Battle of Grunwald

For the 1914 battle at the same location, refer to Battle of Tannenberg (1914)

Opposing forces

In the early morning of July 15, 1410, both armies met in the fields near the villages of Grunwald, Tannenberg and ?odwigowo (Ludwigsdorf). Both armies were dislocated in line formations. The Polish-Lithuanian army was set up in front of the villages of ?odwigowo/Ludwigsdorf and St?bark/Tannenberg. The left flank was guarded by the Polish forces of king W?adys?aw Jagie??o and composed mostly of heavy cavalry. The right flank of the allied forces was guarded by the army of Grand Duke Vytautas, and composed mostly of light cavalry. Among the forces on the right flank were banners from all over the Grand Duchy, as well as Tatar skirmishers and (probably) Moldavian mercenaries. The opposing forces of the Teutonic Order were composed mostly of heavy cavalry and infantry. They were aided by mercenaries from Western Europe, called "the guests of the Order".

Related Topics:
July 15 - 1410 - Grunwald - Tannenberg - Polish - W?adys?aw Jagie??o - Vytautas - Grand Duchy - Tatar - Moldavia - Teutonic Order

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The exact number of soldiers on both sides is hard to estimate. There are only two reliable sources describing the battle. The best-preserved and most complete was written by Ioannes Longinus but does not mention the exact numbers. The other is incomplete and preserved only in a brief 16th century document. Shortly after the battle in December 1410 the new Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, Heinrich von Plauen, sent letters to Western European monarchs, in which he described the battle as a war against the forces of evil pagans. This view was shared by many chronicle writers. Since the outcome of the battle was subject to propaganda campaigns on both sides, many foreign authors frequently overestimated the Polish-Lithuanian forces in an attempt to explain the dramatic result.

Related Topics:
Ioannes Longinus - 16th century - 1410 - Heinrich von Plauen

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In one of the Prussian chronicles it is mentioned that ?the forces of the Polish king were so numerous that there is no number high enough in the human language?. One of the anonymous chronicles from Lubeck mentions that the forces of Jagiello numbered some 1,700,000 soldiers, the forces of Vytautas with 2,700,000 (as well as a great number of Ruthenians), in addition to 1,500,000 Tatars. Among the forces supposedly aiding the Polish-Lithuanian army were ?Saracens, Turks, pagans of Damascus, Persia and other lands?. According to Enguerrand de Monstrelet the Teutons fielded some 300,000 men, while their enemies under the kings of ?Lithuania, Poland and Sarmatia? fielded 600,000. Andrew of Regensburg estimated the Polish-Lithuanian forces at 1,200,000 men-at-arms.

Related Topics:
Lubeck - Saracens - Turks - Damascus - Persia - Enguerrand de Monstrelet - Sarmatia - Andrew of Regensburg

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More recent historians estimate the strength of the opposing forces at a much lower level. Ludwik Kolankowski estimated the Polish-Lithuanian forces at 16,000-18,000 Polish cavalry and 6,000-8,000 Lithuanian light cavalry, with the Teutonic Knights fielding 13,000-15,000 heavy cavalry. Jerzy D?browski estimated the overall strength of the allied forces at 18,000 Polish cavalry and 11,000 Lithuanians and Ruthenians, with the opposing forces bringing 16,000 soldiers.

Related Topics:
Ludwik Kolankowski - Jerzy D?browski

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Regardless of such estimates, most of the modern historians count only the cavalry units. Apart from 16,000 cavalry, the Teutonic Order also fielded some 9,000 infantry, archers and crossbow troops. Both armies also had large military camps, tabors and other units, which made up some 10% of their total strength.

Related Topics:
Archer - Crossbow - Military camp - Tabor

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Both armies were organised in banners. Each heavy cavalry banner was composed of approximately 240 mounted knights as well as their squires and armour-bearers. Each banner flew its own standard and fought independently. Lithuanian banners were usually weaker and composed of approximately 180 light cavalry soldiers. The structure of foot units (pikemen, archers, crossbowmen) and the artillery is unknown.

Related Topics:
Banner - Knight - Pikemen - Archer - Crossbow

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The forces on both sides were composed of troops coming from a variety of countries and lands. Apart from units fielded by lands of Poland, Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Teutonic Order, there were also mercenaries from Western Europe (most notably Alsace, Lorraine, German Countries, Moravia, Bohemia and probably Moldavia. Historians of the Soviet Union attempted to overemphasize the Russian role in the battle. For example, they included some Lithuanian banners, such as Smolensk, into the Russian list. They also phrased the desciption of the battle to make it appear that the support from Russian lands was decisive. In fact there was a joke that "the battle with the fascist Teutons was won by joint Polish-Soviet forces" (most of the territory of the Grand Duchy was part of the Soviet Union in 20th century).

Related Topics:
Poland - Grand Duchy of Lithuania - Teutonic Order - Alsace - Lorraine - German Countries - Moravia - Bohemia - Moldavia - Soviet Union - Smolensk - Fascist - 20th century

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The overall commander of the joint Polish-Lithuanian forces was king W?adys?aw Jagie??o, with the Polish units subordinated to Marshal of the Crown Zbigniew of Brzezie and Lithuanian units under the immediate command of Grand Duke Vytautas. Until recently it was believed that the Sword Bearer of the Crown Zyndram of Maszkowice was the commander in chief of the joint army, but this idea was based on a false translation of the description of the battle by Ioannes Longinus. The Teutonic Forces were commanded directly by the Grand Master of the Order Ulrich von Jungingen.

Related Topics:
W?adys?aw Jagie??o - Zbigniew of Brzezie - Vytautas - Zyndram of Maszkowice - Ioannes Longinus - Ulrich von Jungingen

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