Teutonic Order

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The **Teutonic Order** was the faction of the Medieval Conquest. Are a Roman Catholic military order. It was formed at the end of the 12th century in Acre, Palestine, during the Crusades. The Teutonic Knights are now a clerical order based in Vienna, Austria. It was ruled by Grand Master Henry of Luxemburg and it's claimant was Grand Master Alexander of Dorpat. The capital was Elbing.

In 1226 Konrad of Masovia of Masovia brought the Teutonic Knights to fight against Baltic pagan Prussian tribes. They won quickly and, their new country being Prussia, were called Prussians. The knights started to be a danger for the then weak Poland. Finally, the power of the Teutonic Order was crushed in Battle of Tannenberg in 1410.

## History

Formed in the year 1190 in Acre, in the Levant, the medieval Order played an important role in Outremer, controlling the port tolls of Acre. After Christian forces were defeated in the Middle East, the Order moved to Transylvania in 1211 to help defend the South-Eastern borders of the Kingdom of Hungary against the Kipchaks. The Knights were expelled by force of arms by King Andrew II of Hungary in 1225, after attempting to place themselves under papal instead of the original Hungarian sovereignty and thus to become independent.

In 1230, following the Golden Bull of Rimini, Grand Master Hermann von Salza and Duke Konrad I of Masovia launched the Prussian Crusade, a joint invasion of Prussia intended to Christianize the Baltic Old Prussians. The Knights had quickly taken steps against their Polish hosts and with the Holy Roman Emperor's support, had changed the status of Chełmno Land (also Ziemia Chelminska or Kulmerland), where they were invited by the Polish prince, into their own property. Starting from there, the Order created the independent Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights, adding continuously the conquered Prussians' territory, and subsequently conquered Livonia. Over time, the kings of Poland denounced the Order for expropriating their lands, specifically Chełmno Land and later the Polish lands of Pomerelia (also Pomorze Gdańskie or Pomerania), Kujawy, and Dobrzyń Land.

The Order theoretically lost its main purpose in Europe with the Christianization of Lithuania. However, it initiated numerous campaigns against its Christian neighbours, the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Novgorod Republic (after assimilating the Livonian Order). The Teutonic Knights had a strong economic base which enabled them to hire mercenaries from throughout Europe to augment their feudal levies, and they also became a naval power in the Baltic Sea. In 1410, a Polish-Lithuanian army decisively defeated the Order and broke its military power at the Battle of Grunwald (Tannenberg). However, the capital of the Teutonic Knights was successfully defended in the following Siege of Marienburg and the Order was saved from collapse.

In 1515, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I made a marriage alliance with Sigismund I of Poland-Lithuania. Thereafter, the empire did not support the Order against Poland. In 1525, Grand Master 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. The Order did keep its considerable holdings in Catholic areas of Germany until 1809, when 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 Adolf Hitler in 1938, but re-established in 1945. Today it operates primarily with charitable aims in Central Europe.

The Knights wore white surcoats with a black cross. A cross pattée was sometimes used as their coat of arms; this image was later used for military decoration and insignia by the Kingdom of Prussia and Germany as the Iron Cross and Pour le Mérite. The motto of the Order was: "Helfen, Wehren, Heilen" ("Help, Defend, Heal").

## Rulers

File:HenryofLuxemburg.png
Initial ruler

File:AlexanderofDorpat.jpg
Claimant

## Vassals

File:Beranz.jpg | Deutschmeister Dietrich von Grüningen
File:Clais.jpg | Deutschmeister Konrad von Nurnburg
File:Deglan.jpg | Landmeister Hartmeister von Heldrungen
File:Delinard.jpg | Landmeister Georg von Eichstatt
File:Despin.jpg | Landmeister Albert II Suerbeer
File:Grainwad.jpg | Landmeister Konrad von Feuchtwangen
File:Haringoth.jpg | Komtur Heinrich Botel
File:Klargus.jpg | Landmeister Wernar
File:Mirchaud.jpg | Komtur Anselm von Meißen
File:Montewar.jpg | Komtur Bernhard I
File:Plais.jpg | Landmeister Johann von Bardewis
File:Rafarch.jpg | Landmeister Wernar von Wenden

## Territories

The territory of the Teutonic Order contains the following towns, castles, and villages:

Note that over the course of the game, other kingdoms may besiege and take over these lands, and the Teutonic Order may gain more. However, these places are the only ones from which you can recruit German and Teutonic knights groups. There are Baltic recruits in European villages, and also mercenaries in taverns.

## Trivia

1. ↑ Then it was called "Order of the German House of St. Mary in Jerusalem".
2. ↑ Template:Cite web
3. ↑ American Historical Association, National Board for Historical Service, National Council for the Social Studies – 1918 : Historical outlook: a journal for readers, students and teachers
4. ↑ Template:Cite web
5. ↑ Template:Cite web
6. ↑ Template:Cite web
7. ↑ Template:Cite book