Salah

I've been playing a campaign on "Medieval Total War Kingdoms: Teutonic Campaign" this week. I've also been reading a detailed account of the 1410 Battle of Tannenberg/Grunwald.

I've decided I want to study warfare and culture in the Baltic region, within the general period of c. 1200 to 1500. I particularly want to gain a knowledge of pre-Christian Lithuanian religion and culture, and the military history of the Teutonic Order (I apparently had ancestors serve in the Order in the 15th Century).

Is anyone aware of some good books or websites on these topics? Or does anyone have any questions, theories, or good discussion topics concerning this time and place in history?

DiaitaDoc

I've always wondered about the Livonian Brotherhood of the Sword, before they merged into the Teutonic order. What kind of monastic practices did they have?

Also, what was the relationship between geographic Livonia and the Kievan Rus' ?

Kirialax

Eric Christiansen's 'The Northern Crusades' is quite good. However, it does not have a heavy military focus, and you'll frequently find campaigns described in only a couple of words, when the source material is better than that. Nonetheless, it contextualizes the Baltic crusades exceptionally well.There is a brief section in Richard Tyerman's 'God's War' as well. More specifically, I think Desmond Seward's 'Monks of War' has a section on the Teutonic Order, but I haven't read that book, so I could be wrong. Also, Henry of Livonia's chronicle is available on Amazon for a reasonable price.

That Teutonic campaign in M2TW really plays up the importance of Lithuania. Although they certainly played a big part, they were only one part of a movement that can be said to have begun in the mid-10th century and only ended in the mid-16th.

Kirialax

They followed the Templar Rule. They were little more than a private army of the bishop of Riga, and were initially deployed to protect the Livs (after they conquered them, of course), as it was felt that this would aid conversion. However, they abused the populace, and even the pope was upset at this.

As for specific monastic practices, they seem to have blended into the Teutonic Order seamlessly (the Teutonics also followed the Templar Rule), so I suspect that their version of military monasticism was not much different, even if local garrisons seem to have had discipline problems.

Salah

Were the Lithuanians still pagan at the time of Grunwald/Tannenberg?

Excalibur

Christianization in Lithuania started +/- 20 years before Battle of Grunwald so i guess we can tell Lithuania was in phase of transformation at time of Battle of Grunwald.

Btw there were troops from numerous countries who defeated Order in Grunwald. Poles, Lithuanians, Czechs.

As i am from Czech i can mention one of famous man from Czech warfare who fought in Battle of Grunwald.
It was Jan Zizka z Trocnova (John Zizka of Trocnov) - future genial military leader of Czech Hussite Rebellion. He learned to beat crusaders in so great way that Hussites annihilated 4 crusades between 1420-34 in more than 20 battles. For example in Battle of Domazlice 50 000 Hussites badly crashed 130 000 crusaders with nearly no losses on own side. But Hussite wars deserve its own thread

gaius valerius

If it is on the crusades, the Routlege Companion to the Crusades by Peter Locke is a very fine book. It is about all of the crusades of course, but the Baltic ones get a lot of attention as well.

Comet

You beat me to it. Christiansen's book is an authority on the Northern Crusades. I remember reading it in college.

Kirialax

Have you read Seward's book on the military orders? Does it have a section on the Teutonic Knights in it?

Comet

No, I haven't read that piece, but I have read Seward's book on Henry V. Seward is the guy you want when it comes to medieval military history.