Key Facts
- Duration
- 26 July – 19 September 1410 (approx. 2 months)
- Result
- Siege repulsed; Teutonic Knights survived
- Peace treaty
- Peace of Thorn (1411)
- Key defender
- Heinrich von Plauen
- Preceded by
- Battle of Grunwald (Tannenberg), 1410
Strategic Narrative Overview
The allied Polish-Lithuanian army began the siege on 26 July 1410, surrounding the formidable Malbork Castle. Heinrich von Plauen organised the defence with determination, rallying the remaining Knights and resisting all assaults. Supply difficulties, disease, and the castle's strong fortifications hampered the besiegers. After approximately two months of fruitless effort, the allied forces withdrew on 19 September 1410 without taking the castle.
01 / The Origins
Following their crushing defeat at the Battle of Grunwald (Tannenberg) in July 1410, the Teutonic Knights were severely weakened and vulnerable. The victorious Polish-Lithuanian forces, commanded by King Władysław II Jagiełło and Grand Duke Vytautas, sought to exploit the victory by capturing Marienburg, the fortified capital of the Teutonic monastic state, aiming to extinguish the Knights' power in Prussia entirely.
03 / The Outcome
The failed siege left the Teutonic Order intact as a political force. Subsequent negotiations produced the Peace of Thorn in 1411, under which the Knights conceded only minor territorial losses. Heinrich von Plauen was credited with saving the Order from annihilation and was elected Grand Master. The Order's survival prolonged conflict in the region for decades.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Władysław II Jagiełło, Vytautas.
Side B
1 belligerent
Heinrich von Plauen.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.