Lithuanian Crusade participant Teutonic Order
Phases of the conflict
Beginnings and Vytenis's rule (1283–1315)
In 1283, chronicler Peter of Dusburg noted that the Teutonic Order finalized its conquest of Prussia and of the Yotvingians. Some Yotvingians retreated to Lithuania, and some the crusaders deported to Sambia. The Lithuanian Crusade began in the winter of 1283.
The first target of the Teutons was Bisenė on the western Lithuanian border. Teutonic soldiers commanded by Prussian Landmeister Konrad von Thierberg crossed the frozen Neman River and attacked the Lithuanian fortress in the morning. It fell in the afternoon and was burned to the ground. After the burning of Kolainiai in 1291 and Bisenė in 1316, Junigeda (now called Veliuona) became the westernmost Lithuanian fortress along the river. In 1298, Lithuanian leader Vytenis attacked the Livonian crusaders in Courland, a part of the Archdiocese of Riga.: 29  After initial successes by the crusaders, the two sides fought in the Battle of Turaida after Vytenis forged an alliance with the citizens of Riga, a city ostensibly under the control of the Livonian Order.: 55–59 The conflicts resumed with the coronation of Grand Duke Vytenis of Lithuania in 1303. Vytenis wanted to confront Lithuania's northern and eastern neighbors. He sent 2,000 armed knights to his borders: 23 , while isolated Lithuanian troops raided Prussia. More stable after suppressing the Prussian revolts of 1283, the Teutonic Order sent military units to Semigallia and Skalvia, then under Lithuanian control. Several years of relative calm followed until the Teutonic Order decided to strike at Samogitia.: 52 The Teutonic Knights organized around 20 raids into the region. Vytenis took measures to undermine the influence of local Samogitian nobles, evidenced by an increasing number of traitors and refugees. The Livonian Order consolidated its control over Semigallia, where Lithuanians had garrisons since the Battle of Aizkraukle. In 1313, the Livonian Order captured Dynaburg Castle, which the Lithuanians had controlled since 1281.
To better demarcate and defend its eastern border against the Lithuanian advances, the Teutonic Order took to erecting small fortresses and fortified houses. The garrisons often contained a few knights with more soldiers and squires. The defenders left only to raid Lithuanian lands. The forts were menacing just because of their strategic location. Some of the most imposing were in Neman, Sovetsk, and Mayovka.: 90–91 Vytenis reacted to the movements of the order in 1311 by directing his best cavalry toward Masuria and unreinforced areas of the Prussian border. Despite 4,000 Lithuanian cavalry, they were surprised and expelled by forces led by Landmarschall Heinrich von Plötzke.: 53–54  But the Christian population's general fear of the "savage pagans" did not change with the victory, especially not among German colonists in rural areas of the order's territory.: 53–54  Vytenis's last great attack came in October 1315, shortly before his death.: 55Timeline
Background
1230 — Seven Teutonic knights and their nearly 750 followers arrive at the mouth of the Vistula in the south of Chełmno Land under the command of Prussian Hermann Balk.
1236 — Battle of Saule on September 22, with a crushing defeat for the Livonian Brothers of the Sword
1237 — Assimilation of the indebted Livonian Brothers into the Teutonic Order
1242 — Defeat of a Teutonic contingent on Lake Peipus by Alexander Nevsky; the first Prussian uprisings after the attacks of Batu Khan in the region
1244 — Battle of Embūte
1251 — Lithuanian duke Mindaugas converts to Christianity, although he re-adopts Lithuanian beliefs around 1260.
1259 — Battle of Skuodas on August 5, with a victory by the Livonian Order under Burchard von Hornhausen
1260 — Battle of Durbe on July 13; second wave of Prussian uprisings
1270 — Battle of Karuse
1275–1299 — Irregular Lithuanian military campaigns, partly on behalf of the Archbishopric of Riga, in Semigallia
1279 — Battle of Aizkraukle on March 5, between the Livonian knights and the Samogitians, with victory going to the latter
1287 — Battle of Garoza
1298 — Battle of Turaida