Today's Lithuanian territory covers an area of only 65,300 square kilometers, which is roughly equivalent to China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (66,400 square kilometers). But who would have thought that the country's territory was at its peak, encompassing most of today's Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, and even Lithuania's borders not far east of moscow, the Russian capital.
Location in Lithuania today. Source/Day Map
Why, then, such a small European power, which was once strong, has only a little remnant of water left in modern times, and this matter must start from the war that declared the "Teutonic Knights" weak.
A marriage
On April 5, 1291, a total of more than 1,000 "Holy Warrior Knights" belonging to the three major knights of Aka, "Temple", "Hospital", and "Teutonic", which belonged to the three major knights of Aka, were finally defeated by the huge enemy army of 200,000 outside the city and nearly 100 heavy siege equipment. After this battle, the Teutonic Knights were able to free their hands in Eastern Europe. The Teutonic Knights placed the surrendered local tribes of East Prussia in a borderless land between East Prussia and Lithuania. The purpose of this move, in addition to giving land and a way out for these indigenous peoples, more importantly, the Teutonic Knights could use it as a forward to intensify their infiltration into Lithuania.
Teutonic Knights. Source/Network
Faced with the pressing of the Teutonic Knights, the Lithuanians once had no good way. Fortunately, Poland, which was also bullied by the Teutonic Knights, took the initiative to hand over an olive branch. In the mid-14th century, King Kazimierz III of Poland formed an alliance with King Charles Robert of Hungary and Grand Duke Gediminas of Lithuania, and took advantage of the internal strife between the Rus' states to send troops to complete the partition of Ukraine. After the Teutonic Knights seized the Baltic sea coast, Poland gained new access to the Sea along the Black Sea coast.
On November 5, 1370, king Kazimierz III of Poland died of illness in Krakow at the age of 60. Under Kazimierz III, Poland was rich and powerful, but the centralized system he promoted was not welcomed by the aristocratic class, and although Kazimierz III had four marriages and many dewy affairs, his legitimate descendants were only 5 princesses.
Therefore, before Kazimierz III died, the polish nobles of all sizes and young surrendered to the wealthy and powerful Hungarian King Louis I. On November 5, 1370, the 60-year-old King of Poland Kazimierz III died of illness in Krakow, and only two days later, Kazimierz III was still cold, and his nephew Louis I came to Krakow with an iron horse from Hungary, and 10 days later, he was officially crowned King of Poland, thus creating the "Anjou Dynasty" rule over Poland.
Portrait of Louis I. Source/Network
For Louis I, the two crowns of Hungary and Poland brought him a central European hegemony with a territory not less than that of the Holy Roman Empire, but the rapid expansion of territory also brought the problem of geometric multiplication. The Polish nobility was reluctant to accept the leadership of the Hungarians, and they supported the real purpose of Louis I, but wanted to return to the state of affairs before the reign of Kazimierz III.
In order to consolidate his crumbling rule, after more than a year of negotiations with the Polish nobility, Louis I was forced to issue a decree in 1374 announcing that the land tax rate would be reduced from 12 grosz per 1 (1 plutonium = 16.796 hectares) to 2 grosz in exchange for the support of the Polish nobility for the succession to the throne and his two daughters, which was inherited by his youngest daughter Jadwigha.
Portrait of Yadvija. Source/Network
The Poles were not too resentful of the 10-year-old Jadwigha, but they could not accept Louis I's marriage contract between Jadwigga and William, son of the Duke of Austria, a member of the "Habsburg family". On October 15, 1384, while Jadwiga was officially crowned Queen of Poland, the Polish nobility secretly took up the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Jagilvio.
Grand Duke Of Lithuania Jagayvo. Source/Network
Grand Duke Jogaila of Lithuania agreed to a series of conditions put forward by the Polish side, promising to lead Lithuanians to Catholicism and to be subject to the Polish Parliament after their coronation. On August 14, 1385, envoys from Lithuania and Poland signed a 560-word covenant in Kleva, in present-day Belarus.
