Battle of Aizkraukle
Livonia around 1260 with the localization of Aizkraukle (Ascheraden)
| date | March 5, 1279 Jul. |
|---|---|
| place | Aizkraukle , today's Latvia |
| output | Victory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| losses | |
|
unknown |
71 knights and both military leaders |
The Battle of Aizkraukle or Ascheraden was a battle that took place on March 5, 1279 between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania - led by Grand Duke Traidenis - and the Livonian Order near Aizkraukle (German: Ascheraden) in what is now Latvia . The order suffered a severe defeat: 71 knights, the grand master Ernst von Rassburg and the leader of the Danish-Estonian knights Eilart Hoberg were killed. This was the second biggest defeat of the Livonian Order in the 13th century. After this battle recognized Nameisis , the prince of Semgallen , Traidenis as his suzerain to.
Background and course of the battle
In 1273 the Livonian Order had built a castle in Daugavpils ( Daugavpils ) - on an area actually ruled by Traidenis. The castle was of great strategic importance: it was used as a base for raids into the interior of Lithuania, in the hope that a weakened Traidenis would end its support for the Zemgals who rebelled against the Order. When Traidenis besieged the castle for a month without being able to take it, the Livonian Order began planning a large-scale campaign to Lithuania. It was hoped that this would deliver a devastating blow that would drive Traidenis out of the war.
The Order's army reached Kernavė . She did not encounter open resistance and plundered numerous villages. On their way home, the knights were followed by a small group of Traidenis' forces. When the Livonians reached Aizkraukle, the Grand Master sent most of the native warriors home with their share of the spoils of war. Immediately afterwards, the Lithuanians attacked and won a decisive victory.
The order lost the achievements of the past six years: the Zemgals, who were one of the first to withdraw from the battlefield, rebelled again against the order and submitted to Traidenis in return for their protection. However, Traidenis died around 1282 and it was impossible for the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to seize all of the profits. The Livonian Order decided to choose a joint Grand Master with the Teutonic Order so that future attacks could be carried out simultaneously from the west and from the north.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Tomas Baranauskas : Ar priminsime Europai apie Šiaulių Musi? . Delfi.lt. September 22, 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2007.
- ^ A b c d William Urban: The Baltic Crusade . Lithuanian Research and Studies Center, Chicago, Illinois 1994, ISBN 0-929700-10-4 , pp. 283-286.