Teutonic Order In Prussia Research Articles

Music in a vanished kingdom: medieval polyphony in the Teutonic Order state in Prussia

Abstract The state of the Teutonic Order in Prussia, or Ordensstaat (1228–1525), belongs to those ‘vanished kingdoms’ which—devoid of any contemporary heirs—remain on the margins of historical narratives about music. The aim of this article is to describe polyphonic practices in medieval Prussia on the basis of archival and musical sources. Although the information they contain is of a fragmentary character, referring mainly to the first half of the 15th century, it does indicate that a variety of music was cultivated: from simply polyphony in chant notation to international Ars Nova. Outside the major ecclesiastic centres, conditions for the cultivation of polyphony could have existed at the court of the Grand Master, at which musicians—mostly instrumentalists—from across Europe appeared. Particular attention is devoted in the article to fragments from the Gdańsk Library of the Polish Academy of Sciences (Ms. 2153a) which contain works in the style of Central European polyphony, belonging to the genres of motet, cantio and rotulum. These and other sources indicate that the culture of medieval Prussia should be seen from the perspective of various European connections, and not as Germanic or Polish culture, as has often occurred in the past.

Водные угодья в хозяйстве прусских условных землевладельцев в XIII—XIV веках

Local conditional landholding, which bolstered the rule of the Teutonic Order in Prussia, involved the utilisation of land parcels with diverse landscape characteristics, spanning from well-cultivated arable lands to less fertile areas covered with woods and shrubs. To ensure the stable existence of households, the Prussians were granted rights to fish and build watermills on their plots, along with cultivating the land. These rights, explored in this study within the chronological framework of 1242—1370, were universally applicable. A total of 308 persons of different property status, duties and juridical status enjoyed these rights. Most of them, 213 individuals, were lieges obligated to serve in the military, pay taxes or do both. Another 95 persons were lokatoren required to organise settlements on the plots granted by the Order or the Church. The fishing right was regulated by permitting the use of tools (hooks, gigs, fishing rods, waders and nets, except the seine, termed collectively ‘small gears’), sometimes accompanied by leave to build a barrage across the river. The right to build a watermill applied to erecting a one- or two-wheeled structure, typically encompassed by a plot of land measuring 0.5 to 2 huffen and subject to taxation ranging from two to three marks.

“In Heavy Chains”: The Treatment of Prisoners of War in the Teutonic Order in Prussia, the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the First Half of the Fifteenth Century

This article delves into a analysis of the treatment of prisoners of war during the late 14th and 15th centuries. The study not only examines the challenges encountered by the prisoners themselves, as documented in their letters, but also sheds light on the difficulties faced by the officials of the Teutonic Knights and lords involved in their release and care. The work highlights the most salient aspects of captivity, including the deprivation experienced by the prisoners, the means by which they were able to obtain basic necessities such as food and clothing, and the types of places in which they were typically detained. Moreover, the article explores the various factors that influenced the behavior of both captors and captives, and distinguishes between the appropriate and inappropriate treatment of prisoners based on the established norms of medieval times.

Символика лояльности к власти Тевтонского ордена у пруссов в XIII—XIV веках

Formation of the State of Teutonic Order in Prussia in the XIIIth—XIVth centuries based beside military oppression on the relations with local population supported by the incorporation of them in the system of condition landholding. These relations implied, from the one hand, the representation by the Order its own status as a collective ruler, and from the other hand, symbolic expression of the loyalty of Old Prussians in various spheres of social communication: language, onomastic, objects of material culture. Definition of the ways to express loyalty that is the purpose of the article allows to characterize the comprehension of Old Prussians their own status in new political conditions. For this purpose by the using of the old comparative-historical, typological and diachronous-synchronous methods were re­sear­ched both written sources and funds from the Old Prussian necropolis. It allows to define that Old Prus­sians expressed their loyalty by the reception of Middle High German language, Chris­tian names and symbols and sign of Teutonic order. Being included in the culture of Old Prussians these elements co-existed with traditional names, language and principle of heathen fu­ne­ral rite. The resulting co-existence of the symbols different by their character became one of the basis for the relations between Old Prussians and Teutonic order that provided stable de­velopment of the State until 1525.

