Historical calendar – anniversary of the outbreak of the Prussian city rebellion. Their armed uprising against the Teutonic regulation began a long-term war on Pomerania.
Today in our calendar we will look at the Thirteen Years' War.
The increasing bureaucratic and fiscal oppression in the Order of Teutonic Knights caused an interior opposition in its subordinate cities. There was a clear difference in the economic, social and political situation of the inhabitants of the murderous Order compared to the definitely more free neighbour of Poland.
In 1440 the Prussian Union was established at a convention of representatives of cities and lands in Kwidzyn. This organization aimed at defending the rights of the people against the tyranny of the Teutonic authorities. In practice, the Prusai Union rapidly became a mate for conspiracy against the Order and a hatchery of agents and informants for Polish kings. By the end of 1453 the organization had grown to immense size and gained so much influence that it decided to start an armed uprising. There is no uncertainty that these plans were well known to the Polish authorities, who were of course patronising them.
REbellion began on 4 February 1454. utilizing the winter season, the insurgents seized a large number of defence towns and castles in Pomerania, and sent an authoritative letter to King Kazimierz Jagiellończyk asking for aid and the inclusion of spiritual lands within the limits of the Crown. The alleged incorporate privilege issued on 6 March that year, included Prussian lands in Poland and guaranteed their residents the same privileges as Polish cities and nobles.
In April Kazimierz Jagiellończyk settled the Polish-Lithuanian dispute about Volyn, accepting status quo possession, thus gaining no unfettered opportunities to intervene in Prussia. He hoped that he would settle the war with a clash in the field as it was done under the Wilkometer, so he did not undertake a haul of costly infantry and cannons. specified action was besides contingent upon an empty royal vault. Unfortunately, the usual start of knighthood was slow gathering, and it was only late in the summertime that it gained combat capability.
The Polish army, which was encountered at Chojnice on 18 September, was defeated by the weakest in numbers, but was perfectly trained and armed by the dense army of the Teutonic Knights.. wagenburg. The defeat was terrible – about 3,000 Polish knights died and 300 were taken prisoner. The King himself barely escaped the battlefield.
The Teutonic Knights, who have so far been pushed to a deep defensive defensive position, as a consequence of the triumph of the conflict raised their morale and went on to attack, displacing the Prussian insurgents from parts of the conquered cities. Meanwhile, bitter about the defeat, the Polish nobles gathered in Cerekwica demanded fresh state privileges from the king, determining their further participation in the war from obtaining them. Kazimierz Jagiellończyk, wishing to proceed his armed actions and regain access to the sea, agreed to the issue of the alleged church-nizhavian statutes.
Among another things, the fresh privileges were guaranteed by an absolute ban on the establishment of taxes and the convocation of a common departure without the consent of the land seymists. The merger of state positions was besides prohibited, the peasants' departure from the countryside was restricted, and all previously acquired nobility privileges were confirmed, including the fatal fixing of maximum prices for craft products by government officials. At the same time, an extension of the Kalisz Statute for Jews was cancelled.
Despite giving fresh privileges, knighthood riding was incapable to win this war. The burden of moving it almost exclusively on the shoulders of Prussian cities. Subsequent Polish campaigns had no effect, and the Order, assisted by money and hauls from Western Europe, went to an effective counteroffensive. The Polish common start of knighthood became not only poorly effective in the field, but besides completely useless in acquiring modern fortresses.
It was essential to hire a footman and to acquisition or manufacture siege guns. Unfortunately, as has already been pointed out, Poland's notorious problem since the Košice Privilege of Louis of Hungary was the deficiency of money in the vault. Worse still, the global situation has become complicated. The Teutonic Knights gained patrons in the form of the German Emperor and the Pope, who cursed Kazimierz Jagiellończyk and the Prusian Union for conducting an assault war.
The struggles became a long-term struggle, and their result was increasingly dependent on the state of the budget of both parties. Fortunately for the Polish side, the wealthy cities of the Prusai Union, specified as Gdańsk, Toruń or Elbląg, sent serious sums of money to support the royal troops. With this support and the agreement of the Sejm to war taxes, Poland was able to phase the first in its history, a dense army from a real event. It was headed by Peter Dunin, who rapidly revealed his leadership talents.
The successful blockade of Teutonic ports by the caper fleet and roads by Dunin troops exhausted the Order financially. The destiny of war has been determined the land conflict at Świecin from 1462 and the naval conflict over the Bay of Dawn from 1463, which the Polish side won. In 1466 erstwhile Poles captured Chojnice, in the face of full defeat, the Teutonic Knights laid down their weapons.
Previous entry from our calendar is available Here.
