User:Hutcher/Teutonic Knights
Military unit / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem [2] (Latin: Ordo domus Sanctæ Mariæ Theutonicorum Hierosolymitanorum; German: Orden der Brüder vom Deutschen Haus St. Mariens in Jerusalem), commonly the Teutonic Order or the Teutonic Knights, was a German military order in the Middle Ages that has become, in modern times, a purely religious Catholic order known as the German Order (German: Deutscher Orden). They were originally formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to the Holy Land and to establish hospitals there. The military membership was always small, with volunteers and mercenaries augmenting the force as needed.
Teutonic Knights | |
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Active | c. 1190 – Present |
Allegiance | Papacy, Holy Roman Emperor |
Type | Catholic religious order (1192–1929 as military order) |
Headquarters | Acre (1192–1291) Venice (1291–1309) Marienburg (1309–1466) Königsberg (1466–1525) Mergentheim (1525–1809) Vienna (1809 – Present) |
Nickname(s) | Teutonic Knights, German Order |
Patron | The Virgin Mary, Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, & Saint George |
Attire | White mantle with a black cross |
Commanders | |
First Grand Master | Heinrich Walpot von Bassenheim |
Current Grand Master | Bruno Platter[1] |
The Knights wore white surcoats with a black cross. A cross pattée was sometimes used as their coat of arms; this image was later used for military decoration and insignia by the Kingdom of Prussia and Germany as the Iron Cross and Pour le Mérite. The motto of the Order was:"Helfen, Wehren, Heilen" ("Help, Defend, Heal").[3]
After the Christian defeat during the Crusades the Order was asked by the church to subdue the Pagan states of central and eastern Europe. The Order kept its considerable holdings in Catholic areas of Germany until 1809, when Napoleon Bonaparte ordered its dissolution and the Order lost its last secular holdings. The Order continued to exist as a charitable and ceremonial body. It was outlawed by Adolf Hitler in 1938,[4] but re-established in 1945.[5] Today it operates primarily with charitable aims in Central Europe.