| Title:THE BATTLE OF GRUNWALD |
| Description: It was 1226 when the Polish
Duke of Mazowsze, Konrad Mazowiecki invited the Palestine - based Teutonic Order
into the lands of Chelmno, on the river Wisla (Vistula), expecting the Order's
help in their struggles against pagan Prussians. |
Grand Master Hermann von Salza had brought his first German knights to Poland
that same year, with the presumed intention of staying a year or two. Nearly two
hundred years later they owned most of the Baltic coast, including the lands of
Latvia and Estonia, and showed every intention of soon controlling Lithuania,
Poland and Russia.
The Teutonic Knights achieved excellent diplomatic relations with other western
countries, and developed a particularly good relationship with the papacy. They
seemed destined to control and occupy the whole of Eastern Europe, and acted
under a commission signed by the Pope, ordering them to Christianise the pagan
lands in the Baltic Region. No matter how they behaved, they could always claim
that they acted under Papal authority, and with the approval of God
Himself.
Their first Christianising mission in the 13th century involved the Prussians, a
tribe which controlled the amber trade along the Baltic. The Teutonic knights
dealt with them in a most effective way: they eliminated them almost completely.
Those who remained alive were forbidden to marry so that no further Prussian
children would be forthcoming. Centuries later, when Prussia was a proud and
famous name among Europeans, there was hardly a true Prussian alive, and the
archaic Prussian language slowly died out under Teutonic occupation.
The Teutonic Knights continued their occupations and captured Pomorze (1308-1309),
Chelmno Land, Kujawa, Dobrzyn, and Kalisz in Poland. Every time Polish land was
captured, the population was massacred, and Germans were brought to live in the
captured lands. For example, in 1308 when the knights marched on Gdansk singing
"Jesu Christo Salvator Mundi" they killed most of the Polish citizens, about ten
thousand in number, and replaced them with German immigrants, who gave them full
allegiance.That same year the biggest, most powerful fort in Europe was
finished,Malbork - built by the Knights in the occupied Prussian area.
The 14th century Order's attacks were mainly against the pagan Lithuanian State,
combining the mission to spread Christianity, and the desire to capture
Lithuanian lands, especially the area around Zemaitija (Zmudzi or
Samogitia). The Knights of the Teutonic Order
needed reinforcements to fight effectively in this region. Well-armed knights
from France, England, Luxembourg, Austria, Hungary, Bohemia and the Low
Countries arrived every year to participate in "Lithuanian Crusades". Although
these mercenaries were never allowed to become full members of the Teutonic
Order, they were granted an honourable affiliation, and fought alongside the
Teutonic Knights.For two centuries, the
Crusaders attacked, but the Lithuanians resisted hard.
In 1385 Lithuania entered into a union with the Polish Kingdom, and the
following year The Grand Duke of Lithuania, Vladyslav Jogaila, married the Queen
of Poland and acceded to the Polish throne. He became a Christian, and
changed his name to Wladyslaw Jagiello.
Jagiello brought Christianity to the last pagan European country, Lithuania in
1387. It was understood by both nations that only by uniting, could they handle
the powerful Knights. It was obvious that war
could not be avoided between the two enemies.
In 1401 Jagiello left the title of Grand Duke of Lithuania to his cousin
Vytautas the Great, so that he (Jagiello), could be free to concentrate on
Polish affairs.King Jagiello and Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas the Great (Witold) had difficulty in reconciling with the
occupation of their lands, the massacres of innocent citizens in villages near
the Polish-Lithuanian-Teutonic borders. They were also conscious that the Order
was gaining power year by year, preparing to conquer Eastern Europe. There was
peace for a time after the union of Lithuania and Poland, but in 1398 the
Teutonic knights invaded Lithuanian and Polish territory, and occupied the areas
of Zemaitija (Zmudzi), Santok, and Drezdenko.The Polish-Lithuanian State
considered Zemaitija to be part of its own territory, of course, and a cold war
started between the Polish-Lithuanian State and the Teutonic Order.
The Poles and Lithuanians realised they were not strong enough to oppose the
terror which the knights visited on the far fringes of their land, and had to
bear the invasions and insults in silence.
