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60-505: The area formed part of Poland until the Teutonic invasion in 1309. Konrad von Jungingen granted the settlement town privileges in 1395. It lay on the bank of the Czarna river, hence its name. It was an important trade and military point due to the nearby Teutonic Order and Pomeranian frontier. In 1454 the town and region were reincorporated to Poland by King Casimir IV Jagiellon . Afterwards

120-399: A conflict within the order itself. Some prominent brethren favoured a concession of Pomerelia in exchange for good relations with Poland, but were opposed by a majority of the knights who thought that such a concession would eventually lead to the total expulsion of the knights from their state. These disagreements caused the abdication of Grand Master Charles of Trier in 1318 and the murder of

180-805: A monument that commemorates the massacre of the population of Gdańsk in 1308. Its stated aim was to propagate an analogy of the events of 1308 and the German crimes of World War II. On the monument, called Tym co za Polskość Gdańska ("For those who fought/fell/stood up for Gdansk's Polishness"), the dates 1308, 1454, 1466 and 1939 are mentioned, relating the events of 1308 to the Thirteen Years' War and World War II. Polish-German Wars Poland and Germany have been in many armed conflicts against each other. These include conflicts such as Polish–Teutonic Wars , Silesian Uprisings and World War II . This does include Polish and German intervention in wars such as

240-532: A new settlement was built by Teutonic Knights. According to Błażej Śliwiński at the time of events, Gdańsk with surrounding settlements had around 2000 to 3000 inhabitants The forces of the order had arrived in two columns: one re-inforced the Polish garrison in the castle, the other one marched against the town from the south and raised a siege. In the castle, conflict arose between the Teutonic and Polish knights, with

300-407: A number of 10,000 is virtually impossible for a medieval town. A number of 60 to 100 was regarded as reasonable. This view was shared by many Polish historians after World War II, however, Błażej Śliwiński's presented numerous pieces of evidence that what occurred was indeed a "bloodbath" with a very high number of victims, although not as high as 10,000, and more likely around 1000. Loew adds that from

360-578: A result, in the late 1330s, a war ensued. Peace was established in the Treaty of Kalisz in 1343 ; although the Polish kings were able to retain the title "Duke of Pomerania" and were recognized as titular overlords of the crusaders, the Knights retained control of Danzig. - this time, with the permission of the papal court. Development of the city stagnated after its capture by the Teutonic Knights. Initially

420-617: A treaty of 8 August 1305, the margraves of Brandenburg promised to Wenceslaus III the Meissen (Miśnia) territory in exchange for Pomerelia, but that treaty was never finalized. The Teutonic Order had inherited Gniew (Mewe) from Sambor II , thus gaining a foothold on the left bank of the Vistula. Brandenburg occupied the west of the duchy after neutralizing another claimant to the area, the Cammin bishop , by burning down his see. Meanwhile, Władysław I

480-468: Is also a railway station . The local football club is Czarni Czarne. It competes in the lower leagues. Teutonic takeover of Danzig (Gda%C5%84sk) This is the 1308 Polish-Teutonic War. For a list of all Polish-German Wars, see Polish-German Wars . Order's capture of the city followed by massacre of the inhabitants, leading to expansion of the Teutonic Order and Polish–Teutonic Wars over

540-426: Is also pointing out that in the subsequent capture of Tczew (Dirschau) by the order, the townspeople similarly had to sign an agreement to evacuate their homes, though this was not put into effect. According to Loew, the archaeological evidence suggests that it took a couple of years before new streets and buildings were built on top of the flattened debris of the former buildings, though there probably were areas of

