View source for Teutonic Order

{{Short description|Medieval military order}}
{{About|the religious order|the state|State of the Teutonic Order|the historical novel|The Knights of the Cross{{!}}''The Knights of the Cross''|the film|Knights of the Teutonic Order (film){{!}}''Knights of the Teutonic Order'' (film)}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name = Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem
| image = Insignia Germany Order Teutonic.svg
| image_size = 150px
| caption = The [[#Insignia|coat of arms]] in the style of the 14th century
| dates = {{circa}} 1190{{snd}}present
| allegiance = [[File:Coat of arms of Vatican City State - 2023 version.svg|17px]] [[Holy See]]<br>({{circa}} 1190{{snd}}present)<br>{{Flagicon|AUT}} [[Second Austrian Republic|Austria]]<br>(1945–present)<br>{{Flagicon|GER}} [[Federal Republic of Germany|Germany]]<br>(1949–present)<br>{{Flagicon|CZE}} [[Czech Republic]]<br>(1993–present)
{{Collapsible list
 | title = Historical
 | {{Flag|Holy Roman Empire}} (1190–1806)
 | {{Flag|Kingdom of Jerusalem}} (1190–1291)
 | {{flagicon image|Bandiera del Regno di Sicilia 4.svg}} [[Kingdom of Sicily]] (1191–1484)
 | {{flagicon image|Flag of Cyprus (1350) as reported by the Book of All Kingdoms.svg}} [[Kingdom of Cyprus]] (1197–1350)
 | {{flagicon image|Royal banner of the Kingdom of Bohemia (colorful).svg}} [[Kingdom of Bohemia]] (1198–1918)
 | {{flagicon image|Flag of the Republic of Venice (Mid-14th century).svg}} [[Republic of Venice]] (1209–1500)
 | {{flagicon image|Flag of Hungary (13th century).svg}} [[Kingdom of Hungary]] (1211–1225; 1429–1432; 1702–1731)
 | {{flagicon image|Flag_of_the_State_of_the_Teutonic_Order.svg}} [[State of the Teutonic Order]] (1226–1525)
 | {{Flagicon image|Flag of the State of the Teutonic Order.svg}} [[Terra Mariana]] & [[Livonian Confederation]] (1237–1561)
 | {{Flagicon image|Kingdom of Poland-flag.svg}} [[Crown of the Kingdom of Poland|Kingdom of Poland]] (1466–1525)
 | {{Flagicon image|Alex K Grundwald flags 1410-03.svg|border=no}} [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]] (1559–1561)
 | {{Flag|Austrian Empire}} & [[Austria-Hungary]] (1804–1918)
 | {{Flag|German Empire}} (1871–1918)
 | {{Flag|Kingdom of Bavaria}} (1805–1809)
 | {{Flag|Kingdom of Württemberg}} (1805–1809)
 | {{flagicon image|Commemorative_Medal_of_the_Rhine_Confederation.svg}} [[Confederation of the Rhine]] (1806–1809)
 | {{flagicon image|Flagge_Großherzogtum_Baden_(1891–1918).svg}} [[Grand Duchy of Baden]] (1806–1809)
 | {{Flag|Grand Duchy of Hesse}} (1806–1809)
 | {{Flagicon|Austria}} [[Republic of German Austria]] & [[First Austrian Republic]] (1918–1934)
 | {{Flagicon|TCH}} [[First Czechoslovak Republic|First]] & [[Second Czechoslovak Republic]] (1918–1939)
 | {{Flag|Federal State of Austria}} (1934–1938)
}}
| type = [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] [[religious order]]<br/>(1192–1810 as [[military order (religious society)|military order]])
| role = 
| size = 
| command_structure = 
| garrison = {{plainlist|
*[[Acre, Israel|Acre]] (1190–1291)
*[[Venice]] (1291–1309)
*[[Malbork Castle|Marienburg]] (1309–1466)
*[[Königsberg]] (1466–1525)
*[[Bad Mergentheim|Mergentheim]] (1525–1809)
*[[Vienna]] (1809–present)
 }}
| garrison_label = Headquarters
| nickname = Teutonic Knights, German Order
| patron = {{plainlist|
* [[Virgin Mary]]
* [[Saint Elizabeth of Hungary]]
* [[Saint George]]
 }}
| motto = 
| website = {{URL|https://deutscher-orden.com/}}
| colors = White mantle with a black cross
| colors_label = Attire
| march = 
| mascot = 
| equipment = 
| equipment_label = 
| battles = 
| anniversaries = 
| decorations = 
| battle_honours = <!-- Commanders -->
| commander1 = [[Heinrich Walpot von Bassenheim]]
| commander1_label = First [[Grand Master of the Teutonic Order|Grand Master]]
| commander2 = [[Frank Bayard]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.deutscher-orden.at/site/generalleitung/hochmeister|title=Deutscher Orden: Brüder und Schwestern vom Deutschen Haus St. Mariens in Jerusalem|website=www.deutscher-orden.at}}</ref>
| commander2_label = Current Grand Master
| commander3 = 
| commander3_label = 
| notable_commanders = 
}}
{{Campaignbox Teutonic Knights timeline}}

The '''Teutonic Order''' is a [[religious order (Catholic)|Catholic religious institution]] founded as a [[military order (religious society)|military society]] {{circa|1190}} in [[Acre, Israel|Acre]], [[Kingdom of Jerusalem]]. The '''Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem''' was formed to aid [[Christians]] on their [[pilgrimage]]s to the [[Holy Land]] and to establish [[hospital]]s. Its members have commonly been known as the '''Teutonic Knights''', having historically served as a [[crusades|crusading]] military order for supporting Catholic rule in the Holy Land and the [[Northern Crusades]] during the [[Middle Ages]], as well as supplying military protection for Catholics in [[Eastern Europe]].

Purely religious since 1810, the Teutonic Order still confers limited honorary [[knighthood]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zenit.org/it/articles/la-santa-sede-e-gli-ordini-cavallereschi-doverosi-chiarimenti-seconda-parte|title=La Santa Sede e gli Ordini Cavallereschi: doverosi chiarimenti (Seconda parte)|author=Redazione}}</ref> The [[Bailiwick of Utrecht of the Teutonic Order]], a [[Protestant]] [[order of chivalry|chivalric order]], is descended from the same medieval military order and also continues to award knighthoods and perform charitable work.<ref name="Riley-Smith1999">{{cite book|last=Riley-Smith|first=Jonathan Simon Christopher|title=The Oxford History of the Crusades|year=1999|publisher=Oxford University Press|language=en |isbn=978-0192853646|quote=Teutonic knights are still to be found only in another interesting survival, Ridderlijke Duitse Orde Balije van Utrecht (The Bailiwick of Utrecht of the Teutonic Order). Like the Hospitaller Bailiwick of Brandenburg, this commandery turned itself into a noble Protestant confraternity at the time of the Reformation.}}</ref>

==Name==
The name of the Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem<ref>{{cite book |last=Van Duren |first=Peter |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=urBxAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Order+of+The+Teutonic+Knights+of+St.+Mary%27s+Hospital+in+Jerusalem%22 |title=Orders of Knighthood and of Merit |publisher=C. Smythe |year=1995 |isbn=0-86140-371-1 |pages=212}}</ref> is in {{langx|de|Orden der Brüder vom Deutschen Haus der Heiligen Maria in Jerusalem}} and in [[Latin]] {{lang|la|Ordo domus Sanctae Mariae Theutonicorum Hierosolymitanorum}}. Thus the term "Teutonic" echoes the German origins of the order ({{lang|la|Theutonicorum}}) in its Latin name.{{sfn|Innes-Parker|2013|p=102}} German-speakers commonly refer to the {{lang|de|Deutscher Orden}} (official short name, literally "German Order"), historically also as {{lang|de|Deutscher Ritterorden}} ("German Order of Knights"), {{lang|de|Deutschherrenorden}} ("Order of the German Lords"), {{lang|de|Deutschritterorden}} ("Order of the German Knights"), {{lang|de|Marienritter}} ("Knights of [[Mary, mother of Jesus|Mary]]"), {{lang|de|Die Herren im weißen Mantel}} ("The lords in white capes"), ''etc.''.

The Teutonic Knights have been known as {{lang|pl|Zakon Krzyżacki}} in Polish ("Order of the Cross") and as {{lang|lt|Kryžiuočių Ordinas}} in Lithuanian, {{lang|lv|Vācu Ordenis}} in Latvian, {{lang|et|Saksa Ordu}} or, simply, {{lang|et|Ordu}} ("The Order") in Estonian.

<!--This paragraph does not belong here, parts of it could be moved to [[Teutonic Knights in popular culture]] instead, for example:  A manuscript by Karl Marx once characterised the forces of the Order as ''Reitershunde'' – meaning something like a "pack of knights". Russian readers of Marx translated the phrase over-literally as "dog-knights" ({{lang|ru|Псы-рыцари|italic=no}}), which became a widespread, pejorative label for the Order in the Russian language – especially after the 1938 release of [[Sergei Eisenstein]]'s film [[Alexander Nevsky (film)|''Aleksandr Nevskij'']], which fictionalised the Knights' defeat in the [[Battle on the Ice]] of 1242.-->
==History==
[[File:Deutscher Orden in Europa 1300.png|thumb|Extent of the Teutonic Order in 1300]]
[[File:TeutonicOrder1422.png|thumb|Teutonic and Livonian Orders in 1422]]

The [[fraternity]] which preceded the formation of the Order was formed in the year 1191 in [[Acre, Israel]] by German merchants from [[Bremen]] and [[Lübeck]]. After the [[Siege of Acre (1189–1191)|capture of Acre]] they took over a hospital in the city in order to take care of the sick and began to describe themselves as the ''Hospital of St. Mary of the German House in Jerusalem.''<ref>{{Cite web|title=Teutonic Order {{!}} religious order |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Teutonic-Order|access-date=2022-02-17|website=Encyclopedia Britannica |language=en}}</ref> [[Pope Clement III]] approved it and the Order started to play an important role in [[Outremer]] (the general name for the [[Crusader states]]), controlling the port tolls of Acre. In 1211, during the second, much weaker [[Kingdom of Jerusalem#The Kingdom of Acre|Crusader kingdom in the Holy Land]], but still long before its [[Siege of Acre (1291)|final demise in 1291]], the Order was "invited" to the [[Burzenland]] (southeastern [[Transylvania]]) to help defend the southeastern borders of the [[Kingdom of Hungary]] against the [[Kipchak people|Cumans]]. The Order "invited" German planters to help build up settlements to provide support. As the Order pushed back the invaders, the settlements expanded. King [[Andrew II of Hungary]] became concerned he was losing influence. So, in 1225, after Pope Honorius III's papal bull claiming his authority over the Order's territory in Transylvania and its tax exemption toward the king, Andrew expelled the Order.{{sfn|Sterns|1985|pp=361–362}}

The Order's next "assignment}}" {{according to whom|date=November 2025}} concerned [[Konrad I of Masovia]], who was settling a frontier around [[Prussia (region)|Prussia]], a region named for the [[Old Prussians|Prussians]] who lived there. Konrad was unable to stop the Prussian raids and the [[Order of Dobrzyń|Dobrzyń knights]] he had gathered for this purpose were defeated, in 1228. So, in coordination with the Holy Roman Empire and Konrad, the [[Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights|Grand Master]] [[Hermann von Salza]] and his Teutonic Order arrived in the region, in 1230. Along with Konrad's forces, the Order pushed back the Prussians and began to push further to conquer and Christianize them.

