The Teutonic Order, the third in power and strength of the spiritual-knightly orders that arose in Palestine during the era of the Crusades, has a bad reputation. He does not have the tragic, shrouded in high "Gothic" mysticism of the Knights Templar. There is no romantic halo of the valiant Hospitallers who, being expelled from the Holy Land, glorified Rhodes and Malta, continuing to fight the Muslims at sea.
Having not achieved great success in the war with the Saracens, the Teutonic Order gained a gloomy glory in Europe, and the word "Teuton" itself is often used now to denote a rude and stupid soldier. In general, "knight-dogs" - period. Why was such a fate prepared for the Teutonic Order?
Perhaps the fact is that this order introduced the methods of war characteristic of Palestine to Europe. The opponents of the crusaders in the Middle East and North Africa were "infidels" - people of an alien culture, even outwardly different from the Europeans. The Islamic world, in contrast to the same, disunited and constantly conflicting among themselves, the pagan tribes of the Baltic, possessed enormous potential power, was on the rise and pursued an active expansionist policy. The war with Muslims was considered the sacred duty of every knight and every Christian sovereign - and in this war all methods were good. The new opponents of the Teutonic Order were, of course, also "strangers", but they stood on different "steps". The Orthodox were considered schismatics - "strange", not "entirely correct", but still Christians. One could try to "persuade" them in one way or another to recognize the authority of the popes, at least through union. To fight them under this pretext was a "pious" affair, but it was not forbidden to enter into military-political alliances to fight Muslim Turkey or any of its Christian neighbors. The pagans, of course, were an adversary against whom moral norms did not apply. And to kill ten people in order to "persuade" a hundred others to be baptized ("voluntarily and without coercion", of course), was considered quite normal and acceptable. However, even the pagans were “better” than their own heretics, who, having received the baptism of the “true faith,” allowed themselves to doubt the authority of the ignorant priest of the local church, the sanctity of the hypocritical monks, the piety of the tyrant bishop and the infallibility of the dissolute Roman pope. They read the Bible forbidden for the laity and interpreted its texts in their own way. They asked questions that I really didn’t want to answer. Sort of like: how many arms and legs should the saints have if all the bones displayed in churches are collected? If money can buy forgiveness of sins, then money can also be forgiven for the devil? And in general, how many dads do you have? Two more yet? Or is it now 1408 and Pisa has already chosen the third? How can you believe in a church if the church is not God, after all? And then suddenly they began to say that Christ and His apostles had neither property nor secular power. The heretics were worse than not only the pagans, but even the Muslims - much more terrible and much more dangerous. They were supposed to be destroyed according to the principle: "It is better to let ten righteous people perish than one heretic will be saved." And God - he will sort it out in heaven, his faithful servants sent "strangers" to him, or "their own". The Teutons did not fight against Muslims and heretics in Europe - only against the Orthodox, pagans and even Catholics. However, they did not rebuild: they behaved and fought the same way as with the Saracens in Palestine (especially at first), which somewhat shocked not only opponents, but also some allies.
However, perhaps everything is much simpler: the Teutonic Order lost, and its history, if not written, was significantly edited by the winners. Who, everywhere and always, proclaim themselves "warriors of Light".
And a certain Mr. A. Hitler, who loves to talk about "Teutonic rage" and "Teutonic onslaught on the East" also did not add popularity to this order.
It all began in 1143, when the first German hospital appeared in Jerusalem, which was ordered by the Pope to obey the hospital of the Johnites. In November 1190, during the siege of Acre (III Crusade), the unnamed merchants from Lubeck and Bremen founded a new field hospital for German soldiers. Duke Frederick of Swab (son of Frederick Barbarossa) formed a spiritual order on its basis, headed by Chaplain Konrad. Already on February 6, 1191, Pope Clement III approved the founding of a new order, and in December 1196 another pope, Celestine III, approved it as a spiritual knightly order. This was an important event in the life of the Christian states of Palestine entering the last century of their history, the ceremony of reorganization of the order was attended by the masters of the Hospitallers and Templars, many secular knights and clergy. Its official name was now: "Order of the Brothers of the Hospital of St. Mary of the German House in Jerusalem" (Ordo domus Sanctae Mariae Teutonicorum in Jerusalem). Since that time, the order has its own army and military functions become the main ones for it. At the same time, the order was granted the privilege that freed him from the power of bishops and allowed him to independently choose a master.
