After the Battle of Grunwald

During the 12th-century crusades, the Order of Teutonic Knights settled down in the territory of the then still Slavic Prussia. Their original mission was to spread Christianity but they also pursued their own interests of power and as a result they were often in dispute with their neighbours. In 1409 war broke out between Prussia and Lithuania. Lithuania’s ally was Poland since the two countries were connected by family relations. The decisive battle took place at Grunewald on 15th July 1410. The Poles and Lithuanians were helped by Czech and Moravian mercenary armies. They were led by Moravian knight Jan Sokol of Lamberg and probably included Jan Žižka of Trocnov.

The painting shows the place of the bloody battle at dawn on the next day. The Order of Teutonic Knights was defeated and Polish King Władysław II Jagiełło, accompanied by his retinue, came to see his victory.

The Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, Ulrich von Jungingen, is lying dead under the hillock with a cross on his breast. Apart from a large number of slain enemies, the King also sees the enormous sacrifice his warriors have had to make. In pain, devastated by the unnecessary deaths, he covers his face.

In the background, an Orthodox patriarch is blessing all the fallen soldiers, especially those from Smolensk, who fought in the front line. Numerous white cloaks with black crosses on them covering the battlefield suggest that the power of the Teutonic Knights has been broken and that Poland and Lithuania have defended their freedom. On the left there is a kneeling man wearing a crusader’s cloak and behind him is a standing warrior in armour and a wide helmet. Right behind him we can see Jan Sokol of Lamberg and next to him Jan Žižka of Trocnov with a patch over his right eye.

It is typical of Mucha that he does not include this huge victory of the Slavs in the Slav Epic as a celebration of a victorious battle but as an example condemning violence and serving as an appeal for peaceful co-existence of nations.