Pilėnai (also ''Pillenen'' in German) was a
hill fort
A hillfort is a type of fortification, fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typical of the late Bronze Age Europe, European Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe, Iron Age. So ...
in the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...
. Its location is unknown and is subject to academic debates, but it is well known in the
history of Lithuania
History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...
due to its heroic defense against 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 ...
in 1336. Attacked by a large Teutonic force, the fortress, commanded by Duke
Margiris
Margiris or Margis (died 25 February 1336) was a Grand Duchy of Lithuania, medieval Lithuanian/Samogitian prince, mentioned by Caspar Schütz, via Wigand of Marburg, as the heroic defender of Pilėnai fortress in 1336. Not able to defend the fort ...
, tried in vain to organize a defense against the larger and stronger invader. Losing hope, the defenders decided to burn their property and commit
mass suicide
Mass suicide is a form of suicide, occurring when a group of people simultaneously kill themselves. Mass suicide sometimes occurs in religious settings. In war, defeated groups may resort to mass suicide rather than being captured. Suicide pacts ...
to deprive the Order of prisoners and loot (cf.
scorched earth
A scorched-earth policy is a military strategy of destroying everything that allows an enemy military force to be able to fight a war, including the deprivation and destruction of water, food, humans, animals, plants and any kind of tools and i ...
). This dramatic episode from the
Lithuanian Crusade
The Lithuanian Crusade was a series of campaigns by the Teutonic Order and the Livonian Order under the pretext of forcibly Christianizing the pagan Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Livonian Order occupied Riga in 1202 and in the 1230s they settled ...
has caught the public imagination, inspired many works of fiction, and became a symbol of Lithuanian struggles and resistance.
Sources
The attack and the defense of Pilėnai were briefly mentioned in several contemporary chronicles, including ''Epitome gestarum Prussiae'' by a
Sambia
Sambia () or Samland () or Kaliningrad Peninsula (official name, , ''Kaliningradsky poluostrov'') is a peninsula in the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia, on the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea. The peninsula is bounded by the Curonian Lagoon t ...
n canon, ''Der Chronist von Wolfenbüttel'' (Chronicler of Wolfenbüttel), ''Annalista Thorunensis'' (Annals of Thorn), and ''Kurze Reimchronik von Preussen'' (Short Rhymed Chronicle of Prussia). However, these sources recite the basic facts and do not provide enough information to reconstruct the events.
The only contemporary source that describes the events in greater detail is the chronicle of
Wigand of Marburg
Wigand of Marburg ()Note that ''von Marburg'' is a purely descriptive title added to his original name of Wigand by later historians, rather than a proper surname. Also the ''von'' should not be confused with a preposition used in later times to d ...
. However, Wigand's original German text has not survived. His work is known from a Latin translation commissioned by
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 ...
in 1464. Several excerpts of the original German text were published by
Caspar Schütz (died 1594) and (died 1597). When
Theodor Hirsch prepared Wigand's chronicle for publication in ''
Scriptores Rerum Prussicarum'', he included these excerpts alongside the Latin translation. In particular, Hirsch believed that Schütz's text on Pilėnai was more complete and accurate copy of Wigand than the Latin translation. This opinion has been widely accepted and historians used Schütz's text, which paints a much more heroic and dramatic picture of Pilėnai, as Wigand's original. This long-standing belief has been challenged by Lithuanian historian
Darius Baronas
Darius may refer to:
Persian royalty
;Kings of the Achaemenid Empire
* Darius I (the Great, 550 to 487 BC)
* Darius II (423 to 404 BC)
* Darius III (Codomannus, 380 to 330 BC)
;Crown princes
* Darius (son of Xerxes I), crown prince of Persia, ma ...
. He has shown that Schütz's text was an unreliable and embellished retelling of Wigand's work. Therefore, the only reliable source is the Latin translation of Wigand's chronicle.
