Introducing 

Prezi AI.

Your new presentation assistant.

Refine, enhance, and tailor your content, source relevant images, and edit visuals quicker than ever before.

Loading…
Transcript

Battle of Tannenburg 1410

I. Last major Medieval battle

A. Part of the Polish-Lithuanian-Teutonic War

1. Shaped eastern European countries/borders

B. Defeated the idea of Christendom in Europe

1. Began downfall of knights/orders

C. Polish-Lithuanian coalition led by Jagiello, King of Poland and Lithuania, and Vytautas, Grand Prince of Lithuania

D. Teutonic Knights and various allies led by Grand Master Ulrich von Jugingen.

II. Tuetonic Knights

A. Monks began to train as fighters for the Crusades.

1. Religious orders of knights began to form

i. Sworn to poverty, chastity, obedience, and committed to fighting infidels in the Holy Land.

ii. The first and most famous were the Knights Templar

B. The Tuetonic Knights were the most powerful order in Central Europe.

1. Germanic

2. Fought pagans, Mongols, and the Eastern Orthodox Russians in Eastern Europe.

i. Pushed into Poland and Lithuania

C. The Grand Master

1. Ulrich von Jungingen

i. Served in almost all leadership roles.

a. Was Lord and Marshall

b. Became Grand Master after the death of his brother Conrad

ii. Headstrong, arrogant, and reputation for being impulsive

D. Teutonic Knights fought in full armor on heavily armored horses

1. Reputation as the best armored knights in Europe

2. Horses specially bred to carry immense weight.

E. Only ~200 fully ordained and trained knights

1. Supplemented by Lay-brothers,

Sargeants, and Guest Crusaders

III. Poland and Lithuania (and Austria and Hungary)

A. Jadwiga (Austria, Hungary, and Poland)

1. Hungarian princess betrothed to Prince William of Austria at age 5.

2. Became heir to Poland at 10 and was crowned "rex" (king)

i. Advisors broke engagement to William to protect coronation

3. Was well educated, spoke several languages, and devoted her life to protecting Poland and converting Poles and Lithuanians to Catholicism.

B. Wladislaw Jageillo

1. Born a pagan prince in ununified Lithuania

i. Lithuania was the last pagan nation of Europe.

2. When his father, Grand Duke Algirdas, died, he imprisoned his uncle, Kestutis, and cousin, Vytautas, to secure the throne.

3. Converted to Eastern Orthodox to protect and modernize Lithuania.

4. At 26, he converted to Catholicism in order to marry Jadwiga, who was 12, in 1387.

i. Lithuania became Christian in 1387

ii. Jageillo became a devout Catholic and worked with Jadwiga to convert Lithuanians to Catholicism.

IV. Teutonic Knights continue into Eastern Europe

A. Teutonic Knights dismissed Jagiello's conversion as insincere

1. Ignored Lithuania's sovereignty

2. Continued to claim territory

B. Vitautas escaped from prison and joined the Teutonic Knights

1. Made peace with Jagiello

i. Jagiello became ruler of Poland and Lithuania

ii. Vitautas became grand prince of Lithuania

C. Rebellion of Samogitia

1. Lithuanians rebelled against Tuetonic Knights

2. Vitautas attacked the Teutonic stronghold of Marienburg

3. Poland wanted to win back Pomerania

4. Von Jungingen saw the attack coming and mustered forces and allies.

V. Battle of Tannenberg

A. Armies met between Tannenberg and Grunwald

1. 25,000-30,000 on the side of the Teutonic Knights

2. 40,000-55,000 on the side of Poland and Lithuania

3. Guest Crusaders on left facing the Polish Army

4. Elite Teutonic Knights on the right facing the Lithuanian force

B. Jagiello attended two full masses that morning, delaying the battle from sunrise to almost midday.

1. Both sides sang hymns as battle songs, as was custom

C. Poland and Lithuania pushed forward and hand to hand combat took place for about an hour.

1. Lithuanians pulled back allowing the Guest Crusaders to advance

i. Unknown if the move was planned or an actual retreat.

ii. Guest Crusaders began looting

2. Poland held the center and the left against the Teutonic Knights

D. Teutonic Knights attempted to flank as the Lithuanians retreated.

1. Von Jungingen led a frontal assault in an attempt to kill Jageillo

i. Was intercepted by Vitautas

ii. Von Jungingen ordered retreat, was surrounded, and faught to the death

2. Polish forces attacked the Teutonic Knights from the rear.

i. At the same time, Lithuanians returned to the fight, trapping the Guest Crusaders.

VI. Aftermath and Legacy

A. Both sides lost 20,000-30,000 men, either captured or killed

1. Teutonic Knights wiped out

i. Only 1,400 returned to Marienburg.

B. The weakening of the Teutonic Order allowed Eastern Europe to set their boundaries.

1. Medieval expansion of Germanic people was halted

C. This was the last medieval battle

1. Last major battle without the use of gunpowder.

D. High point of Polish and Lithuanian pride

1. Vytautas became a national hero

i. university named after him.

2. Jagiello ruled Poland and Lithuania until his death in 1434

i. responsible for Poland's Golden Age

3. Jadwiga continued her mission of converting Poles and Lithuanians to Catholicism

i. Cannonized in 1997.

E. WWI and WWII

1. Battle of Tannenberg 1914 won by the Central Powers

i. Germany claimed revenge for 1410.

2. Hitler claimed to be carrying out the Teutonic mission when Nazis occupied Lithuania in WWII

F. Also known as the Battle of Grunwald in Poland

G. Known as the Battle of Zalgiris in Lithuania

1. Zalgiris is the name of Lithuania's national soccer and basketball teams.

Learn more about creating dynamic, engaging presentations with Prezi