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The Teutonic Knights (novel)
Encyclopedia
The Knights of the Cross or The Teutonic Knights is a 1900 historical novel
written by the eminent Polish Modernist
writer and the 1905 Nobel laureate, Henryk Sienkiewicz
. Its first English translation was published in the same year as the original.
The book was serialized by the magazine Tygodnik Illustrowany between 1897–1899 before its first complete printed edition appeared in 1900. The book was first translated into English by Jeremiah Curtin
, a contemporary of Henryk Sienkiewicz. The Teutonic Knights had since been translated into 25 languages. It was the first book to be printed in Poland at the end of the Second World War in 1945, due to its relevance in the context of Nazi German destruction of Poland
followed by mass population transfers
.
between Russian, Austrian and German empires, with the majority of Poles living in the Russian
occupation zone named Vistula Land
, formerly Congress Poland
. One of Sienkiewicz's goals in writing The Knights of the Cross was to encourage and strengthen Polish national confidence against the occupying powers. In order to circumvent the Russian censorship, he placed the plot in the Middle ages
, around Prussia (region)
and the State of the Teutonic Order.
The history of the German Order of the Teutonic Knights
serves as the backdrop for the story. From the , the Order controlled large parts of the Baltic Sea
coast, until its defeat at the 1410 Battle of Grunwald
by the United Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania
. The novel focuses extensively on the medieval life and customs of both, the cities and the countryside of Medieval Poland.
In 1960 the novel was made into a Polish film of the same name
, by director Aleksander Ford
, with Emil Karewicz
as King Władysław Jagiełło.
. In a tavern inn Zbyszko falls in love with the lovely Danusia, who is traveling with the court of the Duchess Anna
. He swears to her his knight's oath and promises to bring her "three trophies" from the Teutonic Knights.
On his way to the royal city of Kraków
(Cracow), Zbyszko attacks Kuno von Liechtenstein, who is an official diplomatic delegate of the Teutonic Knights. The penalty is death. Yet, on the gallows, Danusia saves him from execution when she jumps onto the platform in full view of the crowd, and promises to marry him, covering his head with her handkerchief (an old Polish tradition that carries with it a stay of execution if the couple wed). Zbyszko and Maćko return home to their estate, where they rebuild their mansion. After some time Zbyszek returns to Danuśka and marries her. However, she is soon treacherously kidnapped by four Teutonic Knights who want revenge – her father Jurand fought against the Germans. Jurand himself is soon captured by them, imprisoned and cruelly tortured and maimed.
Zbyszko's quest to find and save his kidnapped Danusia continues until, at long last, he rescues her. However, it is too late already. Danuta has been driven insane because of her treatment at the hands of her captors, and eventually dies. The long awaited war begins. The combined forces of Poland
and Lithuania under the command of Polish King Ladislaus Jagiello destroy the Teutonic Order in the monumental 1410 Battle of Grunwald
. This battle signals the true terminal decline of the Teutonic Order.
Historical novel
According to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is-Development:An early example of historical prose fiction is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history and left a lasting impact on Chinese culture.The...
written by the eminent Polish Modernist
Young Poland
Young Poland is a modernist period in Polish visual arts, literature and music, covering roughly the years between 1890 and 1918. It was a result of strong aesthetic opposition to the ideas of Positivism...
writer and the 1905 Nobel laureate, Henryk Sienkiewicz
Henryk Sienkiewicz
Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz was a Polish journalist and Nobel Prize-winning novelist. A Polish szlachcic of the Oszyk coat of arms, he was one of the most popular Polish writers at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, and received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1905 for his...
. Its first English translation was published in the same year as the original.
The book was serialized by the magazine Tygodnik Illustrowany between 1897–1899 before its first complete printed edition appeared in 1900. The book was first translated into English by Jeremiah Curtin
Jeremiah Curtin
Jeremiah Curtin was an American translator and folklorist.-Life:Born in Detroit, Michigan, Curtin spent his early life in Milwaukee County and later graduated from Harvard College in 1863. In 1864 he went to Russia, where he worked as both a translator and for the U.S. legation...