Through the [[Golden Bull of Rimini]] and [[Treaty of Kruszwica]], the Order asserted its claims to the territory that was now secure, the [[Chełmno Land]] (also: Ziemia Chełmińska or Kulmerland). From this, the Order created the independent [[State of the Teutonic Order]], to which conquered territory was continuously added. Through the incorporation of the [[Livonian Brothers of the Sword]] and further crusading, the added territory included [[Livonia]]. Over time, certain kings and dukes of Poland would challenge the Order's land claims, specifically Chełmno Land and, later, [[Pomerelia]] (also Pomorze Gdańskie or Vistula Pomerania), [[Kuyavia]], and [[Dobrzyń Land]].{{cn|date=November 2025}}

Following the [[Christianization of Lithuania]], the Order State was no longer crusading.  It was instead recruiting planters from the Holy Roman Empire and a fighting force to augment feudal levies. There were also wars against the [[Kingdom of Poland (1138–1320)|Kingdom of Poland]], the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]], and the [[Novgorod Republic]]. Through its control of port cities and trade, specifically with the [[Hanseatic League]], the Order State built up its economic base. The Order State also built ships and had a naval presence in the [[Baltic Sea]]. In 1410, a Polish-Lithuanian army decisively defeated the Order State and broke its military power at the [[Battle of Grunwald]]. However, the Order State successfully defended its capital in the following [[Siege of Marienburg (1410)|Siege of Marienburg]] ([[Malbork]]) and was saved from collapse.{{cn|date=November 2025}}

In 1515, [[Holy Roman Emperor]] [[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor|Maximilian I]] made a marriage alliance with [[Sigismund I the Old|Sigismund I]] of Poland-Lithuania. Thereafter, the empire did not support the Order against Poland. In 1525, Grand Master [[Albert, Duke of Prussia|Albert of Brandenburg]] resigned and converted to [[Lutheranism]], becoming [[Duke of Prussia]] as a vassal of Poland. Soon after, the Order lost Livonia and its holdings in the Protestant areas of Germany.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.deutscher-orden.de/GB/all_geschichte_start.php#aufstieg | title = History of the German Order | access-date = 2011-01-30 | work = Teutonic Order, Order of the Teutonic Knights of St. Mary's Hospital in Jerusalem | quote = The 15th and early 16th century brought hard times for the Order. Apart from the drastic power loss in the East as of 1466, the Hussite attacks imperiled the continued existence of the bailiwick of Bohemia. In Southern Europe, the Order had to give up important outposts – such as Apulia and Sicily. After the coup d’état of Albrecht von Brandenburg, the only remaining territory of the Order were the bailiwicks located within the empire. | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110718225727/http://www.deutscher-orden.de/GB/all_geschichte_start.php#aufstieg | archive-date = 2011-07-18}}</ref> The Order did keep its considerable holdings in Catholic areas of Germany until 1809, when [[Napoleon I of France|Napoleon Bonaparte]] ordered its dissolution and the Order lost its last secular holdings.

However, the Order continued to exist as a charitable and ceremonial body. It was outlawed by [[Nazi Germany]] in 1938, but re-established in 1945.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.deutscher-orden.de/GB/D_neubeginn.php | title = Restart of the Brother Province in 1945 | access-date = 2011-01-30 | work = Teutonic Order, Order of the Teutonic Knights of St. Mary's Hospital in Jerusalem | publisher = deutscher-orden.de | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110718225753/http://www.deutscher-orden.de/GB/D_neubeginn.php | archive-date = 2011-07-18}}</ref> Today it operates primarily with charitable aims in [[Central Europe]].

The Knights wore white [[surcoat]]s with a black cross. A [[cross pattée]] was sometimes used as their [[coat of arms]]; this emblem was later used for military decoration and insignia by the [[Kingdom of Prussia]] and Germany as the [[Iron Cross]]. The motto of the Order was: "Helfen, Wehren, Heilen" ("Help, Defend, Heal").<ref name="Demel">{{cite book | last1 = Demel | first1 = Bernhard | title = Der Deutsche Orden Einst Und Jetzt: Aufsätze Zu Seiner Mehr Als 800 jahrigen Geschichte | volume = 848 | editor-first = Friedrich |editor-last=Vogel | series = Europäische Hochschulschriften: Geschichte und ihre Hilfswissenschaften | publisher = Peter Lang | year = 1999 | location = Frankfurt-am-Main | page = 80 | isbn = 978-3-631-34999-1}}</ref>

{{Wide image|Marienburg 2004 Panorama.jpg|900px|The Order's [[Malbork Castle|Marienburg Castle]], [[Monastic state of the Teutonic Knights]], now [[Malbork]], Poland}}

=== Foundation 1143-1192===
[[File:Hermann von Salza Painting.jpg|thumb|upright=.8|[[Hermann von Salza]], the fourth Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights (1209–1239)]]
[[File:Reliquary made in Elbing in 1388 for Teutonic komtur Thiele von Lorich, military Trophy of Polish king Wladislaus in 1410.png|thumb|[[Reliquary]] made in [[Elbing]] in 1388 for Teutonic komtur Thiele von Lorich, military trophy of Polish king Wladislaus in 1410.]]

In 1143, [[Pope Celestine II]] ordered the [[Knights Hospitaller]] to take over management of a German hospital in [[Jerusalem]], which, according to the chronicler Jean d'Ypres, accommodated the countless German pilgrims and crusaders who could neither speak the local language nor Latin (''patriæ linguam ignorantibus atque Latinam'').<ref>[[Monumenta Germaniae Historica]], SS Bd. 25, S. 796.</ref> Although formally an institution of the Hospitallers, the pope commanded that the prior and the brothers of the ''domus Theutonicorum'' (house of the Germans) should always be Germans themselves, so a tradition of a German-led religious institution could develop during the 12th century in the [[Kingdom of Jerusalem]].<ref>Kurt Forstreuter. "Der Deutsche Orden am Mittelmeer". ''Quellen und Studien zur Geschichte des Deutschen Ordens, Bd II''. [[Bonn]] 1967, S. 12f.</ref>

After the loss of Jerusalem in 1187, some merchants from [[Lübeck]] and [[Bremen]] took up the idea and founded a field hospital for the duration of the [[Siege of Acre (1189–1191)|Siege of Acre]] in 1190, which became the nucleus of the order; [[Pope Celestine III]] recognized it in 1192 by granting the monks [[Augustinians|Augustinian Rule]]. However, based on the model of the [[Knights Templar]], it was transformed into a military order in 1198 and the head of the order became known as the [[Grand Master of the Teutonic Order|Grand Master]] (''magister hospitalis''). It received papal orders for crusades to take and hold Jerusalem for Christianity and defend the Holy Land against the Muslim [[Saracen]]s. During the rule of Grand Master [[Hermann von Salza]] (1209–1239) the Order changed from being a [[Palliative care|hospice]] brotherhood for pilgrims to primarily a military order.

The Order was founded in Acre, and the Knights purchased [[Montfort Castle]], northeast of Acre, in 1220. This castle, which defended the route between Jerusalem and the [[Mediterranean Sea]], was made the seat of the Grand Masters in 1229, although they returned to Acre after losing Montfort to Muslim control in 1271. The Order received donations of land in the [[Holy Roman Empire]] (especially in present-day Germany and [[Italy]]), [[Frankokratia]], and the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

[[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor]], elevated his close friend [[Hermann von Salza]] to the status of ''[[Fürst|Reichsfürst]]'', or "Prince of the Empire", enabling the Grand Master to negotiate with other senior princes as an equal. During Frederick's coronation as [[King of Jerusalem]] in 1225, Teutonic Knights served as his escort in the [[Church of the Holy Sepulchre]]; von Salza read the emperor's proclamation in both French and [[German language|German]]. However, the Teutonic Knights were never as influential in [[Outremer]] as the older [[Knights Templar]] and [[Knights Hospitaller]].

Teutonic Order domains in 13th century Levant were as follows 
* In the [[Kingdom of Jerusalem]]: 
** [[Montfort Castle]] (''Starkenberg''), 1220–1271; inland from [[Nahariya]] in Northern Israel
** [[Mi'ilya]] (''Castellum Regis''), 1220–1271; near Montfort
** [[Khirbat Jiddin]] (''Judin''), 1220–1271; near Montfort
** [[Cafarlet]], 1255–1291; south of [[Haifa]]
** the [[Toron|Lordship of Toron]] and [[Joscelin III, Count of Edessa|Lordship of Joscelin]] in Northern Israel and Southern Lebanon, both owned by the Teutonic Knights 1220–1229 but under Muslim rule during that period. The Knights retained Maron, a vassal of Toron, after 1229, and in 1261 acquired another Toron-Ahmud, another vassal lordship. They also leased (1256) and bought (1261) the stronghold of [[Achziv]] (''Casale Umberti'', Arabic ''Az-Zīb'') on the coast north of [[Nahariya]]. 
** the Lordship of the [[Chouf District|Schuf]], an offshoot of the [[Lordship of Sidon]], 1256–1268; inland from modern [[Sidon|Saida]] in Lebanon
* In the [[Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia]]: 
** [[Amouda]], 1212–1266; near modern [[Osmaniye]], Turkey
** [[Düziçi]] (''Aronia''), 1236–1270s; near Amouda

=== Transylvania, Kingdom of Hungary, 1211 onward ===
[[File:Codex Manesse Tannhäuser.jpg|thumb|[[Tannhäuser]] in the habit of the Teutonic Knights, from the ''[[Codex Manesse]]'']]

In 1211, [[Andrew II of Hungary]] accepted the services of the Teutonic Knights and granted them the district of [[Burzenland]] in [[Transylvania]], where they would be exempt from fees and duties and could administer their own justice. Andrew had been involved in negotiations for the marriage of his daughter with the son of Hermann, Landgrave of [[Thuringia]], whose vassals included the family of Hermann von Salza. Led by a brother called Theoderich or Dietrich, the Order defended the south-eastern borders of the Kingdom of Hungary against the neighbouring [[Cumans]]. Many forts of wood and mud were built for defence. They settled new German peasants among the existing [[Transylvanian Saxons|Transylvanian Saxon]] inhabitants. The Cumans had no fixed settlements for resistance, and soon the [[Teutons]] were expanding into their territory. By 1220, the Teutonics Knights had built five castles, some of them made of stone. Their rapid expansion made the Hungarian nobility and clergy, who were previously uninterested in those regions, jealous and suspicious. Some nobles claimed these lands, but the Order refused to share them, ignoring the demands of the local bishop.

