The Teutonic Knights: Crusaders of the North - full documentary

1197 a force of german

crusaders

arrives in the holy land and there they discover that the hospital order of st. Mary of the Germans, established only a few years earlier during the Third Crusade, is flourishing, caring for the sick and providing accommodation for pilgrims. Many of the brothers of the order are trained Knights who have abandoned military life for a religious vocation of helping the sick and poor, however, Christian states on the coast of Syria and Palestine are facing powerful Saracen bids of the AU to the east suffer from a chronic shortage of fighters. The German

crusaders

conclude that the brothers from the St.

Petersburg hospital. Mary should begin to assume military duties Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI believes that a German military order will help focus and maintain German interest in the Holy Land in 1197 Heinrich sends a request to Pope Celestine the Third to reinstate the German hospital as an Order Military the Pope agrees to issue the order a new charter in 1198 a new Military Order is born essentially a German incarnation of the strongly French Knights Templar, this order the brothers of the German house of st. Mary is better known to the world as the Teutonic Knights. The Teutonic Knights model themselves after the Templars, adopting their rule practically word for word.

The rule is written in German so that all members can easily understand it, although they retain their hospital function. They are now primarily a military organization their membership is dominated by

knights

who require horses, weapons equipment and support staff like the Templars they are dedicated to celibacy, poverty and obedience as well as the cause of crusade they are fighters, warriors who will ride into battle. against the enemies of Chris Ando, ​​the earliest history of the Teutonic Knights is obscure, although they own some property in the Holy Land, the early death of Henry the Six in 1197 leaves the order small and obscure for many years during its first decade of existence.

More than two dozen

full

brother Knights occupied their ranks in 1210, when Hermann von Salza was elected Grand Master of the orders beginning their history as a major force in the Crusades. Hermann von Salza is one of those rare men with equal vision and ability. his origins are humble his family is of ministerial and chivalrous class but not entirely noble generations before one of Herman's ancestors raised the family status through competition of value or the birth of both parents could prevent him Rise through the ranks of the Templars or the hospital. He is wrong, but a small order like the Teutonic Knights presents him with a clear opportunity there, his affable personality and sharp organizational skills immediately stand out when he is still 30 years old, he is elected Grand Master in 1215 by the new Holy Roman Emperor Frederick. the second names Herman prince of the Empire and obtains the privileges of the order confirmed and expanded in 1217 Hermann joins the fifth crusade an expedition aimed at conquering Egypt, a center of power of the sultanate of a ubud during the Third Crusade in the elevens 90 Richard the Lionheart envisioned a conquest of Egypt that would allow Christians to hold Jerusalem in the long term.

The Fifth Crusade aims to put into practice that plan launched from Cyprus controlled by the Crusaders. The Fifth Crusade army besieges Damietta the port that guards the Nile delta although he commands only a few

knights

Herman stands out among the leadership council of the crusade eventually the Fifth Crusade ends in failure, but in the course of the campaign Herman gains many donations and privileges for his order many blame of the failure of the Fifth Crusade to the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick the Second did not personally bring aid to the crusaders in their hour of need, but Herman maintains strict loyalty to the Emperor throughout this critique, knowing well that his plans for the The expansion of his orders will require the good will of the Emperor during the 1920s.

Herman accompanies Friedrich on imperial business, demonstrating his competence as a diplomat when the Emperor announces his plans to finally lead his own crusade. Herman takes the opportunity to promote the Teutonic order. as the leading force in the German crusading effort during the Sixth Crusade, led by Friedrich to second the Teutonic Knights and provide a large contingent in support of the Emperor. Throughout the crusade, Herman proves to be a crucial diplomatic and military resource for the Emperor, after lengthy negotiations with the Sultan of Egypt. Friedrich achieves a questionable surrender of Jerusalem, leaving the holy city insecurely in Christian hands, but in terms of the Holy Roman Empire's relations with the Templars, the hospital is wrong, and the local barons of the Crusader States, the crusade is a disaster.

Friedrich ignores the laws of the Crusader States and attempts to force imperial rule, provoking resistance from the nobles and military orders residing in the Holy Land. Herman avoids antagonizing the locals. he powers and thus spares the Teutonic Knights from reprisals after the Emperor's departure. No man is closer to the Emperor, either as an advisor or as a friend, than Herman von Salsa. It is a notable promotion for the son of the most humble of Knight families, now also of the Teutonic Order. It has grown considerably as well as being generously rewarded by Frederick II. The Knights are attracting donations from across Christendom after their experiences in the Fifth and Sixth Crusades.