Biskup warmiński Paweł Legendorf (ok. 1410-1467). Między zakonem krzyżackim a Polską

Paweł Legendorf ’s life and activities (around 1410–1467) were conditioned by the difficult neighborhood of the Teutonic Order in Prussia and the Polish Crown. His situation was complicated in the middle of this century, after the people of this land denounced obedience and then war to the Order, which was undoubtedly a rebellion. The location of Legendorf became especially difficult when during that thirteen years’ war of the Teutonic Order with Poland (1454-1466) he was appointed administrator of the diocese of Warmia in the autumn of 1458 by Pope Pius II. From the arrival of Warmia in the summer of 1460 to the end of the war in the autumn of 1466, he was forced to considerably balance between the parties to the conflict. On the basis of the document of January 26, 1432, the author justifies the need to withdraw the date of birth of Paweł Legendorf until about 1410. From this letter, it seems that Paul probably in 1431 became parish priest of the parish in Mątowy Wielkie in the diocese of Pomezania, from this institution in January 1432, he reported through his father the desire to resign, hoping to receive, through the intercession of the authors of the letter to the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, a more cherished parish (he could not become a parish priest at the age of 16, so he was not born around 1415). After 1437, that is after the death of the past parish priest, Legendorf took over the parish in Domnowo, located in the then diocese of Warmia, from which the income facilitated or even enabled him to start studies in Leipzig in 1441. He studied there in the years 1441-1442, obtaining a baccalaureate (licencjat) in the field of liberal arts. From there, he went to Rome to Sapienza University and probably there he obtained a master’s degree. Before 1447, he came to the papal court, where he remained in the service of three more Popes. Legendorf received the episcopal consecration only on September 21, 1466 in Toruń and he held the dignity of the Ordinary of Warmia until his death on July 23, 1467. He died probably in Braniewo (or in its vicinity) and here in the church. St. Catherine was buried. The author presents the attitude of Legendorf to the Teutonic Order and to the Polish Crown on the basis of numerous sources and studies, concluding that the bishop Paweł undoubtedly had the temperament of an efficient and effective politician (maybe the effect of a dozen or so practice in the Roman Curia). The situation of Legendorf in the mid-fifteenth century was difficult because both fighting parties expected his loyalty, from time to time testing it while they were not always loyal to Warmia and its shepherd. Paweł Legendorf was a wise and prudent governor of the diocese of Warmia, and he never placed his personality above the interests and prosperity of the episcopate. It is a form of the European format whose political talents underestimated - to the detriment of each other - both sides of a furious armed conflict, which in the mid-15th century devastated Warmia.

The Dedication of Churches in the Medieval Towns of Prussia

This article discusses the practice of dedicating churches to saints in cities on the territory of the state of the Teutonic Order in Prussia. Special attention is paid to three church groups — parish churches, churches owned by monastic orders — Dominicans, Franciscans, Cistercians and Augustinians — Heremites, as well as cathedrals in the capitals of the bishoprics of Kulm, Pomesan, Warmia and Sambia. Among the most popular patron saints was the Virgin Mary, which was due to her patronage of the Teutonic Order as well as the cultural influence of the Hanseatic cities, and her veneration in certain mendicant orders such as the Cistercians. Other popular saints included St Peter and St Paul, and St Nicholas, who also acted as the patron saint of merchants. St Adalbert was also worshipped locally, due to his missionary work in Prussia. Patrons of the churches were also venerated in medieval Europe and were introduced to the region during the process of Christianization.

Beginnings of the Teutonic state in the light of the latest studies

In 2016–2018, non-invasive and archaeological research was carried out in historical Chełmno Land in north-central Poland as part of the ‘Castra Terrae Culmensis, at the edges of the Christian world’ (project ‘Castra Terrae Culmensis – na rubieży chrześcijańskiego świata’), whose main aim was to clarify key questions regarding the beginnings of the State of the Teutonic Order in Prussia. Discoveries included the remains of a previously unrecognised stronghold founded in the 1230s and a castle in Unisław that was the residence of the Teutonic commandry beginning in the 1280s. After a search of lasting more than 100 years, the relics of Chełmno, the oldest Teutonic city after Toruń, were also discovered. The article presents the resultsof geophysical, archaeological and geomatic analyses that confirm historical records in the 14th-century Teutonic Chronicle and helped to reconstruct the history of the oldest Teutonic earth-and-timber strongholds and cities chartered under Chełmno law stood.