Pope Innocent III in the bull of February 19, 1199 defined the following tasks of the new order: the protection of the German knights, the treatment of the sick, the fight against the enemies of the Catholic Church. The motto of the order: "Help - Protect - Heal".
Unlike the Templars and Hospitallers, who obeyed only the Pope, the Teutonic Order was also subject to the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
Coat of arms of the Teutonic Order
According to the charter of the order, its members had to observe the vow of celibacy, unconditionally obey their elders and not have personal property. That is, they were actually prescribed a monastic way of life. In this regard, let us return to the famous nickname of the Teutons - "knight-dogs": this is how they are called only on the territory of the republics of the former USSR and the reason for this is an incorrect translation into Russian of one of the works of Karl Marx, who used the noun "monk" in relation to the Teutons, into German is close to the word "dog". Karl Marx called them "knight-monks"! Not dogs, not males or dogs. But will you dissuade someone now? Yes, and somehow it is not good - to drown the monks in the lake. Here are the "dogs" - it's a completely different matter! Is not it?
But back to Palestine. Acre became the residence of the head of the order (grandmaster). His deputies and closest assistants were five Grossgebiter (Great Lords), the chief of them was the Great Commander. The Supreme Marshal was responsible for training and commanding the troops. The other three are the High Hospitaller, Quartermaster, and Treasurer. A knight appointed to govern one of the provinces received the title of Land Commander. The commander of the fortress garrison was called castellan. All of these positions were elective.
In the campaign, the knight was accompanied by several servants-squires with marching horses - they did not participate in the battles. The war horse was used only during the battle, the rest of the horses were needed mainly as pack animals: during the campaign, the knights, like the rest of the warriors, walked on foot. It was possible to mount a horse and put on armor only by order of the commander.
As the name suggests (Teutonicorum means German in Russian), the members of the order came from Germany, initially they were divided into two classes: knights and clergy.
Priest of the Teutonic Order
Soon there was a third class: serving brothers - some of them came from religious beliefs, but many simply performed certain duties for a fee.
The most famous and recognizable symbol of the order - a black cross on a white cloak, was the emblem of the knight brothers. The rest of the members of the order (including the Turkopolier, the commander of mercenary units) wore gray cloaks.
Like their "elder brothers", the Teutonic Order quickly acquired lands (komturii) outside Palestine: in Livonia, Apulia, Austria, Germany, Greece, Armenia. This was all the more convenient since the affairs of the crusaders in the Holy Land were getting worse. As a result, without waiting for the final collapse, the Teutons, using the invitation of Count Boppo von Wertheim, redeployed the main forces of the order to Bavaria (the city of Eschenbach). But part of the "brothers" still remained in Palestine, in 1217-1221. they took part in the V Crusade - to Egypt.
In 1211 the Teutons were invited to Hungary to defend Transylvania from the Polovtsians.
Fortress of the Teutonic Order in Transylvania (Rasnov)
But already in 1225, King Andras II, suspecting the Teutons of trying to create their own vassal state to the Pope on the territory of Hungary, expelled them from the country.
Andras II, King of Hungary
4th Grand Master of the Teutonic Order Hermann von Salz - monument in front of the Museum of Malbork Castle
It would seem that this ugly story should have become a lesson for other European rulers, but already in 1226 Konrad Mazowiecki (a Polish prince from the Piast dynasty) invited the Order to fight the pagan tribes of the Baltic states, primarily the Prussians.