Herman has come to the conclusion that the future of his orders is unlikely to lie primarily in the Holy Land. who received an intriguing offer from Duke Conrad of Masovia whose Polish borderlands are suffering from incursions of pagan oppression into the desert. Duke Conrad wants to strengthen the knights on his border as a buffer against Prussian raids. Hermann responds favorably by sending a contingent of knights to establish a presence in Prussia. The crusades are already underway in the

north

ern Baltic, but no major military order has yet entrenched itself on this front. Hermann is beginning to entertain the idea of ​​a major Teutonic effort in the area east of the Vistula River.

Dense forest covered most of the land from the Baltic coast to the western Russian highlands. Much of this territory was impenetrable. Miles of dead wood, dense undergrowth, swamps, lakes and hills limited human settlements to the coast and valleys. the rivers the grazing areas were surrounded by dense forests of maple, elm, oak, linden and ash, bison the elk bears and the now extinct falcons roamed the wilderness like the Lithuanians to the east the medieval Prussians were lost in 1100 they had been in The region about 3,000 years ago linguists have identified enduring words related to bees, horses and chariots, refuting the notion that Baltic culture was primitive, however, Russian society was far behind Christian Europe in many areas. , feudal structures were essentially nonexistent, dramatically limiting the Prussians' ability to unify for the purposes of defense, trade, or agriculture.

Prussian territory extended along the Baltic coast to the Vistula River in the eleven tribal groups in the southwest dominated 11 regions, the Sam moneylenders and the pseudo Viens were the most warlike and powerful of these historians. Today they estimate that medieval Prussia, founded by the Teutonic Knights, contained around 170,000 people, they built forts in which they could settle during times of war and, although these structures looked nothing like the castles of the Christians, however, they were adequate before the Northern Crusades. The various Prussian tribes were never known to act as one. The Prussian religion was a branch of Indo-European nature worship comparable to Greek, Roman, Celtic and Germanic folk customs.

Contact with Vikings and Christians had influenced Russian ideas in the 10th century. Western missionaries began to interact with Prussian tribes, but to little effect. However, the remoteness of Prussian territory discouraged travelers and invaders alike. Let us leave the Prussians with the brute beasts, wrote the first chronicler of Poland in the 12th century. The ruling class among the Prussians was their warrior elite. The clans organized community life, gathered armies and meted out justice. Historian William Urban states that newborn females They were often abandoned and so Prussian women were rare, allowing fathers to charge a high bride price.

Polygamy was practiced and high-ranking men had multiple wives. It was not uncommon for Prussian warriors to raid neighboring lands in search of women. Prussian nobles regularly bathed in sauna-like structures. German chroniclers report that they did not season their food and did not sleep in soft beds. The houses were scattered throughout the forests surrounded by their fields, always close to a log fort for shelter. The weapons wielded by the average Prussian warrior were rather poor clubs and stones that could be effective in ambushes, but were virtually useless in pitched battles against horse-armored enemies. and swords, such weapons were available to the Prussian nobility who functioned as light cavalry with spears, swords, helmets and men's shirts.

This was inferior to the equipment of the average Western knight, but was effective in the swampy lowlands and steep hills of Prussian territory. You doubt that Prussian nobles would have adopted Western military equipment even if it were available to them. The Prussian warrior nobility lived by hunting, war and slave labor. Women and children captured in raids were forced to work as domestic servants, used as concubines, or sold in regional slave markets. Men were considered useless as slaves as they could easily escape while working in the small clearings in the forest. Women were seen as the ideal workers.

Christians in Poland and Vomer Elia cited slave raids as the main reason for waging war against the pagan Prussians. Some modern writers. I have dismissed this as an excuse for aggressive expansion, but it is much more realistic to recognize the complexity of the issue. The Christian regions were driven by both an interest in conquest and a desire to eliminate Prussian slave raids. Similar motivations would bring the Germans from the Holy Roman Empire to The Teutonic Knights Conflict The Stern Warrior Monks The Christianization of the region was a large motivating factor in entering the Prussian Crusade in the early 13th century.

