Storming of a Lithuanian Castle
Followed by a brilliant array of fifteen hundred knights and horsemen,
among whom was Arnold of Winkelried, Duke Leopold set out from Little
Basle to coöperate with the forces of the Teutonic Order in the far
North. Moving from eight to ten hours a day, the march being
occasionally interrupted by military exercises, the army passed through
several small countries, territories of the Church, and free imperial
cities, until it reached Marienburg, the seat of the Order.
After the subjugation of the Prussians still worse heathen remained.
These were the Lithuanians, who had extended their domain to the Black
Sea by repeated conquests from Russia. Their country was flat and
covered with marshes, steppes, and sand dunes. In its impenetrable
primeval forests, filled with gigantic trees, whose branches closely
interlaced, roamed bears and wolves, elks and buffaloes.
It was not the purpose of the Order to subjugate the Lithuanian people,
but to restore quiet in the Order’s own territory and protect it from
continual ravages by pillaging hordes. A strong boundary wall had been
constructed to prevent their incursions, but as this had proved
insufficient it was determined they should be attacked in their own
country.
The leaders of the Lithuanians at that time were the brothers Kynstutt
and Olgjerd. Kynstutt was an enemy not to be despised; his restless
energy had long kept the Order busy. The heathen army was between thirty
and forty thousand strong, and among them were Russian auxiliaries and
excellent archers. The Lithuanians carried heavy battle axes, though
their principal weapons were the pike and shield, and they also had many
horsemen. Notwithstanding their numbers, they were not the equals of the
Order in military skill, whether in siege or field. Kynstutt knew this
very well and for that reason would not risk battle in the open. He
conducted his pillaging expeditions over as wide an area as possible. At
one time he would swiftly and suddenly fall upon the Order’s supply
trains and slaughter the guards; at others he would burn castles and
seek by every means in his power to prevent the building of new ones. He
erected castles himself, and as fast as they were destroyed by the
knights he would rebuild them. The three most important of these castles
were those of Wielun, Pisten, and Kauen. The last was the most remote
and was the strongest, being built of stone.
Winrich of Kniprode, grand master of the Order, was completing his plans
for the destruction of this castle, when Duke Leopold of Austria arrived
at Marienburg with his brilliant array of knights—a strong and welcome
reinforcement. The route of the army took them past both the castles of
Wielun and Pisten, which were left unmolested. A landing was effected
upon the island of Kauen, and a camp was established in which all the
supplies were stored. A bridge of boats was also constructed to the
right bank of the Niemen, where the castle stood upon a tongue of
land—upon the spot where now stands the city of Kovno.[11] The building
of this bridge took three days, and before it was finished Kynstutt
appeared with an army for the relief of the castle. He fell back,
however, after a brief encounter and occupied the heights on the land
side, east of the castle. To prevent him from making a sudden descent
upon the camp, a breastwork of stone and wooden stakes was made,
stretching in the shape of a bow from the Vilia to the Niemen. The
flower of the army was placed in this intrenched camp. Another part was
assigned to guard the supplies, and the remainder occupied themselves
with the management of the siege machines. Missiles from the castle
could not reach far enough to disturb the work, which progressed under
the direction of a master smith and carpenter.
The part of the castle called “the house” was built of wood. The
fortified part consisted of high, strong walls, constructed in a
parallelogram about the house. The garrison was amply provided with
means of defence. Waydott, son of Kynstutt, was chief in command, and in
his garrison were forty boyars, who were warriors of unusual distinction
and wealth. There were also many Russian archers. The garrison in all
numbered between four and five thousand men.
After all the preparations were made, an advance was ordered from the
two rivers for assault at the main point, where the _tumler_ was already
at work. The principal feature of this machine was a huge tree-trunk, a
hundred feet in length, suspended by chains. It was drawn back by hand
and then propelled against the wall with terrific force. At the head of
it was a sickle-shaped iron, for tearing away dislodged stones. As the
_tumler_ could only be used in the immediate vicinity of the enemy, its
operators were protected by a low building called “the cat.” It had
strong sides and a roof to which the chains were attached. The whole
rested upon wooden block wheels by which it could be pushed up to the
walls.
An assault was directed against a tower by the outer gate. Its defenders
were by no means inactive. They hurled huge rocks from the wall upon the
roof of “the cat,” and tried to tear it to pieces with long, hooked
poles. They also poured burning pitch upon it, but as the roof was
covered with wet, undressed skins, it resisted the fire. At last the
outer gate tower gave way before the continuous concussion and fell in a
mass of ruins.
Following up this first success, the besiegers prepared for an attack
upon the wall itself. For this purpose the _helepolis_ was employed.
This machine was also called the _ebenhöhe_ because it had to be of even
height with the wall. The colossus was made of stout beams and rested
upon a base forty feet square. It consisted of three stories. The first
was occupied by the men who moved the machine forward on rollers. The
second was arranged as a drawbridge, which could be connected with the
wall when needed. The uppermost was for use by soldiers, who by means of
the drawbridge might drive the enemy from the wall. Like the _tumler_,
the _helepolis_ was protected from fire by wet skins.
One of these formidable machines was employed on both sides against the
castle. At one side, the garrison fired burning pitch-besmeared arrows
upon the monster, and tried to prevent the use of the drawbridge with
long poles; but a whole section of wall upon which they were standing
gave way, and they were buried in the ruins. Some of the besiegers also
were killed.
