Insterburg - border castle of the German Order

Insterburg is one of the castles built by the German Order on the border of inhabited lands (along with the castles of Ragnit (Neman), Angerburg (Węgorzewo), Johannisburg (Pisz), Łyk (Elk) and others) to protect against Lithuanian raids.

The first mention of Insterburg as a castle dates back to 1311 – in the Chronica nova Prutenica by Wigand of Marburg[1], among other things, the banner of the commander of Insterburg (commendatoris de Insterborg) is mentioned. However, K. Steinbrecht[2], and after him some modern scholars, consider this entry to be erroneous, which is not surprising, since Wigand is even mistaken in the date of the events described.

There are references that the Insterburg castle was founded on the site of the Prussian fortress Unsetrapis destroyed in 1256. But this is not entirely true. The Prussians did have such a fortress, but it was located, according to the Chronicon Terrae Prussiae by Peter of Dusburg[3], on the Alle (Lava) River, in the area of ​​the modern settlement of Kurortnoye. The German historian Johannes Voit[4] erroneously attributes the Unsetrapis settlement to Insterburg, citing the early historian Lucas David[5].

 

 

In general, the lands of Nadrovia[6], where the castle was located, were conquered and subdued by the Vogt of Samland, Dietrich von Liedelau[7] by 1275, when the last Nadrovian fortresses of the Prussians, Letovis (Krasnaya Gorka), Kamsvikus (Timofeevka), Zassau (Mezhdurechye) and Otolichia (Furmanovka), fell.

The construction of Insterburg Castle began in the mid-1330s. It was decided to build a castle in the middle of Nadrovia, on the border between the inhabited lands and the Great Wasteland[8]. The site for construction was chosen on a hill between two rivers, which at that time were natural transport arteries, presumably on the site of an old Prussian fortress. The future commander's castle was surrounded by smaller fortifications - Schwegerau (Zaovrazhnoye), Tammov (Timofeyevka), Valkov (Shosseynoye), Lettinen (Krasnaya Gorka), Garzovin (Mayevka). According to the chronicle of an unknown Sambian canon, Insterburg Castle was rebuilt in 1337 - "The Year of the Lord 1337. <…> In this year Insterburg was built" ( Canonici Sambiensis epitome gestorum Prussie ).

Almost simultaneously with the construction of the castle, the nearby stream was dammed and an impressive Castle (Mill) pond was formed to the south of the castle walls. The stream's waters were directed to a mill built next to the castle. The castle was built on the dominant hill, surrounded by streams.

And although the castle was built on the bank of the Angerapp River, it was named after the Inster River (Insterburg is a castle on the Inster), which, a little to the east, joins with the Angerapp to form the Pregel (Pregolya). This is due to the fact that in 1335 the Angerburg castle was built on the Angerapp River.

Konrad Steinbrecht believes that the four-wing castle was already built in stone in 1337. He justifies this by the fact that the castle was originally a commander's castle[9], and the four-wing Hochburg[10] housed the convent. If the castle had been built later, there would have been no need for such a large Hochburg-conventhaus.

Some modern researchers claim that the castle hochburg was built in the second half of the 14th century, justifying this by the absence of a bergfried and any towers at all on the hochburg (as in the castles of Osterode, Ragnit, Tapiau, built in the second half of the 14th century), as well as the absence of a parcham, a minimum of decorative elements and a variety of brick sizes and brickwork, not typical for the first half of the 14th century (as in the castles of Rastenburg (Kętrzyn) and Naidenburg (Nidzica).

In general, the Insterburg Komturia existed for a relatively short time, for 10 years. The documents preserved the names of two Komturs - Geroldus (1339-1340) and Eckhart Kulling (1343-1346) and one Hauskomtur Volpetrus (1343).

In 1347, Insterburg was attacked by a Lithuanian army led by one of the Lithuanian princes (Olgirdas or Keistutis[11]). Initially, Ragnit and the surrounding lands were attacked, then the Lithuanian army reached Insterburg through the Grauden forest[12], “where <the prince> also caused disaster” ( Chronica nova Prutenica ).