The Teutonic Knights, the most famous Germanic military order in history, first entered Prussia at the invitation of a Polish duke Conrad of the Soviet Conrad was concerned about his order, which had often been harassed by pagan tribes inhabiting the desert. Prussian at the time when the Teutonic order was firmly committed to its mission in the Holy Land; However, Grand Master Hermann von Salza felt that he could not refuse. The Duke's Request Conrad Hermann was a man of considerable vision and he realized that the Prussian border could be the key to the future of his command. At 12:30 a small force of Teutonic Knights reached the edge of the Prussian forests and were commanded by Konrad von Landsberg. whose mission was to establish a foothold on the lands granted by the Duke of Masovia.

Burke's contingent was made up of younger and newer recruits, as well as sick or wounded brothers, to join the Grand Master of the Holy Roman Emperor's Holy Land Crusade in the south. On the banks of the Vistula River, the Teutonic Knights established their first Prussian fortress called Vogelsong, which is the song of birds called so by the German crusaders because they sang to many wounded, not as the nightingale sings, but with a sad song that the swan when he is soon killed. Reinforcements arrived under the command of Master Hermann Bulk, a highly competent warrior who would lead the Prussian crusade for many years.

In 1231, the Teutonic order had built another castle called Thorn opposite the site of Vogelsong. Two years later, an army of German and Polish crusaders gathered here. Marching

north

east to establish Merry Inverter's fortress at Palma Sanya, about halfway between Thorn and the sea, some of the crusaders remained until winter when they were joined by The dukes spent Palmer's Appel and sambar, other things for a invasion of the Pakistani Anna in the At the Battle of Rison, on the frozen surface of the river, the Crusaders faced a force of Prussian warriors, the pagans advanced in a phalanx formation, but were panicked by the appearance of Palmer Elian .

The knights in their rear, the Prussians attempted to flee, but were destroyed by an ambush set by Sveta Belkin. These early campaigns established a pattern each year a Crusader armyusually composed of Germans and Poles arrived to join the Teutonic brothers in an attack against the Prussians each year the result was the same with which the Teutonic Knights expanded their territory New fortresses were often built. Prussian warriors showed remarkable courage and tenacity by rallying year after year to oppose the annual invasion. However, the pagans simply could not cope with the heavy Western cavalry once the Crusader army had dispersed during the season when the Teutonic brothers would retreat. their castles where they were safe from Prussian counterattacks the Polish crusaders provided the necessary numbers for the annual campaigns of conquest while the Teutonic knights garrisoned the castles during the low season as celibate monks the Teutonic brothers were willing to occupy the fortresses during the wet months and in the bitter winter nights the Teutonic Knights continued to expand their monastic state in Prussia during the 12 30s in the eastern interior of the Vistula River forts were established at Raiden in 1234 and the birth of Christ in 1237 these crusader outposts attracted settlers from Poland and Germany as well as Dominican missionaries eager to spread Christianity among the Prussians, the Teutonic brothers even began to create rural estates for secular knights willing to settle down and commit their long-term swords to the crusade after participating in a seasonal crusade which the Margrave of Meissen gifted to Master Herman in large measure.

The order then used these ships to set out north from Marion Verdure and established the fortress of L in the Vistula delta in 1237. Immediately the citizens of Lubich colonized Elving, from there the crusaders advanced northeast towards the land of Sam, cutting off the Prussians from the coast and establishing the Volga Castle at 12:39 cut off their main trade route, the Marc of Ian and the Pakistanis, two important Prussian tribal groups reached an agreement with the German brother Knights, now the Teutonic order was prepared to surround. The remaining pagans defiant and linked their Prussian lands with their territory in Livonia creating a Latin Christian bloc from Prussia to Estonia, but pushback was coming and not just from the pagan Prussians, the order's rapid success aroused the ire of one of its former allies, the dukes. vent Appel katpa Morelia spent Belk felt that the new trading centers in meri investor and Elle Bing were competing with his own merchants in 1242 he forged an alliance with the Russian pagans and together they devastated the Teutonic ports and destroyed the settlements in the corner of the land that This became After a ten-year war, Appel was able to build his own forts to oppose the Teutonic castles and used his river fleet of 20 ships to harass the German settlements, meanwhile the pagan Prussians, unable to defeat the Teutonic knights.

In open battle, they perfected an ambush technique that allowed them to delimit and annihilate the Teutonic contingents, however, the Teutonic brothers maintained their war effort and the conflict seemed to end in a stalemate, the balance tipped by other Polish princes who They wanted to join the German order to dislodge the spent that fell from the mouth of the Vistula. The Pope also preached a crusade against the vente filk, accusing him of interfering with the work of the church in the region. In the face of this opposition, Appel relented and agreed to share the Delta. of the Vistula with the Teutonic Knights The setbacks of the 12-40s led the Teutonic order to prepare for a long and exhausting war of repression to confront the guerrilla tactics of the pagans.

