One of Sienkiewicz's goals in writing The Knights of the Cross was to encourage and strengthen Polish national confidence against the occupying powers.

From the 13th century onward, the Order controlled large parts of the Baltic Sea coast until its defeat at the 1410 Battle of Grunwald by the United Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania.

In 1960, the novel was made into a Polish film of the same name by director Aleksander Ford, with Emil Karewicz as King Władysław II Jagiełło and Stanisław Jasiukiewicz as Grand Master Ulrich von Jungingen.

On his way to the royal city of Kraków, Zbyszko attacks Kuno von Liechtenstein, who is an official diplomatic delegate of the Teutonic Knights.

The combined forces of Poland and Lithuania under the command of Polish King Ladislaus Jagiello destroy the Teutonic Order in the monumental 1410 Battle of Grunwald.

Princess Anna Danuta of Mazovia's entourage arrives at the inn on their way to Cracow and it is here that Zbyszko falls under the spell of her ward, Danusia, and makes a vow to her to lay some German peacock plumes before her.

Maćko and Zbyszko, after a quarrel, decide to apply to Prince Jurand of Spychów for service against the Germans as a great war is coming and accompany Princess Anna.

Matsko tries to beg forgiveness from the German, Kuno von Lichtenstein, but he insists they bow down before him which the Polish knights refuse to do as it goes against their honour.

The king is furious; he had accepted the Polish proposal to convert to Catholicism and marry the young Queen Yadviga to halt the crusades against Lithuania by the Teutonic Knights.

A scaffold is erected and Princess Anna takes counsel with Yastrembets, Father Stanislav of Skarbimir and other learned men to seek a legal way out.

The two men meet their neighbour Zyh of Zgorzelitse near Bogdanets who is hunting with his daughter, Yagenka, who admire Zbyshko for killing a huge bull bison with his crossbow.

They come across a man in the forest – a German fake relic seller called Sanderus who joins the retinue and tells Zbyshko that he has seen Danusia.

They finally reach the Mazovian royal court of Prince Yanush which is on a hunting expedition at Kurpie where they find Danusia with Princess Anne.

On the hunt a wild bull attacks the Princess's retinue and De Lorche and Zybshko defend it but both are injured and it is Hlava who kills it with his axe.

At last they bring his daughter to him but it is an idiot woman and, in his rage, he kills Danveld and massacres many of the jeering on-lookers before he is severely wounded and trapped in a net.

At Spyhov, they learn from Father Kaleb that Zbyshko, after some at Malborg where he fell under the protection of the Grand Master's brother, has joined Prince Vitold's forces.

Tolima is sent off with a ransom to free Matsko from Malborg but is himself imprisoned in a comtur's prison and Father Kaleb and De Lorche, who has come to Spyhov to pray for Danusia, persuade Zbyshko to go.

A great feast is held and the next day Prince Yanush commands Zbyshko and De Lorche to join his escort for the hunt.

Through Prince Yamont, Zbyshko is able to get his uncle's case raised by the King and he accompanies two other Polish knights to Malborg for the exchange of prisoners.

Povala and particularly Zyndram, the leader of the Polish army, are unimpressed by the castle despite its huge size and the host of foreign knights present within its walls.

A dispute is raised between Poland the Knights over the castle of Drezdenko that the greedy Order have captured and refused to return which Matsko thinks will result in all out war.

Immense hunts are ordered by the Yagiello to supply dried meat for the army and many Mazovians flee from Prussia to escape the Knights’ iron rule.

During the bloody battle, The Grand Master Ulrich is killed by Lithuanian soldiers and many famous knights of the Western Order captured.

The novel ends with Matsko and Zbyshko returning to Bogdanets where the former lives a long life with his four grandsons around him and the latter witnessing the Grand Master of the Order leaving Malborg with tears in his eyes from one gate as the Polish voevoda enters through another.

The Knights of the Cross (Volumes I and II Illustrated Edition), Henryk Sienkiewicz, authorised and unabridged translation from the Polish by Jeremiah Curtin, Little, Brown and Company, Boston, 1918 (copyright 1918).