Diwanus

Who was Diwanus?

Diwanus was the leader of the Bartians, one of the Prussian clans, during the Great Prussian Uprising against the Teutonic Knights. He was son of Kleckis and therefore is sometimes referred to by a nickname derived from the word bear.

His first major victory came when Schippenbeil fell in 1263 after almost three years of siege. Twenty knights and their men sallied out to fight the joint forces of Batians and Sudovians in an open battle. However, the pagans blocked escape routes and all Teutons were killed. In terms of knights killed, it was one of the top ten losses by the Teutonic Knights during the 13th century. The garrison at Schippenbeil was left with too few soldiers and supplies to withstand the siege and escaped through Galindia to Masovia. Diwanus expected that fugitives would take a shorter route north to Balga or Königsberg, therefore the knights had a head start. Diwanus soon learned about the true route and, with a handful of his best men, hurried to pursue the fugitives. During a charge on the escapees, Bartians killed three knights, but Diwanus was seriously injured.