Siege of Medvėgalis

Siege of Medvėgalis
Part of the Lithuanian Crusade
Medvėgalis hillfort in 2010
Date 1 February 1329 Location Medvėgalis 55°37′44″N 22°23′19″E / 55.62889°N 22.38861°E / 55.62889; 22.38861Coordinates: 55°37′44″N 22°23′19″E / 55.62889°N 22.38861°E / 55.62889; 22.38861 Result Teutonic victory
Belligerents
Grand Duchy of Lithuania	Teutonic Order
Commanders and leaders
Unknown	Werner von Orseln and John of Bohemia
Strength
3,000 to 6,000	350 knights and 18,000 soldiers

The Siege of Medvėgalis was a brief siege of Medvėgalis, a Lithuanian fortress in Samogitia, in February 1329 by the Teutonic Order reinforced by many guest crusaders, including King John of Bohemia. The 18,000-strong Teutonic army captured four Lithuanian fortresses and besieged Medvėgalis. The fortress surrendered and as many as 6,000 locals were baptized in the Catholic rite. The campaign, which lasted a little more than a week, was cut short by a Polish attack on Prussia in the Polish–Teutonic War (1326–32). As soon as the Teutonic army returned to Prussia the Lithuanians returned to their pagan practices and beliefs.

Medvėgalis was one of the strongest and most important Lithuanian fortresses in Samogitia. First mentioned in written sources in 1316, over the course of its history it was attacked about 20 times by the Teutonic Knights.

After the victorious Battle of Medininkai in 1320, Lithuania concluded a truce with the Knights. The Teutons resumed military incursions into Lithuania in 1328. On 1 January 1329, King John of Bohemia arrived at Toruń wishing to engage in the holy crusade against pagan Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Back in 1325 he promised Pope John XXII to launch another crusade and received a permission to collect papal income tax for three years to finance the crusade. He brought many noblemen, including Walter VI, Count of Brienne, and Bolesław III the Generous with his brothers, and soldiers from Silesia, Germany, England. The king also brought poet Guillaume de Machaut so that his exploits could be memorialized in poems and songs (the campaign was described in Confort d'ami written in 1357). According to Peter von Dusburg, the Teutonic army which marched towards Medvėgalis Castle numbered 350 knights and 18,000 foot soldiers. Teutonic ambitions were high as parallels were drawn with King Ottokar II of Bohemia and his 1255 campaign which resulted in the conquest of the Sambians.

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