600-759: The German-Polish Wars [REDACTED] Duchy of Bohemia Part of the German-Polish Wars [REDACTED] Cumania Old Prussians [REDACTED] Duchy of Bohemia [REDACTED] Holy Roman Empire Location: Lubusz Land , Kingdom of Poland [REDACTED] Duchy of Greater Poland Location: Lubusz Land , Kingdom of Poland Location: Neumark , East Brandenburg Location: Uckermark , Brandenburg [REDACTED] Pomerania-Wolgast [REDACTED] Pomerania-Stolp [REDACTED] Pomerania-Stargard [REDACTED] Mecklenburg-Stargard [REDACTED] Kingdom of Poland [REDACTED] Werle (1425–1426) Part of

660-766: The German-Polish Wars Part of the German–Polish War (1003–1018) Veleti Part of the German–Polish War (1003–1018) Location: Lubusz Land , Lusatia , Elbe Valley Part of the German–Polish War (1003–1018) Location: Lusatia , Meissen , Bohemia , Greater Poland , Silesia Veleti Part of the German-Polish Wars Location: Lusatia , Moravia , Saxony , Poland , Red Ruthenia [REDACTED] Kingdom of Hungary (1029–1031) Kievan Rus' (from 1030) [REDACTED] Kingdom of Hungary (1031) Part of

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720-467: The Holy Roman Empire . While for the order, this landbridge with the empire was a major strategic improvement by connecting its Baltic territories to its German bailiwicks ( ballei ), it was at the same time a major loss for Poland which had become a landlocked country . Thus, the takeover triggered a series of conflicts between Poland and the Teutonic Order, and these conflicts in turn triggered

780-578: The Lithuanian Civil War or the Polish–Ukrainian conflict .     Polish or Polish – Lithuanian victory     German, Brandenburger, Teutonic or Prussian victory     Another result (Result unknown or indecisive, Status quo ante bellum , treaty or peace without a clear result or an internal conflict inside Poland or Germany in which the other intervened) Location: Cedynia , present–day Poland Part of

840-624: The Napoleonic Wars and Polish national liberation fights . A railway line from Chojnice via Czarne to Szczecinek was opened in 1878. In 1885 the Prussian Army built a large training ground ( Übungsplatz ) there. In World War I the German Army used it for a large prisoner-of-war camp for Russian POWs, including ethnic Polish conscripts from the Russian Partition of Poland. After

900-632: The Polish–Teutonic Wars Part of the Polish–Teutonic Wars [REDACTED]   Grand Duchy of Lithuania [REDACTED] Kingdom of Hungary [REDACTED] Kingdom of Bohemia [REDACTED] Duchy of Masovia [REDACTED] Holy Roman Empire Part of the Vytautas – Jogaila power struggle [REDACTED] Kingdom of Poland [REDACTED] Samogitia [REDACTED] Rus' principalities Part of

960-492: The Brandenburgers and had the townspeople accept Łokietek as their suzerain . However, on 13 November they "took over the whole town, thereby killing everyone who defied their will." Udo Arnold says that a dispute between the castle's garrison and the Teutonic knights arose when the Brandenburgers were about to leave. While the dispute was about the co-ordination of further action and unsettled payment, Arnold says that it

1020-466: The Brandenburgers left, and soon left also the initial Pomerelian and Kuyavian garrison of the castle after a dispute with the Teutonic Knights. The town, though still preferring Brandenburg rule, offered asylum to the garrison, and in relying on its Lübeck law charter refused to allow the Teutonic Knights to enter and to follow an order to lay down its fortifications. On 13 November, the order's forces with personal involvement of Plotzke forced their way into

1080-533: The Elbow-high (Łokietek), Przemysł's successor, was only in loose control of Pomerelia and Gdańsk with the actual control of the area being in the hands of the local Swienca family who had come into power already under Mestwin II. In 1301, one year after Wenceslaus II of Bohemia had been crowned king of Poland, the princes of Rügen , who also claimed to be the heirs of Pomerelia, mounted an expedition. Wenceslaus, who with