After the [[Fifth Crusade]], King Andrew returned to Hungary and found his kingdom full of resentment because of the expenses and losses of the failed military campaign. When the nobles demanded that he cancel the concessions made to the Knights, he concluded that they had exceeded their task and that the agreement should be revised, but did not revert the concessions. However, Prince Béla, heir to the throne, was allied with the nobility. In 1224, the Teutonic Knights, seeing that they would have problems when the Prince inherited the Kingdom, petitioned [[Pope Honorius III]] to be placed directly under the authority of the [[Papal See]], rather than that of the King of Hungary. This was a grave mistake, as King Andrew, angered and alarmed at their growing power, responded in 1225 by expelling the Teutonic Knights, although he allowed the ethnically German commoners and peasants settled here by the Order to remain and these became part of the larger group of the Transylvanian Saxons. Lacking the military organization and experience of the Teutonic Knights, the Hungarians failed to replace them with adequate defence against the attacking Cumans. Soon, the steppe warriors would be a threat again.<ref>Urban, p.{{page needed|date=July 2023}}</ref>

===Prussia, 13th century===
{{Main|Prussian Crusade}}
In 1226, [[Konrad I of Masovia|Konrad I]], Duke of [[Masovia]] in [[north-eastern Poland]], appealed to the Knights to defend his borders and subdue the pagan Baltic [[Old Prussians]], allowing the Teutonic Knights use of [[Chełmno Land]] as a base for their campaign. This being a time of widespread crusading fervor throughout Western Europe, Hermann von Salza considered [[Prussia (region)|Prussia]] a good training ground for his knights for the wars against the [[Muslim]]s in [[Outremer]].<ref>Seward, p. 100</ref> With the [[Golden Bull of Rimini]], Emperor Frederick II bestowed on the Order a special imperial privilege for the conquest and possession of Prussia, including Chełmno Land, with nominal papal sovereignty. In 1235 the Teutonic Knights assimilated the smaller [[Order of Dobrzyń]], which had been established earlier by [[Christian of Oliva|Christian]], the first Bishop of Prussia.

[[File:Peter Janssen, Kaiser Friedrich II.jpg|thumb|left|''[[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]] allows the order to invade Prussia'', by [[Peter Janssen|P. Janssen]]]]

The [[conquest of Prussia]] was accomplished with much bloodshed over more than fifty years, during which native Prussians who remained unbaptised were subjugated, killed, or exiled. Fighting between the Knights and the Prussians was ferocious; chronicles of the Order state the Prussians would "roast captured brethren alive in their armour, like chestnuts, before the shrine of a local god".<ref>Seward, p. 104</ref> Their population was already in decline due to the [[Ostsiedlung]]. German peasants, artisans, and merchant settlers were predominantly concentrated in the southern part of the Teutonic State and did not move into the lands of [[Nadruvians|Nadruva]], [[Skalvians|Skalva]], and the southern [[Curonians|Curonian]] mountains until the 18th century. Due to invasions by the army of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Prussians had become completely Germanized by the early to mid-18th century.<ref>{{Cite web |title=kolonizacija |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/kolonizacija/ |access-date=2025-10-14 |website=www.vle.lt |language=lt}}</ref>

The native nobility who submitted to the crusaders had many of their privileges confirmed by the [[Treaty of Christburg]]. After the [[Prussian uprisings]] of 1260–83, however, much of the Prussian nobility emigrated or were resettled, and many free Prussians lost their rights. The Prussian nobles who remained were more closely allied with the German landowners and were gradually assimilated.<ref>Christiansen, pp. 208–209</ref> Peasants in frontier regions, such as [[Sambia Peninsula|Samland]], had more privileges than those in more populated lands, such as [[Pomesania]].<ref>Christiansen, pp. 210–211</ref> The crusading knights often accepted [[baptism]] as a form of submission by the natives.<ref>Barraclough, p. 268</ref> Christianity along western lines slowly spread through Prussian culture. Bishops were reluctant to have pagan Prussian religious practices integrated into the new faith,<ref>Urban, p. 106</ref> while the ruling knights found it easier to govern the natives when they were semi-pagan and lawless.<ref>Christiansen, p. 211</ref> After fifty years of warfare and brutal conquest, the end result was that most of the Prussian natives were either killed or deported.<ref>''The German Hansa'' P. Dollinger, p. 34, 1999 Routledge {{ISBN?}}</ref> The conquest of the [[Sambians]] during the Prussian Crusade was delayed by the First Prussian Uprising which broke out in 1242. The uprising technically ended in 1249 with the signing of the Treaty of Christburg, but skirmishes continued for four more years. Only in 1254–1255 were the knights able to mount a major campaign against the Sambians. King Ottokar II of Bohemia took part in the expedition and as a tribute the knights named the newly founded Königsberg Castle after him.<ref>Simas Sužiedėlis, ed. (1970–1978). "Semba". Encyclopedia Lituanica. Vol. V. Boston, Massachusetts: Juozas Kapočius. pp. 107–108.</ref> The Sambians rose up against the knights during the Great Prussian Uprising (1260–1274), but were the first to surrender. When other clans attempted to revive the uprising in 1276, Theodoric, vogt of Sambia, persuaded the Sambians not to join the insurrection; the [[Natangians]] and [[Warmians]] followed the Sambian example, and the uprising was crushed within a year.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Urban |first=William L. |title=The Prussian Crusade |date=2000 |publisher=Lithuanian Research and Studies Center |others=Lithuanian Research and Studies Center |isbn=978-0-929700-28-1 |edition=2. ed., rev. and enl |location=Chicago, Ill |pages=344–345}}</ref> In 1243, the Bishopric of Samlandia (Sambia) was established as the ecclesiastical administration of the region, as directed by the papal legate [[William of Modena]]. By the end of the 13th century, there were only 22,000 Sambians.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gimbutas |first=Marija |url=http://archive.org/details/GimbutasMarijaTheBaltsEN1963237P. |title=The Balts |year=1963 |pages=173}}</ref>

[[File:Teutonic Order 1260.png|thumb|Map of the Teutonic state in 1260]]

The Order ruled Prussia under [[Golden Bull of Rimini|charters]] issued by the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor as a [[sovereignty|sovereign]] [[monastic state of the Teutonic Knights|monastic state]], comparable to the arrangement of the Knights Hospitallers in [[Rhodes]] and later in [[Malta]].

To make up for losses from the [[Black Death|plague]] and to replace the partially exterminated native population, the Order encouraged [[immigration]] from the Holy Roman Empire (mostly [[Germans]], [[Flemish people|Flemish]], and [[Dutch people|Dutch]]) and from Masovia ([[Polish people|Poles]]), the later [[Masurians]]. These included nobles, burghers, and peasants, and the surviving Old Prussians were gradually assimilated through [[Germanization]]. The settlers founded numerous towns and cities on former Prussian settlements. The Order itself built a number of castles (''[[Ordensburg]]en'') from which it could defeat [[Prussian uprisings|uprisings of Old Prussians]], as well as continue its attacks on the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland, with which the Order was often at war during the 14th and 15th centuries. Major towns founded by the Order included [[Toruń|Thorn (Toruń)]], [[Chełmno|Kulm (Chełmno)]], [[Olsztyn|Allenstein (Olsztyn)]], [[Elbląg|Elbing (Elbląg)]], [[Klaipėda|Memel (Klaipėda)]], and [[Königsberg]], founded in 1255 in honor of King [[Otakar II of Bohemia]] on the site of a destroyed Prussian settlement.

==Livonia, 1237 until 1346 purchase==
{{Main|Livonian Crusade}}
[[File:Paide ordulinnuse varemed 2013.JPG|thumb|Ruins of the Teutonic Order's castle in [[Paide]], Estonia]]

After suffering a devastating defeat in the [[Battle of Saule]], the [[Livonian Brothers of the Sword]] were absorbed by the Teutonic Knights in 1237. The Livonian branch subsequently became known as the [[Livonian Order]].<ref name="Plakans">{{cite book |last1=Plakans |first1=Andrejs |title=A Concise History of the Baltic States |year=2011 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-0521833721 |pages= 44–45 }}</ref>

Although the [[Northern Crusades]] were aimed at pagan [[Balts]] and [[Finns]], rather than Orthodox Russians, several unsuccessful attempts were made to persuade Novgorod to convert to Catholicism after the capture of [[Tartu]].{{sfn|Nicolle|1997|pages=11–15}} Livonian missionary and Crusade activity in Estonia caused conflicts with [[Novgorod Republic|Novgorod]], which had also attempted to subjugate, raid and convert the pagan Estonians.{{sfn|Martin|2007|pages=175–219}} Hoping to exploit Novgorod's weakness in the wake of the Mongol and Swedish invasions, the Teutonic Knights penetrated deep into Novgorodian territory;{{sfn|Martin|2007|pages=175–219}} however, in 1242, they were defeated in the [[Battle of the Ice]] at the hands of Prince [[Alexander Nevsky]]. The ''[[Livonian Rhymed Chronicle]]'' describes the events:{{sfn|Nicolle|1997|pages=60–61}}

{{Blockquote|text=
There is a city in Russia called Novgorod, and when its king [Alexandre] heard what had happened he marched towards Pskov with many troops. He arrived there with a mighty force of many Russians to free the Pskovians and these latter heartily rejoiced. When he saw the Germans he did not hesitate long. They drove away the two Brothers, removed them from their governorship and routed their troops. The Germans fled and allowed the land to revert to the Russians. Thus it went for the Teutonic Knights, but if Pskov had been protected it would have benefited Christianity until the end of the world. It is a mistake to take a fair land and fail to occupy it properly. It is deplorable, for the result is sure to be disastrous. The king of Novgorod then returned home.{{sfn|Nicolle|1997|pages=60–61}}
|source=''Livonian Rhymed Chronicle''
}}

Over the next decades the Order focused on the subjugation of the [[Curonians]] and [[Semigallians]]. In 1260 it suffered a disastrous defeat in the [[Battle of Durbe]] against [[Samogitians]], and this inspired rebellions throughout Prussia and Livonia. After the Knights won a crucial victory in the [[Siege of Königsberg]] from 1262 to 1265, the war had reached a turning point. The Curonians were finally subjugated in 1267 and the Semigallians in 1290.<ref name="Plakans"/> The Order suppressed a [[St. George's Night Uprising|major Estonian rebellion]] in 1343–1345, and in 1346 purchased the [[Danish Estonia#Duchy of Estonia|Duchy of Estonia]] from [[Denmark]].

===Against Lithuania, 1291-1500===
{{main|Lithuanian Crusade}}
[[File:Woodcut arms of Winrich von Kniprode (hand-colored).jpg|thumb|right|[[Coat of arms]] of [[Winrich von Kniprode]], who led the Teutonic Order to victory at the [[Battle of Strėva]]]]
The Teutonic Knights began to direct their campaigns against the pagan [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]] (see [[Lithuanian mythology]]), due to the long existing conflicts in the region (including constant incursions into the Holy Roman Empire's territory by pagan raiding parties) and the lack of a proper area of operation for the Knights, after the fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem at [[Siege of Acre (1291)|Acre in 1291]] and their later expulsion from Hungary.<ref name="SEWARD, 1995">{{cite book |last1=Seward|first1=Desmond |title=The monks of war : the military religious orders |date=1995 |publisher=Penguin Books |location=England |isbn=0140195017 |page=98 |edition=2nd, Rev.|ref=SEWARD, 1995}}</ref> At first the knights moved their headquarters to [[Venice]], from which they planned the recovery of Outremer;<ref>Christiansen, p. 150</ref> this plan was, however, soon abandoned, and the Order later moved its headquarters to Marienburg, so it could better focus its efforts on the region of Prussia. Because "[[Lithuania proper|Lithuania Propria]]" remained non-Christian until the end of the 14th century, much later than the rest of eastern Europe, the conflicts were dragged out over a longer time, and many Knights from western European countries, such as [[England]] and [[France]], journeyed to Prussia to participate in the seasonal campaigns (''reyse'') against the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1348, the Order won a great victory over the Lithuanians in the [[Battle of Strėva]], severely weakening them. In 1370 it won a decisive victory over Lithuania in the [[Battle of Rudau]].

