The Knights of the Cross or The Teutonic Knights () is a 1900 historical novel by the Polish writer Henryk Sienkiewicz. Its first English translation was published in the same year as the original.
The book was serialized by the magazine Tygodnik Illustrowany between 1897 and 1899 before its first complete printed edition appeared in 1900. The book was first translated into English by Jeremiah Curtin, a contemporary of Henryk Sienkiewicz. The Teutonic Knights had since been translated into 25 languages. It was the first book to be printed in Poland at the end of World War II in 1945, due to its relevance in the context of Nazi German destruction of Poland followed by mass population transfers. The book was made into a film in 1960 by Aleksander Ford.
From May 2024, an autograph copy of the novel, used as the basis for the first edition, is presented at a permanent exhibition in the Palace of the Commonwealth in Warsaw.
Historical background The novel was written by Sienkiewicz in 1900, when the Polish state, after being partitioned among Russian, Austrian and German empires in the late 18th century, did not exist, and most Poles were living in the Russian occupation zone named Vistula Land, formerly Congress Poland. One of Sienkiewicz's goals in writing The Knights of the Cross was to encourage and strengthen Polish national confidence against the occupying powers. To circumvent Russian censorship, he placed the plot in the Middle Ages, around Prussia and the State of the Teutonic Order.
The history of the German Order of the Teutonic Knights is the backdrop for the story. From the , the Order controlled large parts of the Baltic Sea coast until its defeat at the 1410 Battle of Grunwald by the United Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania. The novel focuses extensively on the medieval life and customs in Poland in both the cities and the countryside.
In 1960, the novel was made into a Polish film of the same name by director Aleksander Ford, with Emil Karewicz as King Władysław II Jagiełło and Stanisław Jasiukiewicz as Grand Master Ulrich von Jungingen.
Plot summary
Krzyżacy tells the story of a young nobleman, Zbyszko of Bogdaniec, who together with his uncle Maćko of Bogdaniec returns from the war against the Order (Knights of the Cross) in nearby Lithuania. In a tavern inn Zbyszko falls in love with the lovely Danusia, who is traveling with the court of the Duchess Anna. He swears to her his knight's oath and promises to bring her "three trophies" from the Teutonic Knights.
On his way to the royal city of Kraków, Zbyszko attacks Kuno von Liechtenstein, who is an official diplomatic delegate of the Teutonic Knights. The penalty is death. Yet, on the scaffold, Danusia saves him from execution when she jumps onto the platform in full view of the crowd, and promises to marry him, covering his head with her handkerchief (an old Polish tradition that carries with it a stay of execution if the couple wed). Zbyszko and Maćko return home to their estate, where they rebuild their mansion. After some time Zbyszko returns to Danuśka and marries her. However, she is soon treacherously kidnapped by four Teutonic Knights who want revenge – her father Jurand fought against the Germans. Jurand himself is soon captured by them, imprisoned and cruelly tortured and maimed.
Zbyszko's quest to find and save his kidnapped Danusia continues until, at long last, he rescues her. However, it is too late already. Danuta has been driven insane because of her treatment at the hands of her captors, and eventually dies. The long-awaited war begins. The combined forces of Poland and Lithuania under the command of Polish King Ladislaus Jagiello destroy the Teutonic Order in the monumental 1410 Battle of Grunwald. This battle signals the true terminal decline of the Teutonic Order.
Plot description
Chapters 1 – 6 The novel opens with some wealthy Poles conversing with a knight, Maćko of Bogdaniec, in the Savage Bull inn at Tyniec. The old knight and his young nephew, Zbyszko, are returning to their birthplace after fighting for King Vitold of Lithuania against the Knights of the Cross under the command of Konrad, the Grand Master and his brother, Ulrich of Jungingen, burgomaster of Sambia. Princess Anna Danuta of Mazovia's entourage arrives at the inn on their way to Cracow and it is here that Zbyszko falls under the spell of her ward, Danusia, and makes a vow to her to lay some German peacock plumes before her. Maćko and Zbyszko, after a quarrel, decide to apply to Prince Jurand of Spychów for service against the Germans as a great war is coming and accompany Princess Anna.
On the road they encounter a splendidly armed knight, who is praying. Behind him is a retinue and Zbyszko spots a German knight and attacks him with his lance but the first knight, Povala of Tachev, stops him and reveals that he is in the King's service escorting the German envoy and states that Zbyszko has committed a criminal offence and makes him swear to appear before a Cracow court. Matsko tries to beg forgiveness from the German, Kuno von Lichtenstein, but he insists they bow down before him which the Polish knights refuse to do as it goes against their honour.
Matsko and Zbyshko lodge with Povala at his house on Saint Anne Street. They discuss their recent campaigns with other Polish knights and attend the royal court of Yagello and Yadviga, who is pregnant. At dinner Lichtenstein reveals that he was attacked on the road to Tynets by a knight and Povala confirms it. The king is furious; he had accepted the Polish proposal to convert to Catholicism and marry the young Queen Yadviga to halt the crusades against Lithuania by the Teutonic Knights. In a fit of fury Yagello commands to have Zbyshko's head cut off for disgracing him and he is led off to prison. At a court the death sentence is passed down by the Castellan of Cracow but execution delayed until Yadviga gives birth.