1140-540: The Elbow-high had reestablished his power in Poland, but was occupied in the south of his realm. He appointed Bogusza as his Pomerelian governor in Gdańsk. In the summer of 1308, a rebellion was incited by the local Swienca family allied with Waldemar of Brandenburg , resulting in a Brandenburgian intervention which unseated the forces loyal to Łokietek, who later would become King of Poland. Bogusza and his men had retreated to

1200-405: The German burghers, who constituted a very small minority within the town at the time. James Minahan wrote that the city inhabitants, for the most part, were Kashubians . According to Peter Oliver Loew , there were German as well as Slavic inhabitants of the town. According to Stefan Maria Kuczyński , the German population only achieved the majority after local Polish population was murdered and

1260-475: The Knights' town of Elbing ( Elbląg ), a nearby city. The Knights also attacked Tczew (Dirschau). The Knights then captured the rest of Pomerelia from Brandenburg 's troops. In September 1309, Margrave Waldemar of Brandenburg- Stendal sold his claim to the territory to the Teutonic Order for 10,000 marks in the Treaty of Soldin (now Myślibórz ), thereby connecting the State of the Teutonic Order with that of

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1320-579: The Poles recalled the massacre quoting the number of 10,000 murdered. After Nazi Germany had annexed the Free City of Danzig in World War II, the exiled Polish government in releases said that the knights had "massacre[d...] ten thousand souls", portrayed the contemporary Germans in the tradition of these events and linked these events with National Socialism . In 1969, the Polish city authorities dedicated

1380-515: The Polish crown had also acquired the claim to Pomerelia, called the Teutonic Order for help. The Teutonic knights occupied Gdańsk, repelled the princes of Rügen, and left the town in 1302. While the Norwegian king Haakon backed Rügen's claims, his 1302 call to the Hanseatic cities for aid remained without answer. Wenceslaus II died in 1305 and was succeeded by Wenceslaus III , murdered in 1306. In

1440-602: The Stalag II F for Polish, French and Soviet POWs, before its relocation to Przemyśl . In 1945, with the defeat of Nazi Germany , the town became again part of Poland under the terms of the post-war Potsdam Agreement . Afterwards, Poles displaces from Soviet-annexed eastern Poland settled in Czarne, and since 1951 it hosts a garrison of the Polish Army. Czarne is located at the intersection of Voivodeship roads 201 and 202, and there

1500-419: The actual extent of the massacre though they all agree that mass killings did take place. Historian Matthew Kuefler states: "German and Polish historians in the twentieth century tended to have diverging [views] both on the question of whether Pomerelia really "belonged" to Poland and also on the degree of ferocity of the order's conquest". The city of Gdańsk states that "The Teutonic Knights, having captured

1560-601: The castle and town were defended against Teutonic attacks. Following the Thirteen Years' War , according to the Second Peace of Thorn (1466) , it was confirmed as part of Poland. Since then the town was part of the Pomeranian Voivodeship in the Polish province of Royal Prussia , and later also in the Greater Poland Province . Czarne was the seat of the starosts (local royal administrators), they resided in

1620-451: The castle as well as the adjacent town were in the hands of the Teutonic Knights by late November 1308, the number of casualties and the extent of destruction is debated. Peter Oliver Loew writes that for a long time German historians accepted the version of events given by Teutonic Knights, and didn't accept a high number of people murdered, with the number given between 60 and 100 victims Błażej Śliwiński, based on several sources argues that

1680-554: The castle in 1308 butchered the population. Since then the event is known as the Gdańsk slaughter". In many Polish works, the takeover is referred to as "Gdańsk slaughter" ( rzeź Gdańska ). Norman Davies in his extensive history of Poland , while not insisting on the number of 10,000 dead, says that the knights "drove Waldemar from the city, and calmly slaughtered its inhabitants", similar descriptions are presented also in some other English books with sections on Polish history. Jerzy Lukowski in "A concise history of Poland" says that