They began recruiting native Prussian militiamen who proved to be quite effective in disrupting the coordinated Prussian attacks. Converted Prussian nobles were even incorporated into the Christian cavalry and are described in sources as natives. The knights, but more importantly, Pope Innocent IV granted the Teutonic brothers the privilege of a perpetual crusade in 1245, allowing the order to recruit volunteers for holy war throughout the year. The Treaty of the Birth of Christ in 1249 granted native Prussian converts civil liberties as long as they adhered. According to Christian law, the 1250s were a time of revival of the Teutonic Knights on their Livonian front.

One of his main enemies. Minda gasps from Lithuania converted to Christianity. The Teutonic brothers respected her conversion, stopped attacking her territories and took the opportunity to make him an ally. Meanwhile, the pagan Prussians suffered their greatest setback between 1254 and 1256 with the arrival of a huge German Crusader army led by King Otto Gahr ii of Bohemia, the most powerful ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, the Bohemian king's army was so great that the pagan natives realized that resistance was futile Otto Gahr built the fortress of Königsberg named in his honor and secured Teutonic control over the land of the Somme.

This seemed to be the decisive moment. The Latin baptism seemed about to completely triumph in the Baltic; However, in the 1260s the Prussian tribes would unite in an uprising of hitherto unknown power and coordination. This revolt known to history as the Great Prussian Uprising would bring the Teutonic order in the Baltic to the brink of destruction. The year is 1240. - the place of Lake Peipus between present-day Estonia and Russia there in the middle of these vast icy waters a battle is about to take place on one side the army of the Russian Republic of Novgorod led by Alexander Nevsky, 21 years old, a young and brave warrior prince who has just returned from exile in time to defend his people on the other side the Livonian branch of the Teutonic Knights fierce warrior monks clad in heavy armor on their powerful war horses the Teutonic Knights are the main muscle of the Northern Crusades The Latin baptized domes plan to subdue and convert the pagan peoples of the Baltic, but today they are the enemy the confrontation is also Christian although of a different right Alexander and his people are Eastern Orthodox the battle that is about to take place It represents more than a clash between two competing powers, it is a contest between Western and Eastern Christianity.

The outcome will determine which of the two will prevail. Since 1217, the Teutonic Knights have been involved in a long war to subdue the pagan tribes of Prussia recently expanded its influence in 1237 Pope Gregory IX dissolves another order of fighting monks the Sword Brothers whose lands and Livonia he grants to the Teutonic Knights this increases the Teutonic order's dominance in the Baltic and effectively gives them control of the crew from the north, but Pope Gregory IX wants something in return help with his latest project a crusade against the Russians the expansion of Teutonic power in the Baltic has not gone unnoticed by the nearby Russian republic Novgorod, previously garroted, exercised hegemonic dominance over the let's and the Estonians, both now ruled by the Westerners, leading to border clashes between the Novgorod Ian and the Western armies which the Pope initially plans to remedy.

The issue is complicated by sending missionaries to Novgorod, but the Russians are not interested in converting to Latin Christianity. Things heat up at 12:34, when Prince Yaroslav leads a Novgorod army on a raiding expedition that devastates the Latin mission in Finland after this attack. Pope Gregory IX. decides he's done sending missionaries sends a papal leggett to the Teutonic Knights with instructions to organize a crusade to conquer Novgorod a Teutonic order isn't exactly eager to wage another war their numbers are few Manage the castles of Livonia and fight regular campaigns to maintain and expand their territory in Prussia, but 1240 seems to be the ideal time for the Westerners to attack the civil conflict.

Prince Alexander of Novgorod is fighting for control with other Russian princes after defeating an attack from Sweden. Alexander is exiled by his own subjects, meanwhile the Teutonic Knights advance towards the territory of Novgorod in September they occupy its vorse campus qov at the beginning of 1241 they capture wad and ingria a territory between Novgorod and the Finnish Gulf the citizens of Novgorod alarmed by this invasion begged his exiled prince to regain power and lead the defense Alexander Nevsky answers the call initially takes command Alexander leads a small force to disrupt the Teutonic Knights' occupation of Novgorod's western border, expels the garrison and occupies all roads until piss golf, he even penetrates the Latin diocese of doorbot, but a contingent of Western Nights under the command of Bishop Herman de d'Or defeat the Novgorodians and force Alexander to retreat.