The Meaning of Eagles in the Baltic Region. A Case Study from the Castle of the Teutonic Order in Klaipėda, Lithuania (13th–14th Century)

In this paper, we examine archaeological bird remains from Klaipėda Castle (Ger. Memel), western Lithuania. The castle was built in 1252, and during the Middle Ages, it was the northernmost castle of the Teutonic Order in Prussia. The castle together with its adjacent town were subjected to wars and changing political situations over the centuries, but nevertheless represented a socially higher status. The studied bird remains were found during the excavations in 2016 and have been dated by context to the Middle Ages – from the end of the 13th to the beginning of the 14th century. Our aim is to introduce and discuss the bird remains with an emphasis on two species – the white-tailed sea-eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) and golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos). Most of all, we are interested in their role in expressing people’s social status, use in material culture, and significance as a food source. Our analysis showed that in Klaipėda, the eagles were probably used for raw material and possibly for feathers, but not for hawking and food. Alternatively, they could have been killed for scavenging. Other species identified in the assemblage such as chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus), grey partridge (Perdix perdix), geese (Anser sp.), ducks (Anatinae), and great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) were mainly interpreted as food waste. This article presents the first concentrated study on bird remains from Klaipėda and is one of the first discussions about the meaning of eagles in the Baltic region.

Visitationen, Visitatoren, Reformen und Änderungen im Konventsleben des Deutschen Ordens um die Wende zum 16. Jahrhundert, insbesondere in Preußen

Local inspections aiming to reform the Teutonic Order in Prussia, as well as the attempts at self-reform made by selected bailiwicks stood in opposition to the plans of the last two Grand Masters to transform the Order into Deutsche Adels in Prussen. Most Teutonic knights did not desire or no longer believed in the reform of the Order. The decentralization of the Teutonic State in Prussia and its administration led directly to the secularization of the Order, including the ideals and aspirations of Teutonic knights in the Baltic region

New historical data on the Teutonic Order crusades in Prussia: geophysical and archaeological research into an earth‐and‐timber stronghold and city of the 1230s at Starogród, northern‐central Poland

AbstractIn 2016–2018 in Starogród, in historical Chełmno Land in northern‐central Poland, remains were discovered of a stronghold (convent house) of the Knights of the Teutonic Order that was founded in the 1230s. After a search lasting more than 100 years, remains were also discovered of the oldest and repeatedly translocated city of Chełmno, which was founded by the German Knights at the same time. Non‐invasive and archaeological studies were conducted as part of the project Castra Terrae Culmensis, at the edges of the Christian world, whose main aim was to answer central questions concerning the beginnings of the State of the Teutonic Order in Prussia. One specific goal was to discover the oldest location of the aforementioned city, founded in 1232. The article presents the results of geophysical, archaeological and geomatic analyses that confirm historical records in the fourteenth‐century German Chronicle and helped to piece together the history of the place where one of the oldest Teutonic Order earth‐and‐timber strongholds and cities chartered under Chełmno Law stood.

Visualization of the Teutonic Order in Prussia in the 13th — Beginning 14th Centuries

Visualization of the Teutonic Order in Prussia in the 13th — Beginning 14th Centuries

Lokalizacja infirmerii w topografii krzyżackich zamków komturskich w Prusach w późnym średniowieczu

