Battle of Grunwald

Battle of Grunwald
Part of the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War
Battle of Grunwald by Jan Matejko (1878)
Date 15 July 1410 (1410-07-15) Location Between villages of Grunwald (Grünfelde) and Łodwigowo (Ludwigsdorf), western Masuria, Poland 53°29′10″N 20°07′29″E / 53.48611°N 20.12472°E / 53.48611; 20.12472 Result Polish–Lithuanian victory
Belligerents
Poland Lithuania Vassals, allies and mercenaries: Masovia-Warsaw[1] Masovia-Płock Belz Pomerania-Stolp Moldavia[2] Smolensk[3] Tatars from Golden Horde[4] Bohemians[3] Moravians[3] Silesians[3] Wallachians[5]	Teutonic Order Vassals, allies and mercenaries: Guest crusaders Pomerania-Stettin Duchy of Oels Prince-Bishopric of Warmia Bishopric of Pomesania Bishopric of Sambia Mercenaries from Western Europe
Commanders and leaders
King Władysław II Jagiełło, supreme commander[3] Grand Duke Vytautas the Great, Lithuanian commander	Grandmaster Ulrich von Jungingen † Grand Marshal Friedrich von Wallenrode † Kuno von Lichtenstein  †
Strength
16,000–39,000 men[6]	11,000–27,000 men[6]
Casualties and losses
Unknown; see Casualties and captives	203–211 out of 270 brothers killed[7] See Casualties and captives
class=notpageimage| Battle site on a map of modern Poland

The Battle of Grunwald, Battle of Žalgiris, or First Battle of Tannenberg, was fought on 15 July 1410 during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. The alliance of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led respectively by King Władysław II Jagiełło (Jogaila), and Grand Duke Vytautas, decisively defeated the German Teutonic Order, led by Grand Master Ulrich von Jungingen. Most of the Teutonic Order's leadership were killed or taken prisoner.

Although defeated, the Teutonic Order withstood the subsequent siege of the Malbork Castle and suffered minimal territorial losses at the Peace of Thorn (1411), with other territorial disputes continuing until the Treaty of Melno in 1422. The order, however, never recovered their former power, and the financial burden of war reparations caused internal conflicts and an economic downturn in the lands controlled by them. The battle shifted the balance of power in Central and Eastern Europe and marked the rise of the Polish–Lithuanian union as the dominant regional political and military force.^[8]

The battle was one of the largest in medieval Europe.^[9] The battle is viewed as one of the most important victories in the histories of Poland and Lithuania. It is also commemorated in Ukraine and Belarus. It has been used as a source of romantic legends and national pride, becoming a larger symbol of struggle against foreign invaders.^[10] During the 20th century, the battle was used in Nazi German and Soviet propaganda campaigns. Only in recent decades have historians moved towards a dispassionate, scholarly assessment of the battle, reconciling the previous narratives, which differed widely by nation.^[11]