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The Jagiellons
For the next two hundred years the Jagiellonian dynasty ruled the joint state of Poland-Lithuania, some of the vastest dominions in Europe. At one point in the late 15th century, alongside Poland-Lithuania, Bohemia and Hungary also had a Jagiellonian monarch.
One of the highlights of Vladislaus Jagiełło's reign was his victory over the Teutonic Order at Grunwald (1410). Unfortunately, Poland did not take full advantage: the Teutonic Order held its principal fortress at Marienburg (Malbork) and, in spite of further defeats in battle, kept much of its military power. Several decades later another war broke out (1454-1466) and only then did Poland succeed in recuperating the part of Pomerania near Gdańsk and put a stop to the threat from the Order. In 1525 the monastic principality was secularised and became a fief to the king of Poland. However, another danger was arising: the Grand Duchy of Moscow, an ascendant power which for the next 500 years would be inseparably tied to the fortunes of Poland. Neither were the Jagiellons able to save Hungary, which fell to the Turks and for 200 years remained under Ottoman rule.
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