Battle of Pokarwis
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Pokarwis was a medieval battle fought in several skirmishes between pagan Old Prussians
and the crusading Teutonic Knights
on January 22, 1261 during the Great Prussian Uprising that followed the failed first Prussian Uprising of 1242-1249.
After Lithuania
ns and Samogitian
s soundly defeated the joint forces of the Teutonic Knights and the Livonian Order
in the Battle of Durbe
in 1260, the Prussians rose against their conquerors once again. Prussian tribes agreed to cooperate and elected their leaders. The Great Prussian Uprising started on September 20, 1260.
The Teutonic Order called crusaders from Germany and Poland for help and the first large army of reinforcements arrived in January of 1261. The army was split into two groups: one, led by the Count of Barby
, to operate in Sambia
and the other, under the leadership of the Count of Reyden, to operate in Natangia.
The Teutonic group in Natangia met little resistance and split into two groups so that they could cover a larger territory more effectively. Though a common practice, it was a tactical mistake, because Herkus Monte
, the leader of the Natangians, had been educated in Germany and expected this development. As soon as one group departed, he attacked and defeated the other. The first group had to retreat. The very next day the Teutonic group dispatched to Sambia was also defeated. This way the first wave of Teutonic reinforcements was wiped out and the Knights were in distress. The uprising spread further and intensified.
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...
and the crusading 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...
on January 22, 1261 during the Great Prussian Uprising that followed the failed first Prussian Uprising of 1242-1249.
After Lithuania
Lithuania
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...
ns and Samogitian
Samogitian
Samogitian can refer to:* Anything pertaining to Samogitia , the Lowlands of Lithuania* Samogitian dialect, a dialect of the Lithuanian language, sometimes regarded as a Baltic language...
s soundly defeated the joint forces of the Teutonic Knights and the Livonian Order
Livonian Order
The Livonian Order was an autonomous Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order and a member of the Livonian Confederation from 1435–1561. After being defeated by Samogitians in the 1236 Battle of Schaulen , the remnants of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword were incorporated into the Teutonic Knights...
in the Battle of Durbe
Battle of Durbe
-External links:**...
in 1260, the Prussians rose against their conquerors once again. Prussian tribes agreed to cooperate and elected their leaders. The Great Prussian Uprising started on September 20, 1260.
The Teutonic Order called crusaders from Germany and Poland for help and the first large army of reinforcements arrived in January of 1261. The army was split into two groups: one, led by the Count of Barby
Barby, Germany
Barby is a town in the Salzlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Elbe river, near the confluence with the Saale, approx. southeast of Magdeburg...
, to operate in Sambia
Sambia
Sambia or Samland is a peninsula in the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia, on the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea. The Curonian Lagoon and the Vistula Lagoon demarcate the peninsula. Prior to 1945 it formed an important part of East Prussia.-Names:Sambia is named after the Sambians, an extinct...
and the other, under the leadership of the Count of Reyden, to operate in Natangia.
The Teutonic group in Natangia met little resistance and split into two groups so that they could cover a larger territory more effectively. Though a common practice, it was a tactical mistake, because Herkus Monte
Herkus Monte
Herkus Monte was the most famous leader of the Great Prussian Uprising against the Teutonic Knights and Northern Crusaders...
, the leader of the Natangians, had been educated in Germany and expected this development. As soon as one group departed, he attacked and defeated the other. The first group had to retreat. The very next day the Teutonic group dispatched to Sambia was also defeated. This way the first wave of Teutonic reinforcements was wiped out and the Knights were in distress. The uprising spread further and intensified.