Attack and defense

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 ...
waged the decades-long
Lithuanian Crusade
The Lithuanian Crusade was a series of campaigns by the Teutonic Order and the Livonian Order under the pretext of forcibly Christianizing the pagan Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Livonian Order occupied Riga in 1202 and in the 1230s they settled ...
against the pagan
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...
in hopes of converting it to Christianity. In early 1336, the Order organized another large campaign into Lithuania. Their force included
Louis, Margrave of Brandenburg, counts of
Henneberg (most likely )
[ and ]Namur
Namur (; ; ) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is the capital both of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration.
Namur stands at the confl ...
(most likely Guy II, Marquis of Namur),[ and other nobles from France and Austria.][ In total, according to ]Wigand of Marburg
Wigand of Marburg ()Note that ''von Marburg'' is a purely descriptive title added to his original name of Wigand by later historians, rather than a proper surname. Also the ''von'' should not be confused with a preposition used in later times to d ...
, there were 200 nobles. Another German chronicle, known as ''Der Chronist von Wolfenbüttel'', counted a total of 6,000 soldiers.[
On the feast day of ]Saint Matthias
Matthias (; Koine Greek: , , from Hebrew ; ; died ) was, according to the Acts of the Apostles, chosen by God through the apostles to replace Judas Iscariot following the latter's betrayal of Jesus and his subsequent death. His calling as ...
(February 25), this large force attacked Pilėnai, located in Trapėnai land, where some 4,000 people from four different lands sought shelter from the invasion. Wigand's description of further events paints a chaotic and bloody scene. He claims that the people panicked as soon as they saw the Christian army and decided to burn their belongings and commit suicide. It was said that one old woman killed a hundred people with an ax before killing herself. Others managed to escape on horseback. Duke Margiris
Margiris or Margis (died 25 February 1336) was a Grand Duchy of Lithuania, medieval Lithuanian/Samogitian prince, mentioned by Caspar Schütz, via Wigand of Marburg, as the heroic defender of Pilėnai fortress in 1336. Not able to defend the fort ...
attempted to organize defense, but soon was overwhelmed by the attackers who threw burning wood and stones into the fortress. Margiris then cut his wife with a sword, threw her body into the fire, and killed his loyal guards and followers. Thus, Pilėnai fell and the Order collected the remaining prisoners and loot. ''Kurze Reimchronik von Preussen'' mentioned that 5,000 people were killed and only a handful escaped.
That is all of the information available from contemporary sources. Later historians and authors added many heroic and dramatic details. For example, they added a large pyre
A pyre (; ), also known as a funeral pyre, is a structure, usually made of wood, for burning a body as part of a funeral rite or execution. As a form of cremation, a body is placed upon or under the pyre, which is then set on fire.
In discussi ...
and murder of children and women; the 4,000 people seeking shelter in the fortress became 4,000 armed soldiers; Lithuanians bravely and determinedly defended the fortress but chose death over converting to Christianity and becoming slaves of the Order; Margiris cut his wife in half and then killed himself; the Teutonic soldiers were moved by the terrible sight and noble sacrifice and returned to Prussia without loot. Possibly some of these details were inspired by similar events from the antiquity, including mass suicides in Astapa following the destruction of Illiturgis
Illiturgis, also known as Iliturgi, was a city in Spain during antiquity, located on the road from Córdoba, Andalusia, Corduba to Castulo. Originally, it was located near the site of Mengíbar, but when it was destroyed the populace was relocate ...
(206 BC), to "death or victory" defense of Abydos (200 BC), and mass suicide during the desperate siege of Masada
The siege of Masada was the Roman Empire's defeat of the Sicarii, occurring from 72 to 73 AD – during the final period of the First Jewish–Roman War – on and around a hilltop in present-day Israel. The siege is recorded by a single contem ...
