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{{Short description|Military conflict}} | ||
| {{More citations needed|date=May 2012}} | |||
| ⚫ | |conflict=Polish–Teutonic War of 1519–1521 |
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| ''This is the 1519-1521 Polish-Teutonic War. For a list of all Polish-German Wars, see ].'' | |||
| |image= | |||
| {{Infobox military conflict | |||
| ⚫ | |caption= | ||
| ⚫ | | conflict = Polish–Teutonic War of 1519–1521 | ||
| |date=]–] | |||
| | image = | |||
| ⚫ | |place=] | ||
| ⚫ | | caption = | ||
| ⚫ | | |
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| | date = 1519–1521 | |||
| ⚫ | |combatant1 |
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| ⚫ | | place = ] | ||
| |combatant2=] ] | |||
| | result = Polish victory | |||
| ⚫ | |commander1 |
||
| ⚫ | | combatant1 = ] | ||
| |commander2=] ]<br>] ] | |||
| | combatant2 = ] | |||
| ⚫ | |strength1= |
||
| ⚫ | | commander1 = ] | ||
| ⚫ | |strength2= |
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| | commander2 = ]<br>]<br>]<ref name=Ler>Jerzy Jan Lerski, Piotr Wróbel, Richard J. Kozicki, "Historical dictionary of Poland, 966-1945", Greenwood Publishing Group, 1996, pg. 403, </ref> | |||
| ⚫ | |casualties1= | ||
| ⚫ | | strength1 = Tens of thousands, but likely under 50,000 | ||
| ⚫ | |casualties2= | ||
| ⚫ | | strength2 = Tens of thousands, but likely under 50,000 | ||
| ⚫ | | casualties1 = | ||
| ⚫ | | casualties2 = | ||
| | campaignbox = {{Campaignbox German-Polish Wars}} | |||
| ⚫ | | territory = ] | ||
| }} | }} | ||
| {{Campaignbox Polish-Teutonic Wars}} | {{Campaignbox Polish-Teutonic Wars}} | ||
| '''Polish–Teutonic War of 1519–1521''' ({{ |
The '''Polish–Teutonic War of 1519–1521''' ({{langx|de|Reiterkrieg|lit=Rider's War}}, {{langx|pl|Wojna pruska|lit=Prussian War}}) was fought between the ] and the ], ending with the ] in April 1521. Four years later, under the ], part of the Catholic Monastic ] became ]ized as the ]. The reigning ] ] became the first ] by paying the ] as ] to his uncle, ] and grand Duke of ], ] (1467-1548, reigned 1506-1548). | ||
| ==Prelude== | ==Prelude== | ||
| ]]] | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | After the ], the Teutonic Order was under Polish ]. In the late 1490s, the Order developed the idea of electing only an ] as future Grand Master, who as subject to the Emperor could resist having to pay homage to Kings of Poland. The Order was present not only in Prussia but throughout the Empire, and it was also subordinate to the ], who had objected since 1501 to Duke ], ] and ], offering tribute to the Polish king. | ||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | Frederick died in December 1510, and Albert of Hohenzollern was chosen as his successor early in 1511 in the hope that his relationship to his maternal uncle, ], ] and ], would facilitate a settlement of the disputes over eastern Prussia. The new Grand Master, aware of his duties to the empire and to the papacy, refused to submit to the crown of Poland. As war over the Order's existence appeared inevitable, Albert made strenuous efforts to secure allies and carried on protracted negotiations with Emperor ]. | ||
| However in the meantime, the Order had been looking for other allies. In 1512 ] invaded the ], which was in ]. The Order was supposed to help the Duchy, but it refused, angering the king of Poland and Lithuania. In 1517 the Teutonic Order signed an alliance with ] of Muscovy. | |||
| In the meantime, however, the Order had been looking for other allies. In 1512, ] invaded the ], which was in ]. The Order was supposed to help the Duchy, but it refused, angering Sigismund I. In 1517, the Teutonic Order signed an alliance with ] of Muscovy. Albert now felt he held the upper hand and demanded from the Polish king the return of ] and ] territories, as well as a large remuneration for "Polish occupation" of those territories. In response, first the ] of Prussia (] or ]), and then, in December 1519, the Polish ], declared that a state of war existed between the Polish Kingdom and the Order. Lithuania refused to aid Poland, however, as it was focused on ]. | |||
| == |
==War== | ||
| ] was taken by Polish forces on 18 March 1520.]] | ] was taken by Polish forces on 18 March 1520.]] | ||
| ⚫ | Polish forces under ] ] gathered near ] and in January struck towards ] towards ], laying ] to ] |
||