Warfare between the Order and the Lithuanians was particularly brutal. It was common practice for Lithuanians to torture captured enemies and civilians. It is recorded by a Teutonic chronicler that they had the habit of tying captured knights to their horses and having both of them burned alive, while sometimes a stake would be driven into their bodies or the knight would be flayed. Lithuanian pagan customs included ritualistic human sacrifice, the hanging of widows, and the burying of a warrior's horses and servants with him after his death.<ref name="SEWARDm 1995">{{cite book |last1=Seward |first1=Desmond |title=The Monks of War: The Military Religious Orders |date=1995 |publisher=Penguin Books |location=England |isbn=0140195017 |page=100 |edition=2nd, Rev.|ref=SEWARD, 1995}}</ref> The knights would also, on occasion, take captives from defeated Lithuanians, whose condition (as that of other war captives in the Middle Ages) was extensively researched by Jacques Heers.<ref name="HEERS, 1981">{{cite book |last1=Heers |first1=Jacques |title=Esclaves et domestiques au Moyen Age dans le monde méditerranéen |date=1981 |publisher=Fayard |location=France |isbn=2213010943 |edition=|ref=HEERS, 1981}}</ref> The conflict had much influence in the political situation of the region and was the source of many rivalries between Lithuanians or Poles and Germans; the degree to which it impacted the mentalities of the time can be seen in the lyrical works of men such as the contemporary [[Archduchy of Austria|Austrian]] poet [[Peter Suchenwirt]].

Overall, the conflict lasted over 200 years (although with varying degrees of active hostility during that time), its front line extending along both banks of the [[Neman River]], with as many as twenty forts and castles between [[Seredžius]] and [[Jurbarkas]] alone.{{cn|date=November 2025}}

===Battle of Legnica, 1241===
In 1236, the [[Knights of Saint Thomas]], an English order, adopted the rules of the Teutonic Order. A contingent of Teutonic Knights of indeterminate number is traditionally believed to have participated at the [[Battle of Legnica]] in 1241 during the [[first Mongol invasion of Poland]]. The combined Polish-German army was crushed by the Mongol army and their superior tactics, with few survivors.<ref>''The Mongols and the West, 1221–1410'', Peter Jackson, Routledge, New York, 2018, pp. 66–78</ref><ref>''The Rise and Fall of the Second Largest Empire in History'', Thomas Craughwell, Quayside Publishing Group, Massachusetts, 2010, pp. 193–195</ref><ref>''Encyclopedia of Mongolia and the Mongolian Empire'', Christopher Atwood, Indiana Univ. Press, Bloomington, 2004, p. 79</ref>

===Against Poland, 1308-1343===
{{Main|Teutonic takeover of Danzig}}
[[File:Pomerania 14th-15th century (135770289).jpg|thumb|Pomerelia (''Pommerellen'') while part of the [[monastic state of the Teutonic Knights]]]]

A dispute over the claims to [[Pomerelia]] embroiled the Order in further conflict at the beginning of the 14th century. Duke [[Władysław I the Elbow-high]] of Poland wanted the region, citing inheritance from [[Przemysł II]]. He was opposed by some [[Pomerania]]n nobles, but also a [[Christopher II of Denmark|Danish prince]], who supported the Margrave of [[Waldemar, Margrave of Brandenburg-Stendal|Brandenburg]]'s claim that the region had been granted to Brandenburg as a fief by King [[Wenceslaus III of Bohemia|Wenceslaus]]. Forces from Denmark and Brandenburg had tried and failed to take the site in 1301 and 1306 but, in the summer of 1308, Brandenburg's forces tried again, targeting the present-day site of [[Gdańsk]], where a rebellion had erupted in their favor. Władysław pressed the Teutonic Order for help and the Teutonic Knights, led by Grand Master [[Siegfried von Feuchtwangen]], drove Brandenburg out. The Knights requested payment in exchange and Władysław refused.

By November, the Order forces under a Prussian Landmeister [[Heinrich von Plötzke]] took the site for themselves. According to some sources, they [[Teutonic takeover of Danzig (Gdańsk)|massacred the town's inhabitants]], although the exact extent of the violence is unknown and widely recognized by historians to be an unsolvable mystery. The estimates range from 60 rebellious leaders, reported by dignitaries of the region and Knight chroniclers, to 10,000 civilians, a number cited in a papal bull (of dubious provenance) that was used in a legal process installed to punish the Order for the event; the legal dispute went on for a time, but the Order was eventually absolved of the charges. In the [[Treaty of Soldin (1309)|Treaty of Soldin]], the Teutonic Order purchased the castles of Gdańsk, [[Świecie]], and [[Tczew]] and their hinterlands from the margraves for 10,000 marks on 13 September 1309.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The New Cambridge medieval history|url=https://archive.org/details/newcambridgemedi00allm|url-access=limited|date=1995–2005|publisher=Cambridge University Press|author=McKitterick, Rosamond|isbn=0521362911|location=Cambridge [England]|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newcambridgemedi00allm/page/n773 752]|oclc=29184676}}</ref>

Control of Pomerelia allowed the Order to connect their monastic state with the borders of the Holy Roman Empire. Crusading reinforcements and supplies could travel from the Imperial territory of [[Hither Pomerania]] through Pomerelia to Prussia, while Poland's access to the Baltic Sea was blocked. While Poland had mostly been an ally of the knights against the pagan Prussians and Lithuanians, the capture of Pomerelia turned the kingdom into a determined enemy of the Order.<ref>Urban, p. 116</ref>

The capture of Gdańsk marked a new phase in the history of the Teutonic Knights. The persecution and abolition of the powerful Knights Templar, which began in 1307, worried the Teutonic Knights, but control of Pomerelia allowed them to move their headquarters in 1309 from Venice to [[Malbork|Marienburg (Malbork)]] on the [[Nogat River]], outside the reach of secular powers. The position of Prussian Landmeister was merged with that of the Grand Master. The Pope began investigating misconduct by the knights, but no charges were found to have substance. Along with the campaigns against the Lithuanians, the knights faced a vengeful Poland and legal threats from the Papacy.<ref>Christiansen, p. 151</ref>

The [[Treaty of Kalisz (1343)|Treaty of Kalisz of 1343]] ended the open war between the Teutonic Knights and Poland. The Knights relinquished [[Kuyavia]] and [[Dobrzyń Land]] to Poland, but retained [[Chełmno Land]] and Pomerelia with Gdańsk (Germanized as ''Danzig'').

===Height of power, 1337-1407===
[[File:Teutonic Order 1410.png|thumb|Map of the Teutonic state in 1410]]

In 1337, Emperor [[Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Louis IV]] allegedly granted the Order the imperial privilege to conquer all Lithuania and Russia. During the reign of Grand Master [[Winrich von Kniprode]] (1351–1382), the Order reached the peak of its international prestige and hosted numerous European crusaders and nobility.

King [[Albert of Sweden]] ceded [[Gotland]] to the Order as a pledge (similar to a [[fiefdom]]), with the understanding that they would eliminate the pirating [[Victual Brothers]] from this strategic island base in the [[Baltic Sea]]. An invasion force under Grand Master [[Konrad von Jungingen]] conquered the island in 1398 and drove the Victual Brothers out of Gotland and the Baltic Sea.

In 1386, Grand Duke [[Jogaila]] of Lithuania was [[baptism|baptised]] into Christianity and married Queen [[Jadwiga of Poland]], taking the name Władysław II Jagiełło and becoming King of Poland. This created a [[Polish–Lithuanian union|personal union]] between the two countries and a potentially formidable opponent for the Teutonic Knights. The Order initially managed to play Władysław II Jagiełło and his cousin [[Vytautas the Great|Vytautas]] against each other, but this strategy failed when Vytautas began to suspect that the Order was planning to annex parts of his territory.

The baptism of Jogaila began the official conversion of Lithuania to Christianity. Although the crusading rationale for the Order's state ended when Prussia and Lithuania had become officially Christian, the Order's feuds and wars with Lithuania and Poland continued. The [[Lizard Union (medieval)|Lizard Union]] was created in 1397 by Prussian nobles in Chełmno Land to oppose the Order's policy.

In 1407, the Teutonic Order reached its greatest territorial extent and included the lands of [[Prussia (region)|Prussia]], [[Pomerelia]], [[Samogitia]], [[Courland]], [[Livonia]], [[Estonia]], [[Gotland]], [[Hiiumaa|Dagö]], [[Saaremaa|Ösel]], and the [[Neumark]], pawned by Brandenburg in 1402.

===Decline, 1410-1440===
[[File:Jan_Matejko,_Bitwa_pod_Grunwaldem.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Battle of Grunwald]]]]
In 1410, at the [[Battle of Grunwald]] a combined Polish–Lithuanian army, led by [[Władysław II Jagiełło]] and [[Vytautas]], decisively defeated the Order in the [[Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War]]. Grand Master [[Ulrich von Jungingen]] and most (50 out of 60) of the Order's higher dignitaries fell on the battlefield. The Polish–Lithuanian army then began the [[Siege of Marienburg (1410)|Siege of Marienburg]] ([[Malbork]]), the capital of the Order, but was unable to take [[Malbork Castle|Marienburg]] owing to the resistance of [[Heinrich von Plauen]]. When the [[Peace of Thorn (1411)|First Peace of Thorn]] was signed in 1411, the Order managed to retain essentially all of its territories, although the Knights' reputation as invincible warriors was irreparably damaged.

While Poland and Lithuania were growing in power, that of the Teutonic Knights dwindled through infighting. They were forced to impose high taxes to pay a substantial indemnity <!--Previously listed as "£850,000" with conversions into U.S. dollars and euros at 2007 rates, but converting this into other currencies at 2007 exchange rates is more misleading than helpful. What is needed is some idea of what the figure was in the original currency before it was converted into pounds (and pounds as of when?), and of what sort of sum it was in the context of the time.--> but did not give the cities sufficient requested representation in the administration of their state. The authoritarian and reforming Grand Master Heinrich von Plauen was forced from power and replaced by [[Michael Küchmeister von Sternberg]], but the new Grand Master was unable to revive the Order's fortunes. After the [[Gollub War]] the Knights lost some small border regions and renounced all claims to [[Samogitia]] in the 1422 [[Treaty of Melno]]. [[Austrians|Austrian]] and [[Bavarians|Bavarian]] knights feuded with those from the [[Rhineland]], who likewise bickered with [[Low German]]-speaking [[Saxons]], from whose ranks the Grand Master was usually chosen. The western Prussian lands of the [[Vistula]] River Valley and the Brandenburg Neumark were ravaged by the [[Hussite]]s during the [[Hussite Wars]].<ref>Westermann, p. 93</ref> Some Teutonic Knights were sent to battle the invaders but were defeated by the [[Bohemia]]n infantry. The Knights also sustained a defeat in the [[Polish-Teutonic War (1431–1435)]].

