THE PRUSSIAN CRUSADE, PART 4

Starting from where we left, in 1240 the Old Prussian clans that were still free were the Natangians, the Bartians, the Sambians and the Skalovians or Skalvians. The (((Crusaders))) had laid waste to Chelmno Land, Pomesania, Pogesania and Warmia,...

...but, some of those tribesmen, who had managed to escape the carnage, warned their still free kinsmen. This, coupled with the fact that the 1241 Mongol raid had upset Polish colonization in the conquered parts of Old Prussia and the fact that many Polish factions were...

... vying for control of the Piast throne, convinced the Prussians to go to the offensive.

Starting from the spring of 1242, the pagans laid siege to the hillforts, reoccupying most of them. Only five remained, because they were too strong and built of stone instead of timber.

They also raided the domains of (((Swantopelk of Pomerania))) who was also in a bad state of relations with the Polish crown and with the (((crusaders))). Although some chronicles claim that Swantopelk allied with the pagans, that's not true, because if he had done so,...

...the (((popes))) would actually have excommunicated him. Regardless, in 1243, the Prussians reached even deeper, reclaiming Chelmno Land, destroyed the (((churches))) and briefly re-established the old borders. They also inflicted a defeat on the (((crusaders))), killing more..

...than 400 men. This caused even more division amongst the (((christians))), which escalated in open warfare. The Prussians had, by 1244, finished off the remaining forts, something that made the papal legate (((Jacob of Liege))) force a truce between Pomeranians and...

...Poles proper. The (((crusaders))) also enlisted troops from Meissen and Brandenburg (actually, the first Germans fighting en masse, and very briefly, for the christians). The counterattack started in 1245 and was very brutal, with the crusaders cutting down the forests that...

...provided natural cover to the Prussians and using flaming arrows to force defenders out of the ramparts of hillforts which they had just constructed. In fact, the same hills had been used for fortifications so many times by both sides. The Prussians also had the disadvantage..

... that they hadn't enough time to rebuild their villages, so their settlements were, once more, razed. In 1247, the (((crusaders))) were, once more, in Warmia. Meanwhile, they had widely started, while slaughtering the adults of every pagan village, to kidnap the children,...

... with the thought of using them as future soldiers. From all Polish areas and from Brandenburg, reinforcements arrived in 1248, (although the Brandenburgers left at the end of the year), reducing Warmia to an empty land. In early 1249, the (((Treaty of Christburg))) was signed

Although the Prussians signed (or someone forged their signatures), the uprising was not quelled.

The fall of Warmia meaned that Natangia was now vulnerable to attack, something that was promptly done after the (((Treaty))) was supposedly signed (further proof that the...

... document was forged, like the purported "seal of Mindaugas", roughly from the same era. So, the (((crusaders))) started the usual pillaging, but the Natangians managed to drive them back to a village, known today as Kamenka near Slavskoye, occasionally referred to as...

...Krűcken. The Prussians feared the arrival of reinforcements, so they couldn't settle down for a siege. The (((crusaders))) feared being beaten, so both sides negotiated a surrender. The (((crusaders))) were to lay their weapons down and be ransomed. Yet, while this was about..

..to occur, tension again broke out (possibly because the crusaders were trying to hide their weapons) and a full battle ensued. The pagans emerged victorious. Testifying to how they truly honored their agreement, they ransomed the ones who had promised to ransom, including...

...the German trainer and adviser of the force, (((Heinrich Botel))). This victory was a huge morale booster for the pagans. The(((crusaders))) started looking to Bohemia for allies, and (((King Ottokar II))) was happy to provide the reinforcements. The target was now set...

...to be Sambia. If it fell, it would mean that they could attack the Natangians from two directions. Hungary was also mobilised for the advance. Meanwhile, annual raids for plunder and abduction into Natangia itself never stopped, all the way from 1249 to 1252.

The reason was both to deprive the Prussians of manpower and to keep them on the defensive. Plus, this way they effectively made them completely convinced that the big attack would be launched against Natangia, as well.

The ruthless and brutal assault upon Sambia and...

...both Natangians and Galindians will be covered in the next thread.

NB: sorry for not uploading pictures, but I have internet problems and the signal is very weak.

Thanks for reading.

Dixi.