But on 14 August 1409, Teutonic Grand Master Ulrich von Jungingen declared war
on the Polish-Lithuanian State. He also proposed an armistice with his
neighbours, as neither side was ready for war, and for the time being, Jagiello
and Vytautas accepted that.It was obvious that this state of affairs could not
last for ever, and Jagiello said:
"Next year we either conquer the Crossed Knights or we perish as a nation, and
as individuals"
The truce was to last from 8 October 1409 until sunset on 24 June 1410. During
that time Jagiello sent spies to the occupied lands to learn all they could
about the powerful enemy. All across Poland and Lithuania that winter of 1409,
preparations were made for military action. Pikes were gives new shafts, swords
were sharpened or annealed if they had lost their temper, horses were shod and
armour was closely fitted. But the same happened in the lands occupied by the
Teutonic Knights, assembling from the farthest reaches of their territory, and
from France and England and Holland as well.Both sides understood that a titanic battle would follow.
In the meantime Jagiello sent some of his own people to Kiev, seeking help from
the Tartars, who agreed to send 1500 cavalrymen after May 1410. The Bohemians
would send 3000 men under the leadership of Jan Sokol, and help would also come
from Moldova and Russia, since they understood the importance of this battle. In
December 1409, Jagiello, Vytautas, and Dzala-ed-din, the leader of Tartars, met
in Brzesc Litewsk, and formulated a plan of how to go to Malbork, and crush the
Teutonic Order once and for all.
In the second week of June 1410, only eleven days before the armistice was due
to end, the Polish forces were surprised by the arrival of three Teutonic
Knights in full armour and bright trappings. They sought to speak with King
Jagiello, proposing to him that the armistice should be extended for three
weeks. Jagiello asked why, and the knights answered that knights from other
nations of Europe wished to participate in the crusade, and that honour should
not be denied to them.Jagiello accepted that proposal, not out of consideration for the Order, but because these extra days
would be useful for better preparing his army.
Soon Jagiello and Vytautas the Great with their armies and their colours
assembled in Mazowsze on 2 July, at Czerwinsk on the river Wisla. On July 3 they
started moving towards the enemy. On 8 July the
huge army of Jagiello and Vytautas crossed the borders, with the intention of
marching against Malbork. But Grand Master Ulich von Jungingen, a brilliant
leader and fearless warrior, tried to trap the enemy. He knew from his own spies
where the enemy would pass, and positioned his Crusaders on the opposite side of
the river from Jagiello's army, near the small village of Drwecy. But the Polish
King and Vytautas did not want to fight in that area, where the Crusaders would
have an advantage, and decided to approach Malbork from the other direction, via
the occupied town of Dabrowno.
The Crusaders would take another route, to head them off, with the intention of
opposing the huge enemy army in Grunwald, or in Frygnowo, or Rychnowo. On 13
July the Polish-Lithuanians reached the city of Dabrowno, occupied by the
Crusaders, and now populated by German citizens. Within a few hours of storming
the city, the Poles and Lithuanians captured it. No defending Crusader managed
to survive. They were all killed. So strong was the hate for the Crusaders, and
the feeling of revenge in the army of Poles and Lithuanians, that the town was
totally burned, in the full knowledge that this would be seen by Crusaders who
were kilometres away, following the army of Vytautas and his cousin. The fire
and heavy smoke was indeed seen that night by the Grand Master and his army, who
observed that Dabrowno had been captured and burned, and he predicted that a
wild battle could not be avoided? We should not let them cross our borders, said
one Crusader Commander to his Grand Master.?
The Crusaders watched the town burn without saying anything.
The huge army of Poles and Lithuanians left Dabrowno before dark on 15 July, and
by sunrise they had reached Lake Lubien. This time the Grand Master found the
army of Jagiello and Vytautas, and for second time planned to oppose the enemy,
on Tuesday 15 July, at the villages of Grunwald, Stebark and Lodwigowo near Lake
Lubien. The land around here was heavily forested with wood suitable for
concealing the Polish-Lithuanian army.
When the sun rose on that fateful day, 15 July, one could have imagined all
Europe holding its breath to see who would win the titanic battle that had so
long been expected. Everyone understood its tremendous significance, since the
winner would occupy all of Eastern Europe.
The Crusaders positioned their headquarters near the little village of Grunwald,
while some three miles distant, the Polish and Lithuanian Commanders had their
headquarters near to the equally small village of Stebark (Tannenberg).
