Heinrich von Plötzke ( 1264 – 27 July 1320 in Medininkai,

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, 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, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

) was an officer of the

Teutonic Order The Teutonic Order is a religious order (Catholic), Catholic religious institution founded as a military order (religious society), military society in Acre, Israel, Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Sa ...

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

Komtur Commander (; ; ; ; ), or Knight Commander, is a title of honor prevalent in chivalric orders and fraternal orders. The title of Commander occurred in the medieval military orders, such as the Knights Hospitaller, for a member senior to a Knight. ...

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: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

. He became the Komtur of Balga in 1294. Heinrich served as the Landmeister of Prussia from 1307–1309, and he was based in Elbing. Hochmeister

Siegfried von Feuchtwangen Siegfried von Feuchtwangen (died 1311) was the 15th 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 earlier Grand Master Konrad von F ...

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

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

'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: People Mononym * Włodzis ...

of Poland who did not offer enough reimbursement for the Order's expenses. This led to the Teutonic takeover of Danzig. By the Treaty of Soldin of 1309, Heinrich purchased Brandenburg's claims on

Pomerelia Pomerelia, also known as Eastern Pomerania, Vistula Pomerania, and also before World War II as Polish Pomerania, is a historical sub-region of Pomerania on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in northern Poland. Gdańsk Pomerania is largely c ...

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 (, , ) was one of the strongholds of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, cited by Maciej Stryjkowski as the location of Mindaugas's coronation as King of Lithuania as well as his likely burial place.Tomas Baranau ...

. Heinrich invaded

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