AGAD Stany pruskie oddaja swe ziemie krolowi polskiemu Kazimierzowi Jagiellonczykowi i koronie polskiej

The Prussian Confederation (german: Preußischer Bund, pl, Związek Pruski) was an organization formed on 21 February 1440 at

Kwidzyn Kwidzyn (pronounced ; german: Marienwerder; Latin: ''Quedin''; Old Prussian: ''Kwēdina'') is a town in northern Poland on the Liwa River, with 38,553 inhabitants (2018). It is the capital of Kwidzyn County in the Pomeranian Voivodeship. Geogra ...

(then officially ''Marienwerder'') by a group of 53 nobles and clergy and 19 cities in

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 ...

, to oppose the arbitrariness 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 ...

. It was based on an earlier similar organization, the Lizard Union established in 1397 by the nobles of

Chełmno Land Chełmno land ( pl, ziemia chełmińska, or Kulmerland, Old Prussian: ''Kulma'', lt, Kulmo žemė) is a part of the historical region of Pomerelia, located in central-northern Poland. Chełmno land is named after the city of Chełmno (hist ...

. In 1454, the leader of the Confederation, Johannes von Baysen (Jan Bażyński), formally asked King

Casimir IV Jagiellon Casimir IV (in full Casimir IV Andrew Jagiellon; pl, Kazimierz IV Andrzej Jagiellończyk ; Lithuanian: ; 30 November 1427 – 7 June 1492) was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1440 and King of Poland from 1447, until his death. He was one of the m ...

, to incorporate Prussia into the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Królestwo Polskie; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a state in Central Europe. It may refer to: Historical political entities * Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom existing from 1025 to 1031 * Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom exi ...

. This marked the beginning of the Thirteen Years' War between the Order's State and Poland, with the cities co-financing the military costs of the latter.

Background

According to the 1411

First Peace of Thorn 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 1 ...

which followed the Teutonic Knights' 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 ...

, the Teutonic Order had to pay high reparations to the Kingdom of Poland. The monastic state imposed high taxes on the cities to raise the funds as well as to re-arm for another war against Poland. In the 1420s, Grand Master Paul von Rusdorf brought stability to the Order and its relations, but fighting with Poland resumed in 1431, when the Knights' invasion into Poland during the Lithuanian Civil War sparked another Polish-Teutonic conflict.

Establishment

After about three decades of growing discontent, the burghers, nobility and landowners from the Teutonic state (see

Prussian estates The Prussian estates (german: Preußischer Landtag, pl, Stany pruskie) were representative bodies of Prussia, first created by the Monastic state of Teutonic Prussia in the 14th century (around the 1370s)Daniel Stone, ''A History of Central Europe ...

) organized themselves to oppose the rule of the order more effectively. The decision to establish the organization was made at a convention held in Elbląg on February 21, 1440. The convention was attended by representatives of the cities of

Chełmno Chełmno (; older en, Culm; formerly ) is a town in northern Poland near the Vistula river with 18,915 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is the seat of the Chełmno County in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. Due to its regional impor ...

(''Culm''), Elbląg (''Elbing''),

Toruń )'' , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_flag = POL Toruń flag.svg , image_shield = POL Toruń COA.svg , nickname = City of Angels, Gingerbread city, Copernicus Town , pushpin_map = Kuyavian-Pom ...

(''Thorn''), Gdańsk (''Danzig''),

Braniewo Braniewo () (german: Braunsberg in Ostpreußen, la, Brunsberga, Old Prussian: ''Brus'', lt, Prūsa), is a town in northern Poland, in Warmia, in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, with a population of 16,907 as of June 2021. It is the capital ...

(''Braunsberg''), Królewiec (''Königsberg''), and

Knipawa Coat of arms of Kneiphof Postcard of Kneiphöfsche Langgasse Reconstruction of Kneiphof in Kaliningrad's museum Kneiphof (russian: Кнайпхоф; pl, Knipawa; lt, Knypava) was a quarter of central Königsberg (Kaliningrad). During the ...

(''Kneiphof'') as well as nobles from various areas. On 14 March 1440, a group of 53 nobles and clergy and 19 cities, under the leadership of the

Hanseatic The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=German language, Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Norther ...

cities of Danzig (Gdańsk), Elbing (Elbląg), Thorn (

) and

Königsberg Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was name ...

