Teutonic Knights

The original name of the Chapter was the Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, but that was a mouthful so everybody just called them the Teutonic Knights. The Teutonic Knights were formed in Acre but the Chapter's membership has always been Teutonic in origin, hence the Chapter has always had strong ties to the Thule Society and other Germanic groups of Adepts.
Except for the pagan ones....
Status: Active.
== Facts: ==
-The TK was formed to ensure the safe pilgrimage of religious travelers to the Holy Land, as well as the erecting of hospitals and halfway stations. They were originally formed from desperate mercenaries and knights crusading in Outremer, as well as some lendovers from the Knights Hospitaller.
-Many knights, nobles and pilgrims during the crusades hailed from the lands of Central and Northern Europe. However, there was no single institute to cater to this specific demographic, and so the Pope at the time ordered the formation of a crusading order that would speak German. This was the humble (and practical) origins of the Teutonic Knights.
-Like most of the Crusader Chapters, the Teutonic Knights drew the bulk of their recruits from the Ecclesiastical Orders. The Order of Warriors also made up a sizable chunk of its membership.
-After the fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Teutonic Knights turned to building an Ordanstaat, an all-Christian, monastic state of their own. Unfortunately, while they came close to succeeding a few times, their ultimate plan never came to fruition. It also caused a lot of bad blood between them and several other nascent National Chapters of the time.
-One of the Chapters biggest opponents were the Eagles of the North. The Teutonic Knights clashed with the Eagles several times in their quest to carve out a territory of their own. Unfortunately for the crusader knights, the EotN combined their forces with those of other Chapters and decisively defeated the TK at the Battle of Grunwald.
-Their defeat at the hands of the EotN did not destroy the Teutonic Knights, but it did cause them to become more introspective. Finally giving up on their quest to institute an Ordanstaat, the TK refashioned itself as more of a charitable fraternity. They also re-strengthened their ties with the Catholic Church which was more than happy to help them cement anew in other lands as a quasi-missionary society.
-The Teutonic Knights serve the Church faithfully and many of their officers and leaders have a seat within the Sanhedrin.
-When the far reaches of Northern Europe became Christianized and the Church took root, it was the Teutonic Knights who led the charge against the incumbent Nordic Pantheon. The Teutonic Knights have much experience in fighting these bawdy Pagan Gods and their followers.
-This also means that the pagans of Northern Europe perpetually hold a serious grudge against the Teutonic Knights.
== References: ==
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUtXo1sTPDg
-http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Teutonic_Knights
-http://imperialteutonicorder.com/id48.html
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=458REFZ2VKM
-http://www.history-world.org/teutonic_knights.htm
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_the_Teutonic_Order
-https://www.ancient.eu/Teutonic_Knight/
Category:Ghosts Of Catholicism
Category:Thule Society
Category:War
Category:God
Category:Church
Category:Chivalric Order