().[
It is difficult, if not impossible, to objectively evaluate the events as all that is known about Pilėnai comes from a single source, a German chronicler who saw Lithuanians as heathens and enemies. While there is written evidence about suicides in medieval Lithuania, Pilėnai is the only known instance where a ruler killed his own men.][
]
Location
The exact location of Pilėnai is unknown and historians propose many different locations. ''Annalista Thorunensis'' and Wigand of Marburg
Wigand of Marburg ()Note that ''von Marburg'' is a purely descriptive title added to his original name of Wigand by later historians, rather than a proper surname. Also the ''von'' should not be confused with a preposition used in later times to d ...
mentioned that it was located in Trapėnai land (''terra Troppen'') but its location is also unknown.
Maciej Stryjkowski
Maciej Stryjkowski (also referred to as Strykowski and Strycovius;Nowa encyklopedia powszechna PWN. t. 6, 1997 – ) was a Polish historian, writer and a poet, known as the author of ''Chronicle of Poland, Lithuania, Samogitia and all of Rutheni ...
(1547–1593) identified Punia as the location of Pilėnai ().[ This opinion, while not based on any historical arguments, spread widely to historical works and was popularized by various works of fiction.][ Punia hill fort became known as Margiris Hill][ and in 1973 a monument was erected in memory of Margiris][ (the monument is inscribed with four lines from a poem by ]Maironis
Maironis (born Jonas Mačiulis, ; – 28 June 1932) was a Lithuanians, Lithuanian Roman Catholic priest and the greatest and most-known Lithuanian poet, especially of the period of the Lithuanian press ban. He was called the Bard of Lithuanian Na ...
).[ The town organizes events to commemorate the events of 1336.][
Based on superficial etymological connections, ]Teodor Narbutt
Teodor Narbutt (; 8 November 1784 – 27 November 1864) was a Polish–Lithuanian romantic historian and military engineer in service of the Russian Empire. He is best remembered as the author of a nine-volume Polish-language history of Lithuani ...
identified Pilėnai with Pilionys (Naujaupis) hill fort in the Kėdainiai District ()[ and ]Jonas Basanavičius
Jonas Basanavičius (, ; 23 November 1851 – 16 February 1927) was an activist and proponent of the Lithuanian National Revival. He participated in every major event leading to the independent Lithuanian state and is often given the informal hon ...
with Piliakalniai hill fort in the Vilkaviškis District ().[ Zenonas Ivinskis searched for Pilėnai along the lower reaches of the ]Neman River
Neman, Nemunas or Niemen is a river in Europe that rises in central Belarus and flows through Lithuania then forms Lithuania–Russia border, the northern border of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia's western exclave, which specifically follows its s ...
. He agreed with Kazys Paunksnis and identified Pilėnai with the Pypliai hill fort near the confluence of Nevėžis
The Nevėžis (; ) is the List of rivers of Lithuania, sixth longest river in Lithuania and one of the main tributaries of the Neman (river), Nemunas. The long Nevėžis flows entirely within Lithuania.[Alvydas Nikžentaitis
Alvydas Nikžentaitis (born October 18, 1961) is a Lithuanian historian, senior research fellow of the Lithuanian Institute of History and president of Lithuanian National Historians Committee.
Biography
In 1988 Alvydas Nikžentaitis defended ...]
focused on the location of Trapėnai and determined that it was a triangle between Viešvilė, Ančia River (tributary of Šešuvis), and Veliuona
Veliuona (, , ) is a small town on the Nemunas River in the Jurbarkas district municipality in Lithuania.
History
Veliuona (also known as Junigeda) was first mentioned in 1291 in the chronicle of Peter of Duisburg.
The town is primarily known ...
