In the thirteenth century, the Teutonic Knights, subject directly to the Pope, had been requested by Konrad of Masovia to come to the lands surrounding Culm (Chełmno) to assist in the Crusade against the ( pagan) Prussians. Bitwa pod Grunwaldem (Bitwa pod Grundwaldem, Battle of Grunwald) by Poles,.Žalgirio mūšis (Battle of Žalgiris) by Lithuanians,.Schlacht bei Tannenberg (Battle of Tannenberg) by Germans,.The names Žalgiris (from the Lithuanian žalia giria) and Grunwald (from the German grüner Wald) both translate as "Green Forest " it was also called Zielone Pole ("Green Field") in Old Polish, and, in German, Grunenfelde or Grunefeld ("Green field") in the oldest texts. The nearest city of any size was Gilgenburg (since 1945: Dąbrówno). The battle was fought in the plains between the villages of Grunwald (Lithuanian: Žalgiris), Stębark (German: Tannenberg), and Łodwigowo (German: Ludwigsdorf) in Prussia, which at that time was territory governed by the Teutonic Order, but which is now in Poland. In a world that has seen so much religiously sanctioned violence, the idea of military orders of priests no longer seems congruous with the ideal of religion as a force for peace, harmony and reconciliation in the world, not as the cause of conflict. Napoleon Bonaparte finally dissolved the military order in 1809, although it continued to exist as a charitable organization. In addition, they had to pay reparations to the victors. When the Polish-Lithuanian War ended, the knights retained some scattered territories but were substantially weakened. Desire for worldly wealth took priority over religious zeal. The Christianizing of Lithuania had already removed much of their reason for existence. However, they exceeded this mandate when they invaded the Christian territories of Poland and Lithuania in 1398. Rightly or wrongly, the original mandate of the Teutonic Knights has been to "pacify" and "Christianize" those areas that were under pagan rule. What is known is that the battle took place near several smaller villages, and different names in various languages are attributed to it. He therefore knows the area he describes well, and his book provides a clear account of this famous German victory written with an expert military eye.The few eyewitness accounts are contradictory. The author of this history, Major-General Sir Edmund Ironside, later became Chief of the Imperial General Staff and commanded anti-Bolshevik forces in Russia after the war. The victories turned the eastern front into a slow slogging match and ruled out a quick end to the war. They put into effect a plan already devised by General Max Hoffmann to deal with the two Russian armies piecemeal, crushing and virtually annihilating them at Tannenberg and the Masurian Lakes. Generals Hindenburg and his brilliant lieutenant Erich Ludendorff were summoned from France with reinforcements to save the situation. But when the Russians invaded with the twin armies of Generals Samsonev and Rennenkampf, beating Germany’s inept General von Prittwitz at Gumbinnen, the German heartland was in extreme peril. East Prussia was therefore left only lightly defended, with the bulk of the German army deployed in France. Germany’s war plans in 1914 were based on the assumption that Russia would only mobilise slowly and that Germany would have time to deal decisively with France via the Schlieffen Plan, before turning east to settle accounts with Russia. The battle of Tannenberg in 1914 is one of history’s great turning points.
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