In subsequent history the Poles would call this the
Battle of Grunwald, the Lithuanians the Battle of Zalgiris, and the Germans and
other western allies, the Battle of Tannenberg.
When the priest finished on the Polish-Lithuanian side, Jagiello spoke to the
Commanders:
"Brothers, we move this day to end
the tyranny which has oppressed our lands. The Crusaders will come against us
with the blessing of the church, and the cross of Christ upon their bosoms. But
they also come clothed in lies. We ride forth with trust in our banner, and the
deep love of Jesus Christ as our shield. To Freedom! To victory!"
Soon a Commander asked the King when they would move
into a battle position, and the King simply replied: -"We don't"
Jagiello was 60 years
old that day, like Miltiades the great Athenian General who had a great plan to
save all Europe from Persian invasion in the Battle of Marathon in 490BC. He was
senior to any of his commanders or to any enemy leaders, and together with his
equally capable cousin Vytautas the Great, made a plan which would give them
every possible advantage against the Crusaders. The disadvantages of Jagiello's
and Vytauta's army were many and a small mistake could destroy once for all
Polish-Lithuanian State.
The Poles had provided a formidable army of 18000 knights, 11000 retainers and
4000 foot soldiers, to which must be added 11000 Lithuanian knights and foot
soldiers, 1100 Tartars and about 6000 Bohemians, Russians, Moravians and
Moldavians who came to help the Polish-Lithuanian State. But only a precious few
were heavy cavalry. Most of the Lithuanian and Polish foot soldiers were armed
with clubs, and their equipment was inferior to that of the Crusaders.
The Crusaders could assemble that day 21000 excellent heavy cavalrymen, 6000
massively armed infantry, and 5000 servants trained in battle, and better-armed
than most of the Lithuanian and Polish foot soldiers.
Most of these Crusaders would be Teutonic Knights/Germans, but
from all Western Europe knights had come to help their brothers against the
"pagan" Lithuanians (some of them were indeed still pagans), and the Poles who
dared to support the pagans instead of the Christians. English, French,
Hungarians, Austrians, Bavarians, Thuringians, Bohemians, Luxembourgians,
Flamands, Dutch and even some Poles would help the Teutonic Knights, but the
Grand Master had expected more help from western Europe. The Crusaders had 100
cannons capable of throwing balls larger than a head, while the
Polish-Lithuanians had only 16 cannons.
The Poles and Lithuanians had another problem. The Germans had the best field
leaders in the world - men tested in many battles with Lithuanians and Tartars.
Ulrich von Jungingen as Grand Master, Frederick von Wallenrode as Grand Marshal,
Kuno von Lichtenstein, one of the finest swordsmen of the century, as Grand
Commander, and Albrecht von Schwarzenberg, a marshal serving as Commander of
Supply. Each of these men wore a full suit of armour like most of the Crusaders.
This was of the chain-link type, and not the massive plates favoured by the
Poles and Lithuanians.
Each Crusader had a huge
black cross upon the front of his white tunic, and all of them looked impressive
enough with their huge horses and armour, to scare the enemy from a long
distance.
Although outnumbered in bodies, (more than 50000 Poles, Lithuanians and Allies
to 32000 Crusaders - mostly Germans), the Crusaders were vastly superior
in armour, horses, and experience and in battlefield leadership. This was going
to be one of the most decisive battles of the world, and of all times - an
immense clash of arms which would determine the history of Eastern Europe and
the destiny of the two emerging nations, Lithuania and Poland.
By 5 o' clock in the morning of 15 July, massed Crusaders with flags and huge
horses dressed in white could be seen waiting on the horizon, but no Poles and
Lithuanians appeared to oppose them. It was an amazing sight. Never in
previous battles could anyone have seen such a formidable army, all dressed in
white, wearing helmets, brandishing swords, and flying huge flags.
At 6 o'clock the sun rose. Three Polish Champions went to meet the King and
requested permission to lead the army in an attack against the Crusaders.