Bishop Herman is one of Livonia's most important magnates, both prince and bishop. With the Teutonic Order he raises an army to challenge Alexander's counterattack while Alexander assembles. Novgorod forces to oppose them is April 12, 42 when the Western and Eastern army meet face to face at Lake Peipus as it is their territory that is being invaded. Alejandro can select a place for the meeting. Alexander understands that the most powerful weapon of the Teutonic order is the charge of his heavily armed mounted Knights. He believes the vast frozen lake will mitigate the effectiveness of this charge, giving his more numerous forces the advantage.

Bishop Herman and the Teutonic Knights lead a force of perhaps 2,500 in total. They were able to spare without compromising their positions in Livonia and Prussia the bulk of their army consists of around 1,000 Estonian infantrymen Bishop Herman leads a few hundred German and Danish horse knights only around 100 heavily armed brother knights of the branch of Livonia The Teutonic order is present although they are the most formidable element of the army on the other side of Lake Alexander is at the head of around 5,000 soldiers on his flanks positions his own entourage of Nava cavalry God's most precious warriors the center is formed mainly by a number The troops of God's militia as well as Alexander's own infantry on the right places a small contingent of horse archers.

Alexander sets up his army in a solid formation and awaits the enemy's advance. Bishop Herman begins the battle by ordering a cavalry charge with which he hopes to break the Russian center, the heavy Western Knights formed the spearhead of a column reinforced by light cavalry and infantry. Initially, this charge inflicts heavy casualties on the Russian vanguard, but as lighter Western forces advance to reinforce their heavy cavalry, the Russian center keeps the fighting brutal. with the infantry on both sides suffering heavy casualties, however, Alexander's own elite cavalry has been held in reserve on the flanks. Alexander now leads his Knights in a pincer movement that envelops the numerically inferior Western forces, the Westerners retreat in a disorderly retreat and Alexander's Knights devastate the Estonian infantry. most of the brother Knights escape with only about 20 fallen in the battle the victory belongs to Alexander and Novgorod the crusade is defeated the halton invasion Novgorod will not fall under Latin rule Alexander has no interest in pursuing the Westerners into his own territory his Only concern is to eliminate the threat to Novgorod, they have just obtained a great victory, but the Teutonic Knights have suffered small losses that can be easily replaced.

The Westerners' position in Livonia and Prussia remains strong, so Alexander opens negotiations. He presents the Teutonic Order with generous terms which the brother Knights quickly agree to allow Alexander to withdraw from Peskov and other border territories. Both sides release their prisoners. A truce acceptable to both in the long term is established. The result was probably beneficial to the Teutonic order. The Pope had to accept that the conquests of Novgorod were impossible and the brother Knights no longer had to spend resources for that purpose, but the order reached an agreement with Prince Alexander that left them free to continue their domination of Livonia and Prussia.

The truce was also beneficial to Alexander, who wanted to focus on countering the threat of the Mongols from the east. The battle on the ice has become legendary in the 1938 Russian-language film Alexander Nevsky presented a heavily fictionalized version of the battle that was more influenced by 20th century politics and historical reality the film grossly exaggerates the differences between the quality of weapons and armor of the two sides portraying the Novgorodians almost as 20th century peasants engaged in a communist-style uprising against an elitist Teutonic order , the real Alexander Nevsky has become a hero in Russian history and his stellar performance in battleon ice is a key factor in their position of high esteem, the 1260s saw the greatest challenge to the rule of the Teutonic Knights in their monastic state of Prussia.

This was a period of revolt, the native pagan Prussians reached a level of unity like never before and together they struck. against the Teutonic conquerors the Prussians' goal of forever expelling the monks Christian warriors in addition to cooperating together the Prussian tribes gain an ally in one of the prince's Polish territorial messes the second Duke of Palma meets a mess when he was the son of the dukes of Vent Appel chief Palmer other things former ally and enemy of the Teutonic order the Prussians had learned a lot from their conquerors and their uprising was well equipped and well organized they had crossbows and had learned to build siege engines also the Prussians had adapted certain Christian battle tactics and that is why they were prepared to face the Teutonic brothers in open combat.

