LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Teutonic Knights: Ducal Prussia
built 633 days ago
Heeding and inspired by the Pope's call for a Holy War, Teutonic Knights and Scandinavian rulers conquered and settled Prussia, Finland, and Estonia before turning on the eastern empires of Orthodox Novgorod and pagan Lithuania. These 'Northern Crusades' are less known and celebrated than those that took place in the Middle East, but they were ... far more successful. This is because vast new territories became and have remained Christian. In addition, the primary institutions of medieval Western Europe, churches, castles, manors, guilds, work ethic and methods, parliaments and feudal law codes were introduced into these newly conquered and settled lands.
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After the loss of Prussia in 1525, the Teutonic Knights concentrated on their possessions in the Holy Roman Empire. Since they held no contiguous territory, they developed a three-tiered administrative system: holdings were combined into commanderies which were administered by a commander (
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The Teutonic Knights began to direct their campaigns against pagan Lithuania (see Lithuanian mythology), especially after the fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem at Acre in 1291. The knights moved their headquarters to Venice, from which they planned the recovery of Outremer.[10] Because "Lithuania Propria" remained non-Christian until the end of the 14th century, much later than the rest of eastern Europe, many knights from western European countries, such as England and France, journeyed to Prussia to participate in the seasonal campaigns (reyse) against the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Some of them campaigned against pagans to obtain remission for their sins, while others fought to gain military experience.
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Teutonic knights existed in historic Prussia during the time of the Crusades. They were divided into several groups, the most notable being the Knights Templar and the Knights Hospitaller. They were usually very well-trained in hand-to-hand combat, but they ... were more than proficient cavalry. As their game counterpart suggests, they wore a lot of armor, which stemmed from the nature of combat in Europe at the time (usually battles consisted of merely an all-out charge). However, they found themselves at a distinct disadvantage when it came to fighting in the Middle East. Light cavalry and cavalry archers who used skirmishing tactics could generally attack with great effect.
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The Polish Chronicler Jan Dlugosz, writing some 60 years after the battle, recorded that the all the banners of the Teutonic Knight units were captured at the battle. These banners were hung in the Cathedral of Krakow until at least 1603, the last recorded reference to them. Fortunately for Historians Dlugosz described them and the artist Stanislow Durink drew them in a book entitled 'Banderia Prutenorem' (Banners of Prussia). There were 52 banners in the Collection, although only 50 are believed to be unit banners, the other two being personal standards.
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