More than 1,500 knights in shining armour crossed swords on Saturday to re-enact the 1410 Battle of Grunwald, the greatest of all medieval clashes, which saw Polish and Lithuanian forces team up to defeat the old German Teutonic Knights.
Some 50,000 spectators were on hand to witness the mock fighting on the ancient Grunwald plain in north-east Poland, Polish Radio reported. The battle was joined by knights from across Poland, as well as goodly sirs from Belarus, England, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, and the Ukraine.
Held on July 15, 1410 the greatest clash of medieval times is also known as the Battle of Tannenberg to Germans and the Battle of Zalgiris to Lithuanians.
It pitted some 39,000 knights of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, allied with Czechs, Ruthenian and Tatar forces under the command of Polish King Wladyslaw Jagiello, against some 27,000 Teutonic Knights commanded by Grand Master Ulrich von Jungingen, who died in the clash.
None of the weekend warriors were injured in Saturday's mock fighting, which marked the 594th anniversary of Grunwald. Furthermore, the correct result was secured, namely, a Polish victory (there was uproar some years ago when the dastardly Germans accidentally won the battle). With the Teutons soundly defeated, the Poles climbed into their eminently unmedieval motorcars and retired to hearth and home. However, their armour remains in safe keeping for next year's chivalrous adventures - they'll be back.
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