(Królewiec), founded the Prussian Confederation in

Marienwerder Kwidzyn (pronounced ; german: Marienwerder; Latin: ''Quedin''; Old Prussian: ''Kwēdina'') is a town in northern Poland on the Liwa River, with 38,553 inhabitants (2018). It is the capital of Kwidzyn County in the Pomeranian Voivodeship. Geog ...

(Kwidzyn). More towns joined later on (see ''Participating towns'' below). In Danzig, the new members signed a document which was kept in the archives of Thorn. The official representatives of the Confederation were the city councils of Chełmno and Toruń, and the knights of Chełmno Land. After Grand Master Paul von Rusdorf died in 1441, his successor, Konrad von Erlichshausen, continued to negotiate a compromise until his own death in 1449. The confederation lobbied for support against the Teutonic Order within the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

Ludwig von Erlichshausen Ludwig von Erlichshausen (1410–1467) was the 31st Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, serving from 1449/1450 to 1467. As did his uncle and predecessor Konrad von Erlichshausen, Ludwig came from Ellrichshausen in Swabia, now part of Satteldo ...

, Grand Master from 1450 to 1467, took a more aggressive stance towards the confederation. He filed a lawsuit at the court of Emperor Frederick III. In response, the organization established a secret council to confer during the trial. The secret council held talks with Poland, and organized forces to revolt against the Teutonic Knights. The verdict of the Imperial court of 1453 declared the confederation illegal, however, the verdict was not recognized by the organization nor by Poland.

Thirteen Years' War

In February 1454, the Prussian Confederation rose against the Teutonic Order's rule. Gabriel von Baysen and Johannes von Baysen, now leading the confederation with the support of

Jan de Jani Jan z Jani (Joannes de Janie in Medieval Latin, Jan von der Jane in German language, German) (1400–1461) - of the Clan of Ostoja was the first Polish Duke of Pomerelia (from 1454 to 1461) and one of the leaders of the Prussian Confederation ...

and Mikołaj Szarlejski, both of the Clan of Ostoja, requested the protection of King

of Poland, and the incorporation of the region to the Kingdom of Poland, to which the King agreed and signed an act of incorporation in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

in March 1454. They also asked for, and received, a guarantee of their continued city rights and privileges for the nobility. Delegates and officials of the Confederation pledged allegiance to the Polish King during the incorporation in Kraków, and also in the following months. 2nd peace of torun

The resulting Thirteen Years' War ended in the defeat of the Teutonic Order and the 1466

Second Peace of Thorn The Peace of Thorn or Toruń of 1466, also known as the Second Peace of Thorn or Toruń ( pl, drugi pokój toruński; german: Zweiter Friede von Thorn), was a peace treaty signed in the Hanseatic city of Thorn (Toruń) on 19 October 1466 betwe ...

. The Order renounced any claims to the territories of Gdańsk/Eastern Pomerania and

, which were reintegrated with Poland, and the region of Elbląg and Malbork, and

Warmia Warmia ( pl, Warmia; Latin: ''Varmia'', ''Warmia''; ; Warmian: ''Warńija''; lt, Varmė; Old Prussian: ''Wārmi'') is both a historical and an ethnographic region in northern Poland, forming part of historical Prussia. Its historic capital ...

, which were also recognized as part of Poland. These regions formed the new Polish province of

Royal Prussia Royal Prussia ( pl, Prusy Królewskie; german: Königlich-Preußen or , csb, Królewsczé Prësë) or Polish PrussiaAnton Friedrich Büsching, Patrick Murdoch. ''A New System of Geography'', London 1762p. 588/ref> (Polish: ; German: ) was a ...

, with some local rights of autonomy.

Stibor of Poniec The Clan of Ostoja (old Polish: ''Ostoya'') was a powerful group of knights and lords in late-medieval Europe. The clan encompassed families in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (including present-day Belarus and Ukraine), Hungary and Upper H ...

of the Clan of Ostoja become Lord of tregality of Malbork. Much of the eastern territories, in historic

, remained with the Teutonic Order, although as a

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form ...

and

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over most of its int ...

of Poland, also considered an integral part of "one and indivisible" Kingdom of Poland.Górski p. 96-97, 214-215 The Prussian Confederation, with its members now practically divided, ceased to exist as such.

Aftermath

Both the Polish and Teutonic sides agreed to seek the confirmation of the Second Peace of Thorn from Emperor Frederick III and

Pope Paul II Pope Paul II ( la, Paulus II; it, Paolo II; 23 February 1417 – 26 July 1471), born Pietro Barbo, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 30 August 1464 to his death in July 1471. When his maternal uncle Eugene IV ...

