Late Middle Ages · 1385-1410

Poland-Lithuania: a union of crowns

In 1385 the pagan Grand Duke of Lithuania agrees to be baptized and to marry the young queen of Poland. Students follow how this union created one of Europe's largest states and how it defeated the Teutonic Knights at Grunwald in 1410.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
12–15
On the map
3 steps, AD 1300 to AD 1400
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

In 1385 the pagan Grand Duke of Lithuania agrees to be baptized and to marry the young queen of Poland. Students follow how this union created one of Europe's largest states and how it defeated the Teutonic Knights at Grunwald in 1410.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Explain the terms of the Union of Krewo (1385) and why both sides wanted it.
  • Compare the maps of 1300 and 1400 to describe the size of Poland-Lithuania.
  • Describe the battle of Grunwald (1410) and its importance for the Teutonic Order.
2

Explore the map

15 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1300

Three neighbors

Open the map in 1300. Find Poland, Lithuania and the land of the Teutonic Knights. Who is squeezed between whom?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1400

A giant state

Move to 1400 and find Poland-Lithuania. How far does it stretch from the Baltic toward the Black Sea? Which peoples might live inside it?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1400

Grunwald

Zoom in where the land of the Teutonic Knights meets Poland-Lithuania, southwest of Olsztyn. Here, in July 1410, two armies met. Why fight on the border?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

15 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Lithuania was the last large pagan state in Europe. Why did that make it a target for the Teutonic Knights?
  2. Jadwiga was crowned "king" of Poland at about 10 years old. Why might the Polish lords have used the title king rather than queen?
  3. Jogaila had also talked of marrying a princess of Moscow and taking Orthodox baptism. Why did he choose Poland in the end?
  4. Lithuanian lands included many Orthodox Christians who spoke Ruthenian. How might the union have looked to them?
  5. After Grunwald the Knights survived but never regained their strength. Why can a battle matter even if it does not destroy the enemy?
4

Game round

10 min

Play Rule History as Sejong the Great, who began his reign in Korea eight years after Grunwald. Afterwards, compare: Jogaila united two peoples by marriage and baptism. What other ways can rulers bring different peoples together?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

€19 per month unlocks every worksheet, every live lesson and the class workspace. The free lesson prints without a subscription.