Battle of Durbe

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Battle of Durbe
Part of Northern Crusades

Livonian Confederation in 1260, showing the location of the Battle of Durbe
Date July 13, 1260
Location Near Durbe
Result Decisive Samogitian victory
Belligerents
Samogitians Livonian Order, Teutonic Knights, platoons of Swedes, Danes, Old Prussians
Commanders
Treniota ? Burchard von Hornhausen
Strength
Around 4,000 Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown 150 knights killed
Baltic tribes at the beginning of the 13th century before the orders started their crusade
Baltic tribes at the beginning of the 13th century before the orders started their crusade

The Battle of Durbe (Latvian: Durbes kauja, Lithuanian: Durbės mūšis) was a medieval battle fought near Durbe, 23 km east of Liepāja, in present-day Latvia during the Northern Crusades. On July 13, 1260 the Samogitians soundly defeated the joint forces of the Teutonic Knights from Prussia and Livonian Order from Livonia. 150 knights were killed including Livonian Master Burchard von Hornhausen and Prussian Land Marshal Botel.[1] It was by far the largest defeat of the knights in the 13th century: in the second-largest battle near Aizkraukle 71 knights were killed.[2]

Contents

[edit] Battle

The Livonian Order had been fighting the Samogitians since 1253, when Mindaugas was crowned as King of Lithuania and transferred parts of Samogitia to the Order. In 1257 a two-year truce was made, but the Samogitians were eager to fight again and defeated the knights in the Battle of Skuodas in 1259.[3] Such success encouraged the Semigallians to rebel.[1]

When the armies of the Prussian and Livonian Orders and their allies met in Memel (Klaipėda), a castle that the Livonian Order built in 1253, they learned that the Samogitians were raiding Courland. The knights decided to march towards present-day Latvia and stop the Samogitians. The enemies met at the Durbe Lake. When the battle started, local Curonians and Estonians abandoned the knights because the knights did not agree to free any Curonians captured from the Samogitian camp.[3] After this treason the knights were surrounded and suffered heavy losses. Some 150 knights perished along with hundreds of secular knights or low-rank soldiers.

Though the battle is described in the Livonian Rhymed Chronicle in great detail, no contemporary sources mention who was the leader of the Samogitians. Only Simon Grunau, in his chronicle written ca. 1517–1526, mentions that it was Treniota.[1]

[edit] Aftermath

Numerous rebellions against the Teutonic Order across all Baltic lands followed, including the Great Prussian Insurrection, which lasted from 1260 to 1274. Parts of Zemgale and Courland regained independence. It took some thirty years for the Livonian Order to restore its control.[3]

In the aftermath of the defeat, Duke Treniota is alleged to have convinced his uncle Mindaugas, King of Lithuania, to relapse from Christianity and break the peace treaty with the Teutonic Order.[3] Treniota organized military campaigns into Livonia and earned support from the Lithuanians. In 1263 Treniota assassinated Mindaugas, usurped the Lithuanian throne and the nation reverted back to paganism. Ensuing instability prevented the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from taking full advantage of the favourable situation. However, the Orders were preoccupied conquering back rebelling territories and did not pose a greater danger to Lithuania until 1280's.[4] In this sense the battle bought time for the new Lithuanian state to mature, strengthen, and expand before facing full-scale crusade.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c (Lithuanian) Ivinskis, Zenonas (1939). "Durbės kautynės". Lietuviškoji enciklopedija VII. Ed. Vaclovas Biržiška. Kaunas: Spaudos Fondas. 226-229. 
  2. ^ (Lithuanian) Baranauskas, Tomas (2006-09-22). Ar priminsime Europai apie Šiaulių mūšį?. Delfi.lt. Retrieved on 2007-05-09.
  3. ^ a b c d Urban, William (1994). The Baltic Crusade, 2nd ed., Chicago, Illinois: Lithuanian Research and Studies Center, 246-248. ISBN 0-929700-10-4. 
  4. ^ Kiaupa, Zigmantas; Jūratė Kiaupienė, Albinas Kunevičius [1995] (2000). "Establishment of the State", The History of Lithuania Before 1795, English, Vilnius: Lithuanian Institute of History, 63-64. ISBN 9986-810-13-2. 

[edit] External links