| ⚫ | Polish forces under ] ] gathered near ] and in January struck towards ] towards ], laying ] to Marienwerder (now ]) and Preußisch Holland (now ]). The siege was slow, however, since the Polish forces lacked ] power. The Polish fleet began a ] of Teutonic ports. The Knights, in the meantime, took the Warmian city of Braunsberg (now ]). The Polish army received artillery reinforcements in April and took Marienwerder and Preußisch Holland that month, but failed to retake Braunsberg. | ||
| ⚫ | The war grew, with Polish |
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| ⚫ | The war grew, with Polish forces from the ] and ] striking the nearby Teutonic fortifications. Teutonic forces were on defense, waiting for reinforcements from Germany, which arrived in the summer of 1520. In July, the Teutonic army started an offensive, attacking Masovia, Warmia, and ] territories, laying siege to ]. In August, another group of German reinforcements attacked ], taking ]. The Germans took ], ], ], and ] and started a siege of Gdańsk, but they retreated when faced with Polish reinforcements and plagued by financial troubles (German reinforcements, mostly mercenaries, refused to fight until paid). Polish forces retook Tczew, Starogard, and Chojnice. The Teutonic Knights retreated towards ] and ], pursued by Polish forces. The Polish side was then struck with financial troubles, and the "]" forces were also tired. The Teutonic Knights seized their chance and launched a counteroffensive, taking ] and approaching ] and ]. Olsztyn was ] by the Poles under the command of ].<ref name="Ler"/><ref name="Rep">Jack Repcheck, "Copernicus' Secret: How the Scientific Revolution Began", Simon and Schuster, 2008, pg. 66, </ref> | ||
| ⚫ | At that |
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| ⚫ | At that point, the ] invaded ], and the new Holy Roman Emperor, ], demanded that the Teutonic Knights and Poles stop their hostilities and aid the defense of Europe against the infidels. Both sides, tired with the war, agreed to an ] on 5 April 1521 in the ]. | ||
| ==Aftermath== | ==Aftermath== | ||
| ]]] | ]'' by ]]] | ||
| ⚫ | During the four-year truce, the dispute was referred to Emperor ] and other princes, but no settlement was reached |
||
| ⚫ | During the four-year truce, the dispute was referred to Emperor ] and other princes, but no settlement was reached. Albert continued his efforts to obtain help in view of the inevitable end of the truce. | ||
| ⚫ | Eventually, in ], Albert met and was advised by ] to abandon the rules of his Order, to marry, and to convert Prussia into a hereditary duchy for himself. Albert agreed |
||
| ⚫ | Eventually, in the town ], ], Albert met and was advised by Dr. ] (]-]), to abandon the rules of his Order, to marry, and to convert Prussia into a hereditary duchy for himself. Albert agreed and converted to ] of ] in 1525. He resigned from the Hochmeister office to assume from his uncle, the King of Poland and Grand Duke of ], ] (]-], reigned ]-]), the ], the hereditary rights to the now-] ], as a vassal, pledging loyalty to the Polish Crown. The ] diet assembled in the ] port town of ] (modern ] city of ] since ], ] in small remnant of old ] territory of ], now small separated territory sandwiched between modern ] and ], attached to ] / ]), where all "Stände", led by the influential ] ], embraced both the new Duke and ] to Lutheran faith. Thus the Order was ousted after facing a century of opposition by the ]. The Order elected a new Grand Master who tried to fight the loss of power in the Prussian territories by political means, but could never regain any influence there. | ||
| The Order elected a new Grand Master who tried to fight the loss of power in the Prussian territories by political means, but could never regain any influence there. The Holy Roman Empire (until 1806) invested the Teutonic Order Grandmasters (Deutschmasters) as Administrators of Prussia. | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| *] | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| {{Reflist}} | |||
| *{{Polish|Wojna polsko-krzyżacka 1519-1521|12 July 2007}} | |||
| * | * | ||
| *{{ |
*{{in lang|pl}} , ] | ||
| ==Further reading== | |||
| {{Main|Bibliography of the history of Poland}} | |||
| {{Polish wars and conflicts}} | |||
| {{Authority control}} | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Polish-Teutonic War (1519-21)}} | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
Latest revision as of 19:06, 6 January 2025
Military conflict | This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Polish–Teutonic War" 1519–1521 – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (May 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
This is the 1519-1521 Polish-Teutonic War. For a list of all Polish-German Wars, see Polish-German Wars.