Konrad Mazowiecki
He even gave them the Kulm (Helmen) and Dobzha (Dobryn) lands with the right to expand their possessions at the expense of the conquered lands. Pope Gregory IX, and later the German emperors Frederick II and Ludwig IV, also confirmed the right to seize Prussian and Lithuanian lands in 1234. Frederick II conferred on the Grand Masters the title and rights of an elector. And in 1228, the Order begins the conquest of Prussia. But the headquarters of the Teutons is still in Palestine - in the castle of Montfort.
Ruins of Montfort Castle
And in 1230 the first Teutonic castle (Neshava) appears on the Kulm land. Then Velun, Kandau, Durben, Velau, Tilsit, Ragnit, Georgenburg, Marienwerder, Barga and Konigsberg were built. In total, about 40 castles were built, around some of them (Elbing, Konigsberg, Kulm, Thorn) German cities were formed, which became members of the Hanseatic League.
Meanwhile, back in 1202 in the Baltic States appeared "own", local knightly Order - the Brotherhood of the Knights of Christ of Livonia, better known as the Order of the Swordsmen.
Knight of the Order of the Swordsmen
Mr. Veliky Novgorod did not like the new neighbors trying to subjugate the tribes that paid tribute to the Novgorodians. As a result, already in 1203 Novgorod organized the first campaign against the sword-bearers. In total, from 1203 to 1234. such campaigns Novgorodians made 8. In 1234, Alexander Nevsky's father, Prince Yaroslav, won a major victory over the Order.
It seems that it would be logical if the Novgorod hero Vasily Buslaev also had a fight with the sword-bearers. But, no, Vaska ignores them, on the contrary, he goes to Jerusalem and dies on the way. In Russian epics, the sword-bearers have another - a much more eminent and "status" enemy. One of the versions of the epic "On the Three Trips of Ilya Muromets" contains the following lines:
They surrounded Ilya Muromets
Black people in headwear -
Raven bedspreads, Long-brimmed robes -
Know the monks are all al priests!
Persuade the knight
Abandon the Russian Orthodox law.
For treason
Everything promises great promise
And honor and respect …"
After the hero's refusal:
The heads are undressing here, Hoodies are thrown off -
Not black monks, Not priests are long-runners, Latin warriors are standing -
Giant swordsmen.
But one should not think that the Russians and the sword-bearers only fought among themselves. At times, they also acted as allies. So, in 1228, Pskov entered into an alliance with the Order against Novgorod, encroaching on its independence - and the Novgorodians retreated.
In 1236 the sword-bearers made a rash decision to start a war against Lithuania. Knights from Saxony ("guests of the Order") and 200 soldiers from Pskov came to their aid:
"Messengers to Russia then sent (Master Falkvin), their help soon arrived."
("Livonian Rhymed Chronicle".)
On September 22, 1236, the allies suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Lithuanians in the battle of Saul (Siauliai). The master of the Order of the Swordsmen, Folkwin Schenke von Winterstern, Count Heinrich von Danenberg, Herr Theodorich von Namburgh and 48 other Order knights were killed. The Saxons and the Pskovites suffered heavy losses. In the "First Novgorod Chronicle" it is reported that out of 200 warriors sent by Pskov "to help the Germans" "to godless Lithuania" "every dozen came to their homes." After this defeat, the Brotherhood was on the verge of death, it was saved by joining the Teutonic Order, whose landmastership under the name of the Livonian Order it becomes. 54 Teutonic knights "changed their residence", compensating for the losses suffered by the sword-bearers.
In 1242, the famous battle on Lake Peipsi took place - this time with the Livonian knights, and not with the sword-bearers. The Danes were allies of the Livonians.
Still from the film "Alexander Nevsky", directed by S. Eisenstein
Everyone knows the "Battle on the Ice", but the scale of this battle is traditionally exaggerated. A much larger and more significant battle took place in February 1268 at Rakovar (Estonian Rakvere). The annals say:
"Neither our fathers nor our grandfathers have seen such a cruel battle."
