Heinrich von Plötzke ( 1264 – 27 July 1320 in

Medininkai Medininkai (; be, Меднікі) is a village in Lithuania, located east of Vilnius city municipality and from the Lithuanian–Belarusian border. The village is situated on the Medininkai Highland, near the highest points of Lithuania � ...

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

) was an officer of the

Teutonic Order 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 on ...

during the late 13th and early 14th centuries. Heinrich was the

Komtur Commander ( it, Commendatore; french: Commandeur; german: Komtur; es, Comendador; pt, Comendador), or Knight Commander, is a title of honor prevalent in chivalric orders and fraternal orders. The title of Commander occurred in the medieval mili ...

Altenburg Altenburg () is a city in Thuringia, Germany, located south of Leipzig, west of Dresden and east of Erfurt. It is the capital of the Altenburger Land district and part of a polycentric old-industrial textile and metal production region betw ...

in 1286 and of Halle in 1287, after which he was transferred to

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

. He became the Komtur of

Balga Balga (russian: замок Бальга; german: Burg Balga; lt, Balga; pl, Balga) was a medieval castle of the Teutonic Knights in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. The castle ruins are located on the shore of the Vistula Lagoon, north of Mamonovo ...

in 1294. Heinrich served as the

Landmeister of Prussia Landmeister of Prussia was a high office in the Teutonic Order. The Landmeister administered the land of Prussia of the Teutonic Order. It was in existence as a separate office from 1230 to 1309, later being held in union with the office of Grand ...

from 1307–1309, and he was based in Elbing. Hochmeister

Siegfried von Feuchtwangen Siegfried von Feuchtwangen (died 1311) was the 15th Grand Masters of the Teutonic Knights, Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, serving from 1303 to 1311. Von Feuchtwangen was born in Feuchtwangen in Middle Franconia, and was a relative of the ...

, Heinrich (and a relative of Gunther von Schwarzburg of the same name) led the Order's forces which relieved

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a states of Germany, state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an ar ...

's siege of Danzig in 1308, but refused to relinquish the city to King

Władysław I the Elbow-high Władysław is a Polish given male name, cognate with Vladislav. The feminine form is Władysława, archaic forms are Włodzisław (male) and Włodzisława (female), and Wladislaw is a variation. These names may refer to: Famous people Mononym * W ...

of Poland who did not offer enough reimbursement for the Order's expenses. This led to the

Teutonic takeover of Danzig Teutonic or Teuton(s) may refer to: Peoples and cultures * Teutons, a Germanic tribe or Celtic tribe mentioned by Greek and Roman authors ** ''Furor Teutonicus'', a Latin phrase referring to the proverbial ferocity of the Teutons * Having qualit ...

. By the Treaty of Soldin of 1309, Heinrich purchased Brandenburg's claims on

Pomerelia Pomerelia,, la, Pomerellia, Pomerania, pl, Pomerelia (rarely used) also known as Eastern Pomerania,, csb, Pòrénkòwô Pòmòrskô Vistula Pomerania, prior to World War II also known as Polish Pomerania, is a historical sub-region of Pome ...

for the Order, which then held Danzig and Pomerelia until 1466.William Urban. ''The Teutonic Knights: A Military History''. Greenhill Books. London, 2003. In 1314 he attached

Navahrudak Castle The former castle in Navahrudak, Belarus ( be, Навагрудскі замак, lt, Naugarduko pilis, pl, Zamek w Nowogródku) was one of the key strongholds of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, cited by Maciej Stryjkowski as the location of Mindau ...

. Heinrich invaded

in 1320 and was defeated. He and 29 of his knights lost their lives in the

Battle of Medininkai The Battle of Medininkai took place on 27 July 1320 between the Teutonic Order and the Samogitian army near Medininkai (now Varniai). Battle The Teutonic army, which consisted of 40 knights, crew of the Klaipėda Castle, and Sambians, was command ...

held on 27 July 1320."The History of Prussia: From the Earliest Times to the Present Day" by Walter James Wyatt, published in 1876.

References

Literature

* '' Ruslan B. Gagua'
The Knight of Teutonic Order Heinrich von Plotzke
— Crusader, 2016, Vol. 4, Is. (2), pp. 88–94. * '' Ruslan B. Gagua'
The Battle of Woplawki: the Fall of Anticrusaders Campaigns of Grand Duke of Lituania Vitenes
— Crusader, 2015, Vol.(1), Is. 1, pp. 23–38. Teutonic Knights 1260s births Year of birth uncertain Date of birth unknown 1320 deaths German military personnel killed in action People from the State of the Teutonic Order {{Germany-noble-stub