A detailed study of the Teutonic Knights in the Holy Land, covering both their military and administrative affairs.
The Teutonic Order was founded in 1190 to provide medical care for crusaders in the kingdom of Jerusalem. In time, it assumed a military role and played an important part in the defence of the Christian territories in the Eastern Mediterranean and in the Baltic regions of Prussia and Livonia; in the Levant, it fought against the neighbouring Islamic powers, whilst managing their turbulent relations with their patrons in the papacy and the German Empire. Asthe Order grew, it colonised territories in Prussia and Livonia, forcing it to address how it distributed its resources between its geographically-spread communities. Similarly, the brethren also needed to develop an organisational framework that could support the conduct of war on frontiers that were divided by hundreds of miles.
This book – the first comprehensive analysis of the Order in the Holy Land – explores the formative years of this powerful international institution and places its deeds in the Levant within the context of the wider Christian, pagan and Islamic world. It examines the challenges that shaped its identity and the masters who planned its policies.
Dr NICHOLAS MORTON is Lecturer in History at Nottingham Trent University.
Cuprins
Introduction
The Foundation of the Order 1190-1215
The Fifth Crusade and the development of the Teutonic Knights 1216-1223
The Preparations for the expedition of Frederick II
From the Crusade of Emperor Frederick II to the death of Herman von Salza 1227 – 1239
Conrad von Thüringen, the Barons’ Crusade and a change of policy
Dependence and Independence
The Division of Resources between the Holy Land and the Baltic
The Politics of the Levant
The Military Organisation of the Teutonic Knights in the Holy Land
Control, Co-ordination and Supply
Conclusion
Appendices
Bibliography