[[File:Teutonic Order 1466.png|thumb|left|Map of the Teutonic state in 1466]]

In 1440, the [[Prussian Confederation]] was founded by gentry and burghers of the State of the Teutonic Order. In 1454, it rose up against the Order and asked Polish King [[Casimir IV Jagiellon]] to incorporate the region into the [[Crown of the Kingdom of Poland|Kingdom of Poland]], to which the King agreed and signed an act of incorporation in [[Kraków]].{{sfn|Górski|1949|p=54}} Mayors, burghers and representatives from the region pledged allegiance to the Polish King during the incorporation in March 1454 in [[Kraków]].{{sfn|Górski|1949|pp=71–72}} This marked the beginning of the [[Thirteen Years' War (1454–1466)|Thirteen Years' War]] between the Teutonic Order and Poland. The main cities of the incorporated territory were authorized by Casimir IV to mint Polish coins.{{sfn|Górski|1949|p=63}} Much of Prussia was devastated in the war, during the course of which the Order returned Neumark to Brandenburg in 1455 to raise funds for war. Because Marienburg Castle was handed over to mercenaries in lieu of their pay, and eventually passed to Poland, the Order moved its base to [[Königsberg]] in [[Sambia Peninsula|Sambia]]. In the [[Second Peace of Thorn (1466)]], the defeated Order renounced any claims to the territories of [[Gdańsk Pomerania|Gdańsk/Eastern Pomerania]] and [[Chełmno Land]], which were reintegrated with Poland,{{sfn|Górski|1949|pp=88–90, 206–207}} and the region of Elbląg and Malbork, and the [[Prince-Bishopric of Warmia]], which were also recognized as part of Poland,{{sfn|Górski|1949|pp=91–92, 209–210}} while retaining the eastern territories in historic Prussia, but as a [[fief]] and [[protectorate]] of Poland, also considered an integral part of "one and indivisible" Kingdom of Poland.{{sfn|Górski|1949|pp=96–97, 214–215}} From now on, every Grand Master of the Teutonic Order was obliged to swear an oath of allegiance to the reigning Polish king within six months of taking office.{{sfn|Górski|1949|pp=96–97, 214–215}} The Grand Master became a prince and counselor of the Polish king and the Kingdom of Poland.{{sfn|Górski|1949|pp=96, 103, 214, 221}}
===Ousted from Prussia, after 1519===
After the [[Polish–Teutonic War (1519–1521)]], the Order was completely ousted from Prussia when Grand Master [[Albert I, Duke of Prussia|Albert of Brandenburg]] converted to [[Lutheranism]] in 1525. He secularized the Order's remaining Prussian territories and assumed from his uncle [[Sigismund I the Old]], King of Poland, the hereditary rights to the [[Duchy of Prussia]] as a personal vassal of the Polish Crown, the [[Prussian Homage]]. Ducal Prussia retained its currency, laws and faith. The aristocracy was not present in the Sejm.

Although it had lost control of all of its Prussian lands, the Teutonic Order retained its territories within the [[Holy Roman Empire]] and [[Livonia]], although the Livonian branch retained considerable autonomy. Many of the Imperial possessions were ruined in the [[German Peasants' War]] from 1524 to 1525 and subsequently confiscated by Protestant territorial princes.<ref>Christiansen, p. 248</ref> The Livonian territory was then partitioned by neighboring powers during the [[Livonian War]]; in 1561 the Livonian Master [[Gotthard Kettler]] secularized the southern Livonian possessions of the Order to create the [[Duchy of Courland]], also a vassal of Poland.

After the loss of Prussia in 1525, the Teutonic Knights concentrated on their possessions in the Holy Roman Empire. Since they held no contiguous territory, they developed a three-tiered administrative system: holdings were combined into [[commandry (feudalism)|commanderies]] that were administered by a [[komtur|commander]] (''Komtur''). Several commanderies were combined to form a [[bailiwick]] headed by a ''Landkomtur''. All of the Teutonic Knights' possessions were subordinate to the Grand Master, whose seat was in Bad Mergentheim.

[[File:2005-11-03 Bad Mergentheim Deutschordensschloss Seitenansicht.jpg|thumb|upright=.8|Castle of the Teutonic Order in [[Bad Mergentheim]]]]

There were twelve German bailiwicks:
* [[Thuringia]];
* [[Alden Biesen Castle|Alden Biesen]] (in present-day [[Belgium]]);
* [[Hesse]];
* [[Saxony]];
* [[Westphalia]];
* Franconia;
* Koblenz;
* Alsace-Burgundy;
* [[An der Etsch|An der Etsch und im Gebirge]] (in [[County of Tyrol|Tyrol]]);
* Utrecht;
* Lorraine; and
* Austria.

Outside of German areas were the bailiwicks of
* Sicily;
* Apulia;
* Lombardy;
* Bohemia;
* "Romania" (in [[Greece]]); and
* Armenia-Cyprus.

The Order gradually lost control of these holdings until, by 1809, only the seat of the Grand Master at [[Mergentheim]] remained.

Following the abdication of Albert of Brandenburg, [[Walter von Cronberg]] became ''Deutschmeister'' in 1527, and later Administrator of Prussia and Grand Master in 1530. Emperor [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]] combined the two positions in 1531, creating the title ''Hoch- und Deutschmeister'', which also had the rank of [[Fürst|Prince of the Empire]].<ref>Seward, p. 137</ref> A new Grand Magistery was established in Mergentheim in [[Württemberg]], which was attacked during the German Peasants' War. The Order also helped Charles V against the [[Schmalkaldic League]]. After the [[Peace of Augsburg]] in 1555, membership in the Order was open to Protestants, although the majority of brothers remained Catholic.<ref>Urban, p. 276</ref> The Teutonic Knights became tri-denominational, with Catholic, Lutheran and Reformed bailiwicks.

The Grand Masters, often members of the great German families (and, after 1761, members of the [[House of Habsburg-Lorraine]]), continued to preside over the Order's considerable holdings in Germany. Teutonic Knights from Germany, Austria, and Bohemia were used as battlefield commanders leading mercenaries for the [[Habsburg monarchy]] during the [[Ottoman wars in Europe]].

The military history of the Teutonic Knights was to end in 1805 by the Article XII of the [[Peace of Pressburg (1805)|Peace of Pressburg]], which ordered the German territories of the Knights converted into a hereditary domain and gave the Austrian Emperor responsibility for placing a Habsburg prince on its throne. These terms had not been fulfilled by the time of the [[Treaty of Schönbrunn]] in 1809, and therefore [[Napoleon I of France|Napoleon Bonaparte]] ordered the Knights' remaining territory to be disbursed to his German allies, which was completed in 1810.

== Medieval organization ==

=== Administrative structure about 1350 ===
{{tree chart/start}}
{{tree chart|border=3|boxstyle=background:B9; | | | | | | | Gk ||Gk=<small>''Generalkapitel''</small>|}}
{{tree chart| | | | | | | |!|}}
{{tree chart|border=3|boxstyle=background:B9; | | |RG|~| HO |~|KA
|RG=<small>''Ratsgebietiger''</small>
|HO='''[[Grand Master of the Teutonic Order|''Hochmeister'']]'''[[File:Teuton flag.svg|center|30 px]]
|KA=<small>''Kanzlei des Hochmeisters''</small>|}}
{{tree chart| |,|-|-|-|v|-|+|-|v|-|-|-|v|-|-|.|}}
{{tree chart|border=3|boxstyle=background:#B4CDCD; | Aig | | Phe |!| Lam | | Pha | |Od| |Aig=<span title="Stellvertreter des Hochmeisters">''Großkomtur'' <small>(Magnus Commendator)</small></span>
|Phe=<span title="Oberster Heerführer und Verantwortlicher für die Rüstkammern">''Ordensmarschall'' <small>(Summus Marescalcus)
</small></span>
|Lam=<span title="Spitalwesen und Krankenpflege">''Großspittler'' <small>(Summus Hospitalarius)</small></span>
|Pha=<span title="Finanzwesen und Schatzmeister">''Ordenstressler'' <small>(Summus Thesaurarius)</small></span>
|Od=<span title="Bekleidung und Ausstattung">''Ordenstrappier''<small> (Summus Trappearius)</small></span>}}
{{tree chart| |`|-|-|-|^|-|+|-|^|-|-|-|^|-|-|'|}}
{{tree chart| | |,|-|-|-|-|+|-|-|-|-|.|}}
{{tree chart|border=2|boxstyle=background:#EEEED1;| | |!| |GM|+|GK| |!|GM= <span title="Besonderer Handelsbeauftragter des Ordens ">''Großschäffer''</span> <small>(Marienburg)</small>|GK=<span title="Besonderer Handelsbeauftragter des Ordens ">''Großschäffer''</span> <small>(Königsberg)</small>}}
{{tree chart| | |!| | |,|-|^|~|7| | |!|}}
{{tree chart|border=2|boxstyle=background:#E0FFFF;| | |!| |K1| |K2| |!|K1= <span title="Leiter einer Kommende des Ordens in Preußen">Komtur</span> <small>''(Preußen)''</small>|K2= <span title="Leiter einer Kommende des Ordens in Preußen">Komtur</span> <small>''(Preußen)''</small>}}
{{tree chart| | |!| | | | | | | | | |!|}}
{{tree chart|border=3|boxstyle=background:#D1EEEE; | | Aig | | | | | | | | Lam | Aig=''Deutschmeister'' <small>(Magister Germaniae) </small>|Phe=''Landmeister in Livland'' <small>(Magister Livoniae)</small>|Lam=''Landmeister in Livland'' <small>(Magister Livoniae)</small>}}
{{tree chart| | |!| | | | | | | |,|-|^|~|7|}}
{{tree chart|border=2|boxstyle=background:#E0FFFF;| | |!| | | | | | | KO | | KO |KO=<span title="Leiter einer Kommende des Ordens in Livland">Komtur</span><small>'' (Livland)''</small>}}
{{tree chart| |,|^|~|~|7| | | | | | |}}
{{tree chart|border=2|boxstyle=background:#D1EEEE; | LE | | LE | | | | | | | | LE=<span title="Leiter einer Ballei des Ordens im Reich">Landkomtur</span>| KO=Komtur}}
{{tree chart| |)|~|~|~|7| |}}
{{tree chart|border=2|boxstyle=background:#E0FFFF; | KO | | KO |KO= <span title="Leiter einer Kommende des Ordens im Reich">Komtur</span><small>'' (in the Holy Empire)''</small>}}
{{tree chart| |)|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|.|}}
{{tree chart|border=1|boxstyle=background:#E0FFFF;| HA | | PF | | VE |HA=<span title="Bevollmächtigter des Komturs im Alltag"><small>Hauskomtur</small></span> | PF=<span title="Verwaltung einer Liègenschaft"><small>Pfleger</small></span> | VE=<span title="Verwaltung verstreuter Landgüter"><small>Vogt</small></span>}}
{{tree chart| |)|-|-|v|i|-|v|-|i|v|-|-|v|-|-|v|-|-|.|}}
{{tree chart|border=1|boxstyle=background:#D;|Ka|Tr|Ke|Kü|Wa|Ge|Fi| Ka=<small>Karwansherr</small> | Kü=<small>Küchenmeister</small> | Ke=<small>Kellermeister</small> | Tr=<small>Trappierer</small>|| Wa=<small>Wachhauptmann</small>| Ge=<small>Gesindemeister</small> |Fi=<small>Fischmeister</small>}}
{{tree chart/end}}
<ref name="DZ166">Dieter Zimmerling: ''Der Deutsche Orden'', S. 166 ff.</ref><ref name="DOS">{{cite web| url = http://www.ordensstaat.de/orden/sr.htm| title = Der Deutschordensstaat}}</ref>

=== Universal leadership ===

==== Generalkapitel ====
The ''Generalkapitel'' (general chapter) was the collection of all the priests, knights and half-brothers ({{langx|de|Halbbrüder|link=no}}). Because of the logistical problems in assembling the members, who were spread over large distances, only deputations of the [[bailiwick]]s and [[Commandry (feudalism)|commandries]] gathered to form the General chapter. The General chapter was designed to meet annually, but the conventions were usually limited to the election of a new Grandmaster. The decisions of the ''Generalkapitel'' had a binding effect on the ''Großgebietigers'' of the order.

