Treaty of Daudisken
The Treaty of Daudisken ( Lithuanian : Dovydiškių sutartis ; Polish : Traktat w Dawidyszkach ) was a secret agreement concluded on May 31, 1380 between the Teutonic Order and the Grand Duke Jogaila of Lithuania , who was King of Poland from 1386 as Władysław II Jagiełło .
prehistory
Jogaila had been in armed conflict with his uncle Kęstutis for rule in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1379 , and it was in the interest of the order to nurture and exploit this conflict. Jogaila, for his part, was keen to keep the warlike knights of the order away and to direct their military impact on his uncle. There were probably already secret preliminary negotiations, because after extensive consultation with the highest rulers of the order, Grand Master Winrich von Kniprode sent the Grand Commander Rüdiger von Elner , Colonel Spittler Ulrich Fricke and the Vogt von Dirschau , Albrecht von Luchtenberg, with the power of attorney in May 1380 to Lithuania to enter into contract negotiations with Jogaila and, if successful, to conclude a contract.
The negotiations
In order to disguise this plan, a joint hunt lasting several days was organized. On the Lithuanian side, Jogaila's brother-in-law and advisor Vaidila , Jogaila's cousin Vytautas and his advisor Jonas Alšėniškis were also involved. The presence of Vytautas, the son of Kęstutis, is remarkable: It is unclear whether he was aware of the contract negotiations or not, and thus whether he was already making a secret pact with Jogaila at this point, or whether he was trying to cover up his real intentions had been invited for hunting pleasure. They met at Daudisken, a place whose location is no longer known today. In the Chronica nova Prutenica des Wigand von Marburg the place is called Dowidisken . The text of the treaty itself speaks of Daudiske , and older historical texts write either Daudiske or Daudisken . However, there is no place with this name in Lithuania or in East Prussia. There is therefore the assumption that the contract was concluded somewhere between Kaunas and Insterburg or that the place was called Šiaudiniškė ( Szaudiniszki ). The negotiations were satisfactory for both sides, and the contract was signed on May 31, 1380.
Content of the contract
It was a non-aggression pact directed against Kęstutis. Both sides were still free to invade Kestutis 'and his sons' territories, while trying to keep peace against one another. Jogaila promised the order peace in Livonia and Prussia and security for all areas and people. He also promised not to intervene in the case of attacks by the order against Kęstutis or his sons. Should it become necessary, in order to preserve the appearance of Lithuanian cohesion, that Jogaila hurried there with his own troops during an order invasion of the Kęstutis area, this should not mean a break in the peace, however Jogaila should not start a fight with the order army or him in any other way Cause harm. Prisoners from the Order's army should be released immediately. Should people of the order unknowingly get into Jogaila's area during trains against Kęstutis and cause damage there or take prisoners, that should not be a breach of the peace either, but prisoners should be released again.
For Jogaila this meant that he - without being considered a friend and ally of the order - had directed the military force of the order solely on his rival. The Order, for its part, had now secured part of its Lithuanian border and only had to reckon with part of the Lithuanian armed forces as opponents.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ignas Jonynas: "Dovydiškės sutartis", in Vaclovas Biržiška. Lietuviškoji enciklopedija. VI. Spaudos Fondas, Kaunas, 1937, pp. 1341-1344.
literature
- Johannes Voigt: History of Prussia , Volume 5, Bornträger, Königsberg, 1832 (pp. 355–356) (online)