The united Russian army of the Pskov prince Dovmont, the Novgorod mayor Mikhail and the son of Alexander Nevsky Dmitry overturned the allied troops of the Livonian Order and the Danes and drove them 7 versts. The losses of the parties were really serious, they numbered in thousands of professional soldiers, which is very noticeable by the standards of the 13th century.
Dovmont, Lithuanian by origin, prince of Pskov, who became a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church
But in general in Europe, despite individual defeats, the Order is doing well. In 1244, the most important event in the history of the Order takes place - the Pope recognizes its state in Europe. In 1283, the Teutons completed the conquest of Prussia (Borussia) - despite the uprisings of 1242-1249 and 1260-1274. In 1308-1309. The Order takes possession of East Pomerania and Danzig. In Palestine, at this time, everything is very bad: in 1271 the Mamelukes capture Montfort, in 1291 - the crusaders lose Acre, and the Teutonic Order moves its headquarters to Venice. In 1309, when the Order had completely settled in the Baltic States, the grandmaster moved to Marienburg - this castle would remain the residence of the Grand Masters until 1466.
Marienburg (Malbork), modern photo
At the end of the 13th century, the Order came into conflict with the Archbishop of Riga, as a result of which in 1311 he was even excommunicated from the Church. But then everything was decided by peace and the lifting of excommunication in the next year, 1312. In 1330, the confrontation between the Teutons and the archbishop ended with the victory of the Order, which became the lord of Riga. At the same time, there was an exchange of territories between the Teutonic Order and its Livonian landmastership: In 1328, the Livonian Order transferred Memel and its environs to the Teutonic Order. And in 1346 the Teutons bought Northern Estonia from Denmark and, in turn, handed it over to the Livonian Order.
Meanwhile, at this time an interesting tradition appeared in Europe - "Prussian travel": knights of different states, including the most noble aristocratic families, came to Prussia to participate in the war against pagan Lithuania. These "tourist trips to the war" became so popular that sometimes the Order only gave the "guests" a guide and commander, giving them the opportunity to fight the Lithuanians themselves. The Grand Master Karl von Trier, who began to pursue a peaceful policy (took office in 1311), so outraged the European chivalry that in 1317 he was removed from office at a meeting of the Chapter. Even the intercession of the Pope did not help.
One of the "guests" of the Teutonic Order was Henry Bolingbroke, Earl of Derby, son of the famous John of Gaunt. On July 19, 1390, he arrived in Danzig on his own ship with a detachment of 150 people, he was accompanied by 11 knights and 11 squires.
The Torun Annals says:
“At the same time (1390) a marshal with a great army was standing at Vilna, and with him was Mr. Lancaster, an Englishman, who had come with his people before the day of St. Lawrence. Both the Livonians and Vitovt with the Samogitians came there. And at first they took the unfortified Vilna castle and killed many, but they did not capture the fortified castle."
In 1392 Henry again sailed to Prussia, but there was no war, and therefore, accompanied by 50 soldiers, he went through Prague and Vienna to Venice. In 1399, John of Gaunt died and King Richard II confiscated his family's ancestral possessions. Outraged, Henry returned to England, revolted and captured the king (19 August 1399). In parliament, meeting on September 30, he announced his claims to the throne. His arguments were admirable:
Firstly, high origin - an argument, frankly, not very good, but this is so - for the seed.
Secondly, the right to conquer - this is already serious, this is an adult.
And, finally, thirdly, the need for reforms. A magic phrase, after hearing which the current presidents (and other heads of state) understand that the Anglo-Saxons really need something in their country. And if they do not immediately give this "something" - they will beat (perhaps even with their feet). On the territory of England, magic, apparently, worked already at the end of the XIV century. Richard II quickly abdicated the throne and was so kind that very soon (February 14, 1400) he died at Pontecraft Castle - at the age of 33. And our hero on October 13, 1399 was crowned as Henry IV, King of England. He became the founder of the Lancaster Dynasty and ruled until 1413.