, but they also agreed that this confirmation would not be needed for validation of the treaty. Soon after, however, a dispute about the status of the

Prince-Bishopric of Warmia The Prince-Bishopric of Warmia ( pl, Biskupie Księstwo Warmińskie; german: Fürstbistum Ermland) was a semi-independent ecclesiastical state, ruled by the incumbent ordinary of the Warmia see and comprising one third of the then diocesan area ...

started a smaller conflict called the War of the Priests.

Participating towns

Towns which founded the Prussian Confederation on 14 March 1440:''Leba im Preußischen Bund'', Towns which joined the Prussian Confederation in 1440: {, class="wikitable" , - ! Name ! Date of accession , - , Starogard , 31 March 1440Górski, p. XXXVII , - ,

Morąg Morąg (; german: Mohrungen, ) is a town in northern Poland in Ostróda County in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. It is the seat of Gmina Morąg (commune). Geography The town is situated in the western uplands of the historic Prussia region. ...

, 3 April 1440 , - , Pasłęk , 3 April 1440 , - , Miłakowo , 3 April 1440 , - , Tolkmicko , 3 April 1440 , - ,

Młynary Młynary (german: Mühlhausen in Ostpreußen) is a town in northern Poland, in Elbląg County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, with 1,782 inhabitants (2018). This makes it the smallest of the 49 towns in the voivodeship. History The town was fo ...

, 3 April 1440 , - ,

Tczew Tczew (, csb, Dërszewò; formerly ) is a city on the Vistula River in Eastern Pomerania, Kociewie, northern Poland with 59,111 inhabitants (December 2021). The city is known for its Old Town and the Vistula Bridge, or Bridge of Tczew, which pl ...

, 3 April 1440 , - ,

Mewe MeWe is a global social media and social networking service owned by Sgrouples, a company based in Los Angeles, California. The site's interface has been described as similar to that of Facebook, although the service describes itself as the "an ...

(Gniew) , 3 April 1440 , - , '' Old Town'' of Danzig (Gdańsk) , 3 April 1440 , - , Neuenburg (Nowe) , 3 April 1440 , - ,

Lauenburg Lauenburg (), or Lauenburg an der Elbe ( en, Lauenberg on the Elbe), is a town in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated on the northern bank of the river Elbe, east of Hamburg. It is the southernmost town of Schleswig-Holstein ...

(Lębork) , 3 April 1440 , - ,

Leba Leba may refer to: *Łeba (German: ''Leba''), a town in Pomerania, Poland *Łeba River Łeba (pronounced: , Kashubian, Pomeranian and German: ''Leba'') is a seaside town in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of northern Poland. It is located in the Pom ...

(Łeba) , 3 April 1440 , - ,

Hela HeLa (; also Hela or hela) is an immortalized cell line used in scientific research. It is the oldest and most commonly used human cell line. The line is derived from cervical cancer cells taken on February 8, 1951, named after Henrietta ...

(Hel) , 3 April 1440 , - , Putzig (Puck) , 3 April 1440 , - ,

(Kwidzyn) , 17 April 1440 , - ,

Chojnice Chojnice (; , or ''Chòjnice''; german: Konitz or ''Conitz'') is a town in northern Poland with 39,423 inhabitants as of December 2021, near the Tuchola Forest. It is the capital of the Chojnice County in the Pomeranian Voivodeship. History Pias ...

, 1 May 1440 , - , Malbork , 5 May 1440 , - ,

Bartoszyce Bartoszyce (pronounced , german: Bartenstein, ; lt, Barštynas) is a town on the Łyna River in northern Poland, with 22,597 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is the capital of Bartoszyce County within the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. G ...

, 5 May 1440 , - ,

Sępopol Sępopol (german: Schippenbeil) is a town in Bartoszyce County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland, with 2,013 inhabitants in 2016. History The town is located at an Old Prussian settlement which received town rights in 1351 as "Schiffenbur ...

, 5 May 1440 , - , Rastembork (Kętrzyn) , 5 May 1440 , - , Friedland (Frydląd, now

Pravdinsk Pravdinsk (, prior to 1946 known by its German name, ', pl, Frydląd, lt, Romuva), is a town and the administrative center of Pravdinsky District in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. It is on the Lava River and is east of Bagrationovsk and sou ...

