Attack by Teutonic Knights Led to Mass Suicide of 4,000 Lithuanians
Northern Crusades sought to forcibly convert Baltic pagans
Mention the Crusades, and virtually everyone thinks of the medieval wars between European Christians and Muslims to control sites in the Holy Land. Yet, Christians also battled European pagans in what is known as the Northern or Baltic Crusades. One led to what may be the largest mass suicide in history.
The suicides occurred on February 25, 1336, in Pilėnai, Lithuania. Although mentioned in several contemporary accounts, historians differ on where Pilėnai was and the details of what happened. It’s undisputed, though, that the suicides occurred when the Teutonic Order attacked a Lithuanian fortress.
The Teutonic Order, technically the Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary, was a Catholic military order established in Acre during the Third Crusade (1187–1192 CE). Early in the 13th century, some members moved to Europe, where, among other things, they led crusades against pagans and Orthodox Christians in Prussia and Livonia (modern-day Estonia and Latvia). Historians, though, noted that before long, “the religious motive was essentially an excuse to acquire land and riches.” Thus, the Order received enough Prussian land to create the State of the Teutonic Order on the…
