositystream.com slash historymarch for unlimited access to the world's top documentaries and non-fiction series, and use the code historymarch when you sign up to get a 25% discount, which comes out to only $15 a year. That's just $1.25 per month, much cheaper than other streaming services. Stay curious… with CuriosityStream! Despite the backing he received from the Teutonic Order, Svitrigaila's invasion did not enjoy much success, and the army was forced to turn back. Vytautas had priorities of his own, so he was all too happy to make peace with the Teutons, in 1404. According to the agreement, Samogitia remained in Teutonic hands, while Svitrigaila had to contend himself with managing a piece of land in the south of the country, Podolia. With this peace it was also agreed that King Jogaila of Poland, also known as Wladyslaw II Jogailo, would buy the Dobrzen land from the Teutons, and with that the rulers could turn to their pressing concerns. Grand Duke Vytautas and King Wladyslaw II settled their accounts with the revolt in Smolensk, and waged wars against the Grand Duchy of Moscow. On the other hand, Conrad used the peace to rebuild the previously demolished fortifications in Samogitia, but also to build new ones. He was helped in this by his former enemy Vytautas, and in return, the Teutons helped him with the wars in the east. However, this peace did not last long. In the spring of 1407, Teutonic Grand Master Conrad von Jungingen died. Thanks to his diplomatic abilities, the Order's knights enjoyed great success in recent years. But now, he was replaced by his not very skilled and militant brother, Ulrich von Jungingen. Mere months after the change of power in the Teutonic Order, tensions in Samogitia resumed. The locals sent letters to the courts of Europe, asking for help in ridding themselves of the Teutonic yoke. In particular, the King of Poland and the Grand Duke of Lithuania kept a watchful eye. Having recently ended their internal problems, as well as the war in the east, they could now turn their attention to the Teutonic Order. The two rulers convened at Navachrudak where they agreed to deal with the question of Samogitia, in the interest of the Polish-Lithuanian Union. The plan was to support the uprising and provoke the Teutonic Order into declaring war. In 1409, the second uprising began in Samogitia. By the summer of the same year, the Teutons had intercepted numerous ships sent by Władysław II, that carried aid to the insurgents. For the Grand Master Ulrich, this meant only one thing. On August 6th, 1409, Ulrich declared war on Poland and Lithuania. A swift campaign into the greater Poland threatened a large number of castles. Weakly garrisoned, the Poles were forced to go on the defensive. Villages were raided and burned, and the Teutons managed to capture the castles of Bobrowniki and Bydgoszcz, while many others were plundered and burned. With the Polish army unable to mobilize in time, the Holy Roman Empire intervened, brokering a truce. However, it was clear that war was inevitable. Both Grand Master Ulrich and King Władysław II made extensive preparations for the upcoming confrontation, building up their military presence along the shared border between the Polish-Lithuanian Union and the Teutonic Order. The Teutons paid a stable sum to secure support from the Holy Roman Empire. An even larger payment was made to the Hungarian King Sigismund for him to lead his army into Polish-held Moldavia, to which he laid claim. In addition to this, the Teutons raised a strong army with the help of mercenaries from across Europe, mainly from Germany, Bohemia, and a modest contingent of Hungarians. On the other side, Polish-Lithuanian leadership gathered a large army, primarily recruited from within the Union, along with a number of mercenaries from Moravia and Bohemia, while units from Moldavia came under the command of Voivode Alexander I, who also brought with him a contingent of Tatar units. Realizing the Polish-Lithuanian forces were too numerous, the Teutons took up a defensive position, hoping to deal with one part of the enemy army at a time. But as the summer of 1410 rolled around, reports of multiple incursions into Teutonic lands reached Grand Master Ulrich. Information arrived that the enemy entered from the east and was advancing on Ragnit. Not long after, word came that Polish forces were moving towards Ostroda and that Bydgoszcz was under attack. The Teutons responded by sending smaller regiments to check the advancing enemy, while moving their main army to relieve Bydgoszcz. However, these attacks were only a diversion. Polish and Lithuanian armies united their forces at Serwinsk and had gone directly for the Teutonic capital, Marienburg. They left a trail of destruction, pillaging villages and churches, while many of the merits were awarded to the Tatar squads, who were infamous for their craft. This ruined Grand Master Ulrich's plan to first beat the Lithuanian army and then turn to deal with the Polish host. Once he learned that the enemy had invaded Prussia, he left a portion of his army in the west and quickly activated his forces in the east, so that he could stop the Polish-Lithuanian host at Kornik. But Władysław and Vytautas decided to simply bypass Kornik, deciding that this fortified castle was not a convenient place to wage a battle. They continued east, aiming to avoid larger rivers that would present an obstacle. The Teutons followed close behind, planning to block the road to the center of their domain. On the morning of July 15th 1410, after a long march, the two opposing armies faced each other. On the right wing of the Polish-Lithuanian army stood the Lithuanians, made mostly out of light cavalry, led by their ruler, Grand Duke Vytautas. With them were probably Moldavian contingents as well as the Tatars, under the command of Jalal al-Din, the contender for the throne of the Golden Horde. Positioned in the center were mainly Czech mercenary units, while it is assumed that Czech leaders Jan Sokol and Jan Žižka remained in the company of King Władysław II, who was immediately behind the center with his personal guard. Stationed on the left wing were Polish units, consisting mostly of heavy cavalry. Polish-Lithuanian forces were divided into three lines, forming wedge-shaped formations. Across the field, Ulrich placed his elite units on