Treaty of Christmemel (Švitrigaila and the Order)¶
What the chronicles say [Historical record]¶
Treaty of Christmemel (Skirsnemunė), 19 June 1431, between Švitrigaila, Grand Master Paul von Rusdorf and the Livonian Master Zisse von Rutenberg. Terms: mutual aid if attacked, war only by joint consent, shared spoils (Wikipedia; VLE, Skirsnemunės sutartis). Witnesses included Jonas Goštautas, Kristinas Astikas, Mykolas Kęsgaila and Žygimantas Kęstutaitis. Sources disagree on whether Palanga was ceded (the English Wikipedia says so; VLE says the Melno borders held); the saga keeps Palanga Lithuanian.
Treaty of Christmemel (Švitrigaila and the Order)
Treaty of Christmemel (Švitrigaila and the Order) · event¶
Type |
event |
Years |
1431-06-19 |
Status |
Historical record |
Book |
|
Note |
Treaty of Christmemel (1431): Švitrigaila allies with the Teutonic Order against Poland. |
What really happened [The saga’s invention]¶
The pact between Švitrigaila and the crusader Orders is the old enemy’s re-entry through the front door: the alliance that Vytautas refused to the end. Žygimantas rides with him as a witness, already watching.
Consequences¶
The treaty is the diplomatic root of the war that ends at Pabaiskas, and the Polish reply (the invasion of Volhynia) leads to the Czartorysk truce.
Dramatisation¶
Book V ch. 3 “Švitrigailos Pakilimas” (Švitrigaila; the chapter runs from autumn 1430 to September 1431; the treaty falls in midsummer 1431).
Relations
Caused by: Polish lords seize Podolia after Vytautas’s death — Švitrigaila allies with the Order (19 Jun 1431).
Causes: Truce of Czartorysk — Polish invasion of Volhynia from 25 Jun; truce of 1 Sep 1431.
Location: Christmemel (Skirsnemunė)
Participants: Švitrigaila · Žygimantas Kęstutaitis — Witness.
Connections¶
graph LR
christmemel["Christmemel (Skirsnemunė)"]
ev_christmemel["Treaty of Christmemel (Švitrigaila and the Order)"]
ev_czartorysk_truce["Truce of Czartorysk"]
ev_podolia_seized["Polish lords seize Podolia after Vytautas's death"]
svitrigaila["Švitrigaila"]
zygimantas["Žygimantas Kęstutaitis"]
ev_christmemel -->|Location| christmemel
ev_christmemel -->|Causes| ev_czartorysk_truce
svitrigaila -->|Took part in| ev_christmemel
zygimantas -->|Took part in| ev_christmemel
ev_podolia_seized -->|Causes| ev_christmemel
style ev_christmemel stroke-width:3px