It was precisely because the garrison failed to cope with the task of protecting the Order's lands from Lithuanian attacks that the castle "fell out of favor" with the master. It also turned out that the castle, located in such a remote area, practically on the border of the Order's inhabited lands, was not able to collect enough funds to support the convent and a large garrison. Therefore, the command was abolished and a pflegerate was formed in its place as part of the command of Königsberg.

The chronicler Wigand of Marburg describes these events as follows: “Having heard that the castle of Insterburg had been attacked and the land devastated, Heinrich Dusemer[13] removed the Christian monastery from the said castle, because taxes were not being paid due to the devastation of the land. So immediately after this he removed the monastery (meaning the convent) in Insterburg and changed the position [of the commander, who was guilty of what had happened,] to a [lower] post of administrator, called pfleger.”

However, since the construction of the castle, manors appeared in the area, which served as subsidiary farms for the castle. One of the first such manors was the Althof (Althof Insterburg) yard, located on the banks of the Pregel, surrounded by meadows. In 1374, a stud farm was also mentioned there. The Master of the Order transferred part of the lands in the Pflegeramt of Insterburg to German settlers and free Prussians for farming. A document from June 5, 1376 has been preserved, according to which the Master Winrich von Kniprode[14] transferred 50 hufs[15] of land in Wiepeningken (Podgornoye) according to Kulm law for free and hereditary possession, while the peasants were obliged to serve the Order and give part of their income ( Urkunden zur Geschichte des ehem. Hauptsamts Insterburg, hereinafter UGHI, 1).

Subsequently, throughout the second half of the 14th century, the castle was repeatedly attacked by Lithuanians. In 1376, the castle was heavily damaged during another Lithuanian raid.

Here is how the chronicler Wigand describes these events: “In the same year <1376 — A.K. > after the Holy Trinity holiday, the brothers of the kings Olgerd and Keistut happened to see, and with them Sverdeike <presumably Olgerd’s son Svidrigailo[16] — A.K. >. They also saw how quickly [they] entered with their army into the village, simply called Norkitten, and divided this army into three parts. Olgerd went across the bridge to Norkitten, devastating the land of Nadrovia, and Sverdeike [moved] to Insterburg, where they found the inhabitants unwarned. Returning, they took Taplaken, and when they took the horses from the pasture, they sent the pagans ahead to start a fire in the castle, after which the turn came for the battle. Brother John and his men were prepared for defense, but when he ran out of water to extinguish the flames, he bargained for his own life and that of his subjects, surrendered together with the castle, and was captured together with his men. Sverdeike, having taken the horses near Insterburg, burned everything there so that no one was saved, and went on. And when he had burned the suburb near Tammov, he turned to Valkenau, and connected the two roads, making a bridge from the branches of felled trees, over which the king crossed. The inhabitants of Tammov set out in pursuit of him along these causeways, frightening the pagans with shouts so that [they] would run away, took 16 horses and freed some Christians from captivity. After some time, the Christians mounted these horses, attacked the pagans between those causeways and killed four. The sides clashed with each other for the third time. The pagans prepared an ambush for the Christians and they were forced to flee to the swamps, abandoning their horses, which the pagans took. The prefect was also killed there, may his soul rejoice in the Lord. In addition to those who suffocated in the flames, the pagans took 900 people into captivity, and thus returned with an impressive profit."

Later the castle was rebuilt and fortified.

 

 

At the same time, in the second half of the 14th century, the castle was one of the centers, along with Ragnit, from where the Order's campaigns to Lithuania were most often carried out. The most active in this regard was the Pfleger of Insterburg, Wigand von Beldersheim[17]. In the period from 1370 to 1379, he made more than 20 campaigns to Lithuania. The campaigns undertaken by the Pfleger were mainly of a reconnaissance nature or were undertaken with the aim of obtaining trophies. Sometimes these were campaigns as part of an organized army led by one of the elder brothers - a master, marshal, or at least a commander. Wigand ended his career as commander of Ragnit. In 1384, upon returning from the campaign, he was killed by a detachment of Lithuanians at a halt.