Henry IV, King of England, one of the "guests" of the Teutonic Order
In 1343 the Order returned the occupied lands to Poland (except for Pomorie - the Kalisz Treaty) and concentrated all its forces on the fight against Lithuania. In total, the Teutons made about 70 major campaigns to Lithuania from Prussia and about 30 from Livonia in the XIV century. Moreover, in 1360-1380. major trips to Lithuania were made annually. In 1362 the Order's army destroyed Kaunas Castle, in 1365 the Teutons attacked Vilnius for the first time. Lithuanians, in turn, in 1345-1377. made about 40 retaliatory campaigns. In 1386, the Grand Duke of Lithuania Jagiello converted to Catholicism and was proclaimed the Polish king under the name of Vladislav II (foundation of the Jagiellonian dynasty, which will rule in Poland until 1572). After the baptism of Lithuania, the Teutons lost their formal grounds for attacks. But the pretext for the war did not go anywhere: the Lithuanian Samogitia and western Aukšaitija separated the possessions of the Teutonic Order from its Livonian landmastership (Livonian Order). And the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vitovt at that time had big problems: his rival, Prince Svidrigailo, could not calm down in any way, and the Tatars constantly bothered the southeastern borders, and the Polish queen Jadwiga suddenly demanded payments from the Lithuanian lands presented to her by Jagaila … The claims of the latter especially outraged the Lithuanians, who, at a specially assembled council, decided to inform the Queen that they, as honest and decent people, can only wish her "more health and good mood." And all the rest - let him demand from her husband. Under these conditions, Vitovt was forced to conclude a treaty of Salin with the Order (1398), according to which, in exchange for support, he ceded land to Nevezhis to the Order. It was a territory with a very significant pagan influence, which Vitovt himself practically did not control. As a result, in 1399The Teutonic Order even acted as an ally of Lithuania in the battle on Vorskla (a rather strange alliance of Prince Vitovt, Khan Tokhtamysh and the Teutons).
Battle of Vorskla
This battle became one of the largest and bloodiest in the XIV century, and ended in a heavy defeat for the allies.
In 1401, the Samogitian uprising forced the Order to withdraw from this province, after which its attacks on Lithuania resumed. In 1403, Pope Boniface IX officially forbade the Teutons to fight with Lithuania. As a compromise, in 1404, the Order received the very same Samogitia in joint management with Poland and Lithuania (the Treaty of Ration). The idyll ended in 1409 with an uprising of Samogitians who were dissatisfied with the order administration, and the Lithuanians came to their aid. Thus began the decisive war between Poland and the Lithuanian principality with the Teutonic Order, which ended in a catastrophic defeat of the latter in the battle of Grunwald (Tanenberg).
Battle of Grunwald, engraving
The Allied army was impressive: the troops of the Polish King Jagiello, the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vitovt, the "banner" from Smolensk, Polotsk, Galich, Kiev, the Czech army headed by Jan Zizka, who had yet to become great during the Hussite Wars, went on a campaign, as well as detachment of Tatar cavalry (about 3,000 people). Including auxiliary troops and a wagon train, the number of this army reached 100 thousand people. On the right flank there were Russian-Lithuanian detachments and Tatars (40 banners) under the command of Vitovt. On the left - the Poles, commanded by the commander Zyndram (50 banners). Artillery was distributed along the entire front. Some of the infantry units were covered by carts. To raise the morale of the army, before the start of the battle, King Jagiello knighted several dozen people in front of the formation.
The army of the Teutonic Order consisted of representatives of 22 countries of Western Europe (51 "flags") and numbered about 85 thousand people. Historians estimate the number of members of the Order at 11 thousand people, 4 thousand of them were crossbowmen. Master Ulrich von Jungingen became the commander-in-chief.