"No!" Was the answer of the King, and then he revealed his strategy:
"Let them wait there in the hot sun. Let them wait all morning while we stay
here among the cool trees. When they are exhausted by the heat and lack of
water, only then do we engage them in battle"
The three Polish Champions, including the formidable knight Zawisza Czarny
(Black Zawisza), known on many battlefields as the premier knight of the east,
were impatient, and did not like their King's strategy. But when the sun became
hotter and hotter, they understood their King's wisdom in staying in the forest,
while the Crusaders in full armour were "burned" by the hot sun. In the meantime
Vytautas the Great was checking the regiments/flags of Lithuanians, Poles,
Bohemians, Russians etc and with his strong voice, gave morale to the soldiers.
Vytautas would participate in the battle as one of the Allied commanders, but
actually he would be the Leader of the army.
Vytautas did not like to wait, since the Crusaders, according to spies, had
marched more than 25 km in heavy rain the previous day, to reach and block the
enemy at Grunwald. The Crusaders would be tired, and one attack in the early
hours of the morning could have crushed the exhausted Crusaders, but Jagiello
considered that making them wait in the heat of the day would make the Crusaders
nervous, and irritable. It was known that Crusaders in the past on many
battlefields of Europe, won battles because of their psychology and clear mind.
Unlike Vytautas' participation in the battle, Jagiello would be placed on the
hill to watch the battle and see how he could use the army to the best tactical
advantage.
At 8.30, when the Crusaders were dripping with sweat, Grand Master von Jungingen
engaged in a super manoeuvre, sending two of his finest knights to the opposing
side with a clever purpose. When the two knights reached about twenty yards from
the Poles, one of them cried in a loud voice:
"Lithuanian and Poles, Dukes Vytautas and Jagiello, if you are afraid to come
out and fight, our Grand Master sends you these additional weapons"
And with contempt they threw their swords, point down, into the earth, where
they quivered."Also, you cowardly ones, if you
feel you require more room for your manoeuvres, the Grand Master says that he
will now withdraw our troops one mile to aid you."
And suddenly from a signal by one of the knights, the Crusaders on the distant
field did turn about and retreat a full mile.
The insult made warriors like Black Zawisza angry, but Jagiello remained
unperturbed and sent one of his aides to recover the swords. Brandishing one, he
said:
"I accept both your swords and your choice of battleground, but the outcome of
this day I entrust to the will of God". At this
challenge the heralds withdrew. Everything was ready for the great battle, maybe
the greatest that ever happened in all time.
On the left side, there were Poles, Bohemians, Moravians and Moldavians.
On the right side Vytautas the Great had a Tartar
platoon, Russian troops and his Lithuanian knights. The foot soldiers, along
with the Poles, were hidden in the trees. The Crusaders were conventionally
opposed to the Polish-Lithuanians. They just had a line of cannon and infantry
at the front of their lines.
Jagiello suddenly gave the signal to attack "Krakow-Vilnius," and soon a strong
voice "Lietuva" came out like the roar of a lion from the mouth of Vytautas the
Great. Many voices and horses were heard as the Lithuanians, Russians and
Tartars started to move forward to the first line of Crusaders. The Crusaders'
cannon only managed to fire twice against the mainly light, and of course quick,
cavalry. Soon Vytautas' knights reached the line with very few casualties, since
they were cleverly spaced so as not to be too close to each other, and brought
chaos to the Crusaders' infantry.
Von Jungingen, seeing the failure of his cannons and infantrymen to stop the
Lithuanians, immediately ordered some of his cavalry to be sent to engage the
Lithuanians.
"Our cavalrymen will run down our own men Sire!" Said von Wallenrode to his
Grand Master.
"Attack the Lithuanians!" shouted angry von Jungingen, without considering his
foot soldiers, and soon the horsemen started advancing towards the enemy.
The unlucky foot soldiers, trying to escape from the enemy, saw sand rising from
the horses of the heavy cavalry, and were taken by surprise.
From behind, the Lithuanians and Tartars were chasing them, and as they ran back
towards their own rear lines, the mounted Crusaders were coming directly at
them. Soon most of the infantrymen were trampled to death by the horses. Some
who were more afraid of the cavalry, turned back and found death from the
Lithuanians.
The first line of the Crusaders'
infantry was almost wiped out. A few foot soldiers managed to escape and hide in
the Crusaders' tents, but most of them who were massed in the middle, pressed by
the cavalrymen, did not survive.
It was a clever manoeuvre by Jagiello and Vytautas the Great, to throw only
their mainly light cavalry against the cannons, to eliminate them, and prevent
them causing problems for the heavy Polish cavalry. It also forced the Crusaders
to commit their heavy cavalrymen so soon to the battle.
