Gott mit uns!
"God is with us"
The horse snorted, twisting its head to contest Jeskin's reins as he forced it to jump a fallen log. The fiercely sweating beast still shook from the horror they had stumbled upon almost 15 minutes earlier.
For ten minutes he had done little more than cling to the horse's neck as it stampeded through the undergrowth, bit between its teeth. It took long minutes before the warhorse responded to Jeskin's rein commands. Now, the animal tottered unsteadily to a halt on its weakened limbs. The exertion of its sprint having drained all reserves of energy. Jeskin slid of the stallion's back. His kit roll had long since been claimed by the forest's clutching branches.
Brother Jeskin was relatively new to the Order, having taken his vows in the Teutonic capital of Marienberg only two years ago. It was troubled times within the Order. Only three years earlier the Templars had been convicted of heresy by the Inquisition. Now, this fanatical body had attempted to press charges against the Teutones in their own homeland! Fighting pagans on the eastern frontier had seemed a more comfortable option.
He had been so wrong.
Looking around him, Jeskin realised he had no idea where he was. The forest's speckled glow was consistent: the canopy too thick to give any indication of the sun's position. Lifting a chain-mailed coif over his head, Brother Jeskin prepared himself as best he could for the inevitable assault that would come from the trees.
Having become separated from his patrol when his horse had snared its tackle in a tree, Brother Jeskin had attempted to find his way out of the pagan infested forest by following a stream. He had lead his horse by hand all night to reduce his profile and, hopefully, noise. It was a futile attempt - his woodcraft was limited, to say the least.
Shortly before dawn, the stallion had become fretful: shying away from the downstream direction it was being led. Certain he was nearing the forest's boundary, the Teutonic Knight pressed on -- soothing the distressed beast with kind words and gentle strokes.
He had stumbled into the clearing without warning. Before him was a shocking sight. One of the stolen cattle his patrol had been searching for lay thrashing weakly on its side as its lifeblood drained away. The heiffer's throat had been neatly cut, with its legs tied so it could not twist off an ancient, rune engraved alter. The blood trickled slowly down the sides of the alter to four bowl-shaped protrusions. The hideously deformed creatures that crouched, lapping up the blood from these containers were unlike anything Jeskin had seen in his worst nightmares. The demon facing Jeskin from the opposite side of the alter stood silently - blood red eyes glowing fiercely. The other three hesitated, looking around before following suit. The stallion reared violently, thrashing its forelegs in the air and almost throwing Jeskin from his feet. The shocked Brother managed to throw himself on the panicking animal's back as it twisted away from the horrific scene.
Brother Jeskin stumbled through the waist-high water of a stream, waving his sword before him for balance. The glittering green shadows had taken on an ominous dark tone, and Jeskin knew sunset was imminent. He had been pursued for most of the day by the strangely tattooed men of the forest, catching brief glimpses of them between the trees as he fled on foot. The stallion was long dead. Exhausted, it had not seen the dead branch among the ferns that had torn out its stomach.
Jeskin had been thrown from the horse, but had fortunately landed in a thick tuft of moss. He had used his sword to dispatch the pitifully screaming animal -- sobbing words of thanks for its swift escape.
Now Jeskin was alone.
The watchers had arrived shortly after the warhorse's death, and had remained ever since. The knight had heard how the accursed vampires could hold the souls of mortals in their grasp. These pagans were obviously damned! As the green light receded, Jeskin knew his time had come. Tonight, he would fight -- and die -- in the name of his Order, the Teutonic Knights. Straightening the now tattered mantle on his shoulders, Jeskin placed his back against the eroded banks of the stream - both hands clasping the sword which rested with its point among the pebbles. Bowing his head, Jeskin prayed for the strength necessary to sell his life dearly to the devils that controlled the night.
