Battle of Płowce, fought between Kingdom of Poland and Teutonic Order.
Despite the Polish victory on the field, the battle is traditionally regarded
as inconclusive given that the Teutonic Order was not destroyed . Nevertheless,
it was an important battle for Poland, which was just regaining its stature as
a country on the international scene, and held its own against a powerful
military force.
The Battle of Płowce
took place on 27 September 1331 between the Kingdom of Poland and the Teutonic
Order.
The period of Polish history is known as the Division in the
Provinces, and lasted from 1138 to 1320. This long era of fragmentation was
characterized by a decline of part-time militias in favour of professional – or
at least, better-trained – household and local troops. It was upon these that
the rulers of Poland now relied. It was also during this period, from the
mid-12th to early 14th century, that a true Polish knightly class emerged as
part of a gradually developing feudal system of government and social
organization. Furthermore, in 1154-55 the crusading military orders – the Hospitallers
and Templars – gained their first footholds on Polish soil. Later in this
notably turbulent period the Teutonic Knights joined the older established
military orders, arriving on the scene in 1226, almost simultaneously with the
foundation of the specifically Polish Brethren of Dobrzyn (Knights of Christ).
Then came the Mongol invasions, with raids deep into Europe that culminated in
the battle of Liegnitz/Legnica in 1241.
The 14th century saw the reunification of Poland under the
rule of King Wladyslaw I Lokietek, who came to the throne in 1320. He was faced
with numerous opponents and experienced the ups and downs typical of all
medieval power struggles; but the main challenge to the Polish monarchy
remained that posed by the Teutonic Order in Prussia and Livonia. This
religio-military order, though defeated at the battle of Plowce in 1331,
continued to be a significant military power that the Polish kings could not
ignore. Consequently, the main aim of Wladyslaw I Lokietek’s son and successor
Casimir III ‘the Great’ was to further consolidate the military and economic
strength of the kingdom that Wladyslaw had effectively rebuilt. It is worth
noting that, despite Casimir the Great’s brilliant campaigns – including the
conquest of Galich Vladimir in 1340-66 – he is primarily remembered in Polish
history as one of the country’s greatest administrators and fortifiers, and a
remarkable number of castles and other strongpoints were constructed during his
reign.
As a consequence of his relatively peaceful reign. King
Casimir III went down in Polish history as one of the country’s greatest
administrators and castle-builders; about 80 strongholds were constructed
during his time.
The Battle
The Teutonic Order attempted to take Brześć Kujawski after
standing all day in the sun. The German army from the Teutonic Order had 7,000
men, and was opposed by a Polish army of 5,000 men. On 27 September 1331,
one-third of the Teutonic Order’s force of knights under Dietrich von Altenburg
left the blockaded peasant town of Płowce. The Poles, under Władyslaw Łokietek
(Władysław I the Elbow-high) and his son Casimir, immediately attacked in a
frontal assault. They were immediately joined by Polish detachments hiding in a
forest to the left of the town. Reportedly, during the first phase of the
battle Prince Casimir was ordered to depart so as not to deprive the Polish
Kingdom of the presumptive heir. Despite this, in three hours the Teutonic
knights had been defeated and their leader captured. The Polish forces were
victorious in this phase of the battle, took prisoner 56 knights, and freed
many Polish captives.
However, upon hearing the sounds of battle from Płowce, rear
elements of the German formations rushed to aid their fellow knights, and soon
another third of the Teutonic Order’s forces arrived. The long and bloody
battle resumed and continued until dark, with high casualties on both sides.
Poland scored a clear victory, with Reuss von Plauen, commander of the German
army, and another 40 knights taken prisoner by the Poles. After fleeing Płowce,
the knights withdrew to Toruń (Thorn).
Despite the Polish victory on the field, the battle is
traditionally regarded as inconclusive given that the Teutonic Order was not
destroyed . Nevertheless, it was an important battle for Poland, which was just
regaining its stature as a country on the international scene, and held its own
against a powerful military force.
Aftermath
An estimated over 4,000 men (combined) were said to have
fallen on the field of the battle. Of these, 73 were Knight Brothers of the
Teutonic Order (the highest-ranking members of the Order). Over one half of the
dead were Germans, who had to retreat back to Toruń, their death toll climbing
to one third of all their knights taking part in the war. The Polish armies,
also suffering heavy casualties, did not follow the retreating Germans.
Teutonic Knights’ War
with Poland of 1309-43
Gdansk, 1308; Plowce,
1331; Reval, 1343
Poland called on the Order of the Teutonic Knights to assist
in resisting the attack of Brandenburg against the Polish territory of
Pomerelia (eastern Pomerania). The knights, who had acquired control of Prussia
in the five decade-long TEUTONIC KNIGHTS’ CONQUEST OF PRUSSIA, eagerly entered
the conflict, driving the Brandenburgers out of Pomerelia; in 1309, the order
seized the territory for itself, including the key port city of Danzig (Gdansk,
Poland). In taking Danzig, the knights attacked not only Brandenburgers but
also Polish troops and Danzig civilians. To consolidate the claim on Danzig and
the order’s control over it, the Teutonic grand master established his
principal home and headquarters in a castle, Marienburg, adjacent to the city.
Having warded off Brandenburger occupation of Pomerelia,
Ladislas I (1260-1333) of Poland lost the region-the only direct Polish access
to the sea-to the Order of the Teutonic Knights. He attempted to persuade the
pope-Clement V (1264-1314, reigned from 1305) and John XXII (1249-1334, reigned
from 1316)-in whose service the knights had pledged themselves, to intervene.
In the meantime, Ladislas concluded an alliance with Lithuania, longtime enemy
of the knights. However, in 1331, Bohemian forces threatened Poland, and
Ladislas focused his attention there. Taking advantage of the situation, the
Teutonic Knights marched into Poland in 1331 and again in 1332. The Poles
prevailed against the invaders at the Battle of Plowce on September 27, 1331,
but this did not block the knights’ advance. The order continued to raid and
ravage territory throughout northwestern Poland. In some areas, the knights seized
and occupied territory.
In 1333, Casimier III (the Great; 1309-70) succeeded to the
Polish throne on the death of Ladislas I and, 10 years later, concluded the
Treaty of Kalisz, by which Poland regained the territory it had lost in
exchange for giving the Teutonic Knights control of Pomerelia.
Further reading: Helen J. Nicholson, Templars, Hospitallers,
and Teutonic Knights: Images of Military Orders, 1128-1291 (Leicester:
Leicester University Press, 1993); Adam Zamoyski, The Polish Way: A Thousand-Year
History of the Poles and Their Culture (New York: F. Watts, 1988).