But now things have changed. When the Tartars looked up the hill and saw giant
horses and equally giant Crusaders coming towards them, they fled, leaving the
Lithuanians and Russians alone. It was a chaotic and undisciplined retreat, and
some Crusaders followed them, cheering and shouting battle cries. After a chase
of four miles, when more than 50 Tartars had been killed, the Crusaders returned
to their fellows who were fighting with the Lithuanians, but they were engaged
in an entirely different kind of battle.
Soon the Grand Master sent a large force of Crusaders to the battle, to engage
the Polish knights who were waiting on the other side. Trumpets sounded. Cheers
rose. And the Polish knights waited for the savage charge of the Crusaders who
came over a slight rise waving their banners and singing "Christ has risen" as
they came against the "Pagans"...
The right side of the Poles also started to move slowly, and they sang Ojczysta
Piesn (their homeland song) "Bogurodzice" (God's Mother). Both sides, with flags
flying, and the sounds shouting and singing, came to join the wild battle that
the Lithuanians and Crusaders were engaged in.
The battle was furious. The incessant clash of swords was like the rolling of
thunder across a field. Horses whinnied and went down, throwing their masters
under the hooves of other horses, and a wild confused and terrible hand-to-hand
battle raged inconclusively for nearly half an hour. The reserve regiments of
Allies and Crusaders, with terror in their eyes, could see dust rising to the
sky, non stop voices of men, horses, helmets, swords, prayers, understanding how
terrible was that battle without mercy. When Kuno
von Lichtenstein fought clear against the side of the Lithuanians, and rejoined
his Grand Master, who was watching the battle from his quarter said:
"The Tartars proved craven, but those damned Lithuanians have learned to fight.
It is going to be a fierce battle to the end, Sire".
"We will crush them!" said the Grand Master, who always underestimated the Poles
and Lithuanians, confident in the belief that his army was better armed and
experienced.
The Grand Master seeing that the Lithuanian army was less numerous than the
Poles, and less well armed, diverted some Crusaders who were engaged in fighting
the Poles, to crush the dangerous Lithuanians of Vytautas the Great, who was the
Allied Commander in the battle. Indeed Crusaders started to press the
Lithuanians. Vytautas the Great realised his men were under pressure, and
ordered a tactical retreat, to bring the Crusaders to the forests. A big force
of Lithuanians started to withdraw, and the Crusaders happily started to chase
them. Only a small force, mainly of Russians from Smolensk and some Lithuanians
who were very close to the Polish knights, stayed to fight. One Russian regiment
was smashed completely by the Crusaders, but the rest were fighting desperately
against the better-armed Crusaders.
But not many Crusaders chased the Lithuanians. Some of them were afraid of the
sight of the forests, suspicious that this may be a trap. Indeed it was, because
when the Lithuanians went into the Zevaldas forest across the narrow river
Morence, a reserve force of fresh Polish knights suddenly came out of the trees
like lions and started to kill the surprised Crusaders without mercy. The
retreating Lithuanians made an immediate about-turn, and assisted the
Poles.
But the Lithuanians' tactical withdrawal was dangerous for the Polish lines, as
it left them with an exposed left flank. Nine Crusader regiments were able to
attack the Polish knights from that side, and some succeeded in getting behind
the Polish front. A complete surrounding of the Poles was prevented by three
regiments from Smolensk, and some Lithuanians who had not retreated.
It was now that Crusaders would gain some successes and even they were close to
the end of this battle.
In the Crusaders' favour, Marcin from Wrocimowic, the Chamberlain of Krakow had been
awarded the honour of bearing aloft at the heart of the battle, a big Polish
flag marked with the sign of a white Eagle. When the Crusaders saw this, they
supposed that King Jagiello must be nearby, fighting at the head of his troops
in the European fashion. They did not realise that Jagiello had stationed
himself atop a small hill to watch the battle, as the Grand Master did - a
tactic that was followed by Genghis Khan and his successors.
With enormous courage and determination, a squadron of German knights crashed
into Marcin, wounded him, cast down the Polish flag, and triumphantly sang
"Christ ist erstanden" (Christ has risen). In a normal battle this would have
signalled the defeat of the army to which the flag belonged, and the Crusaders
so interpreted it, with hundreds of knights rushing to kill the hypothetically
fallen king, and disperse his immediate entourage.