The location of infirmaries in Teutonic Order castles topography in late Medieval Prussia In the primary Rule of the Teutonic Order, written in the middle of the 13th century, maintaining hospitals by the organisation is in its content, yet the generality of the normative provisions contained in that source bears a number of questions which are difficult to answer in a satisfactory way. From the main paragraphs referring to that issue it is impossible to conclude whether those hospitals/infirmaries were intended for secular persons or the brother friars of the Order. Detailed regulations on the subject were additionally provided in Statutes written around the same time. In accordance with those provisions, if a friar knight fell ill, then he should stay in bed for a few days. In case of prolongation of this state, he was to be moved to a common chamber for the sick – the infirmary. Only the Grand Master and his deputy had the right to be treated in their own chambers. However, it must be remembered that those regulations were formulated mostly in reference to the main convent of the Teutonic Order in the Holy Land. This institution was subordinate to the Great Commander and it was him who provided for medical care and medicines for the sick through his appointed subordinate official (“firmariemeister”). From the 13th century normative sources it cannot be concluded where the infirmaries were supposed to be located in the castle grounds. What does this issue look like in reference to the state of the Teutonic Order in Prussia in the 14th and 15th centuries? Unfortunately, in the current literature of the subject it has been attempted to identify the locations of castle infirmaries exclusively on the basis of architectural data of preserved commander castles (still enerally sparse). Meanwhile, the problem is that limiting only to that sort of sources when examining the issue does not provide any evidential basis to indicate the location of infirmaries in the spatial configuration of the Teutonic strongholds. Only the analysis of written sources of the époque (starting with the end of the 14th century) allows to state that nearly all infirmaries of commander castles of the time in Prussia intended both for the members of the Teutonic Order (brothers, priests) and secular servants‑dieners were locate within the bailey. Sparse exceptions from that rule would only apply to the capital castle in Malbork, where one of the infirmaries might have been located in the area of the proper convent of the high castle and to the one in Konigsberg, where the infirmary for servant‑dieners of the Order was located outside the defensive walls of the bailey.

Relacje arcybiskupa gnieźnieńskiego Jarosława Bogorii ze Skotnik z zakonem krzyżackim w Prusach

The paper concerns the relations between the archbishop of Gniezno Jarosław Borogia of Skotniki with the Teutonic Order in Prussia in the years 1342–1374. The first challenge the new metropolitan bishop had to face was the conclusion of a peace treaty between king Casimir III the Great and the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order Ludwig König in Kalisz in 1343. His success allowed him to strengthen his position in the relationship with the Teutonic Order and, in consequence, led to the reorganisation of the “table estate” (bona mensae regiae) located on the territory of the Teutonic Order. In June 1349 Jarosław was, on the Polish side, one of the two negotiators of the delineation treaty concluded in Trzęsacz. He most likely went to Marienburg in the autumn of 1365 with the king. An interesting aspect, which should be viewed through the prism of the good relations with the Order, is that after Jarosław resigned from the position of archbishop, the property that was to be his sustenance remained in the territory of the State of the Teutonic Order.

Czas powstania krzyżackiego komturstwa w Pokarminie (Brandenburg) a kwestia chronologii wznoszenia tamtejszego zamku

The analyses performed in the paper indicate that the construction works on the brick Teutonic Commandery Castle in Pokarmin (Brandenburg) started in the 1280s (perhaps around 1283). This coincided with the decision to make it the headquarters of the order and the seat of the commander, which took place at the end of 1283 or at the beginning of 1294. The castle was more or less finished (the main wing and the curtain wall surrounding the whole site?) in 1290. At the beginning of the 14th century (before 1306) it had two or three wings and was built on a rectangular plane. By no means was the castle in Pokarmin the first or model regular castle in the State of the Teutonic Order in Prussia, which was a common assumption among scholars up until now. This issue is still being researched, but more and more information points to Papowo in the Chełmno land as the first regular (square), four‑wing commandery castle in Prussia. We are still not certain, however, if by the end of the 13th century its construction had been completed.

Deutschordensstaat in Preußen und sein Kulturerbe im Bewusstsein der Jugend der Region Ermland-Masuren – Analyse von Fragebogenuntersuchungen

The article presents the results of a survey analyzing the students’ knowledge about the State of the Teutonic Order in Prussia and its material heritage in the Region of Warmia and Mazury. The unique role played by the Teutonic Order in European history and the successful preservation of its material and cultural heritage deserve educational efforts to raise awareness about local history in the Region of Warmia and Mazury. In 2016–2017, a questionnaire survey was conducted in secondary schools in the Region of Warmia and Mazury. A total of 555 questionnaires were filled by students in all counties of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship where Teutonic structures and other elements of the order’s material and cultural heritage have been preserved to this day. The students’ knowledge of local history was surveyed in three categories: knowledge of historical facts, events and dates; understanding of historical processes; knowledge and understanding of historical, material and cultural heritage. The results of the survey were interpreted, and the relevant conclusions were formulated in the last part of the article.

