THE P EACE OF THORN AND S AMOGITIA

According to the conditions of the Peace of  orn, the Order returned to and Jogaila, but only for their lifetimes.  e Crusaders also returned Dobrzyń Land to Poland. Both sides agreed to release their captives without ransom, and to release the occupied cities and lands. Another very important point of this agreement was that the Order was obliged to pay the sum of 100,000 kopa (5 dozen) Prague groschen. As a result, the Order’s treasury emptied, their % nancial a& airs grew very complicated, and con( icts arose with the Prussian estates.  e Peace of  orn of 1411 commited the Order’s retreat from its dominating position in the Baltic region. In the end, there were another two bouts of war over Samogitia: in 1414 and 1422. Even a) er its defeat in 1422,

 e Peace of  orn. Archives of Ancient Documents, Warsaw

the Order was still not prepared to simply forget its century long “holy” war against and Poland. Grand Master Paul von Rusdorf supported the ’s e& orts to destabilise Lithuania’s position until the Ba le of Pabaiskas in 1435 where the Livonian forces were also crushed whilst supporting Švitrigaila in his intentions to gain the Lithuanian throne. Samogitia remained a unique region within the Lithuanian state, having been isolated for a long period and with more local autonomy.  ere were more free peasants and private manors there than anywhere else. Samogitia accepted baptism in 1413–1417,

 e Treaty of Melno. Secret State Archives Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, Berlin while the Treaty of Melno of September 27, 1422 brought an end to the era of international crusades in the Baltic countries.  e border between Samogitia and the Order’s territory became stable.

Panorama over the city of Constance. It was here in 1414–1418 during the that the fate of Samogitia’s dependence was deliberated. 16th century. From: Braun G., Hogenberg F., Civitates orbis terrarum, Köln, 1575