Never has humanity's struggle to assert self-control over its destiny been as clearly defined as the Teutonic Knight's struggle to establish their own Christian empire: an empire free from the depredations of corruption. For more than 300 years this dream was carved out on the battlefields of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Russia. The white surcoats of the Knights of the Cross where bright examples of what could be achieved through faith and determination. No other religious Order -- be it Militant, Monastic or the Inquisition -- achieved as much as the Deutschritter. Their oligarchic empire was a massive incorporation, run by a "board of directors" (Grosscomtur) with its statutes and laws upheld by knights of justice, honour and service.
The Teutonic Knights, at the height of their strength, were more than just a thorn in the side of Europe's "forces of darkness". They were a scythe that reaped a rich crop of Kindred and Lycanthrope heads. It used centuries of dominance to establish a deep understanding of its opponents. But these men are more than humans with useful information: they are warriors of God wielding the powers of Heaven, here, on Earth.
It is not a lonely struggle: the Templars and Hospitallers share this quest. But none are have their goal as clearly in focus as the Teutones. The Hospitallers appear easily distracted by "side issues" and humanitarian concerns. The Templars can be accused of paranoia and uncertainty -- suspecting every shadow, investigating every lead in painful detail: and then failing to act. Some factions of the Inquisition share the Teutone's urgency in eradicating the foes of the Church -- though their complete disregard for innocent life makes them almost as bad as the forces they are supposed to oppose. The Teutones, like all warrior-monks, are removed from the society they are vowed to protect. Their very knowledge of the dark-side of the world is dangerous. Mixing with family and old friends serves only to expose them to danger. Every knight is hunted: just as they are themselves hunters.
It is a long war, this struggle.
Centuries are but battles, millennia but a campaign in an eternal war. Now, the tide of blood is turning once again. The Teutones are experiencing a resurgence. Almost destroyed during the 1920s, the Order's numbers are growing. The faithful of Eastern Europe and the theological outcasts of the rest of the world are flocking to its ranks.
The time of reckoning is at hand.
When it comes, the Teutones will be ready.
It is a violent battle. All opposition must be dealt with quickly and efficiently. Delay only serves to strengthen the opponent. Every opportunity must be seized, every method exploited. But the Knights of the Cross are shackled in a way their enemy is not. They must follow their Christian creed and the governance of their Rule. The fight against the Dark is also a battle of morals. The knights must resist the temptation to adopt the brutal but effective methods of their enemy, lest the knights themselves become what they most despise.
The life of a Teutonic Knight was not an easy one. The 14th century was a series of continuous battles against the Lithuanians -- up to 80 expeditions in all with up to seven in one year. The Order reached its peak of power and reputation during this period -- budding some of the era's best military minds.
After more than 200 years of expansion, the tide of history turned against the Knights of the Cross. A defeat at the hands of the Poles and Lithuanians at the Battle of Tannenberg in 1410 represented the beginning of the end. In 1466 the Order was forced to cede West Prussia and Pomerelia to Poland and moved their headquarters to Konigsberg. In 1525 the Grand Master converted to Lutheranism.
The Teutonic image was hijacked by the Nazi party in World War II. The Order's Slavic Crusade was held up as an example of German superiority and used as an excuse for another attack on Russia. Many members of the SS styled themselves as knights of the Militant Order.
After being stripped of its Militant Chivalric status in the 1920s the Teutonic Order has emerged once again from the turmoil of eastern Europe as a vital and growing organisation committed to the eradication of all ungodly creatures. The character of the Order is changing from an institution of the German nobility to that of a contemporary fighting force with a young and culturally diverse makeup. Considered the most radical of the three Militant Orders, its large Lutheran contingent is becoming displaced by Eastern Orthodox and congregations popular among contemporary Christian youth.
While it is not unusual to hear of a French or Italian brother during the 12th century, these knights were most certainly in the minority. But in Eastern Europe the Order's primary goal was to eradicate the pagans on the German frontier, replacing them with German settlers. Once this empire was established, the Order became a rest home and proving ground for the German nobility. By the 15th century, foreigners were being expelled simply because of their nationality. The Germanic peoples have always been proud of their culture and heritage -- from the time when Caesar attempted to conquer their lands to the present where their engineers and manufacturing firms dominate world industry. This pride is invested in the nation's nobility and is the reason for the creation of the Teutonic Knights in the first place. German knights did not rest comfortably with the French and English dominated Hospitaller and Templar Orders.