Artistic landscape of the former State of the Teutonic Order in Prussia defined by the Gothic crucifixes

The aim of this article is to show a broad artistic panorama of Gothic sculpture of the Teutonic Order State in Prussia. It takes into consideration a few characteristic iconographical types like shrine Madonna and the Beautiful Madonna. But it points out that the numerously preserved woodcarved crucifixes shape the picture of three-dimensional figurative arts of the said state in the eyes of academics and audience. A synthetic review of written sources and scientific approaches was presented, as well as a methodology. Various academic views on one crucifix were shown. Artistic influences and exchange as part of the art of Baltic coast, Central and Western Europe were emphasized. Unpublished, archival photographs were presented and analysed. They show six crucifixes, up to now not known from illustrations.

Descriptions of the Boundaries of the Monastic State of the Teutonic Order in Prussia with the Duchy of Słupsk of the 14th and 15th Centuries

Descriptions of the Boundaries of the Monastic State of the Teutonic Order in Prussia with the Duchy of Słupsk of the 14th and 15th Centuries

Secular clergymen in the castles of the Teutonic Order in Prussia

The article addresses the problem of the functioning of secular clergymen in the castles of the Teutonic Order in Prussia. Brother priests were to run the religious life of the convents, but there is sufficient evidence showing that non-Teutonic clergymen were also employed to do this job. This group belonged to the category of “servants” (gesinden). It included chaplains of Teutonic officials, chaplains serving in the choir, vicars in infirmaries, deacons, sub-deacons, ringers and alumni. They played auxiliary functions in relation to brother priests, the shortage of whom may be noticeable in the first half of the 15th century. Secular clergymen helped to say the canonical hours in the castle’s choirs; however, they acted also as chaplains and notaries of Teutonic commanders, Pflegers or Vogts. They received remuneration for their work for the convents – both in the form of money and maintenance in the castle. Nevertheless, not all secular clergymen lived in the castle. Some of them owned prebendaries in the vicinity of the castle and treated their service in the castle as extra work, which not only provided them with additional income, but also facilitated the career development – as it is indicated in the recommendations of Teutonic officials to take over prebendaries. The service in the castle was often the preliminary step to become a member of the Teutonic Order.

Not only the Golden Gate? A newly discovered fragment from the decoration of the castle chapel portal in Althaus (Starogród) as a contribution to the identification of ceramic sculpture in the Teutonic Order's State in Prussia

The paper features new observations on ceramic architectural detail and ceramic sculptural elements, the most common types of finishing brick buildings in the Ordensland during the 13th and first half of the 14th centuries. It presents an unpublished fragment which came to light as a result of the archaeological excavations in Starogród conducted in Kulmerland (Chełmno land) in the context of the project Castra Terrae Culmensis (2017), namely the fragment of a portal (?) sculpture of an unknown Saint. It is a minor discovery of small size, but compared to other preserved artwork of this type from around 1300 from the Teutonic Order’s castles of Marienburg (today Malbork), Elbing (Elbląg), Thorn (Toruń), and Graudenz (Grudziądz), it is of great “causative power” in terms of revising our knowledge of types, manufacturing techniques, and above all, the actual layers of meaning with regard to figural decorations in the oldest Teutonic Order’s strongholds in Prussia. As a result, ceramic architectural sculpture can be considered a phenomenon of much wider range than has previously been accepted. The emphasis regarding its condition can be moved from the exceptional symbol of rank and power toward genius loci of architecture from the first phase of construction campaigns undertaken by the Teutonic Order in Prussia.

Dieners in the Service of the Teutonic Order in Prussia in the Second Half of the 14th Century – the First Half of the 15th Century: the Group Size, Maintenance, Accommodation (English)

Dieners in the Service of the Teutonic Order in Prussia in the Second Half of the 14th Century – the First Half of the 15th Century: the Group Size, Maintenance, Accommodation (English)