==== Hochmeister ====
{{main|Grand Master of the Teutonic Order}}
The ''Hochmeister'' ([[Grand master (order)|Grand Master]]) was the highest officer of the order. Until 1525, he was elected by the ''Generalkapitel''. He had the rank of the ruler of an ecclesiastic [[imperial state]] and was sovereign prince of Prussia until 1466. Despite this high formal position, in practice, he was only a kind of [[Primus inter pares|first among equals]].

==== Großgebietige ====
The ''Großgebietige'' were high officers with competence on the whole order, appointed by the ''Hochmeister''. There were five offices.

* The ''Großkomtur'' (''Magnus Commendator''), the deputy of the Grandmaster
* The ''Treßler'', the treasurer
* The ''Spitler'' (''Summus Hospitalarius''), responsible for all hospital affairs
* The ''Trapier'', responsible for dressing and armament
* The ''Marschall'' (''Summus Marescalcus''), the chief of military affairs

=== National leadership ===

==== Landmeister ====
The order was divided into three national chapters, [[Prussia]], [[Livonia]] and the territory of the [[Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation]]. The highest officer of each chapter was the ''Landmeister'' (country master). They were elected by the regional chapters. In the beginning, they were only substitutes of the Grandmaster but were able to create a power of their own so that, within their territory, the Grandmaster could not decide against their will. At the end of their rule over Prussia, the Grandmaster was only ''Landmeister'' of Prussia. There were three Landmeisters:
*The ''[[Landmeister in Livland]]'', the successor of the ''Herrenmeister'' (lords master) of the former [[Livonian Brothers of the Sword]].
*The ''[[Landmeister of Prussia]]'', after 1309 united with the office of the Grandmaster, who was situated in Prussia from then.
*The ''Deutschmeister'', the ''Landsmeister'' of the Holy Roman Empire. When Prussia and Livland were lost, the ''Deutschmeister'' also became Grandmaster.

==== Regional leadership ====
Because the properties of the order within the rule of the ''Deutschmeister'' did not form a contiguous territory, but were spread over the whole empire and parts of Europe, there was an additional regional structure, the bailiwick. ''Kammerballeien'' ("Chamber Bailiwicks") were governed by the Grandmaster himself. Some of these bailiwicks had the rank of imperial states:<ref>{{cite book |last=Militzer |first=Klaus|date=2012 |title=Die Geschichte des Deutschen Ordens (2. Aufl.)|location=Stuttgart|publisher=Kohlhammer|isbn=978-3-17-022263-2}}</ref>
* Bailiwick of [[Thuringia]] (Seat: [[Zwätzen]])
* Bailiwick of [[Hesse]]. (Seat: [[Marburg]])
* Bailiwick of [[Saxony|Saxonia]] (Seat: Elmsburg from 1221 until 1260 moved to Lucklum)
* Brandenburg
* Bailiwick of [[Westphalia]] (Seat: [[Mülheim]])
* Bailiwick of [[Franconia]]. (Seat: [[Ellingen]])
* Chamber Bailiwick of [[Koblenz]]
* Bailiwick of [[Swabia]]-[[Alsace]]-[[Burgundy (region)|Burgundy]]. (Seat: [[Rouffach]] (1235-1245), Beuggen Castle (1288-1455), [[Altshausen]] (1455-1806))
* Bailiwick at the [[Adige|Etsch]] and in the Mountains ([[South Tyrol]]). (Seat: [[Bolzano]])
* Bailiwick of [[Utrecht]]
* Bailiwick of [[Lotharingia|Lorraine]] (Seat: [[Trier]])
* Bailiwick of [[France]]
* Bailiwick of [[Spain]]
* Chamber Bailiwick of [[Austria]]. (Seat: [[Vienna]])
* Bailiwick of [[Alden Biesen Castle|Alden Biesen]]
* Bailiwick of [[Sicily]]
* Bailiwick of [[Apulia]]. (Seat: [[Brindisi]] (?-1233), [[Barletta]] (1233-1350), [[Siponto|San Leonardo di Siponto]] (1350-1483))
* Bailiwick of Central Italy
* Bailiwick of [[Lombardy]] (also called Lamparten)
* Chamber Bailiwick of [[Bohemia]]
* Bailiwick of Romania (Greece)
* Bailiwick of [[Cilician Armenia|Armenia]] (including [[Cyprus]])

=== Local leadership ===

==== Komtur ====
The smallest administrative unit of the order was the [[Kommende]]. It was ruled by a [[Komtur]], who had all administrative rights and controlled the ''Vogteien'' (district of a reeve) and ''Zehnthöfe'' (tithe collectors) within his rule. In the commandry, all kinds of brothers lived together in a monastic way. Noblemen served as Knight-brothers or Priest-brothers. Other people could serve as Sariantbrothers, who were armed soldiers, and as Half-brothers, who were working in the economy and healthcare.

==== Special offices ====
* The ''Kanzler'' (chancellor) of the Grandmaster and the Deutschmeister. The chancellor took care of the keys and seals and was also the recording clerk of the chapter.
* The ''Münzmeister'' (master of the mint) of Thorn. In 1226, the order received the right to produce its own coins – the ''Moneta Dominorum Prussiae''&nbsp;– Schillingen. Customary laws for coinage did not come about until the Kulm laws of 1233 were written. And the first coins were not minted until late 1234 or early 1235. 
* The ''Pfundmeister'' (customs master) of Danzig. The ''Pfund'' was a local customs duty.
* The ''Generalprokurator'' the representative of the order at the [[Holy See]].
* The ''Großschäffer'', a trading representative with special authority.

== Modern organization ==
=== Evolution and reconfiguration as a Catholic religious order ===
The [[Catholic]] order continued to exist in the various territories ruled by the [[Austrian Empire]], out of Napoleon's reach. From 1804 the Order was headed by members of the [[Habsburg]] dynasty.

The collapse of the Habsburg monarchy and the Empire it governed in Austria, the Italian Tyrol, Bohemia and the Balkans brought a shattering crisis to the Order. While in the new Austrian Republic, the Order seemed to have some hope of survival, in the other former parts of the Habsburg territories, the tendency was to regard the Order as an honorary chivalric Order of the [[House of Habsburg]]. The consequence of this risked being the confiscation of the Order's property as belongings of the House of Habsburg. So as to make the distinction clearer, in 1923 the then High Master, [[Archduke Eugen of Austria|Field Marshal Eugen of Austria-Teschen, Archduke of Austria]], a member of the House of Habsburg and an active army commander before and during the First World War, had one of the Order's priests, Norbert Klein, at the time Bishop of Brno (Brünn) elected his Coadjutor and then abdicated, leaving the Bishop as High Master of the Order.

As a result of this move, by 1928 the now-independent former Habsburg territories all recognized the Order as a [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] [[religious order]]. The Order itself introduced a new Rule, approved by Pope Pius XI in 1929, according to which the government of the Order would in the future be in the hands of a priest of the Order, as would its constituent provinces, while the women religious of the Order would have women superiors. In 1936 the situation of the women religious was further clarified and the Congregation of the Sisters of the Order was given as their supreme moderator the High Master of the Order, the Sisters also having representation at the Order's general chapter.

This completed the transformation of what remained in the Catholic Church of the Teutonic knights into a [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] [[religious order]] now renamed simply the ''Deutscher Orden'' ("German Order").<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cartwright |first=Mark |title=Teutonic Knight |url=https://www.worldhistory.org/Teutonic_Knight/ |access-date=2023-06-10 |website=World History Encyclopedia |date=11 July 2018 |language=en}}</ref> However, further difficulties were in store.

The Fascist rule in Italy, which since the end of the First World War had absorbed the Southern Tyrol, was not a propitious setting, but following the end of hostilities, a now democratic Italy provided normalized conditions. In 1947, Austria legally abolished the measures taken against the Order and restored confiscated property. Despite being hampered by the Communist regimes in Yugoslavia and in Czechoslovakia, the Order was now broadly in a position to take up activities in accordance with elements of its tradition, including care for the sick, for the elderly, for children, including work in education, in parishes and in its own internal houses of study. In 1957 a residence was established in Rome for the Order's Procurator General to the Holy See, to serve also as a pilgrim hostel. Conditions in Czechoslovakia gradually improved and in the meanwhile, the forced exile of some members of the Order led to the Order's re-establishing itself with some modest, but historically significant, foundations in Germany. The Sisters, in particular, gained several footholds, including specialist schools and care of the poor and in 1953 the former house of Augustinian Canons, St. Nikola, in Passau became the Sisters' Motherhouse. Although the reconstruction represented by the reformed Rule of 1929 had set aside categories such as the knights, over time the spontaneous involvement of laypeople in the Order's apostolates has led to their revival in a modernized form, a development formalized by [[Pope Paul VI]] in 1965.