For much of the Order's early history the other Militant Orders scarcely recognised their existence. They were considered insignificant as they held only those few castles they had been able to purchase in and around Acre. A great deal of tension existed between the Teutones and Templars. This was largely based on the fact that the Teutones adopted a white habit -- a Templar "trademark." Relations between the Teutones and Hospitallers were more cordial, based on their common provision of medical services to pilgrims. Even though the Teutone's successes in the Baltics finally earned official recognition from the other Orders, it was always "looked down upon" throughout its history -- causing much resentment.
However, at the height of their Empire the Teutonic Knights were the police, magistrates, governors and administrators of a large and independent nation. They carried themselves with justifiable pride, administering God's law upon pagan and subject alike. But they were also a worldly Order -- having been exposed to a strong pagan religion that had the strength to stand and fight against Christianity.
With the imposition of the Iron Curtain after World War II, the German Order re-established itself in occupied Europe to protect faithful Germanic speaking peoples from the persecution of the Soviets. But this role soon grew. Eastern Orthodox and other Christian congregations begged for support -- contributing recruits and material to make the underground Order strong.
With the collapse of the Soviet Union the Order arose from the ashes of Eastern Europe like a phoenix -- riding the flames of renewed religious freedom. In many ways the new Order is unrecognisable to that which virtually disappeared only decades earlier. It is not staunchly Catholic or Lutheran. Instead, its attitudes tend to be more contemporary and less traditional in form. This is largely due to the large number of young Eastern European recruits who are determined to enjoy their new-found access to modern Western culture.
This open-minded and modern attitude has also proved popular among the congregations of more modern Western Christian congregations -- causing an influx of members from all over the world. This "carefree" non-traditional character has drawn particular ire from the Hospitallers who staunchly believe the old ways should be followed. The Templars look upon the Order with some amusement, considering them idealistic "innocents."
Acre itself was besieged in the 1190s for eight months. During this time, the hospital had formed itself into a permanent institution. By 1196, the Teutonic nurses had several hospitals spread throughout Christian lands and was granted recognition as an independent Order.
The early chronicle of the Teutonic Order, Die Statuten des Deutschen Ordens, described the formation of the Order:
"To many of the German princes it seemed useful and noble to bestow on the hospital the Rule of the Templars. For this purpose the German prelates, princes and nobles assembled in the house of the Templars in Acre and invited to such a salutary gathering some of the available prelates and barons of the Holy land. One and all decided unanimously that the hospital should follow in regard to the poor and the sick the Rule of the Hospital of St. John in Jerusalem as it had done until now; whereas in regard to clergy, knights and other brothers, it should follow henceforth the Rule of the Templars. After this decision was taken the prelates and the masters of the Templars presented the new house with the Rule of the Temple and then they elected there a brother of the house. Henry surnamed Walpoto, as master. The master of the Temple handed to him the written Rule of the Knights of the Temple which henceforth had to be followed."
By 1199, Pope Innocent had granted the Order official recognition. The Order stagnated at first and could not summon more than ten knights with their retinues. There were probably no more than 20 knight-brothers until after 1210, when the Order recorded 12 houses in Palestine, Greece, Italy and Germany. By 1230 the Order was capable of fielding about 600 military brethren in the Holy Land, but this was to be its limit. The other Militant Orders were too well established, and the Teutonic Knights had to buy their land and castles -- instead of receiving bequeaths like the Templars and Hospitallers.
Its true position in the world was recognised by its fourth Grand Master, Herman von Salza, a native of Thuringia. He realised that a German order could not accomplish much in Palestine, which was within the sphere of influence of the Mediterranean nations. It could, however, find more rewarding opportunities in regions closer to Germany.
When Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II "took the cross" (crusader vows) in 1215, he obtained further privileges for the Order and promoted its master Hermann von Salza to Prince of the Empire. The Teutonic Knights formed the guard of honour when Frederick II was crowned King of Jerusalem.