| Polish–Teutonic War of 1519–1521 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Teutonic Knights | Kingdom of Poland | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Albert of Hohenzollern |
Sigismund I the Old Mikołaj Firlej Nicolaus Copernicus | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| Tens of thousands, but likely under 50,000 | Tens of thousands, but likely under 50,000 | ||||||||
| Polish–German Wars | |
|---|---|
|
| Polish–Teutonic Wars | |
|---|---|
The Polish–Teutonic War of 1519–1521 (German: Reiterkrieg, lit. 'Rider's War', Polish: Wojna pruska, lit. 'Prussian War') was fought between the Kingdom of Poland and the Teutonic Knights, ending with the Compromise of Thorn in April 1521. Four years later, under the Treaty of Kraków, part of the Catholic Monastic State of the Teutonic Order became secularized as the Duchy of Prussia. The reigning Grand Master Albert of Hohenzollern-Brandenburg-Ansbach became the first Duke of Prussia by paying the Prussian Homage as vassal to his uncle, Polish king and grand Duke of Lithuania, Sigismund I the Old (1467-1548, reigned 1506-1548).
Prelude
After the Second Peace of Thorn (1466), the Teutonic Order was under Polish suzerainty. In the late 1490s, the Order developed the idea of electing only an Imperial Prince as future Grand Master, who as subject to the Emperor could resist having to pay homage to Kings of Poland. The Order was present not only in Prussia but throughout the Empire, and it was also subordinate to the Holy Roman Emperor, who had objected since 1501 to Duke Frederick of Saxony, Grand Master of the Teutonic Order and Reichsfürst, offering tribute to the Polish king.
Frederick died in December 1510, and Albert of Hohenzollern was chosen as his successor early in 1511 in the hope that his relationship to his maternal uncle, Sigismund I the Old, Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland, would facilitate a settlement of the disputes over eastern Prussia. The new Grand Master, aware of his duties to the empire and to the papacy, refused to submit to the crown of Poland. As war over the Order's existence appeared inevitable, Albert made strenuous efforts to secure allies and carried on protracted negotiations with Emperor Maximilian I.
In the meantime, however, the Order had been looking for other allies. In 1512, Muscovy invaded the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which was in personal union with Poland. The Order was supposed to help the Duchy, but it refused, angering Sigismund I. In 1517, the Teutonic Order signed an alliance with Vasili III of Muscovy. Albert now felt he held the upper hand and demanded from the Polish king the return of Royal Prussia and Warmia territories, as well as a large remuneration for "Polish occupation" of those territories. In response, first the diet of Prussia (Landtag or sejmik), and then, in December 1519, the Polish General Sejm, declared that a state of war existed between the Polish Kingdom and the Order. Lithuania refused to aid Poland, however, as it was focused on the Muscovite threat.
