Teutonic Knights vs. The Last Pagans: The Bloodbath at Streva, 1348

It is July 1320. Deep in the dark primordial forests of Samogitia, a column of heavily armored Teutonic knights and Prussian infantry marches back toward the safety of Christendom. Their mission was to bring the light of their faith to the last pagan lands of Europe. The locals certainly saw this light. It manifested in the raging fires the crusaders set to their homes. Anything that could not be stolen or enslaved was burned to ash. Laden down with the spoils of their holy war, the crusaders commanded by Henry of Plotzk, went their way west. But the pagans of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania do not leave such insults unanswered. As Henry drives his prisoners and stolen livestock ahead of the column, the trees around him suddenly come alive. The trap is sprung. Arrows and screaming men pour from the tree line in a devastating ambush. Fatigued from their long march, the Prussian infantry immediately panic and flee, leaving Henry and his knights surrounded. For over an hour, the elite iron-clad Teutons hold out against the lightly armed partisans. But exhaustion inevitably sets in. Depleted by wounds, the knights drop one by one. Soon, the vanguard of the Teutonic Order is reduced to corpses in the mud. But the pagans of these lands know that more crusaders will come. Henry of Plotzk's doomed raid was just one of countless bloody skirmishes defining the Baltic Crusades. By the early 14th century, the conflict had devolved from a holy mission into a brutal old-fashioned war of territorial survival. The grand prize was Samogitia, a pagan enclave that jutted between the Crusader-ruled regions of Livonia and Eastern Prussia. And whose absorption into the Teutonic realm would provide security and an unbroken launch pad for further expansion into the Duchy of Lithuania. At times, the only link between the two Baltic Crusader territories was a coastal road from Memel to Courland, which was highly vulnerable and virtually impossible to guard from the sudden ambushes and assaults of the Samogitians and Lithuanians that burst from the wilderness. Both the Teutonic Order and the Duchy were also brought to new heights of operation by their respective leaders in these years. Grand Masters Dietrich von Altenburg and Ludolf König von Watzaul both embarked on extensive construction programs of castles to protect and rule their holdings, as well as very large-scale building work at the Order's capital of Marienburg. Meanwhile, able men like Heinrich Dusemer and Winrich von Kniprode assisted and stood ready to further the Brotherhood's mission in whichever form would bring the most lasting glory. But the Lithuanians also had a ruler of startling capability in their Duke Gediminas. Reigning for a full quarter of a century, Gediminas relied on shrewd calculation, diplomatic maneuvering, and martial conquest to build a very impressive domain ruled from his capital at Vilnius. While he strung the papacy along with false promises of conversion and expanded his borders, the conflict on the ground remained a brutal stalemate. However, Gediminas' death in 1341 might provide an opening for the crusaders to bring real pressure in the war of attrition against the Duchy. The younger son, Jaunutis, is initially made ruler, but Ludolf fails to take advantage of the uncertainty. Instead, two of Gediminas' older, battle-hardened sons, Algirdas and Kęstutis, launch their own forays to seize power. By 1345, Jaunutis has been muscled out by the bigger boys, and Algirdas and Kęstutis split their father's domain between them, one ruling the west and the other the east. They then embark on a blitzing bombardment of the Teutonic holdings. With the ostensibly Danish ruled Estonia already rising in revolt against the

Order's presence, and much of the knights' strength posted there to keep a lid on the embers of resistance, the brothers drove into Samland, looting, pillaging, and sowing death and ruin. When they departed, they took 600 prisoners with them, and these souls could expect nothing but the most gruesome fate. The pressure and failure was too much for Ludolf König, and he was reported to have been driven insane both by the defeat and the blame apportioned to him for its scale. He was retired to the relatively non-demanding post of Engelsburg. Heinrich Dusemer replaced him as Grand Master, and the Teutons patrolled in force during the next campaign season in order to head off any Lithuanian raid before it could inflict harm. Estonia was also bought from the Danes to bring a level of stability and order to the region. Satisfied that the Lithuanians had been humbled by the show of force, Dusemer disbanded his concentrated company only for the Lithuanian brothers to attack Samland the moment the Teutons dispersed to their garrisons. More carnage and kidnappings followed with the pattern repeated the following year when Kęstutis and another sibling named Narimantas rushed into Barta and sowed havoc there. Three solid years of defeats and what amounted to thousands of hostages had now rendered the Teutons on the very verge of complete defeat. It seemed momentarily at least that the sons of Gediminas would complete his dream and run the Crusaders into the frigid waters of the Baltic for good. But then there was a development thousands of miles away. In 1346, the English annihilated the French at the Battle of Crécy. This led to a ceasefire in the Hundred Years' War that left thousands of heavily armed, dangerous, and unemployed knights milling around Western Europe. Eager for plunder and the remission of their sins, with papal blessing, a massive wave of these veterans took the cross and streamed into the Baltic. The majority made it to Insterburg by the New Year, 1348. There the Grand Master was said to be putting together a force of no fewer than 40,000 men, but the bad weather prohibited him from moving out. The western companies that arrived in East Prussia were enough to bolster morale and inspire the great commander von Knyphausen to take the war to the enemy, whatever the conditions. He set off with a limited force into the heart of central Lithuania. This channel is entirely made possible by you. Right now, YouTube increasingly shifts toward rapid-fire trends and AI slop. We don't do fast trendy content, and we don't do AI, but producing hand-crafted, deeply researched history videos — has become a steeper hill to climb. By becoming a member or patron, you can help us keep our team together and keep making high-quality videos. Members and patrons get exclusive videos and other perks. To help us keep the history flowing, click the join button or the Patreon link in the pinned comment. Knyphausen's razzia was a classic rampage, and it lasted for fully 7 days. In their accounts of the campaign, the chroniclers noted that the crusaders were proud of the fact that they killed every person they met on the trail. Anything of value was taken as per routine, and the livestock was driven along for later use in the crusader fortresses. But Knyphausen had awakened a sleeping giant. Word of the atrocities reached Duke Kęstutis, who rapidly assembled a massive host bolstered by Russian confederates from Skalv and Smolensk. Spurring his army forward, Kęstutis caught up with the slow-moving loot-laden crusader column at the frozen Strava River. The Lithuanian cavalry came upon the Crusader host as it crossed the Strava River, which though shallow was still an impediment to thousands of men laden down with a week's load of loot. Arrows flew into the Crusader ranks and crossbow bolts were loosed in return.

