King Jagiełło and the Teutonic Knights

Władysław II Jagiełło was the longest reigning king in Polish history. He was on the throne for 48 years! Having ascended the Polish throne by marriage with young Queen Jadwiga in 1386, he united the Polish and Lithuanian kingdoms and protected both lands from attacks by Teutonic Knights. Polish and Lithuanian forces won the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, a date that has since been remembered by every Polish child from their history lessons and by every Pole whenever and wherever he would live.

The Teutonic Knights was a military order that was brought to what is now the northern part of Poland, to help the Duke of Masovia defend his territories from the Prussians. The Order had quickly established itself on the land as a strong military force, controlled the land to which they had been invited and created their own Teutonic State. They wished to expand to more and more territories, bringing fear of attacks to the neighbouring towns and villages.

The Battle of Grunwald

The Kingdom of Poland and the Duchy of Lithuania united their forces to face the Teutonic Knights at Grunwald on the 15^th of July, 1410. It was one of the biggest battles in medieval Europe. There were about 30,000 knights on the Polish-Lithuanian side and about 15-20,000 on the side of the Teutonic Knights. The battle included knights on horses, infantry and even some early and novel artillery forces. The battle lasted for 6 hours resulting in the victory of Polish-Lithuanian forces. The Grand Master of Teutonic Knights perished in the battle – the might of the Teutonic Order was broken and the order lost its powerful position for ever. An annual “Grunwald Days” festival includes a re-enactment of the battle, as well as jousting and other knightly competitions. At this year’s 26th edition 40,000 spectators watched the amazing event!

There remains in Poland a monument of the Teutonic Knights – Malbork Castle. This is the largest medieval castle in Europe. If you have a chance to visit this stupendous building, you might wish to press your ear against the historical walls. Who knows, you might hear stories as exciting as real history about queens and kings and knights!

King Jagiełło – a famous Polish king

King Władysław II Jagiełło is remembered in Polish history as a great and brave king. He united the two great nations and began the Jagiellonian dynasty that governed in Poland till 1572,  He continued supporting the Kraków Academy that was part of Queen Jadwiga’s efforts to bring education to Poland. In 1411 he signed a peace treaty with the Teutonic Knights thanks to which both Poland and Lithuania regained part of their lands. The treaty did not bring a stop to the struggles with the Teutonic Order, but its might was curtailed and the Order was never as powerful as before.

The fame of Władysław II Jagiełło is celebrated not only in Poland, but also abroad. In Central Park in New York you can find a monument devoted to the king. The bronze equestrian monument is of Jagiello in battle attire, with swords in both hands, lifted and crossed, symbolising unity of the Polish and Lithuanian forces or perhaps victory over the Teutonic Order at the Battle of Grunwald in 1410. No doubt, it was built by the Poles who had emigrated from Poland in difficult times and found their new home in the United States (in fact, it was sculpted by Stanislaw Kazimierz Ostrowski in 1939). ThePoles brought with them not only memories of their homeland, but also their very own king!

Illustrations: Wikimedia Commons:

Michał Godlewski, Jagajła. Ягайла (M. Godlewski, 1863), Painting, depicting the Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland Jogaila, 1863

King Władysław II Jagiełło, detail of the Triptych of Our Lady of Sorrows in the Wawel Cathedral, 2nd half of the 15th century

Aleksander Lesser, Władysław II Jagiełło King of Poland, supposedly between 1845-1875

Jan Matejko, The Battle of Grunwald, National Museum in Warsaw, 1878

Tadeusz Popiel and Zygmunt Rozwadowski, Battle of Grunwald, 1910, Lviv History Museum (Ukraine)

Map of Lithuania and Poland, c.1400. Information taken mainly from the old German Map Image: Poland under Jagello, plus a few locations from a map in the book The Times Concise Atlas of World History, ISBN 0723006741.

Maksymilian Antoni Piotrowski , Władysław Jagiełło before the Grunwaldem Battle, 1854

Photo: Andrzej Miecznik, Castle in Malbork, 2010

Coat of arms of the King of Poland and Supreme Duke of Lithuania Jogaila with the Polish Eagle and Lithuanian Vytis (Waykimas), used during the Council of Constance from 1414 to 1418. Painted in 1416. From an Armorial (a book of coats-of-arms), produced in 1416. Made by a Portuguese herald, attending the Council of Constance.

Coin 1: Denar koronny Władysław Jagiełło Kraków, Gabinet Numizmatyczny Damian Marciniak

Coin 2: Lithuanian Denar of Grand Duke Jogaila (minted in 1388–1392) with Lithuanian Vytis (Waykimas) on the averse.

Stanislaw Kazimierz Ostrowski, Statue of King Władysław II Jagiełło ,1939, Central Park, New York, USA

Photo: Elekes Andor, Tomb monument of Jogaila (Władysław II Jagiełło) in the Wawel Cathedral, 2019

Photo: Celebrations of 600 years of the Battle of Grunwald