Donations of land were made in Italy, Greece, Germany and Palestine -- 18 such landholdings being placed under their control between 1190 and 1210, with 61 handed over between 1211 and 1230.
By the end of this period the Teutonic Order was a thriving miniature of the Templars and Hospitallers. But the Knights Hospitaller and Templars only recognised the Teutonic Order as an equal in 1258. Palestine was not the Teutonic Knight's only battlefront against the Muslims. They also possessed vast tracts of lands in Armenia and this remained a powerful provinces until the late 14th century.
The Knights of St. John sent representatives to the Teutonic Knights -- warning them of the rare but extremely powerful demons known as vampires roaming pagan lands. But the Knights of the Cross ignored these claims and accused the Hospitallers of spreading fairy tales.
It was not until The Knights of the Cross encountered the Kumans that they came to believe their may be some truth in these stories. Small bands of Kumans were able to resist far beyond expectation, demonstrating amazing speed and agility. Rumours spread throughout the ranks of knights of supernatural happenings. Knights were being defeated on the field by unarmored opponents. Hill forts were being successfully defended by mere women . . .
One such hill fort held out despite the knights advances around it. Fearing the women and children it contained to be the demons the Hospitallers had referred to, the Teutonic Grand Master called for support. A small band of the Knights of St. John arrived claiming to be specially trained in combating such demons. The Teutonic Knights gathered their forces and assaulted the hill fort -- with the Hospitallers in the van. But the specific prayers the Knights of St. John claimed to have been so successful in the Holy Land had no effect. The inhabitants fought long and hard, in no way weakened by the Hospitaller's presence. The Teutonic Knights prevailed after a long and bloody battle through strength of arms only.
By 1212 the province had been pacified and the Order began bringing in German colonists to its Burzenland estates. King Andrew became alarmed at the prospect of such a powerful and independent neighbour and ordered their eviction. The Order was not powerful enough to fight against the Hungarian King and were forced to withdraw. But the campaign had one positive outcome: the Teutones realised there were barbarian lands in need of Crusade upon the borders of their own nations.
The Teutonic Knights first established themselves in a castle at Vogelsang on the Elbe in 1228. In 1230 a small force of 20 knights and 200 sergeants under the command of Frater Hermann Balke began to "pacify" the Kulm province. The crusade was vicious and merciless. Battles were fought in the impenetrable wilderness of the Baltic Coast, among the sand dunes, lakes, rivers, bogs and dark forests. This gloomy and mysterious world was full of danger: heathen tribes conducted regular ambushes and prisoners were subjected to tortuous pagan rites. The Teutonic Knights systematically reduced all organised resistance, building fortresses and burning every village that opposed them. Every man, woman and child who would not accept Christianity was exterminated. Women and children were not treated mercifully as they had proven to be as skilled in arms as the menfolk.
The few "learned" supernaturals of the region had been desperately seeking ways of keeping the cancerous growth of Christianity out of their lands. Though largely dominated by Garou and Gangrel, the tribal Polish and Baltic States had been living in a comfortable balance for centuries. The shady figures behind this structure did not want any change.
One ambitious plan was to appear to be doing the job of "cleaning up" the pagans themselves. This was achieved through manipulating a few key public figures. Conrad of Masovia had built a small castle for some knights on the west bank of the Vistula in which they placed a modest garrison. In 1228 attempts were made to organise a local Polish knightly order for defence against the growing ambition of the Prussians -- including the Teutonic Knights. It was called 'the Dorbrzyn Brothers' and was under the auspices of the abbey of Szepatow (near Wloclawek) and led by Bishop Christian. This new order was granted the lands between the Vistula and the rivers Skrwa and Drweca. The Knights received from Conrad estates at Chelmno, but only as a vassal of the prince. The order started "operations" by moving down the Vistula in a carefully orchestrated parody of crusading action. They crossed it in the following year and built a small fort which had a guardhouse in the branches of a giant oak tree.