1740-580: The castle next to the town, and were besieged by the margraves. Bogusza, on the advice of the Dominican prior Wilhelm, appealed to the Teutonic Knights in Prussia for assistance. The Knights, under the leadership of Heinrich von Plotzke , agreed to aid Bogusza, and a force of 100 knights and 200 supporters, led by Günther von Schwarzburg , arrived at the castle around August. While historians agree that

1800-418: The citizens as well as the archbishop of Riga , Friedrich von Pernstein . According to Ulrich Nieß, von Pernstein was the likely the source of the allegation of the ten thousand massacred. The bull called for an investigation of the charges which was started by Francis of Moliano in 1312. During the inquisition, Moliano excommunicated the Teutonic Knights, but this was reversed in 1313. The Riga lawsuit

1860-504: The city between the Order and the King of Poland arose, the knights murdered a number of citizens within the city and took it as their own. Thus the event is also known as Gdańsk massacre or Gdańsk slaughter ( rzeź Gdańska ). Though in the past a matter of debate among historians, a consensus has been established that many people were murdered and a considerable part of the town was destroyed in

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1920-469: The context of the takeover. In the aftermath of the takeover, the order seized all of Pomerelia (Gdańsk Pomerania) and bought up the supposed Brandenburgian claims to the region in the Treaty of Soldin (1309) . The conflict with Poland was temporarily settled in the Treaty of Kalisz (1343) . The town was returned to Poland in the Second Peace of Thorn in 1466. In the 13th century, the Pomerelian duchy

1980-438: The defending Brandenburgian forces, burghers and Pomerelian knights. The victorious knights killed many citizens and opposing knights. By the morning of 13 November, the defendants were utterly defeated, bodies were lying in the streets and executions were going on. According to Halina Wątróbska , half of the town was promised to the Teutonic Order in return for aiding Bogusza's men. The Teutonic Knights then moved in, defeated

2040-514: The destruction thesis: "burn marks and clear evidence for planation of the terrain in the early 14th century prove its [the town's] destruction in the years of 1308/09 by the Teutonic Order." According to Ulrich Nieß, the destruction of the town was part of the order's policy of securing its lands from potential inner rivals. Nieß says that the destruction of the city walls was in line with the order's contemporary policy of not allowing their own foundations to be substantially fortified either, and that

2100-405: The first case and Galhard of Chartres and Peter (Pierre) of Gervais in the second case. Witness and eyewitness reports collected during these cases include mentions of killings during the takeover of Danzig, referred to e.g. as strage magna or maxima (great (est) murder/bloodbath), while the Teutonic Order admitted the killing of 15 to 16 Pomerelian knights. The testimonies from the lawsuits and

2160-462: The following two centuries. The city of Danzig (Gdańsk) was captured by the State of the Teutonic Order on 13 November 1308, resulting in a massacre of its inhabitants and marking the beginning of tensions between Poland and the Teutonic Order. Originally the knights moved into the fortress as an ally of Poland against the Margraviate of Brandenburg . However, after disputes over the control of

2220-477: The knights massacred "Lokietek's men". Błażej Śliwiński says that there was a bloodbath which cost an abundance of lives, though not 10,000, and that such massacres were common in medieval Europe., and that the term "slaughter" in Medieval Ages usually meant murder of around 1000 people. According to Peter Oliver Loew , older German historiography was more inclined to trust the Knights' claims and argued that

2280-581: The lack of political rights in a state ruled in the interest of the Order's religiously motivated knight-monks. As a result, the city became a co-founder of the Prussian Confederation which formally petitioned Casimir IV Jagiellon , to incorporate Prussia, including Danzig, into the Kingdom of Poland in 1454. When the area was disputed between Weimar Germany and the Second Polish Republic ,

2340-417: The lands of Our beloved son Wladislaw, duke of Cracow and Sandomierz, and in the town of Gdańsk killed more than ten thousand people with the sword, inflicting death on whining infants in cradles whom even the enemy of faith would have spared." The source of the allegation is unknown. The respective bull contained other charges against the Teutonic Order, resulting from a dispute between its Livonian branch and

