The
Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War or
Great War occurred between 1409 and 1411, pitting the allied
Kingdom of Poland and
Grand Duchy of Lithuania against the
Teutonic Knights. Inspired by the local
Samogitian uprising, the war began by Teutonic invasion of Poland in August 1409. As neither side was ready for a full-scale war,
Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia, brokered a nine-month truce. After the truce expired in June 1410, the military-religious monks were decisively defeated in the
Battle of Grunwald (Tannenberg), one of the largest battles in medieval Europe. Most of the Teutonic leadership was killed or taken prisoner. While defeated, the Teutonic Knights
withstood the siege on their capital in Marienburg (
Malbork) and suffered only minimal territorial losses in the
Peace of Thorn (1411). Territorial disputes lasted until the
Peace of Melno of 1422. However, the Knights never recovered their former power and the financial burden of
war reparations caused internal conflicts and economic decline in their lands. The war shifted the balance of power in Eastern Europe and marked the rise of the
Polish–Lithuanian union as the dominant power in the region.