History of the Crusades

the Crusades Episode 242, the Baltic, the Baltic Crusades, the Livonian Crusade Part 34, the Battle of Duoben.

Hello again.

Last week we examined the lengthy period of strife in Prussia, known as the first Prussian insurrection, known as the first Prussian insurrection, whereby a Polish Duke of Pomeralia,

which lay adjacent to Prussia to the

local Prussians in an attempt to boot the Teutonic Knights from Prussia

and shut down once and for all

the Prussian trading towns which were becoming increasingly

wealthy. The insurrection was ultimately unsuccessful and we ended last week's episode at the two years of peace which ran from 1257 to 1259

meaning that both of our Crusades, the Prussian and the Livonian, are now at the same point in their timelines.

Now, as we've mentioned before these two years of peace were absolutely fabulous. Trade

flourished, travelers could come and go as they pleased across the region without the need for armed

escorts, and resources normally diverted into military coffers were being used to improve infrastructure and the like.

Now these two years were so good that everyone was kind of hoping that they would continue after the expiry of the formal truce.

The Samagetsians, along with everyone else, had benefited mightily from increased trade and the lack of conflict.

And perhaps if the Samagetsians had had an influential leader along the same lines of

Mandogus of Lithuania, maybe Samagetsia would have Christianized and become a peaceful nation, falling into line with other

Christianized formerly pagan nations in the region. But there was no King Mandogus type figure waiting in the wings in Samagetsia. Instead, there

were a bunch of tribal elders who were getting increasingly restless

towards the end of the truce and who yearned to be back in the field,

raiding, plundering and doing what they did best. So towards the end of the expiry period of the two-year truce, the Samagitian elders threw a big party.

And when the fighting men of Samagitia were sufficiently intoxicated,

...