Teutonic knights
| Teutonic Order | |
|---|---|
Shield insignia in the style of the 14th century
|
|
| 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 | The Virgin Mary, Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, and Saint George |
| 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 in the 12th century (c. 1190) in Acre. Purely religious since 1929, it still confers limited honorary knighthoods.
The 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.
Formed at the end of the 12th century in Acre, in the Levant, the medieval Order played an important role in Outremer, controlling the port tolls of Acre. After Christian forces were defeated in the Middle East, the Order moved to Transylvania in 1211 to help defend the South-Eastern borders of the Kingdom of Hungary against the Kipchaks. The Knights were expelled by force of arms by King Andrew II of Hungary in 1225, after attempting to place themselves under papal instead of the original Hungarian sovereignty and thus to become independent.
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Wikipedia