Siege of Königsberg
Encyclopedia
Siege of Königsberg was a siege
laid upon the city of Königsberg (now Kaliningrad, Russia), one of the main strongholds of the Teutonic Knights
, by the Prussians
during the Great Prussian Uprising in 1262.
Pagan Prussians rose against their conquerors, who tried to convert them to Christianity, after Lithuania
ns and Samogitia
ns soundly defeated the joint forces of the Teutonic Knights and the Livonian Order
in the Battle of Durbe
in 1260. The first years of the uprising were successful to Prussians, who defeated the Knights in the open battles and besieged Teutonic castles. However, Prussians faced great difficulties attacking and capturing the castles.
Prussians had built small forts around the city so that they could block any contact with the outside. The Grand Master of the Knights was working to provide relief to the starving garrison in Königsberg. In January 1262 reinforcement arrived from Rhineland
, led by Count Wilhelm of Jülich
. His army arrived in the afternoon and desired to attack the pagans
right away, but decided to wait for the next morning. During the nighttime, the Prussians abandoned their forts and hid in nearby forest. Thinking that the Prussians had gone home to Sambia
, the soldiers rode towards the city and were ambush
ed. Heavy fighting ensured and Prussians were driven into a village. When enforcement arrived from Königsberg, the battle was won. The Knights counted some dead 3,000 bodies of their enemy. Soon Rhinelanders returned home, and Sambians
renewed the siege.
This time crusaders had enough food and supply to last until summer when they expected some relief delivered via the Pregel River. However, Prussians were prepared for this and transformed a few of their ships to war vessels. They were successful in destroying few supplies ships that tried to reach Königsberg. Then they built a bridge of boats
and a wooden fort to protect it. The Knights, against the odds, succeeded in burning down both the bridge and fort.
Reinforcement to Sambians came from Herkus Monte
of Natangians. The Knights decided to fight in an open battle and succeeded in wounding Herkus. The Natangians retreated. Sambians also withdrew because they could neither stop supplies and reinforcement reaching the castle nor capture it. The siege proved the weakness of the Prussians and the strength of the Knights. The reliance upon fortified castles allowed the Knights to regroup and eventually subdue the uprising.
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
laid upon the city of Königsberg (now Kaliningrad, Russia), one of the main strongholds 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...
, by the 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...
during the Great Prussian Uprising in 1262.
Pagan Prussians rose against their conquerors, who tried to convert them to Christianity, 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 Samogitia
Samogitia
Samogitia is one of the five ethnographic regions of Lithuania. It is located in northwestern Lithuania. Its largest city is Šiauliai/Šiaulē. The region has a long and distinct cultural history, reflected in the existence of the Samogitian dialect...
ns 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 first years of the uprising were successful to Prussians, who defeated the Knights in the open battles and besieged Teutonic castles. However, Prussians faced great difficulties attacking and capturing the castles.
Prussians had built small forts around the city so that they could block any contact with the outside. The Grand Master of the Knights was working to provide relief to the starving garrison in Königsberg. In January 1262 reinforcement arrived from Rhineland
Rhineland
Historically, the Rhinelands refers to a loosely-defined region embracing the land on either bank of the River Rhine in central Europe....
, led by Count Wilhelm of Jülich
Jülich
Jülich is a town in the district of Düren, in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Jülich is well known as location of a world-famous research centre, the Forschungszentrum Jülich and as shortwave transmission site of Deutsche Welle...
. His army arrived in the afternoon and desired to attack the pagans
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
right away, but decided to wait for the next morning. During the nighttime, the Prussians abandoned their forts and hid in nearby forest. Thinking that the Prussians had gone home to 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...
, the soldiers rode towards the city and were ambush
Ambush
An ambush is a long-established military tactic, in which the aggressors take advantage of concealment and the element of surprise to attack an unsuspecting enemy from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind hilltops...
ed. Heavy fighting ensured and Prussians were driven into a village. When enforcement arrived from Königsberg, the battle was won. The Knights counted some dead 3,000 bodies of their enemy. Soon Rhinelanders returned home, and Sambians
Sambians
The Sambians were one of the Prussian tribes. They inhabited the peninsula of Sambia, north of the city of Königsberg . Sambians were located in a coastal territory rich in amber and engaged in trade early on . Therefore, they established contacts with foreign nations before any other Prussians...
renewed the siege.
This time crusaders had enough food and supply to last until summer when they expected some relief delivered via the Pregel River. However, Prussians were prepared for this and transformed a few of their ships to war vessels. They were successful in destroying few supplies ships that tried to reach Königsberg. Then they built a bridge of boats
Bridge of boats
A "bridge of boats" istype of bridge which floats on water instead of having permanent pillars. It is built by linking boats and the first and last being anchored to the shores. It was used as a military technique since ancient times, being the fastest method for an army to construct a water crossing...
and a wooden fort to protect it. The Knights, against the odds, succeeded in burning down both the bridge and fort.
Reinforcement to Sambians came from Herkus Monte
Herkus Monte
Herkus Monte was the most famous leader of the Great Prussian Uprising against the Teutonic Knights and Northern Crusaders...
of Natangians. The Knights decided to fight in an open battle and succeeded in wounding Herkus. The Natangians retreated. Sambians also withdrew because they could neither stop supplies and reinforcement reaching the castle nor capture it. The siege proved the weakness of the Prussians and the strength of the Knights. The reliance upon fortified castles allowed the Knights to regroup and eventually subdue the uprising.