Teutonic Order¶

Overview¶

[Historical record] A crusading order that settled in Prussia in 1226-30 and ruled it from Marienburg. In this saga’s years it is the Grand Duchy’s chief enemy and its main source of hostages and treaties. Grand Masters: Winrich von Kniprode (6 Jan 1352–24 Jun 1382), Konrad Zöllner von Rotenstein (elected 5 Oct 1382, d. 20 Aug 1390), Konrad von Wallenrode (1391-93), Konrad von Jungingen (1393-1407), Ulrich von Jungingen (1407, killed at Grunwald 15 Jul 1410), Heinrich von Plauen (1410-13), Michael Küchmeister (1414-22), Paul von Rusdorf (1422-41). Key dates: Dovydiškės 31 May 1380; Dubysa 31 Oct 1382; Königsberg 30 Jan 1384; Salynas 12 Oct 1398; First Peace of Thorn 1 Feb 1411; Melno 27 Sep 1422; Christmemel 19 Jun 1431; Brest 31 Dec 1435; the Prussian Confederation, 1440.

Teutonic Order


Type	faction
Note	State of the Teutonic Knights; military-monastic crusader order in Prussia.

Wants (by book)¶

Book	Goal	Leverage	Red line
VI	Break the Pact’s guard on the west border	Reise raids; Kęstutis’s capture, 1361	Strėva and Rudau are wins, not conquest
I	Keep the cousins at war; buy Samogitia from each (Dubysa, Königsberg)	Ona and the sons as surety; the baptism of Vytautas (I ch. 19, 29)	Lithuania must not be baptised
II	Use Vytautas again; win Samogitia by Salynas	Hostages, incl. Žygimantas (1390-98) and the sons (II ch. 7-10)	Losing the land bridge
III	Hold Samogitia; stop the Polish-Lithuanian alliance	The best army in the Baltic	Marienburg and Danzig
IV	Win the propaganda war at Constance; back the crown to split the union	Falkenberg’s tract; papal friends	A baptised Lithuania
V	Back Švitrigaila (Christmemel 1431), then drop him (Brest 1435)	The Livonian branch	The crusade’s legitimacy

Patron Force¶

[The saga’s invention] Geležinis Šventasis, fed by the Reise and forced baptism. Signs: furnace heat in winter, crosses that ring like anvils. It screams at Grunwald (Book III ch. 20).

Internal tensions¶

The Livonian branch has its own Landmeister and feuds. The Prussian towns drift to the Confederation (1440). Plauen is deposed after Marienburg. Feuds: Vytautas, whom it baptised and armed in 1383 and who burned Marienwerder and Georgenburg in July 1384 (see the Order’s sword), and who defected again in 1392, the year his hostage sons died. Poland and Lithuania after Grunwald.

Notable members¶

Kniprode, Zöllner, Liebenstein, Marquard von Salzbach, the invented brother Hohenstein, Ulrich von Jungingen.

Relations

Ally: Jogaila (1380–1382) — Dovydiškės. · Vytautas (1389–1392)

Created: Kryžiaus kalavijas (the Order’s sword)

Enemy: Vytautas (1384–1389) · Vytautas (1392–1430)

Feeds: Geležinis Šventasis (Ferrum Sanctum)

Holds hostage: Ona (1383–1384) · Ona (1390–1392) — Released by the Order in May 1392 to spread pro-Lithuanian rumours. · Sofija Vytautaitė (1390–1390) — Left Marienburg via Danzig and Pskov for Moscow in autumn 1390. · Vytautas’s sons Jurgis and Ivanas (hostages; contested) (1389–1392) · Žygimantas Kęstutaitis (1390–1398) — Record (VLE): c. 1389/90-1398, given during Vytautas’s second defection, freed after Salynas.

Members: Günther von Hohenstein (invented Order brother) · Kuno von Liebenstein · Marquard von Salzbach

Overlord of: Vytautas (1383–1384)

Ruled by: Konrad Zöllner von Rotenstein (1382–1390) · Konrad von Jungingen (Grand Master 1393-1407) (1393–1407) · Ulrich von Jungingen (1407–1410) · Winrich von Kniprode (1352–1382)

Connections¶

graph LR
  hohenstein["Günther von Hohenstein (invented Order brother)"]
  iron_saint["Geležinis Šventasis (Ferrum Sanctum)"]
  jogaila["Jogaila"]
  jungingen["Ulrich von Jungingen"]
  kniprode["Winrich von Kniprode"]
  konrad_jungingen["Konrad von Jungingen (Grand Master 1393-1407)"]
  liebenstein["Kuno von Liebenstein"]
  marquard["Marquard von Salzbach"]
  ona["Ona"]
  order_sword["Kryžiaus kalavijas (the Order's sword)"]
  sofija["Sofija Vytautaitė"]
  teutonic_order["Teutonic Order"]
  vytautas["Vytautas"]
  vytautas_sons["Vytautas's sons Jurgis and Ivanas (hostages; contested)"]
  zollner["Konrad Zöllner von Rotenstein"]
  zygimantas["Žygimantas Kęstutaitis"]
  kniprode -->|Rules| teutonic_order
  zollner -->|Rules| teutonic_order
  jungingen -->|Rules| teutonic_order
  hohenstein -->|Member of| teutonic_order
  jogaila -->|Ally| teutonic_order
  vytautas -->|Vassal of| teutonic_order
  vytautas -->|Enemy| teutonic_order
  ona -->|Hostage of| teutonic_order
  vytautas -->|Ally| teutonic_order
  vytautas_sons -->|Hostage of| teutonic_order
  vytautas -->|Enemy| teutonic_order
  iron_saint -->|Fed by| teutonic_order
  order_sword -->|Created by| teutonic_order
  zygimantas -->|Hostage of| teutonic_order
  liebenstein -->|Member of| teutonic_order
  ona -->|Hostage of| teutonic_order
  sofija -->|Hostage of| teutonic_order
  marquard -->|Member of| teutonic_order
  konrad_jungingen -->|Rules| teutonic_order
  style teutonic_order stroke-width:3px