History of the Crusades

the Crusades Episode 260

and six. Episode 267, the Baltic Crusades, the Levonian Crusade Part 46, Lithuania Rising.

Hello again.

Last week are two crusade narratives merged, as we discussed letters allegedly sent by the Lithuanian leader

Gediminas offering to convert Lithuania to Christianity. A delegation was sent to Gudimmanass's court in Lithuania to assess the veracity of

his offer and the delegates were impressed by what they saw.

In response, Grand Master Carl von Tria made a personal trip to Avignon to argue that the Lithuanians were only bluffing and that the whole thing was intended to unfairly smear the Teutonic order. However, Pope John the 22nd declared that the Teutonic

Knights were guilty of a number of transgressions. Then he wrote to Godiminas, signaling that the papacy would welcome

Lithuania's conversion. As a first step in negotiating the conversion, Pope John dispatched to French clerics, along

with Archbishop Friedrich of Riga from Avignon and ordered them to travel to Lithuania to talk terms with

Gedeminas. With high hopes of overseeing the formal conversion by the Lithuanians to Christianity

and thus bringing the conflict in the Baltic region to an end, the three men set off jauntily to Lithuania.

To assist them to safely reach their destination, Pope John declared a formal truce between Latin Christendom and Lithuania,

and warned the Teutonic order that they were expected to abide by this directive.

When the three men arrived in Riga in September of 1324, the Teutonic Knights did indicate that they were refraining from any attacks, and

messengers were sent ahead along the route that the three men intended to take to Lithuania to ensure that everyone

along the route knew that the men were envoys from Avignon who should be a quartered safe passage.

Now, while Archbishop Friedrich and his two companions are winding their way towards Lithuania, Gediminas, who had been advised of their pending arrival, found

himself in a bit of a bind.

His main concern at this point in time was not the Teutonic Order at all. Instead, the

Lithuanian leader was worried about pushback by the Tartar rulers on his possessions across Russia.

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