Battle of Aizkraukle

In the late 13th century, as the Northern Crusades intensified, Lithuania continued to fight off relentless campaigns by the Teutonic and Livonian Orders. One significant clash came on March 5, 1279, when Lithuanian forces, led by Grand Duke Traidenis, defeated the Livonian Order at the Battle of Aizkraukle (in present-day Latvia). The victory dealt a serious blow to the Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order, with 71 knights killed, including the grand master, Ernst von Rassburg, and other high-ranking leaders.

The tension between Lithuania and Livonia had been building for years. In 1273, the Livonian Order built Dinaburga Castle on land claimed by Traidenis. The castle became a strategic outpost, enabling the Order to raid Lithuanian territory and weaken Traidenis’s support for the Semigallians, a Baltic tribe resisting German domination. Although Traidenis laid siege to Dinaburga in 1274, he failed to capture it, and the ongoing hostility culminated in the 1279 campaign.

By this point, Lithuania’s rivalry with Livonia was not only about territorial control but also about influence over trade routes along the Daugava River and dominance in the Principality of Polotsk. A temporary peace treaty had allowed Traidenis to focus on fighting Galicia–Volhynia to the south, but that peace was short-lived. The Livonian Order, determined to undermine Lithuanian power, assembled an army including local Curonian and Semigallian forces, along with knights from Danish Estonia and the Archbishopric of Riga.

In February 1279, the Livonian Order launched a chevauchée—an aggressive raid deep into Lithuanian territory. The Livonian army reached as far as Kernavė, the political heart of the Grand Duchy, pillaging villages along the way. Facing famine and stretched resources, Lithuania initially did not resist the invading force directly.

However, as the Livonian army began its retreat, weighed down with loot, Traidenis's forces pursued them to Aizkraukle. When the grand master dismissed many local fighters to return home with their share of the spoils, Traidenis seized the opportunity to attack. The Semigallians, who had been forced to fight alongside the Livonians, quickly fled the battlefield, giving the Lithuanian forces the upper hand. The result was a decisive victory for Lithuania, with the Livonian Order suffering heavy losses, including the death of the grand master.

The victory at Aizkraukle marked a significant setback for the Livonian Order, undoing six years of territorial gains. The defeat also sparked another Semigallian rebellion, with Duke Nameisis pledging loyalty to Traidenis in search of protection from the German crusaders. However, Traidenis’s death around 1282 left Lithuania unable to fully consolidate its gains from the victory.

In response to the defeat, the Livonian Order merged its leadership with the Teutonic Knights, planning to coordinate future attacks against Lithuania from both the west and north. This shift in strategy marked a new phase in the long conflict between Lithuania and the crusader orders, reinforcing the need for Lithuania to remain united against its enemies.