Lithuanian Crusade

Lithuanian Crusade
	Part of the Northern Crusades
	; Lithuanians fighting Teutonic knights (14th-century bas-relief from Malbork Castle)
Date	1283–1435
Location	Western Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Samogitia, Prussia, Livonia
Result	Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War
Belligerents
Teutonic Order; Livonian Order;	Grand Duchy of Lithuania; Duchy of Samogitia; Kingdom of Poland (since 1385);
Commanders and leaders
Grand Master of the Teutonic Order	Grand Duke of Lithuania

The Lithuanian Crusade was a series of economic Christian colonization campaigns by the Teutonic Order and the Livonian Order, two crusading military orders, under the religious pretext of forcibly Christianizing the "pagan" Grand Duchy of Lithuania into Roman Catholicism. The Livonian Order occupied Riga in 1202 and the Teutonic Order conquered Culmerland in 1230s. They first conquered other neighboring Baltic tribes – Curonians, Semigallians, Latgalians, Selonians, Old Prussians (see Livonian Crusade and Prussian Crusade). The first raid against the Lithuanians and Samogitians was in 1208 and the Orders played a key role in Lithuanian politics, but they were not a direct and immediate threat until 1280s. By that time the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was already a centralized state and could mount centralized defense. Thus for the next century the Order organized annual colonialist reise (raids) into the Samogitian and Lithuanian lands without great success but at immense human cost: border regions in Samogitia and Suvalkija became sparsely inhabited wilderness due to ethnic cleansing and genocide, although the Order gained very little territory. The war between the Teutonic Order and Lithuania was one of the longest wars in the history of Europe.[1]

The Grand Duchy finally converted to Christianity in 1386, when Grand Duke Jogaila accepted baptism from Poland before his wedding to reigning Queen Jadwiga and coronation as King of Poland. However, the baptism did not stop the crusade as the Order publicly challenged sincerity of the conversion at the Papal court. Lithuania, together with its new ally Poland, defeated the Order in the decisive Battle of Grunwald in 1410, which is often cited as the end of the Lithuanian Crusade. The final peace was reached by the Treaty of Melno (1422).

It was the end of 225 years long warfare (1197–1422), including 86 years of the initial confrontation (1197–1283), 128 years of the regular warfare (1283–1411) and 11 years of the final fights (the period between the Peace Treaty of Thorn 1411 and the Peace Treaty of Melno 1422).[1]

Changes in the territory of Lithuania from the 13th to 15th century. At its peak, Lithuania was the largest state in Europe.

Background

The crusades had the ideological underpining of converting "infidels" by force, also killing the infidel was claimed to be glorification of Christ, as formulated in the 12th century by St. Bernard of Clairvaux - “Killing an infidel makes honour to a Christian, because it glorifies the Christ”. Only in the Council of Constance in 15th century such view would be contested and discussion on the rights of pagans would be started. Lithuania itself was quite tolerant to other religions - it is known that during the reign of kings Mindaugas and Gediminas Franciscan and Dominican monasteries were already been established in Lithuania with Lithuanian monks. Gediminas in his letters to a Pope complained, that crusaders destroyed Christian churches themselves in order to have a pretext for war.

The Baltic Crusade started in 1197. First encounters of military missioners with the Lithuanians were already in 1185, when Saint Meinhard experienced an attack by the Lithuanians and decided to build a stone fortress. Lithuanian troops were also supporting the local resistance of Semigallians and Latgalians. Lithuanians supported the Prussian uprisings and arranged military raids together with Prussians and Yotvingians - for example the siege of Vėluva (Wehlau) castle in Sambia during the reign of Treniota in 1264 or military revenge actions against Poland for devastating actions against Yotvingians, led by Vaišvilkas and Švarnas.

First military campaigns of Livonian Order against Lithuanians were unsuccessful and doomed - the Order suffered major defeats in the battles of Saule (1236), Durbe (1260), Karuse (1270) and Aizkraukle (1279). The defeats were decisive to Livonian Order - it ceased to exist as a unit and was attached to the Teutonic Order. Only in 1283, after the conquest of Prussians, the Teutonic Order focused its campaigns on Lithuania. One of the main aims of Teutonic Orde was to conquer Samogitia - part of Lithuania, which like a wedge was separating territories conquered by the Teutonic Order and territories conquered by the Livonian Order. The river Nemunas became a frontier, which Teutonic Order was not able to cross for 200 years of fight. Starting the reign of Gediminas, Lithuania also started rapid expansion to the East, conquering Ruthenian lands and gaining more resources for the long lasting wars.