MEDIEVAL WARFARE Volume 2.2 April 2012
1-962022
Theme: The Teutonic Order defeated
Last of the three great military orders to be created, the Teutonic Knights are, like the Hospitaller Knights, far too often unjustly overshadowed by the more sensationalized Knights Templar. But where the Knights Templar were abolished and the Hospitaller Knights declined, the Teutonic Order would arguably thrive for a long time, leaving a lasting impact on Eastern Europe and the German world. This article will give an overview of their humble origins and the long process that would lead to an almost inevitable downward spiral. The Thirteen Years War was the conflict that made their decline final and was in many regards even more decisive than the famous Tannenberg disaster.
The Battle of Zarnowitz 1462 Polish commander Piotr Dunin heard the enemy before he saw them. The sound of wagon wheels, horses' hooves, and the clanking of armour was unmistakable; the Teutonic Order's army was approaching. Dunin surveyed his position. His fortified camp was protected on the flanks and rear by marshland and the waters of Lake Witalicz. The enemy could only attack head on. On the other hand, Dunin's choice of position cut off all hope of escape should the battle go badly. Had he made the right choice? He would soon find out. It was Friday, 17 September 1462. Dunin could not know it at the time, but this day would mark the turning point of the Thirteen Years War. It would also be the last day on earth for one of the combatant commanders
The Battle of Kolnitz (18 September 1454) was the greatest field victory of the German Order against the Polish and Prussian coalition in the Thirteen Years War. Although in the summer of 1454 only the capital, Marienburg, and isolated centres like Ryn, Pisz, E?k and Kolnitz (Chojnice) were in the hands of the Teutonic Order (within territories already administratively attached to the Polish Kingdom), the Polish victory over the Teutonic Knights was not yet complete. The military situation of the Order was not compromised, because it still had allies - especially inside the German Empire - and financial resources. For two centuries, the Order was the outpost of the German expansion towards the East. Its main bulk were German knights, the core of the forces taking part in the Baltic crusader expeditions. Following the Great War of 1409-1411, this movement had almost disappeared, going hand in hand with the economic and military decadence of the Order, yet successful propaganda still allowed the quick collection of large expeditionary armies. When the Prussian uprising began in 1454, the Order had already started such a mobilization.
also: The Church vs. the crossbow; Fighting on horseback
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Updated as of 3/28/2024
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