Few people at the time would have imagined that the "Kreva Agreement", which was merely intended to facilitate the marriage as soon as possible and stated that the Grand Duke of Lithuania would compensate the son of the Duke of Oridi for 20,000 grosz, would later become the starting point of the "Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth" for four centuries.
Bunting is swirling
The establishment of the "Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth" strengthened the strength of the two countries to a certain extent, and even formed a siege of the "Teutonic Knights". On August 14, 1409, the Teutonic Knights officially declared war on the "Polish-Lithuanian" Commonwealth. They extended invitations to the knights of the European countries in an attempt to turn the war into a new Crusade. At the same time, the Teutonic Knights invaded northern Poland in a big way, and at one point took the important town of northern Poland, Bydgoszcz.
Map of the location of Bydgoszcz. Photography / Little Feather Monster, Source / Figureworm Creative
The Teutonic Knights appealed to friends throughout Europe, and Jogaila was active in its diplomatic offensive. Holy Roman Emperor Wenceslas IV sided with Poland, and at this time he was at odds with the Holy See, and of course glad to see the so-called "pagans" inflict heavy wounds on the forces nominally loyal to the Pope. Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg, who was a brother-in-law of Jagivo, chose to form an alliance with the Teutonic Knights for geopolitical reasons.
Portrait of Sigismund. Source/Network
The Teutonic Knights fought repeatedly with the Polish and Lithuanian allies on the Bydgoszcz front, but were unable to achieve a strategic breakthrough. Seeing that long-term consumption was not good for them, the Teutonic Knights had no choice but to sign an armistice with Jogaila before the winter of 1409 AD, which lasted until June 24 of the following year.
It has to be said that the truce of the Teutonic Knights was a major strategic failure. As a major Central European power, the "Polish-Lithuanian" Commonwealth was far more mobilized than the Knights, which occupied only the Baltic coast. In the summer of 1410 AD, the various princes of Poland and Lithuania joined forces on the banks of the Vistula River, through the pontoon bridge secretly ordered by Jogaila, and a coalition of Polish knight infantry, Lithuanians, Tatar cavalry and tens of thousands of armed militiamen marched into the territory of the Teutonic Knights, and the troops pointed directly at Marburg, the headquarters of the Order. The Teutonic Knights, completely strategically passive, could only rally all their forces into defense.
It should be said that as a monarch from Eastern Europe, Yagailvo, who had previously fought many battles with the Golden Horde, had already learned the sleek mobile tactics of the Mongol cavalry. Although deep into enemy territory, he was not in a hurry to fight the Knights. Instead, it continued to detour eastwards until it was determined that the Teutonic Knights were sleepy and tired before entering the battlefield. It can be said that before the head-to-head confrontation, the Teutonic Knights had been strategically defeated by the old fox of Jogaila.
On 14 July, the two armies finally took up positions on the plains on the shores of Lake Ruben. The Polish-Lithuanian coalition consisted of Lithuanian, Rus', and Tatar cavalry on the right flank, and Polish cavalry and Czech mercenaries on the left flank. In contrast to their opponents, organized by nationality and nationality, the Teutonic Knights formed a battle formation in the form of "flags". Under the relatively image-oriented Teutonic Knights, each municipality, bishopric, and mercenary unit had its own flag, and the flag was chaotic.
It is generally believed that the total strength of the Teutonic Knights is about 27,000 people, and the formation of the "Teutonic Knights" is 51 flags (the strength of each flag team varies, the average calculation is about 400 to 600 people), and it is equipped with mortar guns and other firearms, and the Grand Commander of the Knights, Rong Jingen, divides the Knights into two lines, the first line is divided into two lines, the left line is divided into two wings, the left wing is commanded by Valenrode, the right wing is commanded by Lich Stein, and the second line is led by 16 flag teams, and the Knights also deploy mortars and crossbowmen on the front line to try to take advantage of the high ground. Condescending to strike at opponents with superior forces.
