The Treaty of Königsberg was a treaty during

Lithuanian Civil War (1381–1384) The Lithuanian Civil War of 1381–1384 was the first struggle for power between the cousins Jogaila, Grand Duke of Lithuania and later King of Poland, and Vytautas the Great. It began after Jogaila signed the Treaty of Dovydiškės with the Teut ...

signed between

Vytautas the Great Vytautas the Great (; 27 October 1430) was a ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. He was also the prince of Grodno (1370–1382), prince of Lutsk (1387–1389), and the postulated king of the Hussites. In modern Lithuania, Vytautas is revere ...

and representatives of the

Teutonic Knights The Teutonic Order is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to t ...

. It was signed in

Königsberg Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...

(now

Kaliningrad Kaliningrad,. known as Königsberg; ; . until 1946, is the largest city and administrative centre of Kaliningrad Oblast, an Enclave and exclave, exclave of Russia between Lithuania and Poland ( west of the bulk of Russia), located on the Prego ...

) on 30 January 1384. Vytautas granted territory to the Teutonic Knights in return for their support in the civil war.

Background

Treaty

In order to secure Teutonic support in the civil war, Vytautas signed the Treaty of Königsberg, granting

Samogitia Samogitia, often known by its Lithuanian language, Lithuanian name ''Žemaitija'' (Samogitian language, Samogitian: ''Žemaitėjė''; see Samogitia#Etymology and alternative names, below for alternative and historical names) is one of the five ...

up to the

Nevėžis River The Nevėžis (; ) is the sixth longest river in Lithuania and one of the main tributaries of the Nemunas. The long Nevėžis flows entirely within Lithuania.Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

to the Teutonic Order. In 1382, Jogaila had promised the Knights Samogitia only up to the

Dubysa River The Dubysa, at 131 km, is the 15th List of rivers of Lithuania, longest river solely in Lithuania. It originates just a few kilometers from Lake Rėkyva near Šiauliai city in northern Lithuania. At first it flows south, before turning sout ...

, but never ratified the Treaty of Dubysa. Samogitia was important for the Knights as this territory physically separated them from uniting with the

Livonian Order The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order, formed in 1237. From 1435 to 1561 it was a member of the Livonian Confederation. History The order was formed from the remnants of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword after thei ...

to the north. Vytautas also promised to become the Order's

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...

. In February 1384, several Samogitian regions acknowledged their support to Vytautas and the Knights. On 16 July 1384, Vytautas re-confirmed the Treaty of Königsberg in New Marienverder, a new fortress built on 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 ...

. However, the treaty was broken in July when Vytautas and Jogaila reconciled. Vytautas burned Teutonic castles and returned to Lithuania. During the

Lithuanian Civil War (1389–1392) The Lithuanian Civil War of 1389–1392 was the second civil conflict between Jogaila, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and his cousin Vytautas. At issue was control of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, then the largest state in Europe. J ...

Vytautas once again asked for military support from the Knights. On 19 January 1390, he signed the

Treaty of Lyck The Treaty of Lyck was a treaty between Vytautas the Great, future Grand Duke of Lithuania, and the Teutonic Knights, represented by Marquard von Salzbach, ''komtur'' Arnold von Bürglen, and Thomas, son of Lithuanian duke Survila. It was signed ...

, confirming the Treaty of Königsberg only to break it again in 1392. Vytautas granted Samogitia to the Knights twice more, first in the

Treaty of Salynas The Treaty of Salynas (, ) was a peace treaty signed on 12 October 1398 by Vytautas the Great, the Grand Duke of Lithuania, and Konrad von Jungingen, the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights. It was signed on an islet of the Neman River, probab ...

(1398) and then in the

Treaty of Raciąż A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention ...

(1404). Lithuanian historian Danilevičius and Polish historian Koneczny raised doubts whether the treaty is original and not a Teutonic forgery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koenigsberg 1384 in Europe Treaties of the Teutonic Order Königsberg 1380s treaties Treaties of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania 14th century in the State of the Teutonic Order History of Samogitia 14th century in Lithuania