26 Ulrich von Jungingen, Master of the Teutonic Order
Ulrich von Jungingen placed artillery in front of the battle formations, the bulk of the infantry was located in the wagenburg (fortification of carts) - behind the deployed positions of the heavy cavalry and artillery of the order.
On July 15, 1410, the enemy armies stood between the villages of Tannenberg and Grunwald. The Grand Master sent heralds to Jagaila and Vitovt with a provocative message, which said:
“The Most Serene King! The Grand Master of Prussia Ulrich sends you and your brother two swords as an encouragement for the upcoming battle, so that you, with them and with your army, immediately and with greater courage than you show, entered the battle and did not hide longer, dragging out the battle and sitting out among the forests and groves. If you think the field is cramped and narrow for the deployment of your system, then the master of Prussia Ulrich … is ready to retreat, as much as you want, from the flat field occupied by his army."
The crusaders really pulled back. According to the views of those years, it was a challenge bordering on an insult. And the allies began the battle. The first to move were the troops of Vitovt. Here, discrepancies begin: some historians claim that the attack of Vitovt's light cavalry and the Tatar cavalry was at first successful: they allegedly managed to chop the order's artillerymen. The Polish chronicler Dlugosh claims the opposite: the cavalry that attacked the Teutons fell into pre-arranged traps ("pits covered with earth, so that people and horses would fall into them"). During this attack, the Podolsk prince Ivan Zhedevid was killed "and many more people were harmed by those pits." After that, detachments of "guests" - knights of other countries, who wished to fight the "pagans", moved against the Lithuanians. About an hour later, the left wing of the allies began to “retreat and finally took to flight … The enemies cut and took prisoners the fleeing, pursuing them at a distance of many miles … The fleeers were seized by such fear that most of them stopped fleeing,only having reached Lithuania”(Dlugosh). The Tatar cavalry also fled. Many modern historians consider this testimony of Dlugosz to be overly categorical. The knightly cavalry could not develop the success, as it got into the marshy rugged terrain. Lowly assessing the actions of the Lithuanian army as a whole, Dlugosh opposes them with the actions of three Smolensk regiments:
"Although under one banner they were cruelly hacked and their banner trampled into the ground, in the other two detachments they emerged victorious, fighting with the greatest courage, as befits men and knights, and finally united with the Polish troops."
This was of great importance for the course of the entire battle, since the Smolensk regiments were adjacent to the Polish army on the right, and, having held the position, did not allow the knightly cavalry to strike on the flank.
Only now the Teutons and the Prussian militia entered into battle with the Poles, striking them "from a higher place" (Dlugosh). Success, it seemed, was accompanied by the soldiers of the Order, they even managed to capture the royal banner. At that moment, already confident of victory, the Grand Master threw the last reserves into battle, but the reserve units were used by the allies, moreover, part of Vitovt's army suddenly returned to the battlefield. And now the numerical superiority played a decisive role. The Order's army was outflanked from the left flank and surrounded. In the last phase of the battle, the great master, the great commander, the great marshal and 600 knights were killed. Of the commanders, only one survived - who did not take part in the battle. About 15,000 people were captured. The convoy, artillery, battle banners of the crusaders were captured (51 were sent to Krakow, the rest to Vilnius).
Jan Matejko, Battle of Grunwald. This painting was blacklisted by the leadership of the Third Reich and was subject to destruction.
The I Torun Treaty (1411) was rather soft in relation to the losing side, but the Teutons were forced to return Samogitia and Zanemanye to Lithuania. The Teutonic Order, which at some point found itself in the position of the most powerful in Europe (the Order of the Knights Templar was treacherously defeated and banned, and the Hospitallers did not have such a resource base as the Teutons, who collected taxes from numerous lands and even monopolized the amber trade) did not recover from this blow. The Teutons lost their strategic initiative, and now they could only defend themselves, trying to defend their possessions. In 1429 the Order still helps Hungary to repel the attack of the Turks. But the subsequent unsuccessful wars with Lithuania (1414, 1422), with Poland and the Czech Republic (1431-1433) aggravated the crisis of the Order.
