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Teutonic Knights

Type Object Region Europe Time 1190–1525

The Teutonic Knights were a Catholic military order founded at Acre in 1190, formally named the 'Hospital of Saint Mary of the German Knights of Jeru…

Timeline

  1. 1190–1210Acre · IsraelDuring the Third Crusade, German knights founded the Teutonic Knights at Acre, gaining recognition from the pope and the Holy Roman Empire. In the Holy Land they took on hospital care and military defense, standing alongside the Knights Templar and the Knights Hospitaller.
  2. 1211–1283Prussia · BalticIn 1211 the order entered Transylvania at the invitation of the King of Hungary, then turned to the Baltic. With papal and Holy Roman Empire authorization they waged crusade warfare against the Prussians; after decades of war, by 1283 they had essentially completed the Christianization of Prussia and established the order's rule.
  3. 1309–1410Marienburg · PolandIn 1309 the grand master moved the headquarters to Marienburg Castle, and the Order State reached its zenith, controlling Prussia, Livonia, and parts of Pomerania. Trade flourished, and Marienburg Castle became one of the largest brick castles in Europe at the time.
  4. 1410–1525Grunwald · PolandIn the Battle of Grunwald in 1410 the order suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of a Polish-Lithuanian alliance, greatly weakening its power. Its territory then gradually shrank; in 1525 Grand Master Albert embraced the Reformation and secularized Prussia into a duchy, ending the Order State, while the order moved to southern Germany and continues to this day.

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