One of the first victims was a man by the name of Pipin, who owned the small castle of Piegza. The armed monks captured him and accused him for reverting to paganism after having been baptised earlier. They cut open his abdomen, nailed one end of his entrails to a tree and chased him around it until his intestines were wrapped round the trunk. But the integrity of the Dorbrzyn knights and the fractured governments of the region had long been suspect to the Teutonic Knights. In 1234 Bishop Christian was captured by the Prussians. The Knights used the opportunity to release the Bishop from the hold ungodly demons had established upon his reasoning. Greatful for their service, the Bishop submitted to the Pope a document by which Conrad of Masovia was supposed to have granted the Teutones in perpetuity the region of Chelmno and all of Prussia. The Pope declared that region 'the property of Saint Peter' and granted it to the Knights. A few years later he recognised Prussia as his fief, thus giving legal standing to the State of the Teutonic Knights.
Teutonic Post: The size of the Teutonic Knight's bureaucracy spawned the creation of a uniquely effective and fast postal system. It allowed officers to conduct their business in far regions without being physically present. Records show the precise movements of couriers -- the Teutones were keen clock watchers. Postal codes were invented and often letters would travel the length of the State within two days.
Hospital Function: The task of running the Teutonic Order's parishes and hospitals was left to the priest-brothers, half-brothers and sisters of the Order. These classes did not have to engage in combat, though they were entitled to receive the protection and benefits of being members of the Order. By about 1400 the Teutones owned about 60 hospitals and leper houses where brother-priests and half-brothers attended to -- not treated -- the sick and infirm. This meant providing alms, asylum and masses instead of medicine. Doctors from the general community came and left as they wished.
Structure Of The Empire: As the Teutonic empire grew it was divided into three main provinces: The German lands (mainly the south and south-western areas including Alsace and Burgundy); the Prussian Lands (newly conquered territory governed from Marienburg); and the northern province of Livonia. Each province was governed by a Landmeister (Preceptor), while the Hochmeister (Grand Master) ruled from headquarters in the Holy Land. The provinces were themselves divided into commandery houses (komturies), each with 12 brother knights commanded by a komtur (commander). Smaller estates were governed by Vogts (caretakers). Both had had magisterial powers over the general populace.
The first of the Polish princes to fall under the sway of the War Council was Swietopelk of Gdansk in 1242. The Knights wanted to take from him both banks of the Nogat branch of the River Vistula -- a region of strong association with pagan lore. Swietopelk closed the Vistula to the Teutones and attacked them, calling for a revolution in Prussia which soon broke out. The War Council had been stirring the pot of discontent among the not-so willing converts for years and called upon generations of loyalty enforced through local traditions. But the influence of the War Council was not as great as it had expected. Decades of laxity had weakened the ancient bonds the supernaturals had held over the peasants of their lands. The religion of their enemies was strong while their own strength was on the wane.
More and more natives were submitting to the new religion. Many, as subjects of the Order, fought in the bitter war against tribes who had previously been friendly rivals. The uprising was initially successful in pushing the Teutonic Knights back over land that had taken 12 years to gain, as well as causing the loss of several smaller castles. It took another seven years for the Order to recapture these lands. But the Council had been in too much haste. It had not garnered enough support from surrounding tribes and nations. Swietopelk had against him the Teutonic Order, Conrad of Masovia, Boleslaw the Pious (prince of Wielkopolska), two of his own brothers and the Pope who had proclaimed a crusade against Prussia. In the end it became a war of attrition that Swietopelk could not win. A peace treaty was signed in 1248 and Swietopelk had to yield the territories on the banks of the Vistula.
The War Council was elated: here was proof that their combined strength was unbeatable. But it was a victory that would ensure their defeat. The Gangrel and Lupine tribes began to squabble once again, reducing the War Council to a forum of abuse, insults and agitation. It was only the vows put in place upon the establishment of the council that prevented bloodshed among its ministers.
Only massive assistance from outside the Order was able to reverse this disturbing setback. The Church issued 22 bulls (notices) calling for a crusade against the Prussians between 1261 and 1264. These pleas saved the Order through the (free) vigor and religious zeal of crusading conscripts and knights seeking adventure in far-off places. The Order's strength regrew and by 1272 it was once again able to advance. By the late 1270s the Order boasted 2000 military brethren in a well-disciplined and provisioned force. By 1290 the rebellion had been crushed. The War Council, humbled by defeat, once again put aside their differences and sought a new answer to the advancing Knights of the Cross.