The Polish-Lithuanian side may have 39,000 troops. The formation was composed of 91 flags, the right flank was 40 Lithuanian and Rus's flags, and there were also some Tatar mercenary units; the left wing consisted of 42 Polish flags, 7 Rus' flags and 2 Bohemian mercenary flags.
Before the war began, Rongingen, the 26th Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, ordered two swords to be sent to The King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Jogaila, in order to end the conflict through a separate duel between the knights. But Jogaila thought he had a good chance of winning, and instead ordered his troops to take the lead in the attack.
In the face of the "Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth" offensive, the "Teutonic Knights" mortar guns fired a salvo, but it was helpless to rain heavily, coupled with the slower rate of fire of the mortar guns, only 2 salvos were carried out, and did not play much. Soon the cavalry of the "Polish-Lithuanian" coalition army quickly rushed into the artillery and crossbow array of the "Teutonic Knights", and in order to expel the opponent, the "Teutonic Knights" in white and black cross cloaks shouted "God's will" and attacked.
The huge gap in equipment and training made the Lithuanian Legion quickly inferior in its head-to-head confrontation with the Teutonic Knights. But in fact, the outcome of the war is determined by who has more reserves in their hands. The impatient Leader of the Teutonic Knights, Yung Kingen, decided to throw in the last 16 battle flags in his hands. But he was confronted by tens of thousands of armed Polish peasants, who were said to have appeared on the battlefield "with the light of spears, flails and scythes shining throughout the field."
With a large strategic reserve coupled with the regrouped Lithuanian cavalry, the balance of the goddess of victory fell irreversibly in the direction of the Teutonic Knights' opponents. At sunset, the Teutonic Knights were almost completely annihilated. The 51 flags that were still flying above his head in the morning, covered in blood, all fell into the hands of the victors.
Towards decay
In 1411, the Teutonic Knights, who had just held Marlborough, were forced to make peace with Jogaila and sign the First Sorne Armistice, and in order to maintain the balance of power between Lithuania and Poland, Jogaila did not open his mouth on territorial issues, but only reclaimed the regions such as Samogisia that had previously been ceded to the Order. But economically, the Teutonic Knights had to face a "great blood loss", not only the captured knights needed to be redeemed with money, but even the fallen villages and towns needed to be bought with real money and silver. In order to raise this huge sum, the Teutonic Knights had to impose heavy taxes on the trading towns and bishoprics under their rule, and this exhaustive practice eventually provoked a backlash from the Prussian merchants and knightly class, and its secret organization , the Lizard League " , began to secretly approach the Poles in search of an opportunity to escape the Teutonic Order's rule.
In 1414 AD, the Polish-Lithuanian Army used the excuse that the Teutonic Knights had failed to fully fulfill the terms of the First Toruń Armistice. A massive invasion of Prussia under the Teutonic Knights, wherever the allies went, plundered villages and burned farmland. The teutonic knights, who were still alive, did not dare to fight with their opponents. Only the army could be concentrated on the Courland front to organize defenses and hold the castle, while at the same time adopting a "scorched earth policy" everywhere in an attempt to cut off the supply of supplies to the Polish-Lithuanian coalition army. But this heart-wrenching policy ultimately hurt the Teutonic Knights themselves. Under the siege of the Polish-Lithuanian army, famine and plague soon spread throughout Prussia.
This so-called "War of Hunger" was only the prelude to decades of Polish-Lithuanian raids on the Teutonic Knights' territories after the great war between the two sides. The Prussians, who were constantly plundered and besieged, were increasingly disillusioned with the Teutonic Knights, unable to protect their lives and property. The "Lizard League", which had been secretly active for many years, took advantage of the momentum, and in the near future they would unite with the ambitious Poles and eventually drive the Teutonic Knights' Iron Cross out of the Baltic coast.
However, the victory on the battlefield did not give Lithuania a chance to develop, and for more than two centuries it formed a commonwealth with Poland, Lithuania became a vassal of Poland, and the elite was rapidly Polonized. Former tribal communes were replaced by serfdom. Economic and cultural convergence eventually prompted Poland and Lithuania to sign the Treaty of Lublin in 1569, formally abolishing the federal structure between the two countries and merging them into the same country.
