Margiris
MargirisorMargis(died 25 February 1336) was amedieval Lithuanian/Samogitianprince, mentioned byCaspar Schütz,viaWigand of Marburg,as the heroic defender ofPilėnaifortress in 1336. Not able to defend the fortress against theTeutonic Order,Margiris and other defenders decided to commit a mass suicide, burning the castle and leaving no loot for the enemy.[1]This episode from theLithuanian Crusadewas popularized during the 19th-century wave ofromantic nationalismand Margiris is treated as a national hero in Lithuania.
Biography
[edit]Very little is known about Margiris' life. In primary written sources his name is mentioned only twice, in 1329 asMargalisby chroniclerJean d'OutremeuseinLy myreur des histors[2]and asMargerin 1336 byCaspar SchützinHistoria Rerum Prussicarum.[3]
In early 1329,John of Luxemburg,King of Bohemia,joined theTeutonic crusade against Lithuaniaandcaptured Medvėgalis.During the campaign, King John was challenged to aduelby a Lithuanian. This incident is briefly mentioned in several contemporary chronicles, including those byFrancis of PragueandPeter of Zittau,but described in detail only by Jean d'Outremeuse.[4]After the rules of the duel were broken, Margiris had to pay a ransom. He did so with coins minted byLouis IV, Holy Roman Emperor,which were most likely stolen during the 1326 Lithuanianraid into Brandenburg.[5]Chronicler d'Outremeuse further briefly mentions Margiris' son who went to France and married a countess of Clermont.[2]Based on this information, Lithuanian historianAlvydas Nikžentaitisconcluded that Margiris held a high position in the Lithuanian society or King of Bohemia would not have accepted him as an equal and would have refused to duel him, and Margiris would not have obtained a share of thespoils of war.[5]Nikžentaitis further stipulated that Margiris might have been a son ofButvydasand brother ofGediminas,Grand Duke of Lithuania.[5]However, other historians noted that d'Outremeuse's work resembles more a work of literary fiction than a historically accurate chronicle[6]and expressed doubts whether this Margalis is identical to Margiris.[7]
In February 1336, Teutonic Order organized another large campaign into Lithuania. Their force includedLouis, Margrave of Brandenburg,counts ofHennebergandNamur,and other nobles from France and Austria.[8]In total, according toWigand of Marburg,there were 200 nobles. Another German chronicle, known asDer Chronist von Wolfenbüttel,counted a total of 6,000 soldiers.[6]This force attackedPilėnaifortress (its location is not known). Wigand of Marburg mentioned that the fortress held 4,000 people. They attempted to organize defense, but the Teutonic force was too strong. Seeing no hope, the defenders decided to burn their property and commit mass suicide.[8]Wigand described a Lithuanian duke (his name was skipped in the surviving Latin translation of Wigand's chronicle) who continued to resist until the end. He then killed his wife and his loyal guards.[6]Caspar Schütz,who used Wigund's original, elaborated on the battle, adding more dramatic and heroic details. Schütz specified the duke's name (Marger or Margiris) and that he killed himself.[6]Margiris and his heroic tale of desperate defense and sacrifice has spread, inspired other works, including the Polishepic poemMargierbyWładysław Syrokomlain 1855, and became popular in Lithuania.[8]
See also
[edit]- Family of Gediminas– probable family tree of Margiris
References
[edit]- ^Sužiedėlis, Simas, ed. (1970–1978). "Margiris".Encyclopedia Lituanica.Vol. III. Boston, Massachusetts: Juozas Kapočius. p. 470.LCCN74-114275.
- ^abd'Outremeuse, Jean (1880). Bormans, Stanislas (ed.).Ly myreur des histors: chronique de Jean des Preis dit d'Outremeuse(in French). Vol. 6. Bruxelles: Commission Royale d'Histoire. p.416.OCLC64184373.
- ^Hirsch, Theodor; Töppen, Max; Strehlke, Ernst, eds. (1863).Scriptores rerum Prussicarum: die Geschichtsquellen der Preussischen Vorzeit bis zum Untergange der Ordensherrschaft.Vol. 2. Leipzig: Verlag von S. Hirzel. pp. 489–490.OCLC16348289.
- ^Nikžentaitis, Alvydas (1990).Žemaičių praeitis. 1990 m. Varnių konferencijos medžiaga(in Lithuanian). Vol. I. Vilnius: Mokslas. pp. 93–99.OCLC35805682.
- ^abcNikžentaitis, Alvydas (1989).Gediminas(in Lithuanian). Vilnius: Vyriausioji enciklopedijų redakcija. pp. 10–11.OCLC27471995.
- ^abcdBaronas, Darius (2008)."Pilėnai ir Margiris: faktai ir fikcijos".Istorijos šaltinių tyrimai(in Lithuanian).I:39, 47, 53, 57.ISSN2029-0705.
- ^Rowell, S. C. (1994).Lithuania Ascending: A Pagan Empire Within East-Central Europe, 1295–1345.Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth Series. Cambridge University Press. p. 240.ISBN978-0-521-45011-9.
- ^abcBaranauskas, Tomas (2011-02-25)."Pilėnai: žygdarbis ir mįslė"(in Lithuanian). Alkas.lt.Retrieved2016-09-02.