As the sole surviving officer of the Order, von Feuchtwangen established himself immediately in Venice. New senior staff were elected among the Order's Baltic provinces and sent to Venice to form a new council. With the enemies of the Orders exploiting their weakness to the full, the Teutonic Knights managed to avoid similar allegations to those levelled against the Templars by ignoring them and concentrating their efforts in their own Prussian lands. In September 1309 Hochmeister Siegfried von Feuchtwangen abandoned hope of reclaiming the Holy Land and moved his headquarters to Marienburg castle: the chief fortification in Poland.
The Knights of the Cross had work to do.
The Teutonic hierarchy had been distracted by the startling news from Paris. That a Pope could be so easily manipulated by King Philip IV shocked and frightened the Order. It worked desperately hard to fend off similar accusations aimed against itself.
The puppet Wladyslaw was recognised in 1306 as heir to the lost throne while the Order's back was turned. His popularity among the peasants saw him quickly depose the hierarchy of Pomerania, establishing a power-base for his triumphant reunification of Poland. For the sake of the strength of a united nation, the Lupines allowed Great Poland to fall to him in 1314 and in 1320 he was crowned king in Cracow.
The conflicts of Poland drew little attention from the Teutonic Knights who left the issue to sort itself out: confident of the strength of the German rulers and settlers who were now well established. In 1308 Pomerania's former rulers appealed to the neighbouring German margraves of Brandenburg for aid against King Wladyslaw who had deposed them. The troops of Margrave Waldemar invaded Pomerania and occupied it all -- except for the Gangrel fortress of Gdansk which was defended by "Judge" Bogusz. Flushed with success, another German army from Brandenburg army was sent against Wladyslaw's only ally in the north, Boguslaw I, prince of Szcecin and a leader of the Children of Gaia. They attacked his duchy and burnt down the city of Kamien. Boguslaw IV was thus neutralised and the Margrave Waldemar continued his futile assault against Gdansk.
The War Council was shocked: they had no idea that their intrigue for power would unleash a rampaging army of land-hungry Prussian nobles. What made it worse was the Teutones had not even been harmed. Now several jewels of their empire lay exposed to destruction. Some even suspected it to be a clear act of aggression instigated by the German Ventrue. Confused and in disarray, the fractured Council abandoned King Wladyslaw who suddenly found himself lacking the "inspiration" that had come to him so easily before.
Judge Bogusz stubbornly defended besieged Gdansk but his position was hopeless. The King, in his confusion, advised him to call on the help of the Teutonic Knights as a last resort. The abbot of the Dominicans of Gdansk endorsed that advice and Bogusz, with no other alternative in sight, appealed to the Grand Master Herman von Ploetzke. The fortified castle of Gdansk was situated in the fork of the Radun and Motlawa branches of the Vistula delta. The 'relief force' led by the komtur (governor) of Chelmno, Gunter von Schartzburg, advanced from the sea, across the coastal wetlands. The Brandenburg forces retreated to the west, holding only Slawno and Slupsk.
The Teutonic Knights arrived at Gdansk thinking they would find a Christian city in need of protection. Instead, they found a pagan outpost at the height of its corrupt power. The Knights first secured their hold on a portion of the castle and then displaced the Poles from the rest. Delaying action in the form of demands for "payment" allowed the knights to discover the extent of occult influence on the people. Komtur Schartzburg, appalled by what he saw, decided not to wait for orders from Marienburg. On November 14th, 1308, the komtur ordered an attack on the city, slaughtering its civilian inhabitants and burning their houses. The abbot of Oliwa, who tried to comfort the dying, was permitted to hear confessions only 'when conditions allowed it.'
