Battle of Grunwald

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Battle of Grunwald

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The duke of Pomerania who supported the Teutonic Order during the battle of Grunwald

CASIMIR V GRYFITA

Although today West Pomerania with the Szczecin Region is an inseparable part of Poland, it is worth remembering that for a large part of its history that land was completely under control or great influence of Germany. The Polish knights realized that totally, when the red Pomeranian griffin flapped next to a banners with Teutonic black crosses during the battle of Grunwald in summer of 1410. It was prince Casimir V Gryfita, who joined the opposite forces that time, being one of the most trusted ally of the Germans.

During the Battle of Grunwald, the duke, born around 1381, commanded the Pomeranian contingent consisting of about 600 soldiers. As a result of the struggle, he found himself in Polish captivity. However, he was not treated as a rank-and-file prisoner – at the invitation of Władysław Jagiełło himself, despite the reluctance of the king, he participated in the triumphant feast. In the following months, probably because the Pomeranians were unable to pay a high ransom, he stayed first in Poland and then in Lithuania. With the intention of his son’s quick return home, his father – Świętobor – went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

Finally, Kazimierz V was released in June 1411 after the guarantee of Bogusław VIII, the Duke of Stargard and Słupsk. This gesture could also be an introduction to cooperation between the Szczecin court and the Polish Crown, despite the fact that the new Grand Master of the Teutonic Order Heinrich von Plauen himself probably participated in mediation. At the same time and to the surprise of the Poles, the Gryfitas entered into negotiations with the Queen of Denmark, Margaret, who officially took them under protection.

A year later, together with his brother, Otto II, Casimir V won a tactical victory over the Margraviate of Brandenburg. In this way, he got caught up in a conflict that lasted for the next decade and a half. Polish troops actively supported him. From 1428 he ruled Pomerania himself. He became famous, inter alia, as a reformer of the monetary system and the initiator of the expansion of the castle in Szczecin. He was buried there after his death in 1434. He was succeeded by only 10-year-old Prince Joachim, known as the Younger.

It is worth recalling that the since 2000 coat of arms of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, the red griffin on a white shield, was directly derived from the Gryfitas heraldry.

Production of bombards in Poland, during the reign of Władysław Jagiełło

ALL HANDS TO THE GUNS!

The Great War with the Teutonic Order 1409-1411 was the first conflict in the history of Poland in which artillery was used on a larger scale. Władysław Jagiełło was well aware of the importance of this kind of armament, especially during the siege operations. Before he even put the royal diadem on his head, he used this type of weapon during fights with his uncle Kiejstut and his cousin and later ally – Witold. An interesting fact is that the first cannons were handed over to Jagiełło by the Teutonic Knights.

Strengthening the army in the context of the rapidly impending, Polish-German conflict became one of the priorities of the internal policy of the founder of the Jagiellonian dynasty. In 1397, he brought an artillery-master with the first bombards and a supply of gunpowder to Lviv. Soon, the process of producing this type of weapon was launched within the borders of the Polish Crown. Until 1409, it lasted in the mentioned above capital of Galicia and Kraków. Efforts were also made to develop the metallurgical industry in Bochnia, Lublin, Olkusz and Wolborz in a short time. The first names of the Jagiellonian bell-founders manufacturing cannons: Kuawczil and Hallenbazen appeared in documents in 1405 and 1406.

The production of artillery during the reign of Władysław Jagiełło was a long and complicated process. First of all, it required the involvement of a large number of people of various professions: from charcoal burners, sulfur smelters, carpenters and blacksmiths producing elements of primitive, block gun carriers to founders and goldsmiths. The works began with the preparation of a single-use mold, into which the molten metal was poured. After it solidified, the mold was broken and the arduous process of grinding and drilling the smooth barrel began. The whole work was done by hand and required considerable precision, especially since the material from which the cannons were cast was often extremely delicate, vulnerable to cracks. At the same time, cannoneers mixed the gunpowder and stonemasons produced cannonballs using special wooden patterns for an exact calibre.

As far as production of bombards is concerned, it is also worth paying attention to the source of the raw material itself. Copper came from mines in the region of Chęciny, lead and zinc from Silesia and the Olkusz district. It was also from there, just like from the vicinity of Kielce, that iron ore came to the foundry. Sulfur and nitrate necessary for the production of gunpowder were mined in Podkarpacie, Kraków and, to a small extent, in Wielkopolska.

The priority on the list of artillery deployment in Poland at the beginning of the 15th century were cities and the most important castles, especially from the point of view of securing borders of the state. Assigning the guns to the troops moving into the battles in open spaces was of secondary importance. Despite this, it is estimated that during the Battle of Grunwald, the Polish troops had about 60 cannons of various caliber, and the Lithuanian – about a dozen. At the same time, no less than a hundred bombards and foglers was counted on the German side. A significant part of them fell prey to Poles and was later used, among others, during the unsuccessful siege of the capital of the Teutonic Order State – Malbork.