Battle of Zalgiris Day (Battle of Grunwald Day) (15/07)

Memorable date — The day of the Battle of Zalgiris, better known as the Battle of Grunwald, is celebrated in Lithuania annually on July 15 — on the anniversary of this historical event.

On July 15, 1410, near the village of Grunwald (Lithuanian — Zalgiris) in East Prussia, a united Polish-Lithuanian army defeated the knights of the Teutonic Order.

The Polish king Vladislav II Jagiello, who previously ruled in Vilna and was called Jogaila, and the Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas completely defeated the Germans. The success of Jogaila and Vytautas is usually called the triumph of Slavic weapons, but many thousands of Tatar cavalry also fought in the Polish-Lithuanian army. The army of the Grand Duke of Lithuania, however, consisted mainly of Slavs from the territory of present-day Belarus and Smolensk lands. At first, military luck turned away from the future winners: unable to break through the knights' defenses, the Tatar cavalry fled.

However, through the efforts of the Slavic army, including the Smolensk regiments, the initiative was seized, and the crusaders suffered one of the heaviest defeats in history. But it was not possible to finish off the Teutons that time: the army of Jogaila and Vytautas belatedly began the siege of Marienburg, the order capital, and the knights managed to strengthen the city.

But the Germans could no longer compete with powerful neighbors — Poland and Lithuania —, and in 1466 the Teutonic Order ceased to exist.

The battle, called the Grunwald Battle, is considered one of the largest battles of medieval Europe and one of the most important victories in the history of Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. Monuments have been erected in honor of her in a number of European countries.

Currently, in memory of the Battle of Grunwald, it is being staged by reenactors.

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