Teutonic Order

Lore & Background

The state was established in Prussia and the Polish Masovian Chełmno Land in the 13th century, expanding mostly as a result of the 13th-century Prussian Crusade against the pagan Baltic Prussians and the 14th-century invasions of neighboring Christian countries of Poland and Lithuania. The conquests were followed by German and Polish colonization. In addition, the Livonian Brothers of the Sword controlling Terra Mariana were incorporated into the Teutonic Order as its autonomous branch, the Livonian Order in 1237. In 1346, the Duchy of Estonia was sold by the King of Denmark for 19,000 Cologne marks to the Teutonic Order. The shift of sovereignty from Denmark to the Teutonic Order took place on 1 November 1346. At the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries, the Teutonic Order temporarily acquired the territories of Gotland and Neumark, which, however, it sold in the following decades. Throughout its history, the Teutonic state waged numerous wars with Poland and Lithuania, encouraging the two countries to form a close alliance and personal union, which eventually led to the creation of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 16th century. Following its defeat in the Battle of Grunwald in 1410 the Teutonic Order fell into decline, the region of Samogitia was restored to Lithuania.

In Their Own Story

The Prussian branch of the Teutonic Order returned Pomerelia (the previously Polish regions of Chełmno Land and Gdańsk Pomerania) and ceded the western part of Prussia (Warmia, as well as parts of Pomesania and Pogesania) to Poland after the Peace of Thorn in 1466. The territories ceded to the Polish Crown formed the autonomous province of Royal Prussia, while the eastern part remained under Teutonic Order rule, known thereafter as Monastic Prussia (Polish: Prusy zakonne) or Teutonic Prussia (Polish: Prusy krzyżackie), as a feudal fief of the Polish Crown. The monastic state of the Order's main (Prussian) branch was secularized in 1525 during the Protestant Reformation to become the Duchy of Prussia ruled by the House of Hohenzollern, remaining a fiefdom of the Polish Crown and later the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Livonian branch continued as part of the Livonian Confederation established in 1422–1435, which became a protectorate of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1559, and was finally secularised and split into the Duchy of Courland and Semigalia, as well as the Duchy of Livonia in 1561, both duchies being fiefs of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

Reader's Guide

The Teutonic Order's state was a theocratic entity, not a typical feudal dynasty. Unlike hereditary rulers, the Order was a monastic brotherhood bound by vows. In gameplay terms, this means succession is by election among the knights, not by bloodline. The state's primary goal was expansion through crusade, especially against pagan Baltic Prussians. The Order could call on papal authority for crusades, bypassing normal diplomatic restrictions. Key historical turning points include the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, after which the Order fell into decline, and the Peace of Thorn in 1466, which forced the Order to cede western territories to Poland, retaining only eastern Prussia as a fief of the Polish Crown. The state was eventually secularized in 1525, becoming the Duchy of Prussia. Players should note that the Order's lands were heavily fortified, with cities founded on a regular, rectangular plan, often granted Magdeburg law. The population was a mix of Prussian, Slavic, and German ethnicities, estimated at around 220,000 at the beginning of the 14th century.

Did You Know?

• In 1346, the Duchy of Estonia was sold by the King of Denmark to the Teutonic Order for 19,000 Cologne marks, with the shift of sovereignty taking place on 1 November 1346.
• At the beginning of the 14th century, the population of the Order's state was estimated at around 220,000 inhabitants, composed of a mix of Prussian, Slavic, and German ethnicities.
• The cities founded by the Teutonic Order had a much more regular, rectangular sketch of streets, indicating their character as planned foundations, and were usually given Magdeburg law town privileges.
• The monastic state of the Order's main (Prussian) branch was secularized in 1525 during the Protestant Reformation to become the Duchy of Prussia ruled by the House of Hohenzollern.
• The Livonian branch of the Order was finally secularised and split into the Duchy of Courland and Semigalia and the Duchy of Livonia in 1561, both fiefs of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.