Jagiello heard the singing, and asked if it was the Crusaders who were singing.
The knights near their King, protecting him, assured him that it was the
Crusaders. He was worried since maybe the Crusaders would win the battle. It was
like they were celebrating victory.
They obviously thought that would be the end of the battle, but this was no
ordinary battle. Knights from Krakow, including Czarny Zawisza, went to defend
the flag, and another wild battle broke out. The Polish knights, more determined
than the Crusaders, saved their flag and drove back the crashing Crusaders who
expected to finish the battle, which actually got worse and wilder. Their
singing stopped, and the sounds of war could be heard again.
On the other side while the Crusaders were singing, Vytautas' Lithuanians did
not sleep. The great leader was fixing his regiments to reform the Lithuanians
and Tartars - who did not abandon the battle area - and to rejoin the
battle.
-The Crusaders are celebrating too early!
Let's show them what we Lithuanians can do. They can start praying for
their souls, because they won't have enough time to do that when we arrive!
Shouted Vytautas to his knights, and with great speed went back to the battle
like a real storm. Vytautas in the first line immediately killed two Crusaders
with his sword.
The voices of returning Lithuanians were heard by the Poles and Bohemians,
boosting their morale. It was now two in the afternoon, the hottest time of that
long brutal day and Jagiello's and his cousin's strategy, started showing
results. The German and other knights, among the bravest men in the world, had
been sweating in the saddle since dawn and some were beginning to tire,
especially those who had chased the Tartars.
When Jagiello saw his cousin coming back to the battle, he released a contingent
of his knights who had not yet seen battle, and when these fresh warriors joined
the battle, the line of Crusaders was slowly driven back.
But the Grand Master saw this, and threw a reserve of his own in to help his men
in the battle. The fight was now a general melee, with individual swordsmen
fighting each other, and one horseman galloping after another and cutting him
down from the rear. The battle was so formidable with the advantage swinging
from one side to the other and back again.
A worried German commander reported to his Grand Master, "I have ridden
everywhere, Sire, and I assure you the Polish and Lithuanian foot soldiers have
not been involved yet. They must be hiding in these damn dark forests. We have
to eliminate them".
"Don't worry, we are winning. I feel that, and soon we will join in the battle
to crush them. The foot soldiers will not join, they are afraid of us".
It was almost 6 o'clock and Jagiello moved to another position on the hill near
Lodwigowo, closer to the battlefield, to give orders. Suddenly the Polish King
gave a signal, and from the dark woods the Polish and Lithuanian peasants began
to emerge, walking gingerly at first, then half-running with their pitiful
wooden weapons in the air, and finally surging forward with cries they might
have used in hunting bear. On and on they came closer, the cries growing louder
and more shrill, scaring the Crusaders who this time could not see could not see
white horses and white dressed Knights, but many foot soldiers advancing on the
Crusaders like a mass of irresistible ants. The Crusaders killed many of them,
but the vast army of foot soldiers never stopped advancing.
Now the Crusaders had to face knights and foot soldiers. Blood and bodies were
everywhere, hampering the movements of the knights. Desperate voices of those
dying in agony could be heard everywhere. The Poles and their allies were
gaining ground. The stubborn foot soldiers made the Crusaders nervous, and they
did not know whom to fight first.
The Crusaders'
infantry had been crushed early, because of the bad tactic of von Jungingen. A
desperate screaming could be heard to the Crusaders. "God who guides us",
shouted Kuno von Lichtenstein, "free me of these damned flies!"
Von Jungingen's face was ashen and his throat suddenly parched, realising that
this was going to be a battle to the death and that his knights might lose. The
allies were winning and the Crusaders were being driven back everywhere. Many of
them had lost their nerve, and the allies killed more and more Crusaders.
"Now comes the time when we defend the cause of Jesus Christ with our own lives!
After me!" Without hesitation, he spurred his
horse to the battle and 16 German regiments/flags followed him.
This raid was dangerous for Jagiello as it was close to him, and the White Eagle
flag could betray him as the King. There were fewer knights near him than those
the Grand Master had desperately thrown into the battle.
The Crusaders may have noticed the flag, but they hurried to
follow their commander to help their embattled fellows.
