Siege of Bartenstein
Encyclopedia
Siege of Bartenstein was a medieval siege
laid upon the castle of Bartenstein (now Bartoszyce
in Poland
) by the Prussians
during the Great Prussian Uprising. Bartenstein and Rößel
were the two major Teutonic strongholds in Barta
, one of the Prussian lands. The castle endured years of siege until 1264 and was one of the last ones to fall into the hands of Prussians.
The garrison in Bartenstein numbered 400 against 1,300 Bartians
who lived in three forts surrounding the city. Such tactics was very common in Prussia: build your own forts so that any communication with the outside world would be cut off. However, at Bartenstein the forts were far enough to allow the castle to send out men on raids of the surrounding area. Local noble Miligedo, who showed the Knights secret ways in the area, was killed by the Prussians. The Knights managed to burn down all three forts when Bartians were celebrating a religious holiday. However, they soon returned and rebuilt the forts.
Bartenstein was running out of supplies and no help was coming from the headquarters of the Teutonic Knights. They had already eaten their horses, so the only way to escape was on foot. Therefore they decided to trick the Prussians in order to gain lead. The Knights remained silent inside the castle and did not ring the bell for church service. Such silence tricked the Bartians to believe that the soldiers had fled and they came to examine the castle. Once they were close enough the Knights attacked them with arrows and stones. This was repeated three times, and when the Knights actually fled, they left one old blind man behind to ring the church bell. This allowed them to gain several days and safely reach Königsberg
and Elbing
.
Other castles at Wistotempil, Schippenbeil
, and Kreuzburg
felt sometime in 1263. The castles presented a definite threat to the Bartians and Warmians
, who had to keep their armies at home and could not participate in wider uprising.
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
laid upon the castle of Bartenstein (now Bartoszyce
Bartoszyce
Bartoszyce is a town on the Łyna River in northeastern Poland with 25,621 inhabitants . It is the capital of Bartoszyce County within the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship.-History:...
in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
) by the Prussians
Old Prussians
The Old Prussians or Baltic Prussians were an ethnic group, autochthonous Baltic tribes that inhabited Prussia, the lands of the southeastern Baltic Sea in the area around the Vistula and Curonian Lagoons...
during the Great Prussian Uprising. Bartenstein and Rößel
Reszel
Reszel is a town in Poland in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. The population is about 5,700.Reszel was originally a settlement built by the Bartian tribe of Old Prussians and conquered by the Teutonic Knights in 1241. The native Prussians later recaptured the settlement and held it for five...
were the two major Teutonic strongholds in Barta
Bartians
The Bartians were an Old Prussian tribe who were among the last pagans of Europe before the Northern Crusades forced their conversion to Christianity...
, one of the Prussian lands. The castle endured years of siege until 1264 and was one of the last ones to fall into the hands of Prussians.
The garrison in Bartenstein numbered 400 against 1,300 Bartians
Bartians
The Bartians were an Old Prussian tribe who were among the last pagans of Europe before the Northern Crusades forced their conversion to Christianity...
who lived in three forts surrounding the city. Such tactics was very common in Prussia: build your own forts so that any communication with the outside world would be cut off. However, at Bartenstein the forts were far enough to allow the castle to send out men on raids of the surrounding area. Local noble Miligedo, who showed the Knights secret ways in the area, was killed by the Prussians. The Knights managed to burn down all three forts when Bartians were celebrating a religious holiday. However, they soon returned and rebuilt the forts.
Bartenstein was running out of supplies and no help was coming from the headquarters of the Teutonic Knights. They had already eaten their horses, so the only way to escape was on foot. Therefore they decided to trick the Prussians in order to gain lead. The Knights remained silent inside the castle and did not ring the bell for church service. Such silence tricked the Bartians to believe that the soldiers had fled and they came to examine the castle. Once they were close enough the Knights attacked them with arrows and stones. This was repeated three times, and when the Knights actually fled, they left one old blind man behind to ring the church bell. This allowed them to gain several days and safely reach Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
and Elbing
Elblag
Elbląg is a city in northern Poland with 127,892 inhabitants . It is the capital of Elbląg County and has been assigned to the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship since 1999. Before then it was the capital of Elbląg Voivodeship and a county seat in Gdańsk Voivodeship...
.
Other castles at Wistotempil, Schippenbeil
Sepopol
Sępopol is a town in Bartoszyce County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland, with 2,025 inhabitants ....
, and Kreuzburg
Slavskoye, Russia
Slavskoye is a settlement in the Bagrationovsky District, Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located south of Kaliningrad.-History:In 1240, the Teutonic Knights founded a castle in the region of Natangia at the location of an Old Prussians settlement. In 1315 Kreuzburg received its town privileges...
felt sometime in 1263. The castles presented a definite threat to the Bartians and Warmians
Warmians
Warmians were one of the Prussian clans. They lived in Warmia , a territory since 1945 largely in Poland. It was situated between the Vistula Lagoon, Łyna and Pasłęka Rivers....
, who had to keep their armies at home and could not participate in wider uprising.