History of the Crusades

the Crusades Episode 230. Episode 238, the Baltic, the Baltic Crusades, the Livonian Crusade Part 31, the Southern Push Part 3.

Hello again.

Last week we saw the Teutonic Order largely conquer two of the three regions they were attempting to Christianize in their move to push

southwards from Livonia to create a land bridge between Livonia and Prussia.

Curland was now mostly Christianized,

and due to their alliance with the Chutonic Order,

Semagalia also had agreed to convert to Christianity.

Samagizia, however, was still defiantly pagan, and their attempts to repel the Latin Christians from their lands were being assisted by the Lithuanian warlord Mindogus.

Now at the same time as they are fighting the pagans the Teutonic Order is

battling another opponent on a different front that opponent being the extremely ambitious Archbishop Albert

Suabir of Prussia, a man who was seeking to undermine the Teutonic order by any means possible so as to reduce their power

in Prussia and elevate his own.

Now one of the power plays Archbishop Albert was making at this time was to promote

a campaign to bring Latin Christianity to the Russians. This would divert the attention of the Papacy

away from the successes of the Teutonic Order in Curland and Semagalia and would force the order to divert their resources to the new conflict.

However, the Teutonic Order deftly negated the Archbishop's ploy by throwing everything they had into their conflict against the Lithuanians and the Samagitsians.

The Crusader armies burned, plundered and slaughtered

as they ranged across the pagan lands. And as a consequence in the year 1250, Mindogus requested a meeting with the Master of the Order.

Master Andreas agreed to travel deep into Lithuania to meet Mindoges at his residence.

So, traveling with a large armed retinue, Master Andreas made his way to

Mindoges's hall. Master Andreas and his fellow Knights were received politely by Mindogus and his wife and were then

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