Battle of Krücken
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Krücken was a medieval battle fought in 1249 during the Prussian Crusades between the Teutonic Knights
and Prussians
, one of the Baltic tribes
. In terms of knights killed, it was the fourth largest defeat of the Teutonic Knights in the 13th century.
Marshal Heinrich Botel gathered men from Kulm, Elbing
, and Balga
for an expeditionary attack deeper into Prussia. They traveled into the lands of Natangians and pillaged the region. On their way back they were in turn attacked by an army of Natangians. The Knights retreated to the nearby village of Krücken south of Kreuzburg (now Kamenka south of Slavskoye
), where Prussians hesitated to attack. The Prussian army was growing as fresh troops arrived from more distant territories, and the Knights did not have enough supplies to withstand a siege. Therefore the Teutonic Knights bargained for surrender: the marshal and three other knights were to remain as hostage
s while the others were to lay down their weapons.
The Natangians broke the agreement and massacred 54 knights and a number of their followers. Some knights were executed in religious ceremonies or tortured to death. Severed head of Johann, vice-komtur
of Balga, was mockingly displayed on a spear. Others were ransom
ed or exchanged, including Marshal Botel. Such barbarity gave the Knights an excuse not to treat the Prussians as civilized and honorable people. Never again did the Knights surrender to pagans
. The Natangians did not exploit their victory and did not make offensive moves into the lands of the Teutonic Knights. It took two years for the crusading military order
to recover and avenge the massacre.
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
and Prussians
Old Prussians
The Old Prussians or Baltic Prussians were an ethnic group, autochthonous Baltic tribes that inhabited Prussia, the lands of the southeastern Baltic Sea in the area around the Vistula and Curonian Lagoons...
, one of the Baltic tribes
Balts
The Balts or Baltic peoples , defined as speakers of one of the Baltic languages, a branch of the Indo-European language family, are descended from a group of Indo-European tribes who settled the area between the Jutland peninsula in the west and Moscow, Oka and Volga rivers basins in the east...
. In terms of knights killed, it was the fourth largest defeat of the Teutonic Knights in the 13th century.
Marshal Heinrich Botel gathered men from Kulm, Elbing
Elblag
Elbląg is a city in northern Poland with 127,892 inhabitants . It is the capital of Elbląg County and has been assigned to the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship since 1999. Before then it was the capital of Elbląg Voivodeship and a county seat in Gdańsk Voivodeship...
, and Balga
Balga
Balga was a medieval castle of the Teutonic Knights. Its ruins are in the Pogranichny municipality, Bagrationovsky District in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia; located on the shore of the Vistula Lagoon north of Mamonovo, about southwest of Kaliningrad....
for an expeditionary attack deeper into Prussia. They traveled into the lands of Natangians and pillaged the region. On their way back they were in turn attacked by an army of Natangians. The Knights retreated to the nearby village of Krücken south of Kreuzburg (now Kamenka south of Slavskoye
Slavskoye, Russia
Slavskoye is a settlement in the Bagrationovsky District, Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located south of Kaliningrad.-History:In 1240, the Teutonic Knights founded a castle in the region of Natangia at the location of an Old Prussians settlement. In 1315 Kreuzburg received its town privileges...
), where Prussians hesitated to attack. The Prussian army was growing as fresh troops arrived from more distant territories, and the Knights did not have enough supplies to withstand a siege. Therefore the Teutonic Knights bargained for surrender: the marshal and three other knights were to remain as hostage
Hostage
A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor. The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war...
s while the others were to lay down their weapons.
The Natangians broke the agreement and massacred 54 knights and a number of their followers. Some knights were executed in religious ceremonies or tortured to death. Severed head of Johann, vice-komtur
Komtur
Komtur was a rank within military orders, especially the Teutonic Knights. In the State of the Teutonic Order, the Komtur was the commander of a basic administrative division called Kommende . A Komtur was responsible for the alimentation of the Knights by the yield from the local estates, he...
of Balga, was mockingly displayed on a spear. Others were ransom
Ransom
Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or it can refer to the sum of money involved.In an early German law, a similar concept was called bad influence...
ed or exchanged, including Marshal Botel. Such barbarity gave the Knights an excuse not to treat the Prussians as civilized and honorable people. Never again did the Knights surrender to pagans
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
. The Natangians did not exploit their victory and did not make offensive moves into the lands of the Teutonic Knights. It took two years for the crusading military order
Military order
A military order is a Christian society of knights that was founded for crusading, i.e. propagating or defending the faith , either in the Holy Land or against Islam or pagans in Europe...
to recover and avenge the massacre.