Ritterswerder
Encyclopedia
Ritterswerder was a short-lived wood
en castle
built by the Teutonic Knights
in fall 1391. It was located on an island in the Neman River
near Lampėdžiai, now part of the city of Kaunas
.
The Knights built the castle after they failed to capture Vilnius
, capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
, in a five-week siege in September–October 1390. It became the headquarters of Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas the Great
while he fought in the Lithuanian Civil War (1389–1392)
against his cousin Jogaila
, King of Poland. In spring 1392 Henry of Masovia
, Bishop of Płock, arrived to the castle to secretly negotiate an agreement between Vytautas and Jogaila. Here about three weeks later Henry married Rymgajla
, Vytautas' sister, amongst many rumors and speculations. When the cousins reconciled, Vytautas turned against the Teutonic Knights and burned Ritterswerder and two other Teutonic castles on the Neman River before returning to Vilnius.
During a campaign in 1394 the Knights attempted to rebuilt the castle but did not complete it as they were attacked by Lithuanians. The Order decided to abandon the construction and besiege Vilnius for the second time. When in 1404 Vytautas confirmed the Peace of Raciąż
in Kaunas, the Grand Master issued several documents from the island but did not mention the castle. The island has since disappeared as the river changed its course during the ages. It is believed that the island is now a hill covered in pines on the right bank of the Neman River in Lampėdžiai.
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
en castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
built by 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...
in fall 1391. It was located on an island in the Neman River
Neman River
Neman or Niemen or Nemunas, is a major Eastern European river rising in Belarus and flowing through Lithuania before draining into the Curonian Lagoon and then into the Baltic Sea at Klaipėda. It is the northern border between Lithuania and Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast in its lower reaches...
near Lampėdžiai, now part of the city of Kaunas
Kaunas
Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...
.
The Knights built the castle after they failed to capture Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
, capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state from the 12th /13th century until 1569 and then as a constituent part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1791 when Constitution of May 3, 1791 abolished it in favor of unitary state. It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the polytheistic...
, in a five-week siege in September–October 1390. It became the headquarters of Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas the Great
Vytautas the Great
Vytautas ; styled "the Great" from the 15th century onwards; c. 1350 October 27, 1430) was one of the most famous rulers of medieval Lithuania. Vytautas was the ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania which chiefly encompassed the Lithuanians and Ruthenians...
while he fought in the Lithuanian Civil War (1389–1392)
Lithuanian Civil War (1389–1392)
The Lithuanian Civil War of 1389–1392 was the second civil conflict between Jogaila, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and his cousin Vytautas the Great. At issue was control of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, then the largest state in Europe. Jogaila had been crowned King of Poland in...
against his cousin Jogaila
Jogaila
Jogaila, later 'He is known under a number of names: ; ; . See also: Jogaila : names and titles. was Grand Duke of Lithuania , king consort of Kingdom of Poland , and sole King of Poland . He ruled in Lithuania from 1377, at first with his uncle Kęstutis...
, King of Poland. In spring 1392 Henry of Masovia
Henry of Masovia
Henry of Masovia was a noble and a bishop of the Kingdom of Poland.- Biography :Henry of Masovia, born between 1368 and 1370 in Rawa Mazowiecka was the youngest child of one of the Piast dynasty princes of Masovia, Siemowit III of Masovia, and his second wife, the princess of Ziębice, Anna...
, Bishop of Płock, arrived to the castle to secretly negotiate an agreement between Vytautas and Jogaila. Here about three weeks later Henry married Rymgajla
Rymgajla
Rymgajla was daughter of Birutė and Kęstutis, Grand Duke of Lithuania, and thus sister of Vytautas the Great. Rimgailė is a typical dual-stemmed pagan Lithuanian name constructed from rim- + gail- , which is quite common in Lithuania at present.By marriage with Henry of Masovia, she was Princess of...
, Vytautas' sister, amongst many rumors and speculations. When the cousins reconciled, Vytautas turned against the Teutonic Knights and burned Ritterswerder and two other Teutonic castles on the Neman River before returning to Vilnius.
During a campaign in 1394 the Knights attempted to rebuilt the castle but did not complete it as they were attacked by Lithuanians. The Order decided to abandon the construction and besiege Vilnius for the second time. When in 1404 Vytautas confirmed the Peace of Raciąż
Peace of Raciaz
Peace of Raciąż was a treaty signed on May 22, 1404, between Kingdom of Poland, Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Teutonic Knights, regarding the control of the Dobrzyń Land and Samogitia. Poland in essence confirmed the Treaty of Kalisz of 1342 and Lithuania – the Treaty of Salynas of 1398...
in Kaunas, the Grand Master issued several documents from the island but did not mention the castle. The island has since disappeared as the river changed its course during the ages. It is believed that the island is now a hill covered in pines on the right bank of the Neman River in Lampėdžiai.