Teutonic Order

Lore & Background

The State of the Teutonic Order was established in Prussia and the Polish Masovian Chełmno Land in the 13th century, expanding mostly as a result of the Prussian Crusade against the pagan Baltic Prussians and invasions of neighboring Christian countries of Poland and Lithuania. The conquests were followed by German and Polish colonization. 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, with the shift of sovereignty taking place on 1 November 1346. At the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries, the Teutonic Order temporarily acquired Gotland and Neumark, which 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.

In Their Own Story

Following the battles of Grunwald in 1410 and Wilkomierz in 1435, the State fell into decline. After losing extensive territories in the imposed Peace of Thorn in 1466, the extant territory of its Prussian branch became known as Monastic Prussia or Teutonic Prussia. It existed until 1525 as a fiefdom of the Polish Crown. The Livonian branch joined the Livonian Confederation and continued to exist as part of it until 1561. The Prussian branch of the Teutonic Order returned Pomerelia and ceded the western part of Prussia 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 or Teutonic Prussia, as a feudal fief of the Polish Crown. The monastic state of the Order's main 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.

Reader's Guide

The State of the Teutonic Order was a theocratic state, not a hereditary monarchy. It was led by a Grand Master, but the source does not specify an elective system. The Order's core mission was crusading against pagan tribes and conversion, as seen in the Prussian Crusade beginning in 1230. The Order's key territory was the Teutonic State in Prussia, which at its greatest extent included Chełmno Land, Courland, Gotland, Livonia, Estonia, Neumark, Pomerelia, Prussia and Samogitia. The Order was affiliated with the Catholic Church, as evidenced by papal edicts such as the Golden Bull of Rimini in 1226 and the Papal Bull of Rieti of 1234, which brought Prussia into the Order's possession. The Order's military decline began with the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, leading to the loss of Samogitia to Lithuania. The Peace of Thorn in 1466 forced the Order to cede Pomerelia and western Prussia to Poland, reducing the remaining territory to a fiefdom of the Polish Crown.

Did You Know?

• The State of the Teutonic Order was a theocratic state, not a hereditary monarchy.
• In 1346, the Duchy of Estonia was sold by the King of Denmark for 19,000 Cologne marks to the Teutonic Order.
• At the beginning of the 14th century, the population of the Order's state was around 220,000 inhabitants.
• The cities founded by the Teutonic Order were usually given Magdeburg law town privileges, with the exception of Elbing, which was awarded Lübeck law.
• The monastic state of the Order's main branch was secularized in 1525 to become the Duchy of Prussia ruled by the House of Hohenzollern.

Origins and Territorial Expansion

The State of the Teutonic Order was formed by the knights of the Teutonic Order during the early 13th century Northern Crusades in the region of Prussia. In 1237, the Livonian Brothers of the Sword merged with the Teutonic Order of Prussia and became known as its branch – the Livonian Order, while their state, Terra Mariana, covering present-day Estonia, Latvia, and a small part of Russia, became part of the State of the Teutonic Order. At its greatest territorial extent during the early 15th century, the State encompassed Chełmno Land, Courland, Gotland, Livonia, Estonia, Neumark, Pomerelia, Prussia and Samogitia. In 1346, the Duchy of Estonia was sold by the King of Denmark for 19,000 Cologne marks to the Teutonic Order, with the shift of sovereignty taking place on 1 November 1346. At the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries, the Teutonic Order temporarily acquired Gotland and Neumark, which it sold in the following decades.

Colonization and State Building

Under their governance, large areas of broadleaf forest were cleared for cultivation, swamps were drained to create farmland, and the population of the Teutonic state increased after the Crusades, especially with the construction of cities. It is estimated that at the beginning of the 14th century, the population of the Order's state was around 220,000 inhabitants, composed of a mix of Prussian, Slavic, and German ethnicities. Brickyards were built and their production was largely used on site, often for Teutonic fortifications. Mills such as Wielki Młyn, built in 1350, were constructed, and in important cities such as Danzig, religious orders built churches and monasteries. The cities founded by the Teutonic Order had a much more regular, rectangular sketch of streets, indicating their character as planned foundations. The cities were heavily fortified, accounting for the long lasting conflicts with the resistant native Old Prussians. Most cities were prevailingly populated by settlers who came mainly from Silesia, Central Germany and, later, from various territories in northern Germany. The cities were usually given Magdeburg law town privileges, with the one exception of Elbing, which was founded with the support of Lübeckers and thus was awarded Lübeck law.

Military Decline and Political Fragmentation

Following the battles of Grunwald in 1410 and Wilkomierz in 1435, the State fell into decline. After losing extensive territories in the imposed Peace of Thorn in 1466, the extant territory of its Prussian branch became known as Monastic Prussia or Teutonic Prussia. It existed until 1525 as a fiefdom of the Polish Crown. The Prussian branch of the Teutonic Order returned Pomerelia and ceded the western part of Prussia 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 or Teutonic Prussia, as a feudal fief of the Polish Crown. The Livonian branch joined the Livonian Confederation and continued to exist as part of it until 1561.

Secularization and Final Dissolution

The monastic state of the Order's main 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.