Atlas of Battles

battle, major, medieval

Battle of Durbe

Battle of Durbe was a battle fought on 13 July 1260 at Durbe, in what is now Latvia. It was part of the Lithuanian Crusade, which ran from 1283 to 1410. The recorded result: Samogitian and Curonian victory. Recorded strength: Around 4,000 against Around 8,000 and 190 knights (initially).

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Map of the monastic state of the Teutonic Knights, 1260
Map of the monastic state of the Teutonic Knights, 1260. S. Bollmann, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought13 July 1260
WhereDurbe, Latvia56.595N, 21.350E
OutcomeSamogitian and Curonian victory
BelligerentsSamogitians; CuroniansagainstLivonian Order, Teutonic Knights, platoons of Swedes, Danes, Old Prussians
Casualties and lossesUnknownand150 knights
Part ofLithuanian Crusade1283 to 1410

Where it sits in the Lithuanian Crusade

Battle of Skuodas, 1258Battle of Durbe, 1260Siege of Christmemel, 1315Battle of Medininkai, 1320Battle of Memel, 1323Siege of Medvėgalis, 1329Battle of Galialaukė, 1338Battle of Strėva, 1348Siege of Kaunas, 136212581362Battle of Durbe, 1260
9 placed engagements of the Lithuanian Crusade in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date13 July 1260
PlaceDurbe, Latvia
56.595N, 21.350E
KindBattle, medieval
StrengthAround 4,000Around 8,000 and 190 knights (initially)
Casualties and lossesUnknown150 knights
Commanders
  • Treniota
  • Alminas
  • Burkhard von Hornhausen
Battle of DurbeBattle of DurbeBattle of SzkudyBattle of SkuodasBattle of TryszkiBattle of MemelBattle of MemelBattle of SzkudyBattle of SkuodasBattle of TryszkiBattle of MemelBattle of MemelRigaLiepagaJelgavaVentspilsŠiauliai100 km56.595N, 21.350E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Durbe
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 5 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Durbe today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-06-11. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 24 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 20 to 80 m, 60 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 33% grassland, 30% cropland, 22% tree cover.

grassland: 33%cropland: 30%tree cover: 22%water: 12%wetland: 2%grassland 33%cropland 30%tree cover 22%water 12%wetland 2%
west to east, 10.0 km24 to 68 mnorth to south, 10.0 km22 to 60 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1260

Battle of Durbe is one of 629 engagements of the 13th century in the atlas and one of 58 in present-day Latvia.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q600609, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Durbe, revision 1376027658, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.