But one knight, Leopold von Kokeritz (or Dypold Kokeritz von
Dieper), broke away from his fellows to make a lone attack on Jagiello, probably
noticing the flag.
Perhaps von Kokeritz recognised Jagiello's face, or possibly his uniform, and
rode to attack him. The King was prepared to defend himself, but the King's
secretary, Zbigniew of Olesnicy, who was unarmed, managed, with his horse, to
trip the German's horse and threw him down. Other knights killed the German
before he could rise from the ground and shout to his fellows that the Polish
King was there.<
In the meantime the 16 regiments of Crusaders reached the battle to help their
pressed fellows against the enemy.
The pressed
Crusaders were retreating to join their Grand Master, but Vytautas the Great
immediately ordered his troops to weaken the centre and strengthen the sides, so
as to surround the Crusaders who were speeding towards the centre of the allied
line. Many Polish regiments fell to the Crusaders now, and the final stages of
the deadly battle began.
Slowly, like the
remorseless tentacles of a giant octopus, the various bands - Lithuanian,
Polish, Bohemian, Russian, Tartar, Moravian, Moldavian - closed in upon the
Crusaders. When the circle was complete, the slaughter began. Lances, daggers,
pikes, scythes, poignards, the hoofbeat of horses, the strangling force of
maddened hands, all combined to crush the German power which only the day before
had seemed so impregnable.
Foot soldiers, mainly villagers, were fighting fanatically, full of hate and
revenge, as they had seen their villages destroyed by raiding Crusaders,
and many of their friends had been killed by these People of God.
The encirclement was complete now. Even the 16 new regiments could not help the
situation for the Crusaders. Vytautas the Great was dealing out death to every
Crusader who opposed to him. He was shouting and giving more encouragement to
the allies, who, like bees, were pressing the unfortunate Crusaders more and
more.
But the battle was still deadly. The
Crusaders with their long swords killed many lightly-armed soldiers, but most of
the Crusaders were confused now, their white clothes turned to red, because of
the amount of blood that was on the ground, and on the horses. Those Crusaders
who wanted to see better threw away their heavy restricting helmets, only to
have their heads crushed by the Poles' numerous weapons.
The Lithuanians were on the left wing attacking the Crusaders, and Poles on the
right. The circle was so strong that no one could escape from it. The Crusaders
were fighting bravely and very stubbornly, refusing to accept defeat, and
continuing the desperate battle. The Grand Master, aided by Von Wallenrode and
six of his bravest knights, tried to hold back the peasants and determined
knights. But there were too many of them and he was overcome. The masses fell
with extreme force on the German leader, hitting him from all directions. He was
fatally injured, and cried out "Jesus save me!" As he perished, he must have
known that his crusade to crush the Polish-Lithuanian State and grab Eastern
Europe had failed.
In the meantime a
brave Pole grabbed the Teutonic Order flag from the hands of Von Wallenrode.
Vytautas the Great, who was near the action when the Grand Master was killed,
threw up his hands and shouted "Victory!"
From his vantage point, Jagiello had a good view, and could see the wild
slaughter continue, and could hear some of the Poles and Lithuanians singing
this time. Desperate prayers from the surrounded Crusaders could also be heard,
asking for help from God. Now that the Grand Master was killed, many lost their
nerve and threw their weapons down, looking for a way out, but there was
no hope for these unlucky men, who had come from all over Europe to fight the
"pagans".
At twenty past seven, when half an hour of daylight still remained, the last
phase of the battle ended with the complete crushing of these 16 regiments, and
those who were connected with them. Now the hunt started for those few who had
survived and sought help at the Crusaders' base of tents, where some infantry
and a few knights were preparing to help their fellows.
The army of Poles and Lithuanians very quickly overran the Crusaders' base. The
Crusaders did not expect the tired enemy would be able to reach their base so
soon, but Jagiello had more fresh reinforcements to throw into the battle, even
at this late stage. Again a new slaughter began, and those who were unarmed and
begging for their lives were taken prisoner.
Some Crusaders, alone or in small groups, tried to escape through
the woods, but they lost their way and were captured or killed by the
allies.
Only around 1400 Crusaders managed to leave the battlefield and reach
Malbork.