With the official title of "Brethren of the German House of St Mary in Jerusalem", the Order today is unambiguously a [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] [[religious order]], though sui generis. Various features of its life and activities recall those of monastic and mendicant orders. At its core are priests who make a solemn religious profession, along with lay brothers who make a perpetual simple profession. Also part of the Order are the Sisters, with internal self-government within their own structures but with representation in the Order's General Chapter. Their ultimate superior is the High Master of the Order. The approximately 100 [[Catholic priest]]s and 200 [[nun]]s of the Order are divided into five provinces, namely, Austria-Italy,<ref>{{Cite web |last=katholisch.at |title=Deutscher Orden fusionierte Provinzen für Österreich und Italien |url=https://www.katholisch.at/aktuelles/149272/deutscher-orden-fusionierte-provinzen-fuer-sterreich-und-italien |access-date=2025-05-11 |website=www.katholisch.at |language=de}}</ref> Slovenia, Germany, Czech Republic and Slovakia. While the priests predominantly provide spiritual guidance, the nuns primarily care for the ill and the aged. Many of the priests care for German-speaking communities outside of Germany and Austria, especially in Italy and Slovenia; in this sense, the Teutonic Order has returned to its 12th-century roots: the spiritual and physical care of Germans in foreign lands.<ref>Urban, p. 277</ref>

There is an Institute of "Familiares", most of whom are laypeople, and who are attached by spiritual bonds to the Order but do not take vows. The "Familiares" are grouped especially into the bailiwicks of Germany, Austria, Southern Tyrol, Ad Tiberim (Rome), and the bailiwick of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, as also in the independent commandry of Alden Biesen in Belgium, though others are dispersed throughout the world. Overall, there are in recent years some 700.

By the end of the 20th century, then, this religious Order had developed into a [[charitable organization]] and established numerous clinics, as well as sponsoring excavation and tourism projects in [[Israel]]. In 2000, the German chapter of the Teutonic Order declared bankruptcy, and its upper management was dismissed; an investigation by a special committee of the [[Landtag of Bavaria|Bavarian parliament]] in 2002 and 2003 to determine the cause was inconclusive.

The current [[Abbot]] General of the Order, who also holds the title of High Master, is Father [[Frank Bayard]]. The current seat of the High Master is the ''[[Church of the Teutonic Order, Vienna|Church of the German Order]]'' ("Deutschordenskirche") in [[Vienna]]. Near the [[Stephansdom|St Stephen's Cathedral]] ("Stephansdom") in the Austrian capital is the Treasury of the Teutonic Order, which is open to the public, and the Order's central archive. Since 1996, there has also been a museum dedicated to the Teutonic Knights at [[Mergentheim Palace|their former castle]] in [[Bad Mergentheim]] in Germany, which was the seat of the High Master from 1525 to 1809.

==== Honorary Knights ====
{{Infobox order
| name            = Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem
| title           = 
| image           = [[File:CoA Teutonic Order.svg|150px]]
| caption         = [[Coat of arms]] of the order
| image2          = [[Image:Teutonic Order BAR.svg|85px]]
| caption2        = [[Ribbon bar]]
| awarded_by      = [[Pope]] {{incumbent pope}}
| type            = [[Dynastic order|Dynasty]] [[order of chivalry]]
| country         = {{flag|Holy See}}
| house           = 
| religion        = [[Catholic Church]]
| classes         = <!-- Default:classes, or use: grades -->
| ribbon          = {{color box|black}} Black
| motto           = Helfen, Wehren, Heilen
| eligibility     = 
| for             = 
| status          = 
| first head      = 
| head_title      = [[Grand Master (order)|Grand Master]]
| head            = [[Frank Bayard]]
| head2_title     = 
| head2           = 
| grades          = {{plainlist}}Honorary Knight{{endplainlist}}
| post-nominals   = 
| former_grades   = 
| established     = 1190
| first_induction = 
| last_induction  = 
| total           = 11?
| higher          = [[Sovereign Military Order of Malta]]
| same            = 
| lower           = [[Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice]]
| related         = 
| individual      = 
}}

Honorary Knights of the Teutonic Order have included:
* [[Konrad Adenauer]]
* [[Udo Arnold]]
* [[Franz Josef II]]
* [[Rudolf Graber]]
* [[Otto von Habsburg]]
* [[Karl Habsburg-Lothringen]]
* [[Joachim Meisner]]
* [[Eduard Gaston Pöttickh von Pettenegg]]
* [[Eduard Schick]]
* [[Christoph Schönborn]]
* [[Carl Herzog von Württemberg]]

=== Protestant Bailiwick of Utrecht ===
A portion of the Order retains more of the character of the knights during the height of its power and prestige. Der ''Balije van Utrecht'' ("[[Bailiwick of Utrecht]]") of the ''Ridderlijke Duitsche Orde'' ("Chivalric German [i.e., 'Teutonic'] Order") became [[Protestantism|Protestant]] at the [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation]], and it remained an aristocratic society. The relationship of the Bailiwick of Utrecht to the Catholic ''Deutscher Orden'' resembles that of the Protestant [[Order of Saint John (Bailiwick of Brandenburg)|Bailiwick of Brandenburg]] to the Catholic [[Order of Malta]]: each is an authentic part of its original order, though differing from and smaller than the Catholic branch.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.ridderlijkeduitscheorde.nl/| title = Official website of the Bailiwick of Utrecht, accessed March 15, 2010}}</ref>

== Insignia {{anchor|coat of arms}} ==
The Knights wore white surcoats with a black cross, granted by [[Pope Innocent III|Innocent III]] in 1205. A [[cross pattée]] was sometimes used.{{year needed|date=February 2015}} The coat of arms representing the grandmaster (''Hochmeisterwappen'')<ref>The offices of ''Hochmeister'' (grandmaster, head of the order) and ''Deutschmeister'' (''Magister Germaniae'') were united in 1525. The title of ''Magister Germaniae'' had been introduced in 1219 as the head of the bailiwicks in the Holy Roman Empire, from 1381 also those in Italy, raised to the rank of a prince of the Holy Roman Empire in 1494, but merged with the office of grandmaster under Walter von Cronberg in 1525, from which time the head of the order had the title of ''Hoch- und Deutschmeister''. [http://www.dr-bernhard-peter.de/Heraldik/Galerien2/galerie1533.htm Bernhard Peter (2011)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923220548/http://www.dr-bernhard-peter.de/Heraldik/Galerien2 |date=23 September 2015 }}</ref> is shown with a golden [[cross fleury]] or [[cross potent]] superimposed on the black cross, with the [[Reichsadler|imperial eagle]] as a central inescutcheon. The golden cross fleury overlaid on the black cross became widely used in the 15th century. A legendary account attributes its introduction to [[Louis IX of France]], who is said to have granted the master of the order this cross as a variation of the [[Jerusalem cross]], with the [[fleur-de-lis]] symbol attached to each arm, [[Seventh Crusade|in 1250]]. While this legendary account cannot be traced back further than the early modern period (Christoph Hartknoch, 1684), there is some evidence that the design does indeed date to the mid 13th century.<ref>Helmut Nickel, "Über das Hochmeisterwappen des Deutschen Ordens im Heiligen Lande", ''Der Herold'' 4/1990, 97–108 ([http://www.mgh-bibliothek.de/dokumente/b/b038670.pdf mgh-bibliothek.de]). Marie-Luise Heckmann, "Überlegungen zu einem heraldischen Repertorium an Hand der Hochmeisterwappen des Deutschen Ordens" in: Matthias Thumser, Janusz Tandecki, Dieter Heckmann (eds.) ''Edition deutschsprachiger Quellen aus dem Ostseeraum (14.–16. Jahrhundert)'', Publikationen des Deutsch-Polnischen Gesprächskreises für Quellenedition. Publikacje Niemiecko-Polskiej Grupy Dyskusyjnej do Spraw Edycij Zrodel 1, 2001, 315–346 ([https://www.hs-augsburg.de/~harsch/germanica/Chronologie/14Jh/GoldeneBulle/Wappen.htm online edition]). "Die zeitgenössische Überlieferung verdeutlicht für dieses Wappen hingegen einen anderen Werdegang. Der Modelstein eines Schildmachers, der unter Hermann von Salza zwischen 1229 und 1266 auf der Starkenburg ([[Montfort Castle|Montfort]]) im Heiligen Land tätig war, und ein rekonstruiertes Deckengemälde in der Burgkapelle derselben Festung erlaubten der Forschung den Schluss, dass sich die Hochmeister schon im 13. Jahrhundert eines eigenen Wappens bedient hätten. Es zeigte ein auf das schwarze Ordenskreuz aufgelegtes goldenes Lilienkreuz mit dem bekannten Adlerschildchen. Die Wappensiegel des Elbinger Komturs von 1310 bzw. 1319, ein heute in Innsbruck aufbewahrter Vortrageschild des Hochmeisters Karl von Trier von etwa 1320 und das schlecht erhaltene Sekretsiegel desselben Hochmeisters von 1323 sind ebenfalls jeweils mit aufgelegtem goldenem Lilienkreuz ausgestattet."</ref>

The black cross pattée was later used for military decoration and insignia by the [[Kingdom of Prussia]] and Germany as the [[Iron Cross]].

The motto of the Order is "Helfen, Wehren, Heilen" ("to help, to defend, to heal").{{year needed|date=February 2015}}<ref name="Demel"/>

<gallery>
File:Stamp of the Teutonic Knights, 14th century.jpg|14th-century brass stamp with the shield insignia.
File:Wappen 1594 BSB cod icon 326 030 crop.jpg| In the 16th century, officers of the order would quarter their family arms with the order's arms.<ref>In this example (dated 1594), Hugo Dietrich von Hohenlandenberg, [[Komtur|commander]] of the bailiwick of Swabia-Alsace-Burgundy, shows his [[Landenberg]] family arms quartered with the order's black cross.</ref>
File:Deutschmeisterwappen mergentheim.jpg| Example of the ''Deutschmeisterwappen'' on the gate of the [[Bad Mergentheim]] residence
File:CoA - Bruntal Castle.jpg| Coat of arms of [[Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine]], Grand Master from 1761 to 1780.
File:Hermann Brommer Orden.jpg|Modern (20th century) medal
File:Grabesritter bei der Liboriprozession.jpg|[[Procession]] in honour of Saint [[Liborius of Le Mans]] with [[Knights of the Holy Sepulchre]] together with Teutonic Knights in [[Paderborn]], Germany.
</gallery>

== Influence on German and Polish nationalism and Soviet patriotism ==
{{Image frame|width=280|content={{Image array
| perrow = 2
| width = 140
| height = 140
| border-width = 2
| image1 = German National People's Party Poster Teutonic Knights (1920).jpg | caption1 = {{note|Alpha|α}} A [[German National People's Party]] poster from 1920 showing a Teutonic knight being attacked by Poles and socialists. The caption reads "Rescue the East".
| image2 = Flag of the State of the Teutonic Order.svg | caption2 = The [[State of the Teutonic Order]] (whose flag is shown here) greatly influenced the history of Prussia, which became the dominant German state and the source for most of the new war ensign's visual elements.
| image3 = Panzer unter Fahnen (Tanks under flags).jpg | caption3 = {{note label|Beta|β}} A Nazi propaganda poster in the Belarussian language. It shows the image of a tank under the Nazi flag.
| image4 = War Ensign of Germany 1935-1938.svg | caption4 = 1935–1938 war ensign
| image5 = War Ensign of Germany (1938–1945).svg | caption5 = 1938–1945 war ensign
}}}}