In 1440, the Prussian Union, an organization of secular knights and townspeople, was formed in opposition to the Order. In February 1454, this union raised a revolt and announced that all Prussian lands would henceforth be under the patronage of the Polish king Casimir. The subsequent thirteen-year war of the Order with Poland ended with another defeat for the Teutons. Now the Order lost its Eastern Pomerania and Danzig, the Kulm land, Marienburg, Elbing, Warmia, which went to Poland. From Marienburg, lost forever (which became the Polish Malbork), the capital was moved to Konigsberg. This defeat could have been fatal if the Lithuanians had also hit the Order, but for some reason they remained neutral. The authority of the Teutons is steadily declining, and in 1452 the Order loses its sole power over Riga - now it was forced to share it with the Archbishop. And in 1466 the Livonian Order received autonomy. In 1470, Master Heinrich von Richtenberg was forced to take a vassal oath to the King of Poland. An attempt to regain independence in 1521-1522. was not crowned with success.
In 1502, the Order's army won its last victory over the Russian army, but in 1503 the war ended in favor of Moscow. And in 1525 an event took place that shook the whole of Europe: the Grand Master of the Catholic Order Albrecht Hohenzollern and some of the knights adopted Lutheranism. The Teutonic Order was abolished, its territory was declared the hereditary principality of Prussia, vassal, in relation to Poland. From the hands of the Polish king Sigismund, Albrecht received the title of duke. After that, he married the Danish princess Dorothea.
Albrecht Hohenzollern, last Master of the Teutonic Order, who became the first Duke of Prussia
But some of the knights remained true to the old faith, in 1527 they chose a new grandmaster - Walter von Kronberg. The Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire approved this appointment, the Teutonic knights who left Prussia fought in religious wars against the Lutherans. In 1809 the Teutonic Order was dissolved by Napoleon Bonaparte, but in 1840 it was revived again in Austria.
As for the Livonian Order, it was abolished during the Livonian War. His last Master, Gotthard Kettler, followed the example of the Grand Master of the Teutons: in 1561 he converted to Lutheranism and became the first Duke of Courland.
Gotthard Kettler, last Master of the Livonian Order, who became the first Duke of Courland
The Duchess of Courland was the niece of Peter I - Anna Ioannovna, who in 1730 ascended the Russian throne. And the last Duke of Courland was Peter Biron - the son of her favorite, Ernst Johann Biron.
Peter Biron, last Duke of Courland
On March 28, 1795, he was summoned to Petersburg, where he signed a renunciation of the duchy. The compensation was an annual pension of 100 thousand thalers (50 thousand ducats) and 500,000 ducats as payment for estates in Courland. He spent the rest of his life in Germany.
In 1701, the great Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm, proclaimed himself still “king in Prussia” - the fact is that the western part of Prussia still belonged to Poland at that time. In 1722, during the first partition of Poland, Frederick II annexed these lands to his state and became the "King of Prussia". In 1871, the last Prussian king, Wilhelm I of Hohenzollern, became the first emperor of the II German Reich.
King of Prussia Wilhelm I of Hohenzollern, who became the first emperor of the II German Reich
The leaders of the Third Reich in 1933 declared themselves "spiritual heirs" of the Teutonic Order. After the defeat in the II World War unleashed by them, these "heirs" also ceased to exist.
But purely formally, the Teutonic Order still exists in Austria today. True, only a loud name remained from him: the head is now not the Grand Master, but the Abbot-Hochmeister, and the order castrated by the winners is not warlike, always ready for battle, knights, but almost only women (sisters) working in hospitals and sanatoriums Austria and Germany.