In the meantime Olgjerd arrived with a force of boyars and stationed
them along the Vilia, his brother Kynstutt still occupying the heights.
The latter had an interview with the Grand Master by arrangement. He
hoped to intimidate him by threatening to join Olgjerd, and boasted that
he could annihilate his army. The Grand Master offered him battle, but
Kynstutt only pointed contemptuously to the well-fortified camp of the
Christians. He then offered to level the breastworks, but Kynstutt made
no reply to him.
At last the Christians advanced for general assault, intending to take
advantage of the numerous breaches in the wall. The Lithuanians,
however, had erected strong barricades behind them, and the archers sent
such a deadly shower of arrows into their ranks that they met with
serious losses and had to fall back.
It was already the fourteenth day of the siege. The _tumler_ was kept
steadily at work making breaches in the walls, but the garrison as
steadily erected new barricades. The _helepolis_ was moved up to one of
these breaches. The garrison greeted it with fiery arrows and hurled
burning bunches of fagots upon it. The wet skins this time were of no
avail. The flames mounted high, but while the occupants were seeking to
make their escape the two managers of the machine seized the burning
bunches, one by one, with hooks, and hurled them back, which fired the
garrison’s barricades and destroyed them before they could extinguish
the flames. The burning machine was replaced by another. The attack upon
it had just commenced when the wall suddenly began to waver. Those upon
it had barely time to escape when it fell. The troops raised a
triumphant shout and could not be prevented from rushing through the
wide breach. The Grand Master ordered them back, but it was too late,
and the passion of battle, which had become all the more furious as the
news of this fresh success spread, could not be curbed. In an army
composed of various nationalities each wanted the honor of being first
to lead the way. The English contingent claimed it because they carried
the standard of Saint George, but in all their wars with the heathen the
Germans carried it also; and as Duke Leopold of Austria was the most
distinguished among the latter, the Grand Master assigned the leadership
to him. As the Duke raised the sacred symbol, the gate which led out of
the castle to the Vilia was suddenly opened, and a part of the garrison
made a bold rush with the intention of cutting their way through.
Leopold and his knights hurled themselves upon the desperate enemy.
Arnold of Winkelried was one of the first to follow him. While engaged
in a fearful hand to hand contest, Arnold noticed a Lithuanian furiously
aiming a blow with his battle axe at the helmet of the princely
standard-bearer. With lightning swiftness he swung his sword and clove
the heathen’s skull.
The Lithuanians were forced back and the massacre began. The infuriated
heathen set fire to great piles of fagots smeared with pitch; the flames
spread to the interior of the castle, and many Christians as well as
heathen were burned to death. Blinded with rage, the combatants strove
with each other in the fire and smoke, man with man. The Lithuanian
pikes had little effect upon the mail of the knights, who swept
everything before them with their swords, but battle axes found their
way through the mail and many a fallen heathen was avenged. Mercilessly
steel clashed against steel. Terrible scenes were enacted, but at last
the banner of Saint George flew from the turret of the castle,
announcing the victory of the Christians. Kynstutt and Olgjerd witnessed
the assault from the neighboring heights, but made no effort to come to
the help of the garrison; for during the battle a considerable force of
the Grand Master’s army was held in reserve to give the two brothers a
hot reception if they advanced.
The Christian army celebrated its victory by singing the hymn, “Christ
is Arisen,” and closed with the chorale, “Let us all be joyous for the
heathen have been punished.” On the next day it was already Easter, and
high mass was celebrated, at which the Bishop of Samland officiated.
About two hundred Christians, among them seven brethren of the Order,
were killed during the siege. Many a one of Leopold’s army never
returned home, but was buried in unconsecrated heathen soil. The
Lithuanians lost two thousand men, some of whom were burned in the
castle fire. The rest were taken prisoners, except Waydot, Kynstutt’s
son, who made his escape with thirty-six boyars. He embraced
Christianity later and received the baptismal name of Henry, after which
he went to the palace of the Emperor Charles the Fourth at Prague, where
he was very kindly received, and remained many years. Before the army
left Kauen the castle was completely demolished.
Duke Leopold wishing to thank the knight who had saved him from the axe
of the murderous heathen, summoned all his men and requested the unknown
knight to declare himself, but Arnold of Winkelried, caring little for
princely favor, paid no attention to the Duke’s request. He had saved
the Duke’s life, little dreaming that he himself would die a heroic
death fighting against him at a later time. The Duke returned to his
home filled with proud satisfaction at the victory, and Arnold was no
less satisfied. The song of victory, “Let us all be joyous,” continually
rang in his ears. He often recalled Father Vincentius’s advice that man
should devote the inestimable boon of life to good works as an offering
to God. Since his own life had been preserved amid these terrible scenes
by the divine goodness, he resolved to devote it henceforth to the
service of humanity and the fatherland. Mail and sword might rust, but
his purpose should be maintained; and when the fatherland needed him he
would again seize his arms to fight in the ranks of the people, not as a
murderous knight, but as a plain, dutiful citizen.
After Arnold’s return to his native Stans he spent his days in managing
his little property. Soon he married a gentle, lovely woman, who brought
joy into his life and relieved his anxieties. In the course of the years
beautiful children came to them; and the aforetime restless warrior
found his greatest happiness in peaceful family life.