Polish-Lithuanian forces defeated the Teutonic Order in one of the largest battles of medieval Europe.
The Battle of Grunwald was fought in 1410 between the Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania against the Teutonic Order. The Polish-Lithuanian side won a major victory.
The battle weakened Teutonic military dominance in the Baltic and became central to Polish, Lithuanian, German, and regional memory.
The Teutonic Order had built a powerful crusading state in the Baltic. Tensions with Poland and Lithuania grew over territory, conversion, sovereignty, and control of trade routes.
The union of Poland and Lithuania created a powerful coalition capable of confronting the Order in open battle.
The Polish-Lithuanian army included Polish knights, Lithuanian and Ruthenian troops, and allied contingents. The Teutonic army included heavily armed brothers, knights, mercenaries, and western guests.
The battle was large by medieval standards, but exact numbers vary. Later national traditions often magnified the scale and meaning.
The battle opened after maneuver and delay on a hot day. Lithuanian forces attacked and then withdrew, a movement interpreted either as collapse or tactical maneuver.
Heavy fighting developed between Polish and Teutonic forces. The death of Grand Master Ulrich von Jungingen and the failure of Teutonic reserves turned the battle into a decisive defeat for the Order.
The victors failed to take the Teutonic capital at Marienburg, so the Order survived. Even so, its aura of invincibility and military dominance were broken.
The battle shifted the balance of power in the Baltic and strengthened the prestige of Poland-Lithuania.
Grunwald matters as one of the largest and most politically important battles of late medieval Europe. It marked the rise of Poland-Lithuania as a major regional power.
Its later memory became intensely nationalized, especially through art, commemoration, and modern political uses.