The Battle of Grunwald (Tannenberg), 1410: the Teutonic Order falls

On 15 July 1410, on rolling fields between the villages of Grunwald and Tannenberg, one of the largest battles of medieval Europe destroyed the military power of the Teutonic Order in an afternoon. Known in Poland as Grunwald, in Lithuania as Žalgiris and in German as Tannenberg, it is the same day remembered under three names, and it still runs deep in the national memory of all three.

The Order and the alliance

For a century the Teutonic Knights, a crusading monastic order turned Baltic state, had expanded at the expense of their neighbours. Against them stood the union of the Crown of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, sealed by the marriage that made the Lithuanian ruler Jogaila into King Władysław II Jagiełło of Poland. He and his cousin, Grand Duke Vytautas (Witold) of Lithuania, brought together a remarkable army: Polish knights, Lithuanian and Ruthenian riders, Tatar horse-archers and Czech mercenaries among them.

Two bare swords

The Grand Master, Ulrich von Jungingen, drew up his heavily armoured knights and waited. As the morning wore on and the allies did not attack, he sent Jagiełło a taunt, two naked swords, an invitation to fight if he dared. He would not live out the day.

They sent two swords as an insult. By evening the Grand Master lay among the dead.

The retreat that turned the field

The battle opened on the allied right, where Vytautas' lighter Lithuanian and Tatar cavalry engaged, then fell back. Whether a genuine rout or a deliberate feigned retreat in the steppe manner is still argued, but the effect was the same: it drew ranks of Teutonic knights out of formation in pursuit. On the left the Polish heavy cavalry ground forward in a long, brutal mêlée. When the Order committed its last reserves in a bid to reach and kill Jagiełło himself, the allied line held, enveloped them, and the Teutonic army came apart.

What the day decided

The Grand Master and much of the Order's leadership were killed on the field. The follow-up failed, the allies could not take the great fortress of Marienburg (Malbork), and the Peace of Thorn in 1411 was territorially modest. But the aura was gone. Grunwald broke the Teutonic Order's reputation and its offensive strength for good, and shifted the balance of power in the region toward Poland-Lithuania for generations. Few battles have meant so much to so many nations at once.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the Battle of Grunwald in 1410 remembered by three nations under three names?

The Battle of Grunwald in 1410 is known in Poland as Grunwald, in Lithuania as Zalgiris and in German as Tannenberg, one day remembered under three names. It destroyed the military power of the Teutonic Order in an afternoon and still runs deep in the national memory of all three.

How did the Polish-Lithuanian alliance defeat the Teutonic Order at Grunwald in 1410?

At the Battle of Grunwald in 1410 the lighter Lithuanian and Tatar cavalry on the allied right engaged and then fell back, drawing Teutonic knights out of formation in pursuit. When the Order committed its last reserves to reach Jagiello, the allied line held, enveloped them, and the Teutonic army came apart.

Was the Lithuanian retreat at Grunwald in 1410 a real rout or a deliberate tactic?

Historians still argue whether the Lithuanian and Tatar withdrawal at the Battle of Grunwald in 1410 was a genuine rout or a deliberate feigned retreat in the steppe manner. Either way the effect was the same, drawing ranks of Teutonic knights out of formation in pursuit.

Why did the decisive victory at Grunwald in 1410 bring only modest territorial gains?

After the Battle of Grunwald in 1410 the follow-up failed, the allies could not take the fortress of Marienburg (Malbork), and the Peace of Thorn in 1411 was territorially modest. But the Order's aura was gone, its reputation and offensive strength broken for good.

What is the meaning of the two bare swords at Grunwald in 1410?

At the Battle of Grunwald in 1410 the Grand Master Ulrich von Jungingen sent Jagiello two naked swords as a taunt, an invitation to fight if he dared. He would not live out the day, and by evening lay among the dead.

Why did the Battle of Grunwald happen?

The Battle of Grunwald in 1410 grew out of decades of conflict between the Teutonic Order and its neighbours, above all over Samogitia and the Order's expansion along the Baltic. When a rising in Samogitia drew in Poland and Lithuania, the long rivalry finally erupted into open war.

What were the consequences of the Battle of Grunwald?

The Battle of Grunwald in 1410 broke the military power of the Teutonic Order, though the Peace of Thorn in 1411 left it only modest territorial losses. Its prestige never recovered, and the balance of power in the region shifted decisively to the Polish-Lithuanian union for the next century.