Elżbieta Cherezińska ends the Piast cycle under the same title with her newest book, The Reborn Kingdom. The developing conflict with the Teutonic Order is inexorably heading for the war and its greatest clash. Here are 5 things you should know about the Battle of Płowce.
1. It was the biggest clash of the First War with the Teutonic Knights
The First Polish-Teutonic War in 1327–1332 was a series of smaller conflicts that took place between the Kingdom of Poland, supported by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Kingdom of Hungary and the Duchy of Jawor, and the state of the Teutonic Order, supported by the Duchy of Mazovia and the Kingdom of Bohemia.
Its second phase, in the years 1330–1331, began with a counterattack by Władysław Łokietek, who wanted to regain the Dobrzyń land. Soon afterwards, in retaliation, the Teutonic Knights began to besiege and burn more forts and castles. The next Teutonic campaign was aimed at reuniting with John of Luxembourg near Kalisz, however the Czechs were detained in Lower Silesia and never reached their designated place. Without the support of an ally from the south, the Teutonic Knights withdrew from the siege of Kalisz after two days and retreated towards Kujawy.
They captured Radziejów on September 26, then divided their army into two parts. Two-thirds of the army ready to fight remained under the command of Otto von Lauterberg, the rest set off after Dietrich von Altenburg with a mission to collect food necessary for further operations. The army was additionally burdened with constantly increasing loot. Łokietek took advantage of this moment and on September 27, 1331, he fought the battle of Płowce with the Teutonic Knights, which was the greatest armed clash of this war.
2. She surprised both sides
Władysław Łokietek decided to harass the Teutonic Knights in the retreat. However, in the morning of September 27, a fog rose. As a result, Polish troops came too close to enemy troops. Realizing that they encountered the Teutonic Knights' army, they had to withdraw and prepare for battle . The fog also gave opponents time to close battle lines. As it turned out - not enough time.
The article is inspired by the newest book by Elżbieta Cherezińska, "The Reborn Kingdom", the fifth volume of the best-selling series. The novel has just been released by the Zysk i S-ka publishing house.
At around 9:00 am, it descended, revealing enemy sides that were so surprised by the meeting that they could not fight immediately. Both armies still had to rearm and set their ranks into appropriate formations!
3. Rest breaks were ordered during
The Battle of Płowce began with great impetus. The troops rushed at each other violently, the lances cracked in the heat of the fight, and all this was done with the constant fire of crossbowmen. The battlefield was littered with the first victims (people and horses). In the confusion of battle, copies were rejected, swords were set in motion. As a result, after about an hour of combat, neither side had yet achieved a significant advantage, but both armies began to feel tired. So troops were withdrawn to their previous positions in order to rest and regroup.
After regaining their strength (and most likely feeding), the troops launched their attack again with even greater verve. The skirmishes were fought so hard that one more break was necessary ...
4. Lucky bolt
The fighting had been going on for about three hours, when one of the many bolts fired from the crossbow knocked down the horse of the Teutonic Order-bearer, Ivan. A Teutonic banner was attached to the side of the animal. that suddenly disappeared from sight. The mount fell to the side to which the banner was attached, which made it impossible to raise it quickly. There was a panic among the Teutonic Knights, which the Poles took advantage of quickly and skillfully.
The troops under the command of Marshal Dietrich von Altenburg were surrounded, and the marshal himself - seriously wounded - was captured. 56 Teutonic knights were killed, and the carts with the spoils previously stolen from Kujawy and Greater Poland were returned to Polish hands. The clash ended with a Polish victory. But that was not the end of the day's events yet!
5. It is not known who won
It is widely recognized that the Battle of Płowce was a huge success for Poles. Chroniclers and historians (and with time also writers) considered it a symbol of the outstanding strategic thought of Władysław Łokietek; the event that proved that the Teutonic Order could be defeated.
However, scientists still do not agree as to who won the clash at Płowce. Some believe that the victory was definitely won by our compatriots, others suggest that the Polish triumph refers only to the first phase of the battle. Still others argue that the battle was not finally settled. Why?
From the previous description of the course of the fighting, it could be clearly concluded that the victory belongs to the Polish side! However, Władysław Łokietek did not stop there. Soon he ordered his forces to march towards Brześć Kujawski. On the wave of success, he also wanted to defeat the second Teutonic army. However, the latter, alerted much earlier by the messengers sent at the beginning of the first fight, had already made preparations.
As many as one third of the fighting died near Płowce.
The moving Polish troops were attacked around 1 p.m. by Teutonic troops heading towards the morning battle. The fight has risen again. Initially, the Poles had an advantage, facing the smaller, incoming waves of the Teutonic Knights. However, over time, the forces leveled out and the scales of victory moved from side to side.
The chaotic struggles were inconclusive. Both sides were counting their losses. In the evening, Łokietek's son, Kazimierz, withdrew from the battlefield. The Polish army began to retreat, and the Teutonic army gave chase after the refugees. The fights came full circle and ended at the site of the morning match.
An interpretation of the course of the events of the battle of Płowce can be found in the newest book by Elżbieta Cherezińska, "The Reborn Kingdom". The last volume of the series has just been released in bookstores by the Zysk i s-ka publishing house.
Bibliography
- P. Strzyż, "Płowce 1331", Warsaw 2009.
- E. Długopolski, "Władysław Łokietek against the background of his times", Krakow 2009.
- A. Zieliński, 'Władysław Łokietek. Steadfast or vile? ”, Warsaw 2010.
- H. Samsonowicz, "Łokietkowe times", The History of the Polish Nation and State, Krakow 1989.