Poland and Lithuania signed the Treaty of Lublin, and the two countries were merged into the same country. Source/02 Edition of Historical Atlas of China
In polish history, the Treaty of Lublin was the culmination of the so-called "Golden Age". At this time, Poland's territory reached 550,000 square kilometers, becoming the second largest country in Europe after Tsarist Russia, and the "wing cavalry" that stepped alone in Europe with the iconic flying wing shape continued to expand its territory and enter the hinterland of the Muscovite Principality to the east.
For Lithuania, however, the days of subordination to Poland were fraught with hardship. Although the Lithuanians still maintained a relatively independent political status on the surface, their status was not equal to that of the Poles, and a large number of Polish nobles occupied land in Lithuania, stole high positions, and even in exchange for the support of other European countries, poles often sold the title of Lithuanian king cheaply to the royal children of france, Sweden and even the German principality of Saxony. A large number of young Lithuanians were incorporated into the Polish army and sent to fight against Tsarist Russia and Ottoman Turkey.
Poland's political, economic and even military exploitation of Lithuania eventually led to a prolonged decline in lithuania, and what is more frightening was the rise of its surrounding old enemies. In 1530, Grand Duke Vasily III of Moscow and Yelena, a descendant of the nobles of the Golden Horde, gave birth to their love crystal, and the boy who was born with thunder was the first Tsar in the history of Tsarist Russia, Ivan IV the Thunder Emperor.
Portrait of Ivan IV the "Thunder Emperor". Source/Network
Ivan IV, who was partly of Mongol origin, showed no mercy to his men, and after the collapse of the Former Golden Horde, the Kazan Khanate, the Astrakhan Khanate, and the Siberian Khanate scattered in the eastern part of Eurasia were annexed by him, and Ivan IV proclaimed himself "Grand Duke of All Rus", while his people preferred to call him "Tsar" in the Russian pronunciation of "Caesar". At this point the Muscovite Principality had finally completed its turn towards Tsarist Russia.
The well-winged Ivan IV naturally did not spare his old enemy Poland, and in 1557, the Russian army used the secularization of the Teutonic Knights into a Prussian principality, easily seizing this anointed land on the Baltic coast.
First-come does not mean first-served, sweden, which is also eager to expand its power, rushed to the tiger's mouth, and Denmark and Poland joined the warband for their own interests. The "Livonia War" lasted for 25 years before it ended with the death of Ivan IV, and the Great Tribe of Livonia fell into polish hands, but Sweden also took advantage of the chaos to take Estonia into its pockets and established a strategic alliance with Poland.
At the end of the 16th century, Tsarist Russia and Poland successively entered a period of dynastic instability. King Sigismund III of Sweden, by virtue of his mother's polish nobility, included the Polish kings of Lithuania in one fell swoop. Although due to his own religious beliefs, he was soon deposed by the Swedes. However, Sigismund III established himself in Poland, and together with his descendants witnessed the glory of the Polish army's capture of Moscow, but also single-handedly contributed to its decline.
Lithuania, which became the main battlefield in the "Northern War" led by Peter the Great, lost half of its population. Later, in the three partitions of Poland by Prussia, Austria, and Tsarist Russia, Lithuania was also severely divided, with most of it occupied by the Russian Empire and a small part annexed to Prussia. Interestingly, the Prussians struggled to support Lithuania's cultural elite, and under constant brainwashing, the descendants of heroes who had fought against the Teutonic Knights preferred to believe that they were allies of the Germans.
Portrait of Peter I. Source/Network
After the end of World War I, Lithuania and Poland became independent, but their relations gradually drifted apart. Although there is a Polish element in this, Lithuania also lacks the courage and vision to become a great power. As Poland weakened, Lithuania became fat under the claws of Nazi Germany. If it were not for the fact that there was still a little capital in its history against the "Teutonic Knights" and the timely protection of the Soviet Union, Lithuania would have disappeared into the long river of history.