The skirmishing on the fringes of both armies was vicious while the majority of the Lithuanian host continued its deployment. But in spite of the seeming advantage to the Lithuanians in catching the Crusaders so badly out of position, Kęstutis faced a tactical dilemma. Normally, Lithuanian tactics relied on feigned retreats to lure the heavy Teutonic cavalry into traps. But here, the Crusaders could simply escape across the river. Furthermore, Kęstutis' massive army lacked supplies and could not survive a prolonged chase through the winter cold in a region the Crusaders had already stripped bare of food. Meanwhile, Kynepro faced a problem of his own. The Strava River was frozen, but the ice could only hold the weight of limited units at a time. He could establish a rear guard to shield the crossing, but these men would be wiped out by the far more numerous Lithuanians. Kynepro was pinned, unable to go forward and unable to retreat. As it was, Kęstutis made the decision for him. Encouraged by pagan holy men who prophesied a great victory, the duke ordered a direct all-out assault. His Russian archers unleashed a withering volley, a precursor to an attack in force. Realizing the trap they were in, the Crusaders raised their banner of the Virgin Mary, locking their shields against the rain of arrows. 50 Teutons were killed before the melee even began. Then, over the frozen ground came a terrifying rumble. Howling their war cries, the Lithuanian cavalry surged forward in a solid thundering mass. War horns blasted, lances were lowered, and the two armies collided. Kęstutis' horsemen crashed directly into the center mass of the Teutonic line. It was a claustrophobic nightmare of screaming men, shattered iron, and panicked horses fighting on slick ice. The Crusaders could not take a single step backward, lest they break the ice and drown. The Lithuanians could not pull back, lest the heavy Teutonic cavalry counter charge run them down. Any semblance of order and discipline broke down. It became a brutal, suffocating brawl. Broken lances were discarded as men hacked and slashed at each other with broadswords. For what seemed like an eternity, the grinding slaughter held in place. But finally, Kynė Broda saw his moment. With a terrible roar, the Teutonic Knights organized a desperate, unified push. Using their superior armor and weight, they physically drove the Lithuanians backward. The pagan line wavered. Kęstutis' men attempted to withdraw, but in doing so, they exposed their flank. Kynė von Kniprode unleashed his heavy cavalry mercilessly into the gap. The Lithuanian infantry attempted to plug the gap, but they could not stop the relentless push of the Crusaders. In places the ice gave way and many Lithuanian troops drowned. Where the water would freeze over them once more in a matter of hours. The Lithuanian line completely collapsed. Panic swept through the pagan ranks and the army routed. In the chaos, hundreds of fleeing Lithuanians were pushed onto the frozen river. The ice shattered under their immense weight, plunging men and horses into the freezing black water, drowning them instantly. It was a monumental victory for the Crusaders. Over a thousand Lithuanian fighters were killed and another 1,500 were dragged away in chains. As Winrich von Kniprode's victorious army marched away with their reclaimed loot, they rode directly over the frozen Streva river, staring down at the bodies of the fallen Lithuanians now entombed forever in the ice. The Battle of Streva shattered the aura of Lithuanian invincibility. Duke Kęstutis was left to pick up the pieces of his broken alliance. Later that year, the Crusaders easily captured the vital fortress of Veluona

leaving the Grand Duchy entirely unprotected against a new terrifying era of Teutonic raids. I appreciate you being here for the video. Please give that subscribe button a gentle medieval slap and stickle the like button to appease the almighty algorithm. It will help out the channel greatly. Cheers.