It all started with the challenge of the semi-Gideon. Asama Gideon defeated the Master of the Teutonic Order of Livonia in battle killing 33 of his brother Knights, they inflicted devastating raids on the native Prussians living in Teutonic lands, these raids were intended to demonstrate the inability of Christian warrior monks to protect to his subjects and convince the crushing plans to join the rebellion. The Sami Gideon even forced a new recent ally of the Teutonic brothers. Minda gasps from Lithuania to systematically renounce Christianity, the Prussians penetrated deep into Teutonic territory, invaded castles, massacred the garrisons and massacred the colonists.

Pope Urban IV was in the midst of organizing a crusade against the Mongols when news reached him of the disasters that the Teutonic order was suffering in Prussia. The Pope immediately set aside his plans for a crusade in Mongolia and began recruiting soldiers for a campaign in the north to save the Teutonic state; However, the first Crusader reinforcements were wiped out in battle by the Prussians. Many pagan Prussians now spoke German and so were able to infiltrate the Teutonic camps, the Teutonic brothers, who had always been outnumbered, had previously relied on their superior equipment and tactics, especially the devastating power of their heavy cavalry, but the The Prussians' greatly improved tactics meant that they could now use their overwhelming numbers in combat.

Situations between 1260 and 1260 because two masters of the Teutonic Knights were killed in battle and the order lost most of its fortresses, including the great castle of Marion Verdure, which had been a central base of the order since 1233. Koenigsberg was saved only thanks to the reinforcements of the order. From Livonia, less than a decade earlier, the Teutonic Knights seemed prepared to totally crush the last traces of Prussian resistance. Now the situation had completely reversed and the native pagans were about to erase the orders for presence in the Baltic. This was truly sacred. The war was as much for the Prussians as it had always been for the Teutonic brothers.

Pagan victories seemed to confirm the power of the old gods and more Prussian clans joined the revolt, as did the Lithuanians. Pagan armies were even penetrating into Christian Poland, echoing the days of pagan war. For starters, the Prussian crusade, despite the seriousness of the situation, the Teutonic Knights refused to stop fortifying themselves in the few castles they had left. The warriors prepared for a bitter war of attrition. exhaustingly the brothers worked closely with the Pope and the church in Germany to organize New Crusades Several major German crusades helped stabilize the situation in 1265 Crusader armies arrived under the leadership of the Duke of Brunswick and the Landgrave of Thuringia in 1266 a crusade arrived from Brandenburg and in 1272 the Margrave of Mizzen appeared with reinforcements that these crusades allowed the Teutonic brothers to recover fortresses that were rebuilt with brick or stone.

The warrior monks took advantage of their Christianized Prussian auxiliary troops who were able to infiltrate pagan camps and interrupt operations, ambushes and Well-executed raids by the Teutonic brothers proved devastating to the Prussian coalition that The clans began to break up began to abandon the uprising and many of those who remained defiant fled to the East to seek refuge with the Lithuanians in 1277. It was already over, all nations Central Prussians had submitted to the Teutonic Knights. The events of the great Prussian uprising are a testament. On both sides involved, the native pagan Prussians proved quite adaptable and resilient in the face of a powerful conqueror, but the tenacity of the Teutonic Knights ultimately prevailed.

Crucial to the Teutonic order was the constant flow of crusade reinforcements arriving from the West, which allowed the brothers to wear down Prussian resistance, but the challenge was not over for the Teutonic Knights, they would later face resistance from a school of chieftains. Prussians particularly brave and of the psuedo viens we will learn more about him in a future video in the series, but first in the following video he is linked below and on your screen we will follow the exploits of Martin Van Hollen, a fearsome frontier mercenary who hunted pagans for the Teutonic Knights. 12:44 comb in the Teutonic state of Prussia, the Teutonic Knights have just been defeated in a major battle. battle against the pagan Prussians Martin Fon Gulen is a young man whose family had moved to live as settlers in the Teutonic state now the defeated Teutonic Knights are powerless to protect the Christian settlers the pagan tribes descend upon the comb burning the farmland and rounding up people as slaves Martin and his family are among those captured as Martin and his family are taken into the Prussian desert.

Martin's older sister, who is pregnant, can't keep up. The Prussian warriors dragged the girl out of the line and killed her. Right there, in front of young Martin, is a moment that will define Martin's life. Five years later, a large German crusade arrives in Prussia and annihilates the Prussian tribe that had captured Martin's family. Young Martin, now a teenager, is freed and returns to Christian territory. With new determination, he has decided to dedicate his life to fighting the pagans as a slave. Martin gains skills that are valuable to the Teutonic Knights. He has privileged knowledge about Prussian customs, habits and tribes.