The German historian [[Heinrich von Treitschke]] used imagery of the Teutonic Knights, a [[Germanic Myth|Germanic myth]], to promote pro-German and [[Anti-Polish sentiment|anti-Polish rhetoric]]. Many middle-class German nationalists adopted this imagery and its symbols. During the [[Weimar Republic]], associations and organisations of this nature contributed to laying the groundwork for the formation of Nazi Germany.<ref name="Mowia">{{in lang|pl}} ''Mówią wieki''. "[http://www.historia.terramail.pl/prasa/mowia_wieki_-_biala_legenda_czarnego_krzyza.pdf Biała leganda czarnego krzyża] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227130154/http://www.historia.terramail.pl/prasa/mowia_wieki_-_biala_legenda_czarnego_krzyza.pdf |date=2008-02-27 }}". Accessed 6 June 2006.</ref>

An organization predating the [[Nazi Party]] itself,{{ref|Alpha|α}} as well as [[Bund Deutscher Osten|Nazi-supported]] preceding<ref>{{cite web | url=https://digitalcollections.hoover.org/objects/14067/polen-tschechoslovakei-bund-deutscher-osten | title=Polen, Tschecho-Slovakei. Bund Deutscher Osten... (1938?) | author=Digital Collections, Hoover Institution Library & Archives | accessdate=2024-06-15 | publisher=Hoover Institution Library & Archives}}</ref> and [[Nazi propaganda|Nazi]] preceding<ref>{{cite book
	| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=1ymC_kb-_WcC&q=finally%2C+at+marienberg&pg=RA1-PA1922
	| title = Education in Nazi Germany
	| last = Berg
	| first = Lisa
	| date = 2010
	| publisher = Oxford
	| isbn = 978-1-84788-764-1
	| access-date = 2024-06-15
	| quote = Finally, at Marienburg, the students were to learn about [...] the need for 'living space'. [...] A contemporary foreign reporter commented on this: 'The young men are told that they form a Nordic Crusading Order [...]'
}}</ref> and during{{ref label|Beta|β}} [[World War II]] propaganda made use of the Teutonic Knights' imagery, with the common goal of instilling the importance of {{lang|de|Lebensraum}} for the future of Germany and the German people.<ref>{{Cite web |year=1940 |editor-last=Fritz Bennecke |title=You and Your People (''Volk'') |url=https://research.calvin.edu/german-propaganda-archive/du.htm |website=Vom deutschen Volk und seinem Lebensraum, Handbuch für die Schulung in der HJ |publisher=Franz Eher, 1937 |language=de |location=Munich}}</ref> According to medieval historian [[Eric Christiansen|Erik Christiansen]], "[[Heinrich Himmler|Himmler]]'s plan to mould the [[Schutzstaffel|SS]] as a reincarnation of [The Teutonic Order] proved [...] the irresistible strength of bad history."<ref>Christiansen, p. 5</ref> Though gradually taking hold ever since with one of [[Prince Adalbert of Prussia (1811–1873)|Prince Adalbert of Prussia]]'s 1849 proposals, after a lull during the Weimar Republic, whereupon it reverted to a simple tricolor overlaid with an [[Iron Cross]] (though itself also derivative), a version of Germany's [[Reichskriegsflagge]] (war ensign){{ref label|Beta|β}} emerged more closely resembling The State of the Teutonic Order's cross's original shape with a circle-overlaid [[balkenkreuz]]. Hitler based his [[German Order (distinction)|German Order]] on the Teutonic Order, while especially the Hochmeister's ceremonial regalia, also the Marian Cross of the Teutonic Order, the [[Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross]] and of the cross of the Knight of Justice of the [[Order of St. John (Bailiwick of Brandenburg)]].<ref>{{cite book | last = Angolia | first = John | title = For Führer and Fatherland: Political & Civil Awards of the Third Reich | publisher = R. James Bender Publishing | year = 1989 | page = 224| isbn = 978-0912138169 }}</ref>

After Hitler approved the ''[[Generalplan Ost]]'' (GPO), [[Germanisation|Germanization]] campaigns were extolled as the modern adaptation of what it portrayed as "[[civilizing mission]]s" of the Teutonic Order.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Longerich |first1=Peter |title=Heinrich Himmler: A Life |date=2012 |publisher=OUP Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-959232-6 |pages=527–530, 577–580|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GBQchepZ-7EC |language=en}}</ref>
Yet, despite these references to the Teutonic Order's history in Nazi propaganda, the Order itself was abolished in 1938 and its members were persecuted by the German authorities. This occurred mostly due to Hitler's and Himmler's belief that, throughout history, Catholic military-religious orders had been tools of the Holy See and as such constituted a threat to the Nazi regime.<ref>Desmond Seward, ''Mnisi Wojny'', Poznań 2005, p. 265.</ref>

The converse was true for Polish [[nationalism]], for example ''[[The Knights of the Cross]]'' by [[Henryk Sienkiewicz]], which used the Teutonic Knights as symbolic shorthand for Germans in general, conflating the two into an easily recognisable image of the hostile. After the [[Battle of Grunwald]], the Teutonic Order was portrayed as the medieval forerunners of Hitler's armies.<ref>{{cite book |last=Johnson |first=Lonnie |title=Central Europe: Enemies, Neighbors, Friends |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e_m13Hk3AFEC&pg=PA43 |page=43|publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-19-510071-6 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | first=Norman |last=Davies |author-link=Norman Davies |title=God's Playground. A History of Poland. The Origins to 1795 |volume=I |edition=Revised |page=99|publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-19-925339-5 }}</ref>

In the [[Soviet Union]], the image of [[Alexander Nevsky]] became a national symbol of the struggle against German occupation during World War II, and many Soviet historians portrayed him as a Russian bastion against both German and papal aggression.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fennell |first1=John |title=The Crisis of Medieval Russia 1200-1304 |date=13 October 2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-87313-6 |page=106 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aWWuBAAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref> The government sought historical continuity by referring to the Soviet struggle as the [[Great Patriotic War]].<ref name="Haughton"/> The [[Order of Alexander Nevsky]] was re-established in 1942 by the Soviet government during the war, which would be awarded to servicemen in the Soviet army.<ref name="Haughton">{{cite book |last1=Haughton |first1=Tim |title=Aftermath: Legacies and Memories of War in Europe, 1918–1945–1989 |date=23 March 2016 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-18391-4 |page=175 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uNLOCwAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref> The 1938 film ''[[Alexander Nevsky (film)|Alexander Nevsky]]'' by [[Sergei Eisenstein]], which depicts the [[Battle on the Ice]], was re-released in 1941 following the German invasion.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Harty |first1=Kevin J. |title=The Reel Middle Ages: American, Western and Eastern European, Middle Eastern and Asian Films About Medieval Europe |date=13 August 2015 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-0843-3 |page=16 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ow5eCgAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref> [[Joseph Stalin]] used the film to mobilize feelings of Russian patriotism.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Donskis |first1=L. |title=Troubled Identity and the Modern World |date=25 May 2009 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-0-230-62173-2 |page=83 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kgHIAAAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Prussian virtues]]
* [[Teutonic Knights in popular culture]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book|last=Christiansen|first=Erik|title=The Northern Crusades|year=1997|publisher=Penguin Books|location=London|pages=[https://archive.org/details/northerncrusades00eric/page/287 287]|isbn=0-14-026653-4|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/northerncrusades00eric/page/287}}
*{{Cite book|last=Górski|first=Karol|title=Związek Pruski i poddanie się Prus Polsce: zbiór tekstów źródłowych|year=1949|publisher=Instytut Zachodni|location=Poznań|language=pl,la}}
*{{cite book|last=Innes-Parker|first=Catherine|title=Anchoritism in the Middle Ages: Texts and Traditions|year=2013|publisher=University of Wales Press|location=Cardiff|pages=256|isbn=978-0-7083-2601-5}}
* {{Cite book |last=Martin |first=Janet |title=Medieval Russia, 980–1584 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2007 |isbn=9780511811074 |pages=175–219}}
* {{cite book |last1=Nicolle |first1=David |title=Lake Peipus 1242: Battle of the ice |date=15 March 1997 |publisher=Bloomsbury USA |isbn=978-1-85532-553-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YnOLAQAACAAJ |language=en}}
*{{cite book|last=Selart|first=Anti|title=Livonia, Rus' and the Baltic Crusades in the Thirteenth Century|year=2015|publisher=Brill|location=Leiden|pages=400|isbn=978-9-00-428474-6}}
*{{cite book|last=Seward|first=Desmond|title=The Monks of War: The Military Religious Orders|year=1995|publisher=Penguin Books|location=London|pages=416|isbn=0-14-019501-7}}
*{{cite book |last=Sterns |first=Indrikis |chapter=VIII: The Teutonic Knights in the Crusader States |pages= 315–378 (see [https://books.google.com/books?id=tgfMNfBIgSwC&pg=PA361 361]–362 on Transylvania intermezzo) |title=A History of the Crusades: The Impact of the Crusades on the Near East |editor-first1=Norman P. |editor-last1=Zacour |editor-first2=Harry W. |editor-last2=Hazard |publisher=The University of Wisconsin Press |location=Madison |year=1985 |volume=V |isbn=0299091449 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tgfMNfBIgSwC}}
*{{cite book|last=Urban|first=William|title=The Teutonic Knights: A Military History|year=2003|publisher=Greenhill Books|location=London|pages=290|isbn=1-85367-535-0}}

== External links ==
{{commons category}}
*[http://www.deutscher-orden.de/ The order's homepage in Germany] {{in lang|de}} 
*[https://www.deutscher-orden.at/site/lang/en The order's homepage in Austria] {{in lang|en}} 
*[http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/shepherd/german_power_decline.jpg Territorial extent of the Teutonic Knights in Europe] (map)
*[http://www.the-orb.net/encyclop/religion/crusades/cruurban.html ''An Historical Overview of the Crusade to Livonia''], by [[William Urban]]
*[http://department.monm.edu/history/urban/books/PrussianCrusade2.htm "The Early Years of the Teutonic Order"], by William Urban
*[https://www.deutschordensmuseum.de/ Museum in the residential castle of the Teutonic Order in Bad Mergentheim] {{in lang|de}}
*[https://archive.today/20130212161847/http://www.zwaetzen.de/orden Zwaetzen and the German Order in Central Germany] {{in lang|de}}
* [https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/.premium.MAGAZINE-massive-unknown-hall-discovered-in-crusader-castle-in-northern-israel-1.6677324 "Massive Ceremonial Hall Discovered Under Crusader Castle in Northern Israel" – Haaretz, Nov. 22, 2018]
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Teutonic Order, The|volume=26|pages=676–679|first=Ernest|last=Barker|author-link=Ernest Barker}} This contains a detailed chronological history of the Order, and is itself based on [[Heinrich von Treitschke]] ''Das deutsche Ordensland Preussens'', in ''Historische und politische Aufsätze'', vol. II. (Leipzig, 1871), and on Johann Loserth ''Geschichte des späteren Mittelalters'' (Munich and Berlin, 1903).

{{Crusader States}}
{{Crusader sites}}
{{Germanic peoples}}
{{Orders of the Austro-Hungarian Empire}}
{{Papal orders of knighthood}}
{{Orders of Italian States before unification}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Teutonic Order| ]]
[[Category:1190 establishments in Asia]]
[[Category:1190 establishments in Europe]]
[[Category:Christian religious orders established in the 12th century]]
[[Category:Kingdom of Jerusalem]]