Battle of Durbe

Battle of Durbe
Part of the Livonian Crusade

Military activities of the Teutonic Knights in the 13th century
Date13 July 1260
Location
Near Durbe
56°35′42″N 21°21′00″E / 56.59500°N 21.35000°E / 56.59500; 21.35000
Result Samogitian and Curonian victory
Belligerents
Samogitians
Curonians		 Livonian Order, Teutonic Knights, platoons of Swedes, Danes, Old Prussians
Commanders and leaders
Treniota or Alminas[1] Burkhard von Hornhausen †
Strength
Around 4,000 Around 8,000 and 190 knights
Casualties and losses
Unknown 150 knights
Baltic tribes at the beginning of the 13th century before the orders started their crusade

The Battle of Durbe (Latvian: Durbes kauja, Lithuanian: Durbės mūšis, German: Schlacht an der Durbe) was a medieval battle fought near Durbe, 23 km (14 mi) east of Liepāja, in present-day Latvia during the Livonian Crusade. On 13 July 1260, the Samogitians soundly defeated the joint forces of the Teutonic Knights from Prussia and the Livonian Order from Livonia. Some 150 knights were killed, including Livonian master Burkhard von Hornhausen and Prussian land marshal Heinrich Botel.[2] It was by far the largest defeat of the knights in the 13th century: in the second-largest, the Battle of Aizkraukle, 71 knights were killed.[3] The battle inspired the Great Prussian Uprising (ended in 1274) and the rebellions of the Semigallians (surrendered in 1290), the Couronians (surrendered in 1267), and the Oeselians (surrendered in 1261). The battle undid two decades of Livonian conquests and it took some thirty years for the Livonian Order to restore its control.

  1. ^ Baranauskienė, Inga (18 October 2010). "Kas vadovavo žemaičiams Durbės mūšyje?". Voruta (in Lithuanian). ISSN 1392-0677. Archived from the original on 21 October 2010.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference ivins was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference baran was invoked but never defined (see the help page).