the left wing against the Lithuanians, among whom there were crusaders from different European countries, also known as the Guest Crusaders. Behind the heavy cavalry were cannons, archers, and infantry. Somewhat weaker units were placed on the right wing, backed by infantry, with the Teutonic camp further behind. There are contradicting sources on the size of the armies, but it is certain that the Polish-Lithuanian host had superior numbers. Since Ulrich positioned his army before the Polish and Lithuanians, he had an opportunity to perform a strong attack on the yet unorganized enemy army. However, he was fearful of falling into a trap in the expansive wooded terrain in front of him. With neither side attacking, the battle turned into a waiting game. The troops stared each other down from a safe distance, standing in the hot summer sun. Then, the Teutonic cannons sounded off, peppering the front of the Polish lines. But the bombardment abruptly stopped, with the onset of rain. Although not too efficient, the artillery fire was enough to provoke an attack by the Lithuanian light cavalry on the Teutonic order's left wing. Grand Duke Vytautas led the charge. Enluring the enemy, Ulrich got what he wanted. A rain of arrows was unleashed onto the incoming cavalry. However, the Lithuanians did not take long to reach the enemy lines. In a valley surrounded by forest, a bloody battle ensued against the elite units of the Teutonic order. The initial strike disrupted Ulrich's battle order, as the first phase of the battle swung in favor of the Polish-Lithuanian union. The second line of Lithuanian cavalry moved up to help their comrades, but the Teutons also brought in reinforcements. The fierce battle raged, and gradually the Teutonic knights regained the initiative, prompting the Lithuanian leadership to bring in the third line. Meanwhile, the allied left wing, mostly made up of Polish heavy cavalry, charged against the enemy center and right wing. As the bloody melee continued for hours, it became clear that the Lithuanian light cavalry stood no chance against the disciplined Teutonic troops. Ulrich's counterattack ultimately forced the enemy to retreat from the valley, with the guest crusaders in pursuit. Witnessing the collapse of their right wing shook the morale of the rest of the Polish-Lithuanian line. Czech mercenaries nearly broke and fled, but were stopped by their commanders. But, crucially, the order from Smolensk managed to check the enemy in their sector, which ensured they could not be cut off from the rest of the Polish army. Their steadfast action protected the endangered right part of the left wing against a potential attack. The Lithuanian cavalry left the battlefield, chased by individual Teutonic units. Only a small part of the Lithuanian force stayed in the fight, to help the Polish right side. Meanwhile, the sustained attack on the Polish line was aimed at the banner of Krakow, one of the most important in Poland. Teutonic knights hacked their way forward, knowing that by capturing this banner they would deal a serious blow to the morale of the Polish troops. The Krakow banner briefly fell into Teutonic hands, before being recovered by Polish fighters in a rapid counterattack. As the battle continued to swing back and forth, the Polish leadership introduced the last of their fresh troops into the battle. On the opposite end, Ulrich observed the battle from the high ground, with significant numbers still in reserve. The Polish army was still in the fight, but seeing that Władysław was now fully committed, the Grandmaster sent in the reserves to finish off the enemy. Instead of a direct attack, Ulrich decided on an interesting maneuver. With his troops he outflanked his left wing and drove the attack into the Polish right side, which was already in a terrible state. The target of this attack was none other than the King himself. One of Ulrich's squadrons broke through to Władysław, where the King's retinue fought valiantly to protect him, and Władysław himself took part in the brutal melee. Meanwhile, more Teutonic contingents struck the Polish rear. Trapped in the massive crush from all sides for around 4 hours, it was only a matter of time before the tired Polish troops would give up. But, around 1pm, war trumpets and thud of horses could be heard behind Ulrich and his reserve. The Lithuanian cavalry, that had earlier left the battlefield, had returned to help their comrades in arms. In another fierce charge, similar to the one that started the battle, they crashed into the Teutonic line, determined to finish them off. To this day there is a debate about whether the Lithuanian retreat from the battlefield was a feigned retreat, or if the Lithuanians were simply defeated, but managed to rally and rejoin the fighting. Whatever the case, now, Ulrich found himself surrounded, inside the Polish-Lithuanian ring. While trying to fight his way out with his men, Ulrich fell in battle. For the Teutons, the day was lost. One part of their army managed to retreat, but many were cut down by the pursuing Polish-Lithuanian cavalry. The encircled Teutonic knights, however, suffered the worst fate. All except a few men perished inside the ring that closed around them. While sources disagree on the exact number of casualties, it is safe to say that thousands fell in the fighting, with the death toll especially high for the Teutonic order. After the battle, the Polish-Lithuanian leadership allowed their troops to rest before moving to besiege Marienburg, the capital of the Teutonic order. However, the castle's defenses were strong enough to fight off the attackers, but many other towns surrendered without a fight. A large part of the Polish-Lithuanian army soon returned back to their homes, which the Teutons used to retake some of the towns. However, the order suffered another defeat at Koronowo a few months later, and a piece of Thorn was created. According to the treaty, Samogitia went to Lithuania, while the castles taken by the Teutons throughout the war were returned to Poland. The Battle of Grunwald was a turning point in the history of the Baltic region. The Teutonic order would not be able to recover from the losses they suffered, and would never again be the regional force that they once were. as a sacrifice to the gods of the algorithm and as always we'll see you in the next one