"Henry of Latvia, narrating in Chapter II of his chronicle (see "Act. Collection" volume I, p. 90) how Bishop Albert of Livonia in the fourth year of his bishopric, i.e. in the spring of 1202, left several pilgrims and with others left for Germany (§ 1st), as then his brother Engelbert, from the ecclesiastical Neumunster arrived in Riga (§ 2nd) and was soon afterwards elected (§ 3rd) provost of the cathedral chapter, transferred a year ago from Ikskul to Riga (§ 4th); narrating how Albert built a Cistercian monastery in Dynaminda and dedicated his brother Theodoric of Toreida as abbot (§ 5th) - continues: § 6th. At this time, the said brother Theodoric, foreseeing the treachery of the Livs and in order to be able to resist the mass of pagans, as well as in order to increase the number of believers and preserve the church among the pagans, he established the knightly order of the Brothers of the Army of Christ, to whom Pope Nicentius III gave the charter of the Tamilians (templars).
No matter how accurate the story of the modern chronicler may seem at first glance, upon closer assessment, doubts arise, especially when compared with evidence from other sources, both about the founder of the order and about the time of its founding. We must not lose sight of the fact that Henry of Latvia narrates here the events that took place before his personal presence and knowledge of the events; therefore, he draws his information from stories or from documents, probably from both sources, therefore one cannot help but compare his testimony with other evidence. The very story of Heinrich Latvian gives rise to doubts about the reliability of the sequence of events given by him. Not only in § 4 of the VIth chapter does Henry jump back to the previous year, but also in § 5, Bishop Albert, who left Livonia (§ 1) and has not yet returned home (VII, 1), founded the Dynamind monastery; even more: the news of the founding of this monastery and the dedication of Theodoric as its abbot, Henry repeats three years later, without paying attention to his previous message and without explaining, without even mentioning it. If from the words “at this time” with which the chronicler connects (§§ 5 and 6) we assume that the founding of the order followed simultaneously with the founding of the monastery, then even then nothing is gained for the exact indication of the year of foundation. The fact that the monastery was founded by a bishop, and the order opposite by Brother Theodoric in the absence of a bishop, speaks against the simultaneity of the founding of the monastery and the establishment of the order.
It seems to us possible to resolve these contradictions by the assumption that before the chronicler, when he wrote §§ 3, 5 and 6 of the VIth chapter, lay the bull of Innocent III, in which the three above-mentioned institutions of the cathedral chapter, the Dynamind monastery and the order are mentioned in almost the same order and in such a way that one can judge their simultaneity. Then Georikh's narrative would be only a paraphrase of this bull. But this bull also does not provide any correct information for determining the time of the founding of the order, because it lacks an indication of the year of the pope's high priesthood. But as it is marked: Rome apud S. Petrum, IV idus Octobris, it is very likely that this bull belongs to 1204, perhaps even to 1202, and since the establishment of the order, as we have already seen, took place during the absence of Albert from Livonia, then it followed in the period of time no earlier than the spring of 1202 to the spring of 1203 and no later than the middle of 1204.
In the chronicle of Henry of Latvia, according to Zamoyski's manuscript, his brother Theodoric of Toreida is indicated as the founder of the order. In later texts of the chronicle, the establishment of the order is attributed to Bishop Albert with the abbot, brother Theodoric (Dietrich), and also in the above-mentioned bull of Innocent III, Albert is called the founder of the order. The Livonian rhymed chronicle, on the contrary, says that the pope gave instructions to Bishop Albert to found a “spiritual life (ein geistliches Leben zu stiften, verses 595-600). Hermann Wartberg even attributes the establishment of the order directly to Pope Innocent III, with which the so-called later Hochmeister chronicle also agrees. However, these latter testimonies, apart from their later origin, are hardly plausible for the reason that the case in question is judged biasedly and, as it turns out below, completely tendentiously. Therefore, they cannot shake the testimony of Henry of Latvia, confirmed by another contemporary Alberich, who, however, is mistaken in calling Theodoric (Dietrich) a bishop, which he was much later.
If we then accept as certain that the order was founded by brother Theodoric (Dietrich), then it should seem extremely strange that such an important step as the founding of the knightly order was taken not by Albert himself, but by a monk who at that time held only a subordinate position. position. The matter becomes plausible, however, if we assume that the foundation was carried out during the absence of Albert from Livonia, by Theodoric, as his deputy. But even with this assumption, it is hardly possible that Theodoric acted on his own initiative. It can be assumed with greater plausibility that the establishment of the order was conceived earlier either by Albert alone, or together with Theodoric, and that the latter, in the absence of Albert, only began to implement this plan, brought to light the designed order, or, as our chronicler puts it, established (instituit) of some brothers of the knightly Order of Christ, that is, he established the order in practice."
II. The beginning of the order. Its purpose. Fundamentals of its management.
“Without any doubt, the order at its beginning was insignificant and the number of its members was not large. We also do not find that persons from particularly noble families entered the order at first. Not earlier than in 1205 we see it taking part in the military campaign against the pagan natives and thus embarked on the fulfillment of its mission.The latter consisted of guarding and defending the newly established Christian churches in Livonia and in conquering and converting its enemies to Christianity.
Therefore, in the entire structure of the order we find two elements: military and religious. In relation to the latter order, the rules of the temple order (Templars) were prescribed by the pope for leadership; This charter also served as the basis for secular and military government, to the extent that it was applicable to local conditions. On the basis of this charter, the brother members of the order were divided into three categories: brother knights, brother clergy and brother servants. They were headed by the order master, to whom several lower commanders and officials were subordinate. The brother knights were assigned a special robe, with special signs to distinguish them from the templars; they fought under their own banner. The brothers of the other two categories were each assigned special clothing. The Order was dependent on the bishops in whose dioceses its possessions lay. When in 1207 the number of order brothers increased significantly, they laid claim to part of the conquered land, which was granted to Bishop Albert by the German emperor and the empire as the ruler of the land. The bishop ceded them a third of the land, however, in the spirit of that time, only in the form of fief. With the establishment of new bishoprics, the order entered into a similar agreement with their prelates and thus acquired, little by little, large possessions of land, which towards the end of its existence it increased by certain conquests. The more the power of the order increased in this way, the stronger became its desire to free itself from subordination to the bishops. He begged and repeatedly received approval from the emperor for the possession of lands, both ceded by the bishop and independently conquered, but still did not achieve the desired goal because when he merged with the Teutonic (German) order in 1237, the pope with absolute accuracy determined the continuation of the previous dependence orders from Livonian bishops."
III. Names of the order and its members.
“The very first and, without a doubt, the most correct name of the members of the order, found in Henry of Latvia and also used in modern papal bulls and imperial charters, was: “Fratres militiae Christi” or abbreviated “Fratres militiae”, often with the addition of “in Libya” or “ de Livonia." This name was translated as "brothers of the knighthood (or rather knightly service) of Christ." Less often, but also from a long time ago, the name "Milites Christi" and the equivalent "Milites Dei" was found, which was attached in ancient times to the Templars. This name is found in in the chronicles of Alberich and Arnold of Lübeck, how the German “Gottes Ritter” is found in the Livonian rhymed chronicle, and the Russian “God’s nobleman” is found in the agreement between the Smolensk Mstislav and Visby and Riga from 1229. The name of the swordsmen “Swert brüdere” is not found in any modern historical document, but only in the rhymed chronicle and in the chronicles of the German order; this name, taken from the sword that was in the coat of arms of the order and on the cloaks of the order brothers, became the most common. