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The Lithuanian Crusade was a series of campaigns by the Teutonic Order and the Livonian Order, two crusading military orders, to convert pagan Grand Duchy of Lithuania into Roman Catholicism. The Livonian Order settled in Riga in 1202 and the Teutonic Order arrived to 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 Lithuanian was already an established state and could offer organized defense. Thus for the next hundred years the Knights organized annual destructive reise (raids) into the Samogitian and Lithuanian lands but without great success: border regions in Samogitia and Suvalkija became sparsely inhabited wilderness, but the Order gained very little territory. 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 powerful 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).

Opposing forces and strategy
During the entire crusade, the Orders made no great efforts in missionary work or conversion of local population to Christianity – the original justification of the crusade – and focused on military conquest and plunder. While the crusade has been described as "war of attrition", both sides grew in size, power, and wealth. While almost every year from 1283 to 1406 reise (raids) were organized, bringing destruction and devastation and consuming lives and resources, the crusade did not affect the core state. One of the reasons for slow progress in the crusade was difficulties with transportation: most of the Lithuanian territory was covered in thick forests, swamps, lakes, rivers with very few public roads. Often marching armies needed to clear their way of bushes, undergrowth, and thickets. The crusaders compiled scout reports on best routes, a hundred of which survived to be published as Die Littauischen Wegeberichte. In such conditions, an army could only march about 20 km on a good day.

In addition, campaigning was usually limited to mid-summer (when summer heat dried up the land) and winter (when swamps and rivers were frozen) as spring floods and fall rains would soak already swampy terrain and make it impossible for heavy-armored knights to travel. Usually, there were two winter reise in December and January or February (the break was used for Christmas celebrations). It was a rapid raid of 200–2,000 men to plunder and loot an area before locals could mount a counterattack or weather changed. The quickness of the campaign meant that the knights would not attempt to take fortified settlements or build their own castles. The summer reise was usually a larger campaign targeting a Lithuanian fort or attempting to build a crusader's fortress. Due to dangers and other difficulties, reise rarely reached the heartlands and concentrated along the Neman River (Teutonic) and Daugava (Livonian) where each side attempted to build fortresses and castles and turn them into outposts for further attacks. Only Grand Master Winrich von Kniprode (1351–82) managed to extend Teutonic hold on the Neman up to Kaunas and gain upper hand in the frontier.

Earliest encounters and Battle of Saule
Albert, Bishop of Riga, established the Livonian Brothers of the Sword in 1202 to convert of the pagan Balts to Christianity and protect German trade in the Daugava River basin. At first the Order launched the Livonian Crusade against tribes neighboring the Lithuanians – Curonians, Semigallians, Latgalians, Selonians. In 1208, fifty Livonian brothers accompanied by lower-ranking soldiers and local militia organized the first raid into the Samogitian and Lithuanian lands, but were defeated. The knights did not invade Samogitian or Lithuanian lands for another 20 year; instead the Lithuanians organized raids to plunder the Livonian lands for war loot and slaves, but these raids decreased in number after Lithuanian dukes Daugirutis and Stekšys were killed by the crusaders in 1213–14. Between 1221 and 1229, Livonian chronicles mentioned no fighting with the Lithuanians. In fact, a peace agreement was reached between the Lithuanians and a papal legate in Riga in 1225. This peace was violated in 1229 when crusaders invaded eastern Lithuania and reached Nalšia. Since that raid, the Lithuanians allied with the Semigallians and helped them against the crusaders.

The Sword-Brothers did not attack Lithuania again for seven years. Once conquest of Semigallia and Courland was finalized and internal Livonian disputes were settled, the knights returned their interest to Lithuania. On February 19, 1236, Pope Gregory IX issued a papal bull announcing the first full-scale crusade against pagan Samogitians and Lithuanians. A large crusader contingent from Holstein responded to the bull and arrived to Livonia eager to battle the infidels. Grand Master Volkwin led the army of some 3,000 men to Samogitia, where they were decisively defeated in the Battle of Saule in September 1236. The Livonian Brothers never recovered their former might and became the Livonian Order – a branch of the Teutonic Order. Previously subjugated tribes rebelled, jeopardizing some 30 years of conquest and delaying further attacks on Lithuania. However, in long-term the union between the Livonian and Teutonic orders did not bode well for the Samogitians who physically separated the two crusaders. That meant that for the next century, Samogitia became the prime target of crusaders' raids.

Lithuanian–Livonian alliance
In 1249, and internal war erupted in Lithuania, pitting Grand Duke Mindaugas against a coalition of his nephews Tautvilas and Edivydas, Duke of Samogitia Vykintas, the Livonian Order, Daniel of Galicia and Vasilko of Volhynia (Tautvilas and Edivydas' brothers-in-law). In 1250, the Order organized two major raids, one against Nalšia land and the other against the domains of Mindaugas and those parts of Samogitia that still supported him. However, Mindaugas managed to fracture the coalition by exploiting internal disputes between the Livonian Order and the Archbishop of Riga. In 1251, Mindaugas agreed to convert to Christianity and relinquish control over some lands in western Lithuania in return for his coronation as King of Lithuania. Immediately after his coronation in summer 1253, Mindaugas transferred portions of Samogitia, Nadruva, and Suvalkija to the Livonian Order. In later years (1255, 1257, 1259, 1261) Mindaugas surrendered even more lands to Livonia, but those deeds might have been falsified by the Order. Relative peace and stability was established for about eight years between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Livonian Order.

During this peace, the Livonian Order attempted to consolidate its control over the Samogitian lands. They built three castles along the border: Memelburg (Klaipėda), Georgenburg (Jurbarkas), and Doben (Durbe in Latvia). The Samogitians responded by organizing defense and electing Algminas as their war leader. They also organized offensive attacks in Courland. The Livonian Order lost the 1259 Battle of Skuodas and the 1260 Battle of Durbe. These major defeats encouraged a rebellion by the Curonians and Semigallians and spurred the Prussians into the Great Prussian Uprising, which lasted until 1274. Encouraged by Treniota, his nephew, Mindaugas broke peace with the Order, formed an alliance with Alexander Nevsky of Novgorod, and marched against the Order to assist the Balts in rebellion. Treniota led his army to Cēsis and Masovia, hoping to encourage all the conquered Baltic tribes to rise up against the Orders and unite under the Lithuanian leadership. Treniota's growing ambitions led to assassination of Mindaugas in 1263. Lithuania relapsed into paganism and suffered seven years of internal instability. Thus neither side could take advantage of each other's weakness – the Order fought tribal rebellions while the Lithuanians were engaged in an internal power struggle.

War resumes under Traidenis
The war with the orders resumed during the reign of Traidenis (1269–82). He supported other tribes and annexed southern Semigallian and eastern Yotvingian territory to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1270, Traidenis' raid into Livonia and Saaremaa resulted in his victory in the Battle of Karuse, fought on the frozen Baltic Sea. However, the Order retaliated, attacked Semigallia and recaptured Tērvete and Mežotne. Another serious setback for Traidenis was construction of Dünaburg (Daugavpils) Castle in 1273 on lands nominally controlled by Traidenis. The 1278 siege of Dünaburg was unsuccessful even though Traidenis employed four stone-throwing machines. In 1279, the Order retaliated by attacking Lithuanian lands as far as Kernavė, seat of Traidenis. However, on their way back they suffered a major defeat in the Battle of Aizkraukle. In terms of Livonian knight casualties, it was the second-largest defeat suffered by the Order in the 13th century. The conquered Semigallians rebelled once again and were now willing to acknowledge Lithuania's superiority and asked Traidenis for protection. The Lithuanians actively assisted the rebels. In 1281, Traidenis conquered Jersika Castle and was able to exchange it for the Dünaburg Castle, which remained a Lithuanian outpost until 1313. However, Traidenis died around 1282, and Lithuanian support to the rebellions diminished.

During Traidenis' reign, the Teutonic Knights reached the Lithuanian borders. The Great Prussian Uprising ended in 1274 and the Order proceeded to conquer Yotvingians. Already exhausted by attacks of Polish and Volhynian forces, the Yotvingians were killed, surrendered, or fled into Lithuania by 1282. Traidenis managed to incorporate eastern Yotvingia into Lithuania, but much of the territory became uninhabited wilderness. The region, known as Suvalkija, began to repopulate only in the 16th century. The conquest of Yotvingians brought the Knights into direct contact with Lithuania and signaled the beginnings of the Lithuanian Crusade.

Lithuanian Crusade
According to Peter von Dusburg, the Prussian Crusade ended and the Lithuanian Crusade began in 1283. That winter Grand Master Meinhard von Querfurt organized the first reise into Lithuania. The crusaders captured and burned Lithuanian fortress Bisenė near Skirsnemunė. The surrounding area was devastated and the knights took much loot back to Prussia. These types of raids to border territories became a common occurrence. They attacked along the Neman and Jūra rivers. Realizing strategic importance, the Order built castles on the left bank of the Neman: Landeshut in Ragnit (today Neman) in 1289 and Schalauenburg in Tilsit (today Sovetsk) in 1293. At the same time they attacked Lithuanian fortresses. In April 1290, the Order attacked Kolainiai (probably near Jurbarkas) defended by Surminas and 120 men. Only 12 defenders remained alive, but the fortress remained not captured. However, it was burned in February 1291 when it was left unattended.

The Fall of Acre and the collapse of the Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1291 effectively ended Order's involvement in the crusade in the Holy Land. The focus shifted north and the Teutonic capital was shifted from Venice to Marienburg (now Malbork) by Grand Master Siegfried von Feuchtwangen in 1309.