2400-416: The latter opposing a takeover by the former. After several encounters, the outnumbered Polish forces left the castle, with some of them defecting to the rebellious inhabitants of the town and the Brandenburgers. In the evening of 12 November 1308, the Teutonic Knights succeeded in forcing their way inside the town. During the ensuing close combat in the streets, the Teutonic Knights gained the upper hand over

2460-535: The local castle. In 1627, it was site of the Battle of Czarne , in which Poles under the command of Stanisław Koniecpolski defeated the invading Swedes . After the First Partition of Poland in 1772 the town was annexed by Prussia . It became part of the newly established Province of West Prussia in 1773. Prussian authorities ordered the demolition of the Czarne castle. The town was captured by Poles in 1807, during

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2520-438: The lower Vistula. The Margraviate of Brandenburg entered the scene after Mestwin II , son of Swietopolk, concluded the Treaty of Arnswalde with them, in order to receive aid against his brother, Wartislaw. The margraves took over the town in 1270/1 from Wartislaw, but did not hand it over to Mestwin until the latter was able to force them out by concluding an alliance with Boleslaw Pobozny , duke of Greater Poland . Under

2580-558: The massacre was carried out on defenseless individuals, both knights and burghers, who had laid down their arms. According to Jasiński says the 16 deaths admitted by the order were actually only the most famous Polish knights among those killed. Błażej Śliwiński (2008) estimates the number of dead between 50 and 60 knights, including 16 from notable houses, and over 1000 commoners among the city's population, which he gives as between 2,000 and 3,000 people (including surrounding settlements). Gerard Labuda and Marian Biskup (1993) write that

2640-411: The new rulers tried to reduce the economic significance of Danzig by abolishing the local government and the privileges of the merchants. This was exemplified by the fact that the city council, including Arnold Hecht and Conrad Letzkau , was removed and beheaded in 1411. Later the Knights were forced to accept the fact that city defended its independence and was the largest and most important seaport of

2700-487: The number of murdered inhabitants is not established, but that the victims of the massacre include at least several dozen notable knights and members of nobility as well as significant number of commoners and simple soldiers. Biskup in a later publication from 1993 writes that victims included defenders of the castle and burghers along with members of their families in addition to 100 murdered knights. According to Maksymilian Grzegorz (1997), German historians tend to minimize

2760-414: The number of murdered victims of the Teutonic Knights, while Polish historians estimate the number at between at minimum 60 to several hundred. Historians are divided on whether the townspeople after the takeover had to demolish only the city walls or, in addition, at least part of the town's buildings. Based on recent archaeological findings, Loew says that this conflict is about to be decided in favor of

2820-411: The number of murdered was very high, even if not 10,000. According to Peter Oliver Loew the exact numbers can never be established, however he agrees that all available data confirms that the city was destroyed during the conquest. According to Raphael Lemkin the population in the city at the time was Polish. According to Kazimierz Jaśinski , the Knights captured the town with the help from some of

2880-488: The order's responses are the primary sources used by historians to reconstruct the events. The lawsuits did not have any practical effect on the order, who won both cases by appeal. In the 15th century, era of the Polish-Teutonic Wars , medieval Polish chronicler Jan Długosz in epic prose described the event as a slaughter of Polish nationals, regardless of condition, age or sex. Modern sources are divided as to

2940-407: The refusal of the town to obey to the order's demand to level their walls led to a "policy of hardness" being implemented on the townspeople, who had to evacuate their houses which afterward were burned down. Nieß says that the procurator of the order had himself reported these proceedings to the pope, claiming the burghers evacuated and burned their houses voluntarily (which Nieß strongly denies). Nieß

3000-559: The region after overtaking Elbing. Subsequently, it flourished, benefiting from major investment and economic prosperity in the Monastic state and Poland, which stimulated trade along the Vistula . The city had become a full member of the merchant association, the Hanseatic League by 1361, but its merchants remained resentful at the barriers to trade up the Vistula river with Poland, along with