In the base, there was lots of wine, and many handcuffs which had been brought
to take the defeated Pagans like dogs back to Malbork, so sure had the Crusaders
been of victory. Vytautas ordered everything belonging to the Crusaders to be
burned, and that the handcuffs should be put on the few prisoners. "Put them on
so that they know how it feels to be chained like a dog, to see how poor and
useless our countrymen felt, when they were caught as prisoners in their raids
on our villages, and taken to these terrible prisons of Malbork", shouted
Vytautas the Great. Jagiello ordered the wine to be poured on to the ground,
because he did not want his men drunk, but to have power for the next day, when
the flags of the Crusaders would fall on the earth, at the feet of the victors.
And so the wine combined with the blood on the earth. According to some knights,
there was so much blood that it covered all the beautiful green landscape of
Grunwald. Over whole landscape thousands of bodies could be seen lying on the
ground, and Priests praying for their souls. It was a sad view for all.
The next day was a big one for the victors. First the King went to see injured
men, from both sides. The enemies were no longer handcuffed, because to
the victors, these people were human beings and not animals, no matter how they
hated them. The knight spirit was full among the brave Lithuanians and
Poles.
Soon the two great leaders Vytautas the Great and Jagiello, surrounded by their
splendid captains, moved to the battlefield and saw one enemy flag after another
fall to the ground.
39 flags would be taken by
the Poles, and 10 by the Lithuanians.
The lucky
1400 Crusaders who escaped only managed to take 7 flags with them, and for them
it was a success taking at least these flags.
Later some of the prisoners were taken to identify the bodies.
The Grand Master's body was there, and Jagiello looked at him saying:
"So this is the man who wanted to conquer us and make us slaves of his Order.
Let his corpse be covered with purple and buried with honour".
The body of their greatest hero von Lichtenstein was there, Schwarzenberger's,
von Wallenrode's, and from the foreign knights was Jaromir of Prague,
Gabor of Buda, leader of Hungarians, Richard of York and some others
also.
28000 Crusaders and their helpers had been slain the previous day.
Of 60 leaders of the Order, more than 50 perished.
It was a complete defeat for the Teutonic Knights, who will never recover after
that important battle. 209 Crusader knights died. Only 12 Polish knights were
killed, along with a few other allied knights. Of the Lithuanians and Polish
foot soldiers, more than two thirds died, along with over 100 Tartars. The total
number of casualties in the Polish-Lithuanian army is unknown, but it is almost
certain that over 20000 died to save their beloved homeland from the barbarian
Crusaders.
The Tartars, who were relatively few in number, became a scandal, because priest
Anton Grabener of Lubeck, who did not participate in the fighting, sent a report
to all the capitals of Europe, informing the courts that the Teutonic Knights
were defeated only because the pagan Jagiello and his heathen cousin Vytautas,
had imported 100000 Tartars who overwhelmed the defenders of
Christianity.
This, of course, was completely untrue. There had only been les than 1500
Tartars present, and they had fled!
But the main
powers then, England and France, had problems with each other, and left Poland
alone now, made wary by the terrible defeat inflicted on the Crusaders. The Pope
had not expected that to happen.
On 1 February 1411 a peace treaty was signed by both sides. The Poles and the
Lithuanians regained some territory, including Zemaitija, and part of Pomorze
(Pomerania), but Malbork remained in German hands.
Of course the Teutonic Order would pay money in compensation to
the Poles, and all the prisoners would be freed.
After this the weak Teutonic Order would not cause any problems to
Poland-Lithuania, but they continued to occupy the formidable fortress of
Malbork.
Vytautas the Great
would be known in subsequent Lithuanian history as saviour of the nation and
Eastern Europe, while in the eyes of Polish historians, Jagiello is regarded in
the same way. The Battle of Grunwald is the most important battle in history for
both nations. Another determined battle took place in Wienna in 1683 when the
Poles managed to save Europe once again when the hussars of Jan Sobieski crushed
the Ottomans, but the battle of Grunwald remains the most important for the
Poles.In that formidable battle, possibly the most deadly battle that ever
happened, Eastern Europe was not Germanised, and Polish and Lithuanian culture
advanced in the next centuries.
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By: Compiled by: SAIVA ZIOGAITE and MILTIADES, Edited by: BOB BAIRD (The prologue of Sienkewicz is translated and edited by Miltiades Varvounis) |
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