- Prussian Confederation
The Prussian Confederation ( _de. Preußischer Bund or "Bund vor Gewalt"; [http://www.preussenweb.de/orden.htm] _pl. Związek Pruski) was an organization formed in 1440 by a group of 53 gentry and clergy and 19 cities in Prussia to oppose the
monastic state of the Teutonic Knights .Background
According to the First Peace of Thorn which followed the Teutonic Knights' defeat in the 1410 Battle of Grunwald (Tannenberg), the Teutonic Order had to pay high reparations to the Kingdom of Poland. Their monastic state imposed high taxes on the cities to raise the funds. In the 1420s, Grand Master
Paul von Rusdorf brought stability to the military order and its relations, but fighting with Poland resumed in 1431 with another Polish-Teutonic war.At that time,
Johannes von Baysen was one of Paul von Rusdorf's ambassadors, as well as an intermediator to the cities.Establishment
After about three decades of growing discontent, the Prussian leaders (see
Prussian estates ) organized themselves to oppose the rule of the order more effectively. On14 March 1440 , a group of 53 gentry and clergy and 19 Prussian cities, under the leadership of the Hanseatic cities of Danzig (Gdańsk), Elbing (Elbląg), and Thorn (Toruń), founded the Prussian Confederation in Marienwerder (Kwidzyn). Several more towns joined on3 April , although Bütow (Bytów) did not. In Danzig, the new members signed a document which was kept in the archives of Thorn.After Rusdorf died in 1441, his successor, Grand Master
Konrad von Erlichshausen , continued to negotiate a compromise until his own death in 1449. The confederation lobbied for support against the Teutonic Order within theHoly Roman Empire .Ludwig von Erlichshausen , grand master from 1450 to 1467, took a more aggressive stance towards the confederation. He filed a lawsuit at the court of Emperor Frederick III, whose verdict of 1453 declared the confederation illegal.Thirteen Years' War
In February 1454, the Prussian Confederation rose against the Teutonic Order's rule.
Gabriel von Baysen andJohannes von Baysen , now leading the confederation, requested the protection of KingCasimir IV Jagiellon of Poland, who was in the process of marrying Elisabeth of Austria, the daughter of the German king Albert II. They also asked for, and received, a guarantee of their continued city rights and privileges for the gentry.The resulting
Thirteen Years' War ended in the defeat of the Teutonic Order and the 1466 Second Peace of Thorn. The Order lost control of western Prussia, the cities there succeeding in their secession. AsRoyal Prussia , it became an autonomous subject of the Polish Crown. The Teutonic Knights retained eastern Prussia, but only under the overlordship of the Polish king. The Prussian Confederation, with its members now divided in two different states, ceased to exist as such.Aftermath
Both the Polish and Teutonic sides agreed to seek the confirmation of the Second Peace of Thorn from Emperor Frederick III and
Pope Paul II , but they also agreed that this confirmation would not be needed for validation of the treaty. Soon after, however, a dispute about the status of the Bishopric of Warmia started a smaller conflict called theWar of the Priests .Participating towns
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