.[ Further, he paid particular attention to ''Ycoine'' mentioned by Jean d'Outremeuse in connection with Margiris' duel with King ]John of Bohemia
John of Bohemia, also called the Blind or of Luxembourg (; ; ; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346), was the Count of Luxembourg from 1313 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of Poland. He is well known for having died while fighting ...
in 1329 and identified it with Jūkainiai village in the Raseiniai District.[ There are five hill forts within a distance from Jūkainiai, including the Molavėnai-Graužai hill fort ().][ In 1995, Gintautas Zabiela organized a survey of these hill forts and determined that one of them is likely not even a hill fort and other three, including Molavėnai, lacked sufficient cultural layer and archaeological artifacts.][ An archaeological excavation of Molavėnai ]outer bailey
An outer bailey or outer ward is the defended outer enclosure of a castle.Friar, Stephen (2003). ''The Sutton Companion to Castles'', Sutton Publishing, Stroud, 2003, p. 22. It protects the inner bailey and usually contains those ancillary bui ...
in 2009 found only a few minor items (fragments of clay pots, pieces of iron, stone grinders) that are dated to the 1st–5th century.[ Excavation of of the upper bailey produced no artifacts but revealed up to thick layer of clay (cf. ]earthen floor
An earthen floor, also called an adobe floor, is a floor made of dirt, raw earth, or other unworked ground materials. It is usually constructed, in modern times, with a mixture of sand, finely chopped straw and clay, mixed to a thickened consist ...
) used to increase hill fort's height which would date it to the second half of the 14th century.[
According to Zabiela's survey in 1995, the fifth hill fort, Ižiniškiai (), is now severely damaged by erosion and human activities but was a strong hill fort with a large settlement.][ Zabiela surveyed additional six hill forts in 1996, including Ivangėnai-Karšuva hill fort near Skaudvilė () but concluded that Ižiniškiai remained the most probable location of Pilėnai.][ Tomas Baranauskas disagreed with Nikžentaitis' analysis and searched for Pilėnai in the area of five hill forts that, according to ]Guillaume de Machaut
Guillaume de Machaut (, ; also Machau and Machault; – April 1377) was a French composer and poet who was the central figure of the style in late medieval music. His dominance of the genre is such that modern musicologists use his death to ...
, were captured by the Teutonic campaign to Medvėgalis in 1329.[ He concluded that Pilėnai stood in Pilės hill fort near Kaltinėnai in ]Tauragė District
Tauragė (; see other names) is an industrial city in Lithuania, and the capital of Tauragė County. In 2020, its population was 20,956. Tauragė is situated on the Jūra River, close to the border with the Kaliningrad Oblast, and not far from ...
().[ However, an excavation of area in 1990 produced no artifacts.][
Bilionys hill fort in the Šilalė District () was first suggested by German historian Johannes Voigt.][ This version is supported by Stasys Kasparavičius who noted that Bilionys is sometimes known as Pilionys and is very similar to Pillenen mentioned in written sources.][ Additionally, Bilionys is located just south of Medvėgalis which was attacked in 1329 and also likely defended by ]Margiris
Margiris or Margis (died 25 February 1336) was a Grand Duchy of Lithuania, medieval Lithuanian/Samogitian prince, mentioned by Caspar Schütz, via Wigand of Marburg, as the heroic defender of Pilėnai fortress in 1336. Not able to defend the fort ...
. Bilionys must have been a large and strong fortress as its upper bailey but there is no mention in written sources that it was attacked while neighboring hill forts were attacked several times.[ However, ]etymological
Etymology ( ) is the study of the origin and evolution of words—including their constituent units of sound and meaning—across time. In the 21st century a subfield within linguistics, etymology has become a more rigorously scientific study. ...
connection between Bilionys and Pilėnai is dubious[ as the ]toponym
Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''wikt:toponym, toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for ...
Bilionys likely derived from a personal name.[ Nevertheless, since 2012 Verkiai Regional Park organizes events to commemorate Pilėnai on Bilionys hill fort.][
]
Cultural significance
The heroic defense of Pilėnai inspired many artistic works. The events were described by Władysław Syrokomla
Ludwik Władysław Franciszek Kondratowicz (29 September 1823 – 15 September 1862), better known as Władysław Syrokomla (), was a Polish romantic poet, writer and translator working in Vilnius and Vilna Governorate, then Russian Empire, whos ...
in his epic poem ''Margier'' (1855). The 4000-line poem inspired an opera by Konstanty Gorski which premiered in 1927. The poem also prompted novel ''Kunigas'' (1881) by Józef Ignacy Kraszewski
Józef Ignacy Kraszewski (28 July 1812 – 19 March 1887) was a Polish novelist, journalist, historian, publisher, painter, and musician.