, a contemporary of Henryk Sienkiewicz. The Teutonic Knights had since been translated into 25 languages. It was the first book to be printed in Poland at the end of the Second World War in 1945, due to its relevance in the context of Nazi German destruction of Poland
Occupation of Poland
Occupation of Poland may refer to:* Partitions of Poland * The German Government General of Warsaw and the Austrian Military Government of Lublin during World War I* Occupation of Poland during World War II...
followed by mass population transfers
Flight and expulsion of Germans from Poland during and after World War II
The flight and expulsion of Germans from Poland was the largest of a series of flights and expulsions of Germans in Europe during and after World War II...
.
Historical background
The novel was written by Sienkiewicz at the time of the Partitions of PolandPartitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...
between Russian, Austrian and German empires, with the majority of Poles living in the Russian
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
occupation zone named Vistula Land
Vistula land
Vistula Land or Vistula Country was the name applied to the lands of the Kingdom of Poland following the defeats of the November Uprising and January Uprising as it was increasingly stripped of autonomy and incorporated into Imperial Russia...
, formerly Congress Poland
Congress Poland
The Kingdom of Poland , informally known as Congress Poland , created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, was a personal union of the Russian parcel of Poland with the Russian Empire...
. One of Sienkiewicz's goals in writing The Knights of the Cross was to encourage and strengthen Polish national confidence against the occupying powers. In order to circumvent the Russian censorship, he placed the plot in the Middle ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, around Prussia (region)
Prussia (region)
Prussia is a historical region in Central Europe extending from the south-eastern coast of the Baltic Sea to the Masurian Lake District. It is now divided between Poland, Russia, and Lithuania...
and the State of the Teutonic Order.
The history of the German Order of the Teutonic Knights
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...
serves as the backdrop for the story. From the , the Order controlled large parts of the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
coast, until its defeat at the 1410 Battle of Grunwald
Battle of Grunwald
The Battle of Grunwald or 1st Battle of Tannenberg was fought on 15 July 1410, during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. The alliance of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led respectively by King Jogaila and Grand Duke Vytautas , decisively defeated the Teutonic Knights, led...
by the United Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania
Polish-Lithuanian Union
The term Polish–Lithuanian Union sometimes called as United Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania refers to a series of acts and alliances between the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania that lasted for prolonged periods of time and led to the creation of the Polish–Lithuanian...
. The novel focuses extensively on the medieval life and customs of both, the cities and the countryside of Medieval Poland.
In 1960 the novel was made into a Polish film of the same name
Knights of the Teutonic Order (film)
Knights of the Teutonic Order is a 1960 Polish film directed by Aleksander Ford based on the novel of the same name by Henryk Sienkiewicz....
, by director Aleksander Ford
Aleksander Ford
Aleksander Ford born Mosze Lifszyc was a Polish film director; and head of the Polish People's Army Film Crew in the Soviet Union. Ford became director of the nationalized "Film Polski" company at the end of World War II...
, with Emil Karewicz
Emil Karewicz
Emil Karewicz is a Polish television and cinema actor.-External links:...
as King Władysław Jagiełło.
Plot summary
Krzyżacy tells the story of a young nobleman, Zbyszko of Bogdaniec, who together with his uncle Maćko of Bogdaniec returns from the war against the Order (Knights of the Cross) in nearby LithuaniaLithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. In a tavern inn Zbyszko falls in love with the lovely Danusia, who is traveling with the court of the Duchess Anna
Danute of Lithuania
Danutė of Lithuania was a Lithuanian princess, daughter of Kęstutis, Grand Duke of Lithuania. She was married to Janusz I of Warsaw, one of the dukes of Masovia. Very little reliable information is known about her life.The date of her marriage is confused in many sources...
. He swears to her his knight's oath and promises to bring her "three trophies" from the Teutonic Knights.