War
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Polish forces under Grand Crown Hetman Mikołaj Firlej gathered near Koło and in January struck towards Pomesania towards Königsberg, laying siege to Marienwerder (now Kwidzyn) and Preußisch Holland (now Pasłęk). The siege was slow, however, since the Polish forces lacked artillery power. The Polish fleet began a blockade of Teutonic ports. The Knights, in the meantime, took the Warmian city of Braunsberg (now Braniewo). The Polish army received artillery reinforcements in April and took Marienwerder and Preußisch Holland that month, but failed to retake Braunsberg.
The war grew, with Polish forces from the Duchy of Masovia and Gdańsk striking the nearby Teutonic fortifications. Teutonic forces were on defense, waiting for reinforcements from Germany, which arrived in the summer of 1520. In July, the Teutonic army started an offensive, attacking Masovia, Warmia, and Łomża territories, laying siege to Lidzbark Warmiński. In August, another group of German reinforcements attacked Greater Poland, taking Międzyrzecz. The Germans took Wałcz, Chojnice, Starogard Gdański, and Tczew and started a siege of Gdańsk, but they retreated when faced with Polish reinforcements and plagued by financial troubles (German reinforcements, mostly mercenaries, refused to fight until paid). Polish forces retook Tczew, Starogard, and Chojnice. The Teutonic Knights retreated towards Oliwa and Puck, pursued by Polish forces. The Polish side was then struck with financial troubles, and the "pospolite ruszenie" forces were also tired. The Teutonic Knights seized their chance and launched a counteroffensive, taking Nowe Miasto Lubawskie and approaching Płock and Olsztyn. Olsztyn was successfully defended by the Poles under the command of Nicolaus Copernicus.
At that point, the Ottoman Empire invaded Hungary, and the new Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, demanded that the Teutonic Knights and Poles stop their hostilities and aid the defense of Europe against the infidels. Both sides, tired with the war, agreed to an armistice on 5 April 1521 in the Compromise of Thorn.
Aftermath
During the four-year truce, the dispute was referred to Emperor Charles V and other princes, but no settlement was reached. Albert continued his efforts to obtain help in view of the inevitable end of the truce.
Eventually, in the town Wittenberg, Saxony, Albert met and was advised by Dr. Martin Luther (1483-1546), to abandon the rules of his Order, to marry, and to convert Prussia into a hereditary duchy for himself. Albert agreed and converted to Protestantism of Evangelical Lutheranism in 1525. He resigned from the Hochmeister office to assume from his uncle, the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, Sigismund I the Old (1467-1548, reigned 1506-1548), the Prussian Homage, the hereditary rights to the now-secularized Duchy of Prussia, as a vassal, pledging loyalty to the Polish Crown. The Prussian Landtag diet assembled in the Baltic Sea port town of Königsberg (modern 21st century city of Kaliningrad since 1945, World War II in small remnant of old German territory of East Prussia, now small separated territory sandwiched between modern Poland and Lithuania, attached to Russia / Russian Federation), where all "Stände", led by the influential Bishop of Samland George of Polentz, embraced both the new Duke and Protestant Reformation to Lutheran faith. Thus the Order was ousted after facing a century of opposition by the Prussian Confederation. The Order elected a new Grand Master who tried to fight the loss of power in the Prussian territories by political means, but could never regain any influence there.
See also
References
- ^ Jerzy Jan Lerski, Piotr Wróbel, Richard J. Kozicki, "Historical dictionary of Poland, 966-1945", Greenwood Publishing Group, 1996, pg. 403,
- Jack Repcheck, "Copernicus' Secret: How the Scientific Revolution Began", Simon and Schuster, 2008, pg. 66,
- Treaty of Kraków
- (in Polish) Wojny polsko-krzyżackie, WIEM Encyklopedia
Further reading
Main article: Bibliography of the history of Poland| Polish wars and conflicts | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General and related |
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| Piast Poland |
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| Jagiellon Poland |
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| Commonwealth |
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| Poland partitioned | |||||||||
| Second Republic | |||||||||
| World War II in Poland |
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| People's Republic | |||||||||
| Third Republic | |||||||||