) , 5 May 1440 , - ,

Orneta Orneta (german: Wormditt, Prussian: ''Wurmedītin'') is a town in northern Poland, with a total population of 8,951 (2016). It is situated in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship and within the historical region of Warmia. History Wormditt, a vil ...

, 5 May 1440 , - ,

Lidzbark Warmiński Lidzbark Warmiński (; german: Heilsberg, ), often shortened to Lidzbark, is a historical town located within the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It is the capital of Lidzbark County. Lidzbark Warmiński was once the capital of ...

, 5 May 1440 , - ,

Reszel Reszel (german: Rößel; Prussian: ''Resel'' or ''Resl'') is a town in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northeastern Poland. As of 2012 the population was 4,896. A small medieval town situated in the historical Warmia region, Reszel possesses ...

, 5 May 1440 , - ,

Dobre Miasto Dobre Miasto (; german: Guttstadt ; literally Good City) is a town in Poland, in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship with 9,857 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is situated in the northwestern part of the Masurian Lake District in the heart of th ...

, 5 May 1440 , - , Wartembork (Barczewo) , 5 May 1440 , - ,

Jeziorany Jeziorany (; german: Seeburg) formerly known in Polish as Zybork, is a town in Olsztyn County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 admin ...

, 5 May 1440 , - ,

Bisztynek Bisztynek (german: Bischofstein) is a town in Bartoszyce County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland, with 2,282 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is located in the historical region of Warmia. History The town was part of Poland until the F ...

, 5 May 1440 , - ,

Olsztyn Olsztyn ( , ; german: Allenstein ; Old Prussian: ''Alnāsteini'' * Latin: ''Allenstenium'', ''Holstin'') is a city on the Łyna River in northern Poland. It is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, and is a city with county rights. ...

, 5 May 1440 , - ,

Frombork Frombork (; german: Frauenburg ) is a town in northern Poland, situated on the Vistula Lagoon in Braniewo County, within Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. As of December 2021, it has a population of 2,260. The town was first mentioned in a 13th-centur ...

, 5 May 1440 , - , Melzak (Pieniężno) , 5 May 1440 , - ,

Tuchola Tuchola (german: Tuchel; csb, Tëchòlô) is a town in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship in northern Poland. The Pomeranian town, which is the seat of Tuchola County, had a population of 13,418 . Geographical location Tuchola lies about ...

, 6 May 1440 , - , Kreuzburg (Krzyżbork, now Slavskoye) , 30 May 1440Górski, p. XXXVIII , - , Domnau (Domnowo, now

Domnovo Domnovo (russian: До́мново; german: Domnau; pl, Domnowo; lt, Dumnava) is a rural locality (a settlement) in Pravdinsky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located near the Poland–Russia border, about southeast of Kaliningrad, the ...

) , 30 May 1440 , - ,

Sztum Sztum () (; formerly german: Stuhm) is a town in northern Poland in the region, located in the Pomeranian Voivodeship. It is the capital of Sztum County, with some 10,141 inhabitants (2004). History Signs of settlement dating back to the Roman ...

, 21 June 1440 , - , Gerdauen (Gierdawy, now Zheleznodorozhny) , 18 October 1440 Further towns joined in the following years, including

Pasym Pasym (; german: Passenheim) is a small town in Szczytno County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland, with a total population (as of 30 June 2016) of 2,556. It is located in Masuria. History A small settlement named ''Heinrichswalde'' was firs ...

, Nidzica,

Działdowo Działdowo (german: Soldau) (Old Prussian: Saldawa) is a town in northern Poland with 20,935 inhabitants as of December 2021, the capital of Działdowo County. As part of Masuria, it is situated in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship (since 1999), D ...

Dąbrówno Dąbrówno (German: , lt, Gilgė) is a village and the seat of a gmina (municipality) in Ostróda County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in northern Poland. It lies approximately south of Ostróda and south-west of the regional capital Olszty ...

Olsztynek Olsztynek (german: Hohenstein in Ostpreußen) is a town in northern Poland, in Olsztyn County, in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. It is the administrative seat of Gmina Olsztynek. It is part of the historic region of Masuria. Geography Olszty ...

, Prabuty.

References

Thirteen Years' War (1454–1466) Politics of Prussia 1440 establishments in Europe Former confederations Secessionist organizations in Europe