Nicholas von Renys (german: Nikolaus von Renys; pl, Mikołaj z Ryńska) (1360–1411) was a secular member of the

Teutonic Knights The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians o ...

and a participant in the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War (1409–1411). The Knights blamed him as a scapegoat for their defeat in the

Battle of Grunwald The Battle of Grunwald, Battle of Žalgiris or First Battle of Tannenberg was fought on 15 July 1410 during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. The alliance of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led respec ...

, and he was beheaded without trial in 1411. Nicholas von Renys was born in

Ryńsk Ryńsk (german: Rheinsberg (1902–1919), ''Rynsk'', older spelling ''Rinsk'') is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Wąbrzeźno, within Wąbrzeźno County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It lies approxi ...

Jan Długosz Jan Długosz (; 1 December 1415 – 19 May 1480), also known in Latin as Johannes Longinus, was a Polish priest, chronicler, diplomat, soldier, and secretary to Bishop Zbigniew Oleśnicki of Kraków. He is considered Poland's first histo ...

described him as a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

(''Nicolaus dictus Niksz, nacione Swewus'') in his '' Banderia Prutenorum''. Historian Stephen Turnbull identified him as a "secular knight of Polish descent ... of the clan Rogala", although noted Polish-American heraldic expert Leonard Suligowski doubts whether he was actually a member of the Rogala clan. Together with his brother and cousins from the

gentry Gentry (from Old French ''genterie'', from ''gentil'', "high-born, noble") are "well-born, genteel and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past. Word similar to gentle imple and decentfamilies ''Gentry'', in its widest c ...

of Culmerland (Chełmno Land), von Renys established the Lizard Union for mutual support against the Teutonic Knights in Kulm (Chełmno) on 24 February 1397. During the

in 1410, von Renys carried the banner of the Culmerland troops for the Teutonic Order, described in the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

''Banderia Prutenorum''. It was alleged that he was unwilling to fight against

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

due to his previous efforts for peace, that he lowered the banner, considered a signal for retreat, and contributed to the defeat of the Knights. In violation of the terms of the

Peace of Thorn (1411) The (First) Peace of Thorn was a peace treaty formally ending the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War between allied Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania on one side, and the Teutonic Knights on the other. It was signed on 1 February ...

, which prohibited persecution of traitors after the battle, the Order beheaded him in Graudenz (Grudziądz) in May 1411 and had all his male descendants killed.

Notes

1360 births 1411 deaths Teutonic Knights People from Ryn People from the State of the Teutonic Order People in the Battle of Grunwald 14th-century German military personnel 15th-century German military personnel 15th-century executions {{Poland-hist-stub