He speaks several Prussian dialects during the 1250s. Martin serves. In several crusading armies in 1260 he is serving calmly along the most dangerous frontier of the Teutonic state. He is a scout for the brothers who garrison Raiden's fortress. From the beginning it is evident that Martin is a warrior of unusual skill, he is remarkably strong and shows much endurance, he is also intensely dedicated, unfazed by danger, distance or discomfort. , although young, is a man with a dark mission of revenge during this first period. Martin is on patrol with a Teutonic brother deep in the desert, they come across a camp occupied by five Prussians.

His Martin and brother's horses run away while the Prussians chase them trying to escape. Martin and the brother dismount and make their horses run while they themselves try to sneak into the undergrowth, but the trick fails, the Prussians capture Martin and his companion while three of the pagans set out to catch the horses, the others stay to watch. to the prisoners after a while the guards decide to simply kill the prisoners and take their valuables when they are about to behead Martin Martin speaks in Prussian Don. Don't kill me like that, my shirt is very valuable, take it off first so it doesn't get blood stained.

The Prussians laugh, thank him for the advice and then proceed to untie him so they can undress him as soon as he has his hands free. Martin hits a Prussian in the throat and drops him. He instantly grabs the man's sword and kills the two pagans after freeing the Teutonic brother Martin and his companion, the three remaining Prussians jump on them as they lead them back to the horses, the three Prussians are killed. Martin and his brother loot the camp and then return to Rayden's fortress over the years. Martin becomes famous in the Prussian wars. He leads a band of tough German, Slavic, and converted Prussian frontiersmen with names like Conrad the Devil and Kadar, the Sidonians, whom they hunt across the wild borderlands, ambushing military groups and villages, bringing much loot and prisoners to the Teutonic brothers.

Martin soon becomes greatly feared among the Prussian tribes and stories of his exploits are earnestly told around many Prussian campfires in 1286. Martin is around fifty years old. and receives information from Konigsberg a young pagan nobleman is angry because one of his relatives has stolen his inheritance the young pagan informs the Teutonic Knights about his relative's plans for a wedding the Knights send Martin to attack Martin takes 20 merchants experienced and leaves with the young pagan who takes them directly to the wedding party, there they find about 70 pagan nobles in a state of festive drunkenness, without mercy, Martin and his men attack them, killing men left and right and cornering the women and children to be taken captive again, finally Martín finds the young groom asleep with his bride in his arms.

The chronicler says that he would have preferred to leave them alone on their wedding day, but not Martín, with a horrible scream, Martín wakes them up. He ties them up and takes them captive with the others while Martin's companions collect all the expensive wedding gifts to be taken back as loot. Martin never retires rather as an old man, delves further into pagan territory and eventually dies, as he lived violently around 1295 in the midst of a Raid on the Far Bug River Martin's life offers insight into the grim clashes between pagans and Christians who ravaged the Prussian desert in the 13th century, traumatized by the first horrors inflicted on his family.

Martin himself became what he initially hated, however, historian William Urban notes that Martin's legend gained some respect among the pagans themselves, in the same way that Christians came to respect the brave Prussian leader Schoo Monde. In these horrific and brutal battles, warriors often developed an appreciation for the valor of an enemy, and yet these conflicts are a stark reminder of the human cruelty that can shatter innocence and leave a legacy of bitter violence. 1274 The Teutonic Knights a powerful order of Christian warrior monks maintain tenuous rule over the remote border of Prussia the territory is the main battlefield of the north The crusades are an effort by the Latin baptized to subdue and Christianize the pagan Baltic and other northeastern regions.

The Teutonic Knights have just defeated the greatest challenge to their rule: the great Prussian uprising that lasted about 15 years, although the uprising has been crushed. The Teutonic Order is left battered and short of funds and men, the order can no longer launch large-scale campaigns, now they must use guerrilla tactics, sorties and lightning attacks from their network of castles, with the great uprising ended two of the most important Prussian tribes, the Netanya. and the Bartons have submitted to the knights but a Prussian tribe continues to challenge the Teutonic brothers the Sidonians the Sidonians are quite numerous and their young people are raised as capable warriors the pseudo Vien territories are located far to the east in the middle of swamps and impenetrable forests The pseudo Viens announced their challenge by attacking the work teams rebuilding Barton Stein, an important Teutonic castle in the center of Barcia.

