Prussian uprisings
The Prussian uprisings were two major and three smaller
The first uprising was supported by Duke
The second uprising, known in historiography as "the great Prussian uprising", was prompted by the 1260 Battle of Durbe, the largest defeat suffered by the Teutonic Knights in the 13th century.[2] This uprising was the longest, largest, and most threatening to the Teutonic Order, who again were reduced to five of their strongest castles. Reinforcements for the Knights were slow to arrive, despite repeated encouragements from Pope Urban IV, and the position of the Order looked set to worsen. The Prussians lacked unity and a common strategy and reinforcements finally reached Prussia in around 1265. One by one, the Prussian clans surrendered and the uprising was ended in 1274.
The later three lesser uprisings relied on foreign assistance and were suppressed within one or two years. The last uprising in 1295 effectively ended the Prussian Crusade, and Prussia became a Christian German-speaking territory, which assimilated native Prussians and a number of settlers from different German states.
Background
Timeline of Teutonic conquest[3] | |
---|---|
Year | Prussian clan |
1233–1237 | Pomesanians |
1237 | Pogesanians |
1238–1241 | Warmians, Natangians, Bartians |
1252–1257 | Sambians |
1274–1275 | Nadruvians |
Although the Prussians repelled early incursions by the Order of Dobrzyń, they were outnumbered by attacks from Poland, Ruthenians in the southeast and the Teutonic Knights from the west. The Teutonic Order was called to the Culmerland in 1226 by Konrad I of Masovia, who started a number of attacks and crusades against the Prussians and later asked the Knights to protect him from retaliatory raids by the Prussians. Preoccupied with crusades in the Holy Land, the Teutonic Knights arrived only in 1230. Their first task was to build a base on the left bank of Vistula at Vogelsang, opposite of Toruń (Thorn), which was completed a year later.[4] Led by Hermann Balk, the Knights did not repeat the mistakes of the previous Order and did not push eastwards into the forest of the interior.[5] They would further build fortified log (later brick and stone) castles along major rivers and the Vistula Lagoon to serve as basis for future expansion. In 1231–1242, forty such castles were built.[6] The Prussians faced major difficulties in capturing these castles as they were accustomed only to combat in open fields. Most conflicts occurred either in summer or winter. Heavily armoured knights could not travel and fight on land soaked by water from melting snow or autumn rains. Summer campaigns were most dangerous as the Knights would immediately build new castles in the conquered territory.[3] The Teutonic Knight's strategy proved successful: in ten years, five of the seven major Prussian clans fell under control of the less-numerous Teutonic Knights.[3] However, the Prussians further resisted the conquerors, leading to five uprisings over the following fifty years.
The first Prussian uprising (1242–1249)
The first Prussian uprising was influenced by three major events.
Prussians besieged Teutonic castles and managed to capture all except for Elbing (
The Teutonic Knights managed to gather a coalition against Swantopolk:
The peace talks that began in 1247 achieved little, but a new truce was arranged in September 1248 and peace was made on 24 November 1248.[1] Swantopolk had to return lands seized from his brothers, allow Teutonic Knights to pass through his domains, stop charging tolls on ships using the Vistula, and stop any aid to the Prussians.[18] Prussians were compelled to sign the Treaty of Christburg on 7 February 1249. The treaty provided personal freedom and rights to newly converted Christians. It formally ended the uprising, but already in November 1249 the Natangians defeated the Knights at the Battle of Krücken. The skirmishes lasted until 1253 and some sources cite this year as the end of the uprising.[19] At that point the treaty ceased its political power but remained an interesting historical document.[1]
The Great Prussian uprising (1260–1274)
Preparation and tactics
The major revolt began on 20 September 1260. It was triggered by the
The Prussians besieged many castles that the Knights had built and could not send large armies to fight in the west. Prussians were not familiar with Western European
Early Prussian success
The first reinforcement to the Teutonic forces arrived in early 1261, but was wiped out on 21 January 1261 by Herkus Monte in the Battle of Pokarwis.[5] In January 1262 reinforcements arrived from the Rhineland, led by Wilhelm VII, Duke of Jülich, who was obliged by Pope Alexander IV to fulfil his crusader duties in Prussia.[26] This army broke the siege of Königsberg but as soon as the army returned home, the Sambians resumed the siege and were reinforced by Herkus Monte and his Natangians. Herkus was later injured and the Natangians retreated, leaving the Sambians unable to stop supplies reaching the castle and the siege eventually failed.[27] Prussians were more successful capturing castles deeper into the Prussian territory (with an exception of Wehlau, now Znamensk), and the Knights were left only with strongholds in Balga, Elbing, Culm, Thorn, and Königsberg.[11] Most castles fell in 1262–1263, and Bartenstein fell in 1264. The Prussians destroyed captured forts instead of using them for their own defence, so the end of successful sieges meant that large Prussian forces did not have to stay near their home and were then free to operate in other parts of Prussia,[28] raiding the Culmerland and Kuyavia.
A recovered Herkus Monte raided Culmerland with a large force and took many prisoners in 1263. While returning to Natangia, Herkus and his men were confronted by a contingent of their enemies. In the
Turning point
The year of 1265 was the turning point in the uprising: more substantial reinforcements for the Teutonic Knights started arriving in Prussia
When the Dukes returned home, Brandenburg was captured by Glappe and his Warmians.