Born in Warsaw into a noble family, he spent much of his youth with his maternal grandparents in Romanów ...
. This novel, in turn, inspired an opera by Marcelinas Šikšnys (1905).[ In 1933, ]Vincas Krėvė-Mickevičius
Vincas Mickevičius (pl. ''Wincenty Mickiewicz'', October 19, 1882 – July 17, 1954), better known by his pen name Vincas Krėvė-Mickevičius, was a Lithuanian writer, poet, novelist, playwright and philologist. He is also known as Vincas Krėv� ...
published a collection of legends from Dainava, including a story about Pilėnai. Maironis
Maironis (born Jonas Mačiulis, ; – 28 June 1932) was a Lithuanians, Lithuanian Roman Catholic priest and the greatest and most-known Lithuanian poet, especially of the period of the Lithuanian press ban. He was called the Bard of Lithuanian Na ...
and Paulius Širvys
Paulius Širvys (6 September 1920 – 27 March 1979) was a Lithuanian poet.
Biography
Paulius Širvys was born in Padustėlis village (now in Zarasai District Municipality), but soon moved to Degučiai village. After his parents and brother die ...
composed short poems on the events.[
The opera ''Pilėnai'' was written by the musical composer Vytautas Klova, and the ]libretto
A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...
was written by Jonas Mackonis. The opera premiered in 1956, and is often performed in Lithuania. In 2001 the performances took place at the Trakai Island Castle
Trakai Island Castle () is an island castle located in Trakai, Lithuania, on an island in Lake Galvė. The construction of the stone castle was begun in the 14th century by Kęstutis, and around 1409 major works were completed by his son Vyta ...
. The Lithuanian Opera Company of Chicago
The Lithuanian Opera Company of Chicago was founded by Lithuanian Emigration, emigrants in 1956,
and Performance, presents operas in Lithuanian language, Lithuanian. It celebrated fifty years of existence in 2006, and operates as a not-for-prof ...
performed the work in 2006 to commemorate its 50th anniversary.
In 2002, there was a proposal to create Duke Margiris state award for defending Lithuanian independence with emphasis on loyalty and sacrifice.[ It was intended for members of armed and unarmed resistance during the Soviet and Nazi Germany occupations in 1940–90.][
]
Historiography
The story of Pilėnai spread from one history book to another, from Simon Grunau Simon Grunau () was the author of ''Preussische Chronik'',Full title: ''Cronika und beschreibung allerlüstlichenn, nützlichsten und waaren historien des namkundigenn landes zu Prewssen'' or ''Chronicle and description of the most amusing, useful a ...
, Maciej Stryjkowski
Maciej Stryjkowski (also referred to as Strykowski and Strycovius;Nowa encyklopedia powszechna PWN. t. 6, 1997 – ) was a Polish historian, writer and a poet, known as the author of ''Chronicle of Poland, Lithuania, Samogitia and all of Rutheni ...
, Albert Wijuk Kojałowicz
Albert Wijuk Kojałowicz (also ''Wojciech Wijuk Kojałowicz'', ; ; 1609–1677) was a Lithuanian historian, theologian and translator. He was a devoted Jesuit and religious polemicist, interested in genealogy and heraldry. He served as a censor, ...
, to Teodor Narbutt
Teodor Narbutt (; 8 November 1784 – 27 November 1864) was a Polish–Lithuanian romantic historian and military engineer in service of the Russian Empire. He is best remembered as the author of a nine-volume Polish-language history of Lithuani ...
, but these are just retellings and embellishments of Wigand's original information.
References
External links
Opera Pilėnai
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pilenai
Former castles in Lithuania
Conflicts in 1336
Battles involving the Teutonic Order
Last stands
Battles involving the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Mass suicides
14th century in Lithuania
14th century in the State of the Teutonic Order