The pseudo viens kill all the men and set fire to the site. This is a serious blow to the Teutonic brothers, as Barton Stein is a key point in their defensive line along the dangerous border, the man who leads the pseudo viens is a cunning and daring tribal chief who conducts sudo bein raids. They spread terror in Teutonic-controlled territory, but in 1276 Comino suffered several setbacks when his smaller raiding parties were defeated by determined Teutonic counterattacks. to defeat the brother Knights SKU maan forges an alliance with the Lithuanians in 1277 leads a large pseudo Lithuanian coalition come through the calm to marry investor and finally in pakistan eeeh burning villages along the way the cumin has hit right in the heart of the Teutonic state Demonstrating the order's inability to protect its territories, this causes another tribal group, the Pakistanis who had long been pacified by the order, to suddenly rebel.

The Teutonic Knights are in a difficult position, they managed to suppress the Pakistani rebels, but they lackof numbers for a large quantity. Large-scale offensive against the pseudo viens, however, they develop a plan to undermine the scheming small war parties that are launched into pseudo bia, where the brother knights brutally devastate the local chiefs to dissuade them from maintaining ties with the school. An interesting character from this period of guerrilla warfare is Martin Van Hollen, a filibuster who participates in the pseudo-Vien raids, a fascinating account from The Chronicles, the typically dressed scribes of this period noted how Martin has native Germans and Prussians in his war band with four Germans and 11 Prussians.

Martin attacked a certain village in sudo killing or capturing the people and on the long return trip he arrived at a place where he sat down to eat with his friends resting without fear after his work, when the enemy broke in among them, they killed his four German comrades while the others fled leaving all their weapons and food the pseudo viens rejoiced greatly at this meanwhile Martin, angry, went around in the forest and gathered his surviving comrades since they had lost all their weapons he slipped among the enemies while They were sleeping and he stole swords, shields and spears from them and when he had them he went with his hidden companions and silently killed everyone they found except one who tried to flee and Martín killed him, then they took their original loot and the weapons and other things that they pagans they had brought with them and returned home during the winter.

In 1280, the Teutonic marshal Conrad the Younger leads a particularly devastating raid that penetrates regions hitherto untouched by Christians. Meanwhile, the order is also successful in other ways. turning these chiefs into allies by granting them lordships and feudal rights in their territories skoo man runs out of allies in 1281 the Teutonic master of Prussia Mongold von Sternberg leads an attack against the home fortress of the humans killing more and more of the inhabitants the Knights are able to capture any pagan quarter they wish during this period, a young Brother Knight named Lewis Vaughan lives and zel is captured by the school and lives to tell the story.

His account of his experience as a prisoner in command provides an incredible insight into life among the Pseudo Viens when Lewis fell into enemy hands, was taken bound to school and told he had been selected to fight an opponent. equal to him. Skooma wanted this to be fun and kept Lewis close to him, one day it happened that the intrigues reached where the pseudo Viens nobles met as was custom and took Lewis with him in a friendly manner even though he was a prisoner and while As they drank, such a fight arose that a powerful nobleman, a pseudo-vien, infuriated Lewis with the harsh words he was using. in an insulting and threatening manner then Lewis spoke to Intriguing you brought me here with the intention that I would use such evil words so that you could insult and threaten me and Intriguing said you will see that I am sorry that I am bothering you and If you have the courage to take revenge, you are wrong, I will be by your side no matter what and when he heard this, Lewis took out his sword and his anger and cut that pseudo vien in front of everyone so that he would die later.

Lewis was cut. Freed from their bonds by a young man who was a member of Schoo Man's retinue and brought to the brothers in 1282, the Teutonic Order receives help from the Poles when the Polish Prince Lesyk the Black leads a huge army into Sedova and Lithuania over the course of weeks he crushes two pagan armies in battle the following year 1283 when the Teutonic Knights invade pseudo via they encounter little resistance luis von liebenzell organizes the peaceful surrender of around 1600 pseudo viens who had befriended him these people are relocated to the West with new lands in the Teutonic state including the school and now a tired and aging veteran surrenders the order forgives us for his past rebellions granting him lands near Balga where he dies peace

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y a few years later, although the Teutonic Knights admire an enemy commando as a worthy adversary The Teutonic chroniclers slowly transmitted remarkably positive accounts of his life and deeds.