Mszczuj of Skrzynno
Encyclopedia
Skrzynno, Masovian Voivodeship
Skrzynno is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Wieniawa, within Przysucha County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland...
; Polish: Mszczuj ze Skrzynna) was one of the Polish knights of Władysław Jagiełło who took part on July 15, 1410 in the 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...
against 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...
. He was a knight of the royal household regiment of the King of Poland (cubiculariorum). He bore a Łabędź, or Swan, as a coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
.
According to the Polish chronicler Jan Długosz, Mszczuj was part of the third Rota
Rota (formation)
Rotte or Rota is an infantry or cavalry unit. In Poland it was known increasingly from the 16th century by the alternative name of Chorągiew....
, a unit of cavalry of the royal household under the leadership of Andrzej Ciołek from Żelechowo and Jan Odrowąż from Sprowy. Długosz relates that Mszczuj was the knight who defeated and killed the Grand Master of the Order, Ulrich von Jungingen
Ulrich von Jungingen
Ulrich von Jungingen was the 26th Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, serving from 1407 to 1410. His policy of confrontation with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland sparked the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War and led to disaster for the Order in the Battle of Grunwald.- Life...
during the 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...
. Długosz offers two pieces of evidence for this. First, Mszczuj's squire, Jurga, acquired and handed over a valuable reliquary
Reliquary
A reliquary is a container for relics. These may be the physical remains of saints, such as bones, pieces of clothing, or some object associated with saints or other religious figures...
with holy relics that had previously belonged to von Jungingen, as well as the Grand Master's battle cloak. Second, the locating of the Grand Master's body was made possible thanks to the directions given by Mszczuj, which indicates that the two knights definitely engaged each other on the field of battle.
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...
at Koronowo
Koronowo
Koronowo is a town on the Brda River in Poland, located in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, 25 km from Bydgoszcz, with 10,818 inhabitants . It is located at N 53°19 - E 17°56...
and contributed to the Polish-Lithuanian victory.
In 1412 he was part of the delegation and personal escort of Władysław Jagiełło to the Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
, where he took part in tourneys and jousts. In 1428 he took part in the expedition against Great Novgorod
Veliky Novgorod
Veliky Novgorod is one of Russia's most historic cities and the administrative center of Novgorod Oblast. It is situated on the M10 federal highway connecting Moscow and St. Petersburg. The city lies along the Volkhov River just below its outflow from Lake Ilmen...
carried out by the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas. In 1431 he participated in Władysław Jagiełło's offensive against the rebel Švitrigaila
Švitrigaila
Švitrigaila Švitrigaila Švitrigaila (ca 1370 – 10 February 1452; was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1430 to 1432. He spent most of his life in largely unsuccessful dynastic struggles against his cousins Vytautas and Sigismund Kęstutaitis.-Struggle against Vytautas:...
in 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...
and was present at the siege of Lutsk
Lutsk
Lutsk is a city located by the Styr River in northwestern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Volyn Oblast and the administrative center of the surrounding Lutskyi Raion within the oblast...
. A year later he led the reinforcements for the new Grand Duke Zygmunt Kiejstutowicz in his war against Švitrigaila.
He owned large tracts of land in Volodymyr-Volynskyi
Volodymyr-Volynskyi
Volodymyr-Volynsky is a city located in Volyn Oblast, in north-western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative centre of the Volodymyr-Volynsky District, the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast...
. A 15-century church, purportedly build by Mszczuj can be found and visited in Opoczno
Opoczno
Opoczno is a town in south-central Poland, within the eastern part of Łódź Voivodeship , previously in Piotrków Trybunalski Voivodeship . Important communication routes run through the town, namely the central railway line, which connects Silesia with Warsaw, and road 12, which creates a...
.