King John of Bohemia captures Medvėgalis, an important fortress of the pagan Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and baptizes 6,000 of its defenders
The siege of Medvgalis was a brief siege of Medvgalis, a Lithuanian fortress in Samogitia, in February 1329 by the Teutonic Order reinforced by many guest crusaders, including King John of Bohemia. The 18,000-strong Teutonic army captured four Lithuanian fortresses and besieged Medvgalis. The fortress surrendered and as many as 6,000 locals were baptized in the Catholic rite. The campaign, which lasted a little more than a week, was cut short by a Polish attack on Prussia in the PolishTeutonic War (132632). As soon as the Teutonic army returned to Prussia the Lithuanians returned to their pagan practices and beliefs.
John the Blind or John of Luxembourg (Luxembourgish: Jang de Blannen; German: Johann der Blinde; Czech: Jan Lucemburský; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346), was the Count of Luxembourg from 1313 and king of Bohemia from 1310 and titular king of Poland. He is well known for having died while fighting in the Battle of Crécy at age 50, after having been blind for a decade. In his home country of Luxembourg he is considered a national hero. Comparatively, in the Czech Republic, Jan Lucemburský is often recognized for his role as the father of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, one of the more significant Czech kings and simultaneously one of the leading Holy Roman Emperors.