Numerous guests of the Order who took part in the Lithuanian campaigns stayed at the castle on numerous occasions. Among them were Albrecht III, Duke of Austria, the future King of England Henry IV, Earl of Derby, King of the Czech Republic Johann of Luxembourg, King of Hungary Louis the Great, and many other dukes, princes, and counts.

At the beginning of the 15th century, the lands subordinate to Insterburg included the castles of Insterburg, Tammov and Valkov (as fortifications); the estates and villages of Tammov (11 free residents and 3 peasants), Garzovin (6 free) and Hakelwerk (2 free and 15 peasants).

In July 1410, the Battle of Grunwald took place, a turning point in the history of the Order State, which began its decline. From this time on, the importance of Insterburg Castle, which served as a barrier and stronghold against the Lithuanians, also declined.

During the Thirteen Years' War, in January 1457, Insterburg Castle was captured again, destroyed and burned by the forces of the Poles and the Prussian Confederation (PrUB, JH I 14754). Insterburg is mentioned as a city in the Second Peace of Toruń (1466) among other castles and cities of the Order.

According to the audit report for the Marshal of the Order (UGHI, 9), in 1451 the Insterburg castle contained:

 

In the kitchen there are 10 cauldrons and 1 mortar, one frying pan for the fire and one brazier, 4 hooks for the cauldrons, 4 kitchen knives, 2 fermentation containers, 1 grater;
from the supplies - dried and salted meat and fish, eggs, lard, flour and vegetables;
in the basement - 18 barrels of beer and another 6 barrels of beer, 1 barrel of vinegar;
in the arsenal - 16 crossbows and a large number of bolts, 10 shields, various harnesses and protection for horses, various armor and protection for warriors, hunting snares and fishing nets;
in the bathhouse - one large cauldron.

 

Various church utensils are also described separately.

It is likely that the procurement points, tar pits and hunting lodges located in the forests of the Wild Wasteland belonged to the Pflegerdom of Insterburg. Thus, at the beginning of the 16th century, in the Insterburg area, there was a procurement point for marten skins, which was considered a place of exile for unpopular and objectionable nobility.

On July 29, 1516, the last Grand Master Albrecht von Brandenburg[18] issued a charter to Martin Kamswig to open an inn in Insterburg near the castle.

According to the charter, the innkeeper was allocated half a hectare of land, a meadow for haymaking and cabbage beds. Detailed descriptions of their location were given for each plot. Every year, the innkeeper had to pay the Order a quitrent of 6 marks for this and supply 3 fat geese, as well as pour castle beer in the inn. He was allowed to brew two lasts of barley beer and a third with the special permission of the pfleger of Insterburg. The charter was issued in Königsberg, on the Tuesday after St. James's Day, in the year 16 (UGHI, 22).

There is information about another tavern near the Insterburg castle, which appeared much earlier than the above-mentioned one. In the second half of the 14th century, before 1370, Marshal Henning Schindekopf[19] granted Paul von Wedrich an tavern in Insterburg. It was located beyond the Angerapp River, near the bridge. The owner of the tavern had the right to brew beer. There are references that in 1483, Master Martin Truchses von Wetzhausen[20] confirmed the marshal's deed of gift for this tavern. However, no charters or letters confirming this were found in the available sources. Only later was this tavern, already called Pängerwitz, mentioned in a charter from Duke Albrecht to Hans von Entzbeck granting lands and privileges (UGHI, 71).

A little about the Insterburg castle itself and its interiors.