The baby dies and Yagello, who has left Cracow, returns distraught and Matsko also returns from his journey to the Grand Master to beg forgiveness for Zbyshko's life. On the way, he is wounded by a German arrow from an ambush in the forest. A scaffold is erected and Princess Anna takes counsel with Yastrembets, Father Stanislav of Skarbimir and other learned men to seek a legal way out. On the day of the execution and, as Zbyshko is led out, Povala gives him Danusia who throws her veil over his head saying, ‘He is mine! He is mine!’. According to Slav custom, when an innocent maiden does this, it is a sign that she wants to marry him and he is saved from death.
The nephew and uncle decide to return to Bogdanets where old Matsko needs to drink bears fat to remove the arrow-head. Yurand of Spyhov, Danusia's father, comes to the court and Zbyshko meets him but is told he cannot marry his daughter and the father and daughter return to Tsehanov.
Chapters 7 – 14 The two men meet their neighbour Zyh of Zgorzelitse near Bogdanets who is hunting with his daughter, Yagenka, who admire Zbyshko for killing a huge bull bison with his crossbow. They settle into the old house and Yagenka comes to help them with furniture and food from her generous father. They also learn from her father that two young men are seeking her love, Vilk of Brozova and Stan of Rogov. Zbyshko goes to the forest to kill a bear in a nearby swamp and is nearly overcome by it but Yagenka assists in putting the fork into the ground so he can then kill it with his axe. Matko drinks the fresh fat and immediately starts to recover and finally the arrowhead is pulled out. On a beaver hunt, Yagenka asks Zbyskho about Danusia (after being told by her father about the veil incident). Later, the two men meet their distant relative, the abbot to whom their land is mortgaged, and all attend a church service with the nobility at Kresnia and Zybshko fights with Vilk and Stan for which, as enemies of the abbot, Matko receives a bag of coin from him. However, Zbyshko's vow to Danusia angers the abbot who wishes him for Yagenka of whom he is very fond and the cleric leaves in a fit of anger.
Chapters 15 – 20 Zbyshko and Matsko sets of for Mazovia with their captured Turks as an escort – Zbyshko to claim Danusia as his wife from her father. He is followed by the Cheh, named Hlava, of Yagenka's. They come across a man in the forest – a German fake relic seller called Sanderus who joins the retinue and tells Zbyshko that he has seen Danusia. On the road he encounters some knights of the cross, and meets De Lorche, a knight of Lorraine, who he challenges but Yendrek, the Polish escort, forbids the fight. They finally reach the Mazovian royal court of Prince Yanush which is on a hunting expedition at Kurpie where they find Danusia with Princess Anne. On the hunt a wild bull attacks the Princess's retinue and De Lorche and Zybshko defend it but both are injured and it is Hlava who kills it with his axe.
Danveld and Siegfried von Lowe, Brother Rotgier and Brother Gottfried are German envoys seeking Prince Yanush's punishment of Yurand for his deadly acts against their Order but he refuses. As a result, they hatch a plot to kidnap Danusia and use her as a ransom to capture her father. On their return to the border they are accompanied by De Fourcy who dislikes the conspiracy and the four men murder him and claim it was done by Hlava who rides up with Zbyshko's challenge; avoiding Danveld's knife, the Cheh returns to the hunting lodge to tell the true story.
Chapters 25 – 33 Princess Anna receives a false letter from Yurand, written by Danveld, asking for Danusia's return to him at Spyhov. Princess Anna decides they should get married first and the ceremony takes place and then Danusia departs. Zbyshko, when recovered, makes for Prince Yanush's castle at Tsehanov and help to save Yurand from death in a severe snowstorm; on his recovery he learns that Yurand never sent the letter and Yurand is certain the Knights of the Cross have abducted his daughter and the two men set of for Spyhov. A sister of the Order and pilgrim come to Yurand and say he has to humble himself before the Order and make a ransom. After some days Zbyshko finds out from Tolima, Yurand's faithful old servant, that his master has left.
At the castle in Schytno, Yurand is forced to wait outside its gate all night as the onlookers jeer at him. The next morning he is allowed to enter and is forced to kneel dressed in a hempen bag before the comtur, Danveld. At last they bring his daughter to him but it is an idiot woman and, in his rage, he kills Danveld and massacres many of the jeering on-lookers before he is severely wounded and trapped in a net. Siegfried takes charge and sends Rotgier to Prince Yanush at Tsehanov to give a false version of the events. Zbyshko challenges Rotgier and kills him in their duel.
Chapters 34 – 50 Zbyshko and De Lorche set out for Malburg to challenge the Knights there and learns from the priest at Spyhov that Yurand has bequeathed all his lands to Danusia and, in case of her death, to Zbyshko. He also sends off a letter to Matsko via Hlava at Zgorzelitse. At Schytno Siegfried receives the body of Rotgier who is almost a son to him and in revenge has his mute servant, Diedrich, Yurand's tongue cut out, his one eye blinded and his right arm cut off and then he is let loose on the road.