Battle of Durbe

Coordinates: 56°35′42″N 21°21′00″E / 56.59500°N 21.35000°E / 56.59500; 21.35000
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Battle of Durbe
Part of the Livonian Crusade

Military activities of the Teutonic Knights in the 13th century
Date13 July 1260
Location
Near Durbe
56°35′42″N 21°21′00″E / 56.59500°N 21.35000°E / 56.59500; 21.35000
Result Samogitian and Curonian victory
Belligerents
Samogitians
Curonians
Danes, Old Prussians
Commanders and leaders
Treniota or Alminas[1] Burkhard von Hornhausen †
Strength
Around 4,000 Around 8,000 and 190 knights
Casualties and losses
Unknown 150 knights
Baltic tribes at the beginning of the 13th century before the orders started their crusade

The Battle of Durbe (

Couronians (surrendered in 1267), and the Oeselians
(surrendered in 1261). The battle undid two decades of Livonian conquests and it took some thirty years for the Livonian Order to restore its control.

Background

The

truce was concluded.[4] Once the truce expired, the Samogitians invaded Courland and defeated the knights in the Battle of Skuodas in 1259.[5] The success encouraged the Semigallians to rebel.[2] The knights attempted to strengthen their strategic position and attacked Tērvete (Terwerten) hoping to turn the Semigallian outpost into a Teutonic castle.[6] When the attack failed, they built a fortress in nearby Dobele (Doblen) and Georgenburg (possibly present-day Jurbarkas) in Samogitia.[7] The Semigallians attacked Dobele, but, due to poor siege tactics, suffered heavy casualties. The Samogitians did not attack Georgenburg directly but built a fortress nearby, cutting off the castle from its supplies and continuously harassing the garrison.[8]

Battle

Livonian grand master Burkhard von Hornhausen organized a large army for a campaign against the Samogitians. On 25 January 1260, the knights obtained a papal bull from Pope Alexander IV, blessing the crusade, and concluded a peace treaty with Siemowit I of Masovia.[9] When the armies of the Prussian and Livonian orders and their allies met in Memel Castle, they planned to reinforce the besieged Georgenburg.[10] However, they learned that a large Samogitian force was raiding Courland, and the knights decided to march towards present-day Latvia to stop the Samogitians. The enemies met on the southern shore of Durbe Lake.[4]

The knights were plagued by internal disagreements. For example,

Peter von Dusburg even alleged that the Curonians attacked the knights from the rear.[10] The Estonians and other local people soon fled the battle. After this loss the knights were surrounded and suffered heavy losses. Some 150 knights perished along with hundreds of secular knights and low-ranking soldiers.[5]

Though the battle is described in the Livonian Rhymed Chronicle in detail, no contemporary sources mention who was the leader of the Samogitians. Only Simon Grunau, in his chronicle written ca. 1517–1526, mentioned that it was Treniota.[2] In 1982, historian Edvardas Gudavičius published a study arguing that Treniota was not a Samogitian and could not have commanded a Samogitian army. Inga Baranauskienė argued that the battle was led by Alminas, a Samogitian elder elected before 1256.[12]

Aftermath

Numerous rebellions against the Teutonic Order across all

Venta River. On 3 February 1261, on their way back, the pagans again defeated the knights, near Lielvārde (Lennenwarden), killing 10.[4] The Oeselian rebellion was suppressed in 1261.[13] These battles undid some 20 years of Livonian conquest and it took some thirty years for the Livonian Order to restore its control.[5]

In the aftermath of the defeat, Duke

King of Lithuania, to deny his Christianity and break the peace with the Teutonic Order.[5] Treniota organized military campaigns into Livonia and earned support from the Lithuanians. In 1263, Treniota assassinated Mindaugas and usurped the Lithuanian throne, and the nation reverted to paganism. Ensuing instability prevented the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from taking full advantage of the weakened orders, however, while the orders were occupied reconquering rebelling territories and did not pose a danger to Lithuania until 1280–1285.[14]
In this sense, the battle bought time for the new Lithuanian state to mature, strengthen, and expand before facing a full-scale crusade.

References

  1. ^ Baranauskienė, Inga (18 October 2010). "Kas vadovavo žemaičiams Durbės mūšyje?". Voruta (in Lithuanian). ISSN 1392-0677. Archived from the original on 21 October 2010.
  2. ^ a b c Ivinskis, Zenonas (1939). "Durbės kautynės". In Vaclovas Biržiška (ed.). Lietuviškoji enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Vol. VII. Kaunas: Spaudos Fondas. pp. 226–229.
  3. ^ Baranauskas, Tomas (22 September 2006). "Ar priminsime Europai apie Šiaulių mūšį?" (in Lithuanian). Delfi.lt. Archived from the original on 3 March 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2007.
  4. ^
    LCCN 79346776
    .
  5. ^
    ISBN 0-929700-10-4
    .
  6. ISBN 9986-34-020-9
    .
  7. ^ Gudavičius, Edvardas. Mindaugas, p. 275
  8. ^ Gudavičius, Edvardas. Mindaugas, pp. 275–276
  9. ^ Gudavičius, Edvardas. Mindaugas, p. 276
  10. ^
    Delfi.lt
    .
  11. ^ Gudavičius, Edvardas. Mindaugas, p. 278
  12. ISSN 1392-0677. Archived from the original
    on 21 October 2010.
  13. ^ "Saare maakond" (in Estonian). Eesti Entsüklopeedia. Archived from the original on 4 May 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  14. ISBN 9986-810-13-2
    .

External links
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