 

 

The main building was a four-winged Hochburg, with a wall length of 43 meters on the outer side, which corresponds to 10 rues [21]. Otherwise, the wings of the castle were of different widths and, accordingly, lengths on the inner side. Only under the north-eastern and south-eastern wings were there cellars. The south-western wing was the largest, with an outer width of about 10 meters in total and an inner width of 8.7 meters. Steinbrecht presumably places the castle chapel in it. In turn, Torbus assumes that the chapel was located in the south-eastern wing. The south-eastern and north-eastern wings have a common front wall, both with an inner width of 6 meters. And the smallest and narrowest north-western wing was 5 meters. Gates were built in it. A covered gallery ran along the entire perimeter of the inner courtyard. In the center of the courtyard there was a well. Due to numerous reconstructions, it is difficult to imagine the original layout of the rooms in the Hochburg. Up to the basement level, the walls were laid out of boulders and field stones, then there was Gothic brickwork. Under the roof itself, along the outer perimeter of the walls, there was a defensive passage with loopholes and hatches. On the outer wall of the south-eastern wing, at the level of the main floor, there was a passage to the danzker, which stood on the shore of the pond.

 

 

The forburg adjoined the castle from the northwest and was about 100 meters long. Various auxiliary and utility buildings were located almost along the entire perimeter. The entrance gate was in the middle of the southwestern part of the forburg. From the northwestern part, the forburg was bordered at the corners by two round towers. The western one, built around 1400, was called Peinturm. On the outer side of the forburg, from the south, residential and utility buildings adjoined it, also enclosed by a defensive wall. Also on the southern side, along the Hochburg and forburg, there was a water moat.

 

 

With the secularization of the Order and the establishment of the Duchy of Prussia, the Pflegerdom of Insterburg was transformed into a main administration (amt), one of the largest. From this moment, Insterburg began to flourish. The settlement near the castle received city rights. The city developed and grew, receiving various privileges, which can be traced in the charters of that period. But that is another story.

 

 

 

 

Notes:

1. Wigand of Marburg was a German historian and herald of the Teutonic Order. He authored the chronicle " Chronica nova Prutenica " (New Prussian Chronicle), written in rhymed prose in Middle High German and covering the period from 1293 to 1394.

2. Conrad Steinbrecht (1849-1923) - German architect, historian and restorer, for almost 20 years he supervised the restoration work at Marienburg Castle, having previously studied the architectural features of the order castles of Prussia.

3. Peter of Dusburg (Peter von Dusburg) was a priest-brother of the Teutonic Order in the 14th century, who created the Chronicle of the Prussian Land in Latin, covering the events of the 13th – first quarter of the 14th century.

4. Johannes Voigt (1786-1863) - Prussian historian and archivist, author of numerous works on the medieval history of Prussia, director of the Königsberg archive.

5. Lucas David (1503-1583) - Prussian historian, author of the eight-volume " Preussische Chronik " (Prussian Chronicle).

6. Nadrovia is a historical region of Prussia, inhabited by the Prussian tribe of Nadrovi, from which it got its name. Nowadays it is almost entirely located on the territory of the Kaliningrad region, only a small southern part belongs to Poland.

7. Dietrich von Lödla/Liedelau – Vogt of Samland in 1274–1292, who led several campaigns against the Prussians.

8. The Great Heath is a huge forest area in the east of Prussia, which includes several forests, the surviving ones of which are the Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Boretskaya Pushcha and Romincka Pushcha.

9. Komtur - an order official, chairman of the convent and head of the command, endowed with all types of power. The command in turn consisted of several districts - pflegerstvo and vogtstv. Pfleger (trustee) - an order official in a small castle, managing a nearby district and being part of the convent of the command.

10. Komtursky castle (konventhaus) - the main castle in the Komturstvo, which is the residence of the Komtur and the meeting place of the convent. In general, this is also a type of order castle as an architectural object, representing a powerful square fortification in plan - Hochburg, in which there was a chapel, a hall for meetings of the convent, a dining room and a bedroom, sometimes with a high tower - bergfried, surrounded by defensive walls - parcham and having a fortification in front of the castle - forburg, on which various outbuildings were located.

11. Olgerd and Keistutis - Olgerd (c. 1296 - May 24, 1377) - Grand Duke of Lithuania, son of Gediminas, brother of Keistutis, during his reign from 1345 to 1377 he significantly expanded the borders of the state.
Keistutis (c. 1297 - August 15, 1382) - Grand Duke of Lithuania (1381-1382), Duke of Troki (1337-1382), son of Gediminas, brother and de facto co-ruler of Olgerd.

