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Teutonic Knights' War over Samogitia

Type Event Region Eastern Europe Time 1371–1380

In the 1370s the Teutonic Knights and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania fought continuously over Samogitia, a pagan corridor linking Prussia and Lithuania…

Timeline

  1. 1371–1375Samogitia–Prussia border · LithuaniaIn the name of mission and conquest, the Teutonic Knights built castles and launched raids along the Samogitia border, attempting to open a coastal corridor from Prussia to Riga. Lithuania organized counterattacks several times under Algirdas, but the forest and marsh terrain made it hard for either side to gain full control.
  2. 1377–1379Western Samogitia · LithuaniaAfter Algirdas's death, Kęstutis, to counter his nephew Jogaila, signed a treaty with the Teutonic Knights and attacked jointly. After Jogaila allied with King Louis I of Poland to strike back, Kęstutis turned to fighting the Order, and border warfare intensified amid Lithuanian internal strife.
  3. 1379–1380Lithuanian–Teutonic border · Baltic SeaIn 1379 Jogaila concluded a peace with the Teutonic Knights, which recognized his sovereignty claims over part of Samogitia, but the ownership of the core territory remained unresolved. The Samogitia question long troubled the Polish–Lithuanian alliance until it was significantly eased after the 1410 Battle of Grunwald.

Sources