Aftermath: The War Council eventually regained control of itself after a few "compulsory" retirements of members. A new approach was obviously needed. Observing the success of the legal war raged against the Templars by their cousins in France, the Council determined similar tactics needed to be used against the Teutonic Knights. The events of November 14th, 1308 were later the subject of protracted litigation in papal courts. The Poles charged the Knights with the murder of ten thousand people. The Knights denied the charge, claiming that they only executed sixteen criminals handed over to them by the burghers and then left peacefully, while the citizens of Gdansk set their own houses on fire and moved elsewhere of their own volition. The legal bickering had no end.
In 1309 the Knights took Tczew and expelled its residents. They besieged Swiec which resisted firmly. A Polish relief force was repulsed as was another rescue attempt by the princes of Masovia. The Knights of the Cross finally secured the city by subterfuge when a man hired by them surreptitiously cut the ropes of the crossbows and catapults. Bogumil, the commander of the defence, held to the last even though the pious friars threatened him with hanging if he did not surrender. Finally he was overcome by superior forces. But things did not all go the Teutonic Knights' way: On January 20th, 1320, Wladyslaw Lokietek married Jadwiga, a Christian princess of Wielkopolska, and were crowned king and queen in the Cracow cathedral on Wawel hill.
The War Council plot to form a unified and strong opponent to the Teutones had succeeded by default. Encouraged, the Council set about re-establishing their intrigue with a ready ear to the long-term plans of the exiled Gangrel among them. In April of 1320, an ecclesiastical court in Inowroclaw took under advisement Poland's lawsuit for the return of Pomerania by the Knights of the Cross. The court, appointed by the pope, heard twenty-five witnesses. In the final stage of the proceedings it was presided over by Archbishop Janislaw. The verdict, given in February of 1321, ordered the Knights of the Cross to return Pomerania to Poland and to pay damages of thirty thousand thalers. The Order ignored the verdict. But the War Council had success in its grasp. New schemes were put into place along with a seemingly never ending series of skirmishes along the Lithuanian borders.
Rising determination among the Kindred to suppress and avoid the Inquisition spilled over into opposing the Militant Orders. Strategically placed vampires within national governments began to exploit jealous attitudes toward the Teutonic Knights among the Catholic monarchies of Europe. Poland and Hungary joined forces in political arenas to curtail the powers of the Order. Their senior churchmen whispered "poison" in to the ears of the Cardinals and the Pope, as well as diplomats engaged in intrigues with Lithuania. All had little apparent effect and the Teutonic Hochmiesters paid little attention to its "Christian allies."
But the Camarilla had plotted well. Each intrigue edged toward a final combined goal. Then, in 1380, the Camarilla's machinations were complete. The Grand Duke of Lithuania married the queen regent of Poland. In one stroke, Poland had achieved what 75 years of campaigning by the Teutonic Knights had not. The terms of the marriage settlement included acceptance by the Lithuanian nation of Christianity as its religion. The War Council was outraged. They had no idea that blunting the Teutonic Knights sword would involve their own capitulation to Christianity. But the various tribes were greatly weakened from their centuries of fighting. The act was ungraciously acknowledged as a means to an end. Now, the War Council set about the struggle to retain its influence as missionaries began to wander the lands of Livonia freely.
All of the enemies of the Order combined to fight in the campaign: Jagiello (Ladislos II) of Lithuania mobilised an army of 10,000 men conscripted from among the Poles, Lithuanians, Russians, Bohemians (under their ruler Ziska), Hungarians, Tartars and Cossacks. The Hochmeister had decided not to wait for reinforcements from the Livonian province and attempted to engage the enemy immediately. But the wooded terrain prevented the Deutschritter from its one chance to defeat the massive army: a mounted charge of its knights. The Teutones fought well, collapsing the Lithuanian wing. But Russian cavalry and the Polish reserve simply overwhelmed the knights. The Hochmeister and the other leading officers of the Order were surrounded and killed.