The warfare with the Prussians relied on guerilla raids in the border regions. Small groups of men, a dozen to a hundred, made quick raids on farms, villages, border posts, etc. This was a positional warfare where neither side could defeat the other, but the Teutonic Knights relied on future reinforcements from Germany and Europe, while Prussians were draining their local resources.[36] After the massacre of surrendered Teutonic soldiers in the Battle of Krücken in 1249, the Knights refused to negotiate with the Prussians. The Prussians were also unable to coordinate their efforts and develop a common strategy: while each clan had its own leader, there was no single leader of all the clans. The Natangians had to watch for attacks from Balga, Brandenburg, Wehlau, and Königsberg while the Warmians were threatened by garrisons at Christburg and Elbing.[37] This way only Diwane and his Bartians were able to continue the war in the west.[38] They made several minor expeditions to Culmerland each year.
The end of the uprising
The major Prussian offensive was organized in 1271 together with Linka, leader of the Pogesanians.
In the winter of 1271–1272 reinforcements arrived from Meissen, led by Count Dietrich II.[5] The army invaded Natangia and besieged an unnamed Natangian castle. While the assault claimed 150 lives of the crusaders, most of Natangian resistance was broken and the region was decimated.[42] Herkus Monte, with a small group of his followers, was forced to withdraw to the forests of southern Prussia. Within a year he was captured and hanged.[43] The last Prussian leader, Glappe of Warmians, was hanged when his siege campaign on Brandenburg (now Ushakovo) was attacked from the rear.[44] The last tribe standing were the Pogesanians, who made a surprise raid into Elbing and ambushed its garrison. In 1274 the Knights made a great expedition to avenge this raid, capturing the rebel headquarters at Heilsberg (Lidzbark Warmiński) and ending the uprising.[45]
The Knights proceeded to rebuild and strengthen castles destroyed by the Prussians. A number of Prussians escaped either to Sudovia or to Lithuania, or were resettled by the Knights. Many free peasants were made into serfs. Local nobles had to convert and give hostages, and only a few of them were granted privileges to retain their noble status.[42] From 1274 to 1283 the Teutonic Knights conquered Skalvians, Nadruvians, and Sudovians/Yotvingians.[3]
Further uprisings and aftermath
After the Great Uprising, the Prussians rose a number of times against the Knights, but these uprisings were much smaller in scale and posed no real danger to the Teutonic Knights, who could concentrate on further conquests. The number of uprisings is variously considered to be two or three.
The last two Prussian attempts to rid itself of the Teutonic rule were made relying on the foreign powers who were enemies of the Knights. The first one in 1286, also known as the fourth uprising, depended upon help from the
This last attempt effectively ended the Prussian Crusade and the Knights concentrated on conquering
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e Jonynas, Ignas (1937). "Christburgo taika". In Vaclovas Biržiška (ed.). Lietuviškoji enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Vol. 5. Kaunas: Spaudos Fondas. pp. 459–464.
- ^ Baranauskas, Tomas (22 September 2006). "Ar priminsime Europai apie Šiaulių mūšį?" (in Lithuanian). Delfi.lt. Retrieved 9 July 2007.
- ^ ISBN 978-9986-9216-9-1. Archived from the originalon 3 March 2008. Retrieved 9 July 2007.
- ISBN 978-0-929700-28-1.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-14-026653-5.
- ISBN 978-9986-9216-9-1. Archived from the originalon 3 March 2008. Retrieved 9 July 2007.
- ^ a b Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, pp. 183–191.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, pp. 198–199.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, pp. 199–201.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, pp. 201–203.
- ^ a b c d e f g Jonas Zinkus; et al., eds. (1987). "Prūsų ir vakarinių lietuvių sukilimai". Tarybų Lietuvos enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Vol. 3. Vilnius, Lithuania: Vyriausioji enciklopedijų redakcija. pp. 459–460.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, pp. 203–204.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, p. 206.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, pp. 207, 209–210.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, pp. 211–213.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, p. 228.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, pp. 228–229.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, pp. 230–231.
- ISBN 978-0-8032-6585-1. Retrieved 3 July 2007.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, p. 273.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, pp. 279–280.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, pp. 324–325.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, p. 296.
- ISBN 978-0-85045-604-2. Retrieved 5 July 2007.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, pp. 281–283.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, p. 284.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, pp. 285–287.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, p. 289.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, pp. 299–300.
- ^ LCCN 74-114275.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, pp. 306–307.
- ^ a b c Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, p. 308.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, pp. 309–310.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, p. 298.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, pp. 311–313.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, p. 324.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, p. 315.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, p. 326.
- ^ a b c Ivinskis, Zenonas (1937). "Divanas". In Vaclovas Biržiška (ed.). Lietuviškoji enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Vol. 6. Kaunas: Spaudos Fondas. p. 1084.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, pp. 326–327.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, p. 327.
- ^ a b Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, p. 330.
- LCCN 74-114275.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, pp. 331–332.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, pp. 332–333.
- ^ Christiansen counts at least two and hints at the third, Urban counts three, but argues that the fourth "was not an insurrection at all" (p. 369), Tarybų Lietuvos enciklopedija counts two (in 1276 and 1295), Encyclopedia Lituanica also counts two, but in 1286 and 1295.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, p. 342.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, p. 344.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, p. 369.
- ^ Urban, William. The Prussian Crusade, p. 382.
- ISBN 978-963-9116-42-9.
- ISBN 978-9986-9216-9-1. Archived from the originalon 3 March 2008. Retrieved 9 July 2007.
- ISBN 978-9955-512-17-2.