12. Grauden is a forest located on the border of today’s Neman, Slavsky and Chernyakhovsky districts of the Kaliningrad region.

13. Heinrich Dusemer von Arfberg (c. 1280 – 1353) – 21st Grand Master of the Teutonic Order from 1345 to 1351.

14. Winrich von Kniprode (c. 1310 – June 24, 1382) was the 22nd Grand Master of the Teutonic Order from 1351 to 1382. Winrich von Kniprode's reign, which lasted the longest in the history of the Order, saw the heyday of the Teutonic Order.

15. Khuf is a medieval measure of area, 1 Kulm khuf = 16.7 hectares.

16. Svidrigailo (1370s – February 10, 1452) – Lithuanian prince, son of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Olgerd Gediminovich, Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1430-1432.

17. Wigand von Beldersheim (unknown - May 1384) - brother-knight of the Teutonic Order, was kumpan of the bailiff of Samland (1370), pfleger of Insterburg (1370-1379) and commander of Ragnit (1380-1384). He died while returning from the Lithuanian campaign.

18. Albrecht von Brandenburg (Albrecht von Brandenburg-Ansbach, May 17, 1490 – March 20, 1568) – the last Grand Master of the Teutonic Order and the first Duke of Prussia.

19. Henning Schindekopf (1330 – February 17, 1370) – brother-knight of the Teutonic Order, marshal and commander of Königsberg, died in the Battle of Rudau.

20. Martin Truchsess von Wetzhausen (1435 – January 3, 1489) was the 34th Grand Master of the Teutonic Order from 1477 to 1489.

21. Ruth is a German unit of length, 1 ruth = 4.4 meters.

 

List of sources:

GStA PK, XX. HA, OBA.

Scriptores Rerum Prussicarum . The social changes of the Pre-Russian Empire to the bottom of the military order. Erster Band. Hrsg. Theodor Hirsch, Max Töppen, Ernst Strehlke. Leipzig: Verlag von S. Hirzel, 1861.

Scriptores Rerum Prussicarum . The social changes of the Pre-Russian Empire to the bottom of the military order. Zweiter Band. Hrsg. Theodor Hirsch, Max Töppen, Ernst Strehlke. Frankfurt am Main: Minerva, 1965.

Urkunden to the meaning of them. Insterburg Main Office . Thank you very much for Dr. Hans Kiewning and Max Lukat; Works by A. Horn and Paul Horn. Insterburg: Eugen Herbst, 1895-1896. (UGHI)

Boetticher A. The paintings and art galleries of the Eastern Province. Heft V: Litauen. Königsberg, 1895.

Class K. The Middle Ages of Art in the Works of the German Empire. Bd. I: The Burgbautens. Frankfurt/Main: Weidlich, 1979.

Hennig A. Topographical and historical overview of the city of Insterburg. Königsberg: Kanter, 1794.

Herrmann C. Contemporary Architecture in the Pre-United States: Understanding the History of Art and Geography. Petersburg: Michael Imhof Verlag, 2007.

Steinbrecht C. The Order of the Master of the Order in Preussen: Historical and historical developments in modern cities and their subsequent restoration in Preussen from the time of 1310 to the end of the Order's rule. Berlin: Julius Springer Publishing House, 1920.

Torbus T. The conventions in German politics. Munich: Oklenbourg, 1998.

Weber L. Preussen of 500 years in cultural, historical, statistical and military applications is not special geography. Danzig: In Commission with Theodor Bertling, 1878.

Weise E. The Two Thorns of October 19, 1466 // Book of the Albertus University of Königsberg. Band XXII. Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, 1972.

Wigand of Marburg . New Prussian Chronicle. Moscow: Russian Panorama, 2014.

Peter of Doesburg . Chronicle of the Prussian land. M.: Ladomir, 1997.