On his way to the royal city of Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
(Cracow), Zbyszko attacks Kuno von Liechtenstein, who is an official diplomatic delegate of the Teutonic Knights. The penalty is death. Yet, on the gallows, Danusia saves him from execution when she jumps onto the platform in full view of the crowd, and promises to marry him, covering his head with her handkerchief (an old Polish tradition that carries with it a stay of execution if the couple wed). Zbyszko and Maćko return home to their estate, where they rebuild their mansion. After some time Zbyszek returns to Danuśka and marries her. However, she is soon treacherously kidnapped by four Teutonic Knights who want revenge – her father Jurand fought against the Germans. Jurand himself is soon captured by them, imprisoned and cruelly tortured and maimed.
Zbyszko's quest to find and save his kidnapped Danusia continues until, at long last, he rescues her. However, it is too late already. Danuta has been driven insane because of her treatment at the hands of her captors, and eventually dies. The long awaited war begins. The combined forces of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and Lithuania under the command of Polish King Ladislaus Jagiello destroy the Teutonic Order in the monumental 1410 Battle of Grunwald
Battle of Grunwald
The Battle of Grunwald or 1st Battle of Tannenberg was fought on 15 July 1410, during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. The alliance of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led respectively by King Jogaila and Grand Duke Vytautas , decisively defeated the Teutonic Knights, led...
. This battle signals the true terminal decline of the Teutonic Order.
Characters
- Zbyszko of Bogdaniec – a young impoverished nobleman, protagonist
- Maćko of Bogdaniec – Zbyszko's uncle
- Jurand of Spychów – a noble anti-Teutonic rebel and Danusia's father
- Danusia – courtier to the Duchess of Mazovia, Jurand's daughter and Zbyszko's wife
- Fulko de Lorche – a rich knight from LotharingiaLotharingiaLotharingia was a region in northwest Europe, comprising the Low Countries, the western Rhineland, the lands today on the border between France and Germany, and what is now western Switzerland. It was born of the tripartite division in 855, of the kingdom of Middle Francia, itself formed of the...
who becomes close friends with Zbyszko - King Władysław Jagiełło – a historic person, king of the Kingdom of PolandKingdom of Poland (1385–1569)The Kingdom of Poland of the Jagiellons was the Polish state created by the accession of Jogaila , Grand Duke of Lithuania, to the Polish throne in 1386. The Union of Krewo or Krėva Act, united Poland and Lithuania under the rule of a single monarch...
between 1381 and 1434 - Siegfried de Löwe – the komturKomturKomtur 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 SzczytnoSzczytnoSzczytno is a town in north-eastern Poland with 27,970 inhabitants . Previously part of the Olsztyn Voivodeship, Szczytno was assigned to the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in 1999. It is the seat of Szczytno County....
and mastermind of the evil plan to kidnap Danusia - Duchess AnnaDanute of LithuaniaDanutė of Lithuania was a Lithuanian princess, daughter of Kęstutis, Grand Duke of Lithuania. She was married to Janusz I of Warsaw, one of the dukes of Masovia. Very little reliable information is known about her life.The date of her marriage is confused in many sources...
– the Duchess of Masovia - Janusz I – the Duke of Masovia
- Kuno von Liechtenstein – the Order's delegate to the King of Poland, attacked by Zbyszko
- Jagienka of Zgorzelice – a young girl who falls in love with Zbyszko
- Hlawa – a Czech bodyguard of Zbyszko, and former servant of Jagienka
- Sanderos – a friar who sells indulgences and constantly butts heads with Hlawa (resembles Chaucer's Pardoner)
External links
- Full Text Archive of The Knights of the Cross
- The Knights of the Cross by Henryk Sienkiewicz, at Full Books, translated from the Polish original by Samuel A. Binion. Retrieved October 8, 2011.
- Internet Archive Search: Sienkiewicz The Nights of the Cross. Digitized copies. German Recension
- The Knights of the Cross translated by Krzysztof Trelski, 2008.