Order of the Teutonic Knights
| Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem | |
|---|---|
Coat of arms in the 14th century style
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| Active | c. 1190 – present |
| Allegiance |
Holy Roman Emperor (1190-1806) Papacy (1190-present) |
| Type |
Catholic religious order (1192–1929 as military order) |
| Headquarters |
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| Nickname(s) | Teutonic Knights, German Order |
| Patron | |
| Attire | White mantle with a black cross |
| Commanders | |
| First Grand Master | Heinrich Walpot von Bassenheim |
| Current Grand Master | Bruno Platter |
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem (official names: Latin: Ordo domus Sanctæ Mariæ Theutonicorum Hierosolymitanorum, German: Orden der Brüder vom Deutschen Haus der Heiligen Maria in Jerusalem), commonly the Teutonic Order (Deutscher Orden, Deutschherrenorden or Deutschritterorden), is a Catholic religious order founded as a military order c. 1190 in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem.
The Teutonic Order was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to the Holy Land and to establish hospitals. Its members have commonly been known as the Teutonic Knights, having a small voluntary and mercenary military membership, serving as a crusading military order for protection of Christians in the Holy Land and the Baltics during the Middle Ages.
Purely religious since 1929, the Teutonic Order still confers limited honorary knighthoods. The Bailiwick of Utrecht of the Teutonic Order, a Protestant chivalric order, is descended from the same medieval military order and also continues to award knighthoods and perform charitable work.
The full name of the Order in German is Orden der Brüder vom Deutschen Haus St. Mariens in Jerusalem or in Latin Ordo domus Sanctæ Mariæ Theutonicorum Hierosolymitanorum (engl. "Order of the House of St. Mary of the Germans in Jerusalem"). Thus, the term 'Teutonic' refers to the German origins of the order in Latin. It is commonly known in German as the Deutscher Orden (official short name, engl. "German Order"), historically also as Deutscher Ritterorden ("German Order of Knights"), Deutschherrenorden, Deutschritterorden ("Order of the German Knights") or "Die Herren im weißen Mantel" ("The lords in white capes").
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Wikipedia