The Saracens of the Baltic: Pagan and Christian Lithuanians in the Perception of English and French Crusaders to Late Medieval Prussia

Abstract

This paper investigates the use of the term ‘Saracens’ to describe the Lithuanian opponents of the Western crusaders who took part in expeditions launched from Prussia by the Teutonic Order against the grand duchy of Lithuania in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. It presents a variety of evidence from narrative and documentary sources to demonstrate that this usage was derived from existing images of Muslim opponents and was reinforced by epic and romance literature. The use of the term Saracens, which by the fourteenth century had become a generic designation for pagans, was both a convenient way for Western crusaders to imbue the Prussian crusades with a value commensurate with campaigns in the Holy Land, but also to blacken their Lithuanian opponents even when they had abandoned paganism.

Keywords:

• Saracens
• Baltic Crusades
• Teutonic Order
• medieval Lithuania
• medieval Prussia

Notes

Notes

1 The Hundred Years’ War meant that many English lords and knights had served in France, and used French as their normal medium of communication when dealing with foreigners. Thus, while traveling through Germany on his way back from Prussia in 1352, Henry of Grosmont, duke of Lancaster, was challenged to a duel by Otto V, Duke of Brunswick. Otto's letter, which is preserved in the chronicle of Henry Knighton, was written in French, as this was the accepted means of diplomatic communication between secular magnates (Martin 1995, pp. 112–15).

2 The typographical sophistication of the edition cited makes the text difficult to reproduce exactly here. In the extract quoted, the Middle English characters thorn and yogh are rendered as th and y respectively; the ligature for the word and is expanded.

3 ‘Entreprist adont cellui voyage; si se parti et, bien accompaigniez, s’en ala en Prusse, la ou il se mist en toute peine a son pouior de porter dommage aux Sarrasins.’ Translations of original sources into modern English given in this essay are by the author.

4 ‘et Bouciquaut s’en parti et fu tout a point en Prusse a la rese d’esté qui fu la plus grant et la plus honorable que de lonc temps y eust eu, car celle annee estoit mort le hault maistre de Prusse, et cellui qui de nouvel estoit en son lieu establi mist sus si grant armee que ilz estoient. CC.M. chevaulx qui tous passerent ou royaume de Lectho, ou ilz firent grant destruccion de Sarrasins, et y pristrent par force et de bel assault plusieurs fors chastiaulx.’

5 ‘Car le roi de Letho, sarrasin, avoit fort emprins de grever et conquester l’ordre de Prusse, et, pour estre plus fort, s’estoit adjoint au roi de Norgalles, qui par devers la marine guerrioit le maistre de Niffelant.’

6 ‘et pour ce faire me semble que plus sainctement et honnorablement ne le porriez estre que a ce tres saint voyaige de Prusse, a celle tres sainte bataille qui doit estre a l’encontre des Sarrasins’; ‘Et oultre ce, tant le vault honnorer que pour le service de Dieu et de la sainte religion crestienne, a ce tres saint passaige de Prusse qui briefment contre les Sarrasins se faisoit, le voult faire chief de. vc. lances, tous nobles hommes, chascune lance lui et deux hommes armez et trois milles hommes de trait, sans les seigneurs qui a leurs despens ou a plus de gens qui furent plus de. ijc. lances, avec le trait.’

7 ‘Et puis il s’en ala de la / Droit eu roiaume de Cracoe / Et par les glaces en Letoe. / Crestiennner fist en une ville / Des mescrëans plus de sis mille.’

8 An illuminating impression of the heavy consumption and celebration indulged in can be gained from the household accounts of Henry, Earl of Derby (later King of England as Henry IV), who visited Prussia with a large entourage in 1390–1391 and 1392–1393: Smith (1894), especially pp. 57–95.