The remainder struggled bitterly to escape, leaving 200 knights dead on the field. Many more were captured, tortured and then beheaded. The Knights of the Cross were never to recover fully from the disaster. The Camarilla and War Council exerted its control over the Wyladsaw dynasty again in the 1450s and exploited unrest among a gentry unable to rid themselves of the strict and fair rulings of the Teutonic Order's magistrates. In 1466 the Teutones were forced to cede West Prussia and Pomerelia to Poland. The Order's greatest humiliation occurred when they had to sell their seat of government -- Marienburg Castle -- to raise funds to pay disgruntled Polish mercenaries.
But the Teutonic Knights grimly held on. It took another 100 years and the spread of the Reformation to completely destroy their empire. Though their State was fractured, the concept of crusader outmoded and the code of chivalry considered an anachronism, the Order held on. But another crushing victory was handed to the Camarilla in 1525 when Grand Master Albert of Brandenburg signed the Treaty of Cracow, converted to Lutheranism and made East Prussia a duchy. This effectively put an end to the Polish province.
In 1683 the Order once again served its original purpose, contributing a regiment toward the defence of Vienna against the Ottoman expansion. The success of this regiment, which served as the mainstay in the defence, spurred the Order on in the European fight against the invading Turks. The Teutonic Knight's last significant battle was at Zenta in 1697 when a Turkish invasion of Hungary was annihilated.
The German and Austrian branches of the Order gradually contracted as the purpose for their existence vanished. The Hoch-und-Deutschmeister regiment eventually degraded to little more than a unit for pretentious noble families. After 1697 the Order was limited to a group of 20 German Army officers -- their sovereignty gradually being diminished. The Order's remaining lands were secularised by 1805.
Officers of note to emerge from these ranks included Archduke Karl, Napoleon's greatest adversary; Count Maximilian von Merveldt, a renowned officer of the Napoleonic Wars; and Master Archduke Eugen who fought with distinction at Caporetto in 1917. The 20 officers and the regiment fought in both World Wars for the German side -- an act that greatly weakened its international standing. However, the knights eventually played a central role in the resistance against Hitler.
The first two knights sent to establish a foothold fortress on the borders of civilisation were soon cut down by the pagans. But a year later, in 1230, Landpfleger Hermann Balke with 20 Knights and 200 sergeants attacked the offending fortress-temple, hanging the pagan chief from his own sacred oak tree. Those who did not embrace Christianity were killed. The Prussian's treatment of captives did not endear them to the Teutonic Knights. It was considered a usual practice for Prussian tribesmen to "roast" a captured knight alive in his armour, like chestnuts, before the shrine of their local god.The official History of the Teutonic Knights tells the story of two knights. One was placed in a cleft tree-trunk held apart by ropes which were then released, crushing the wretched brother. The tree was then set alight. The other knight was lashed to his horse and both were then hauled to the top of an oak tree and a major bonfire started below.
No quarter was given.
No quarter was returned.
The disorganised Prussian tribes at first scorned the small bands of Teutones raiding their outer villages, but soon came to dread them. White robed horsemen attacked them even in the snow, their great cloaks serving for camouflage as they rode over frozen rivers or charged out of blizzards. The knights quickly adopted and modified the guerrilla tactics of their foes, sending raiding parties deep into the sacred forests.
The tribesmen who also fought on horseback, but with short-sword and battleaxe instead of longsword and lance, found the strange white knight's charges unstopable. Instead, the pagans retreated into their simple timber forts which were often quickly reduced by ballistae, their defenders picked-off by crossbows. The wilderness of Lithuania was even harsher: primeval forest, heath and scrubland with innumerable lakes and marshes. The knights adapted by using barges that could carry up to 500 troops. Otherwise, the woodcraft-trained Teutones would raid through the dense woods and fens. Knights carried their armor on pack-horses, putting it on only when preparing for an attack -- even when under the threat of ambush. Many knights got lost under the pine trees which hid the sun and stars, dying of starvation or accident. Some bretheren succumbed to "cafard" or forest madness. It was a strange war -- like most religious conflicts. Some Lithuanians chose death over defeat: burning all their goods in a great funeral pyre, killing their women and children before beheading each other. In one recorded case, an old priestess decapitated more then 100 warriors with an axe before splitting her own head as the knights broke through the final inner stockade.