3060-461: The rule of Brandenburg, conflicts erupted between the Slavic and German populations, which cost many lives. In the 1282 Treaty of Kępno Mestwin II promised his Pomerelian duchy to his ally Przemysł II , duke and later king of Poland, who succeeded to the duchy after Mestwin's death in 1294. The Margraves of Brandenburg also claimed the region and had Przemysł assassinated in early 1296. Władysław I

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3120-429: The source material available to historians, the definite number of casualties is impossible to establish. William Urban says that the number of 10,000 dead has been considered greater than the city's population at the time. Kazimierz Jasiński states that the number of those killed was "not less than sixty, and not more than several hundred", that the victims were killed after the takeover rather than during it, and hence

3180-501: The succeeding Grand Master Werner of Orseln in 1330. The possession of Danzig and Pomerelia by the Teutonic Order was questioned consistently by the Polish kings Władysław I and Casimir the Great in legal suits in the papal court in 1320 and 1333. Both times, as well as in 1339, the Teutonic Knights were ordered by the Pope to return Pomerelia and other lands back to Poland, but did not comply. As

3240-492: The town which had remained unharmed. Referring to records of Danzig burghers taking residence in Lübeck , Loew says it is likely that most of the former inhabitants left Danzig in 1308. When the Poles refused to accept monetary compensation for the Knights' takeover of the city, the Order resorted to conquering further towns like Świecie . The local colony of merchants and artisans was specifically attacked because they competed with

3300-433: The town, though no larger battle took place. The order then held a tribunal in the town and ordered large-scale demolishments of its buildings. Soon after the takeover, on 19 June 1310, the Teutonic Knights faced charges that they had committed a massacre in a bull issued by pope Clement V : "Latest news were brought to my attention, that officials and brethren of the aforementioned Teutonic order have hostilely intruded

3360-525: The war, the former camp housed German civilians fleeing Soviet Russia and Poles so that they would be prevented from participating in the Greater Poland uprising of 1918–1919 and joining the nascent Polish army. Many stayed, thus in 1920, about 25% of the residents were immigrants. In 1933, a Nazi concentration camp was established in the town, which was later converted into a training center for police forces of Nazi Germany and SA . In World War II it

3420-399: Was at the same time that "the order's policy changed from providing aid towards annexing Pomerelia and buying up existing legal claims," which was opposed by the population of Danzig. This was answered by the order on 13 November "by the uncompromising levelling of the greater part of the town." Ulrich Nieß says that as a consequence of the appearance of Teutonic Order forces in the castle,

3480-572: Was finally decided in the Teutonic Order's favor by Clement's successor John XXII after a hearing in Avignon in 1319. Under Władysław Łokietek and his successor Casimir III the Great an additional two lawsuits were filed against the order at the curia, both aiming at the return of Pomerelia. The sites of investigation were Inowrocław and Brześć Kujawski in 1320/21 and Warsaw in 1339. The judges were Domarat, bishop of Poznań, Janisław, archbishop of Gniezno and, Nikolaus (Mikolaj), abbot of Mogilno in

3540-556: Was ruled by members of the Samborides , originally stewards for the Polish Piast kings and dukes. The stewards asserted their power from fortified strongholds. The major stronghold of the area was at the location of present-day Gdańsk's Old Town. The adjacent town developed from a market place of tradesmen and was granted Lübeck city rights by Duke Swietopelk II in 1224. Under Swietopelk II , Gdańsk became an important trading site on

3600-416: Was the site of the notorious Stalag II-B POW camp in which initially Polish POWs were held, and later also French , Belgian, Serbian, American, Soviet and Italian POWs, and Polish civilians from Soviet captivity mistakenly classified as POWs, of which tens of thousands, mainly Soviets, died from disease, mistreatment and malnutrition. From June to October 1941, the town was the location of another camp,

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