The Teutonic Knights: Rise and Fall of a Religious Corporation (Medieval Lives)

A gripping account of the rise and fall of the last great medieval military order. This book provides a concise and incisive introduction to the knights of the Teutonic Order, the last of the great military orders established in the twelfth century. The book traces the Order’s evolution from a crusader field hospital into a major territorial ruler in northeastern Europe. Notably, the knights constructed distinctive fortified convents, including their headquarters in Western Christendom’s largest castle. The narrative concludes with the Order’s fifteenth-century decline due to the combined effects of a devastating war with Poland-Lithuania and the Protestant Reformation. The result is an accessible overview of this pivotal corporation in European history. Cover 1 Title Page 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 Introduction 8 1. The German Hospital of the Third Crusade: The Origins of the Teutonic Order 10 2. Expansion and Loss in the Thirteenth Century: The Teutonic Order in the Holy Land 21 3. A New Frontier: The Teutonic Order in Transylvania 43 4. Holy War and Conquest: The Teutonic Order’s Crusades in Prussia and Livonia 54 5. Territorial Lords: The Teutonic Order’s Rule in the Baltic 77 6. Power and Faith: The Teutonic Order’s Fortified Convents 94 7. Crusading in the Wilderness: The Teutonic Order’s Wars against Lithuania 118 8. Defeat and Decline in the Fifteenth Century 135 9. The Reformation and the End of the Teutonic Order’s Rule in the Baltic 155 10. The Rise and Fall of a Medieval Religious Corporation 170 References 174 Bibliography 193 Acknowledgements 208 Index 209