On 15 July 1410, the Battle of Grunwald was fought between the Teutonic Knights under Ulrich von Jungingen against the Polish-Lithuanians under King Wladyslaw Jagiello and Duke Witold during the Wars of the Teutonic Knights.
Why did it happen?
Founded in Acre in 1190 during the Third Crusade, the Order of Teutonic Knights moved to East Prussia in 1230 to convert the Pagans living around the Baltic Sea to Christianity. By the fourteenth century, the Teutonic Knights had built a powerful secular state with the support of England, France, Hungary, and the Holy Roman Empire. However, when Wladyslaw Jagiello of Lithuania converted to Christianity in 1386 and married Queen Jadwiga of Poland, thereby uniting the Kingdoms of Poland and Lithuania, the Teutonic Knights contested the sincerity of Jagiello’s conversion. In 1409, the Teutonic Grand Master, Ulrich von Jungingen, declared war on Poland and Lithuania. On 9 July 1410, the combined forces of King Wladyslaw and Duke Witold advanced on the Teutonic capital, Marienberg. The Teutonic army under Ulrich von Jungingen then marched out of the city to confront the Polish-Lithuanian army between the villages of Grunwald and Tannenberg on 15 July.
Who was involved?
The Teutonic army at Grunwald numbered 7,000 infantry, 20,000 cavalry and 100 artillery. The Teutonic army was divided into three lines, with the infantry and artillery occupying the vanguard and most of the cavalry occupying the second and third lines. Despite being outnumbered, the Teutonic army was confident in the superiority of its heavily armoured cavalry to decide the battle. The Teutonic Grand Master, Ulrich von Jungingen, commanded the reserves, while Friedrich Wallenrod and Conrad von Lichtenstein led the left and right wings, respectively. The Polish-Lithuanian army at Grunwald numbered 8,000 infantry and 31,000 cavalry. Like the Teutonic army, the allied forces were arrayed in three lines, with infantry in the vanguard and cavalry behind them. Wladyslaw Jagiello and Zyndram commanded the reserves and left wing, respectively, which consisted of 20,000 Polish heavy cavalry, while Duke Witold led the right wing, which consisted of 11,000 Lithuanian, Samogitian and Tartar light cavalry.
What happened?
After an ineffective artillery barrage from the Teutonic Knights, the Polish and Lithuanian cavalry charged the Teutonic army and scattered their infantry and artillery. In response, the Teutonic left wing counter-charged and the Tartars on the Polish-Lithuanian right wing feigned retreat, which soon became a real retreat as the Teutonic left wing pursued. Upon seeing the Teutonic centre and right wing under pressure, Friedrich Wallenrod charged the Polish-Lithuanian right flank. Duke Witold then rode to King Jagiello and urged him to commit his bodyguard to the battle, which the Polish king did. At the same time, the Teutonic Grand Master, Ulrich von Jungingen, committed his reserves against the Polish-Lithuanian right flank, while Zyndram on the Polish-Lithuanian left wing managed to push back the Teutonic right wing and encircle it. Finally, the Tartar cavalry that had fled the battle returned to charge into the rear of the Teutonic Knight’s left wing. The Teutonic army began a fighting withdrawal, only to be surrounded into two groups and killed or taken prisoner. Teutonic casualties numbered 8,000 killed and 14,000 captured, while Polish-Lithuanian losses numbered 5,000 killed.
What changed as a result?
The Battle of Grunwald was a decisive Polish-Lithuanian victory. Two days after the battle, the Polish-Lithuanian army marched towards Marienberg and reached the city on 23 July. After a brief siege, in which the citadel held out under Heinrich von Plauen, the Polish-Lithuanian army was forced to withdraw after Teutonic reinforcements arrived from Livonia. A peace treaty was signed in 1411, but the damage to the Teutonic Order had been done. As stated by Geoffrey Regan, “The once-great Teutonic Order had been humbled on the battlefield by an alliance of Slav states that no informed observers anywhere in Europe had thought would have been equal to the task” (Regan, 2002, p.74). In 1466, the Teutonic Knights signed the Treaty of Thorn, whereby they agreed to give West Prussia to Poland and withdraw from Marienberg to a new capital at Konigsberg. During the First World War, when the Germans triumphed over the Russians in August 1914, they decided to name the battle Tannenberg to claim revenge after their defeat at Grunwald five hundred years earlier.
Bibliography
Grant, R.G. 1001 Battles That Changed the Course of History. London, Cassell Illustrated, 2011.
Grant, R.G. Battle: A Visual Journey Through 5,000 Years of Combat. London, Dorling Kindersley, 2005.
McNab, Chris. The World’s Worst Military Disasters. London, Amber Books, 2005.
Regan, Geoffrey. Battles That Changed History: Fifty Decisive Battles Spanning Over 2,500 Years of Warfare. London, Andre Deutsch, 2002.
Swanston, Malcolm. Mapping History: Battles and Campaigns. Royston, Eagle Editions, 2007.
Webb, Jonathan. “Battle of Grunwald, 1410.” The Art of Battle. Last revised 2013. www.theartofbattle.com/battle-of-grunwald-1410/
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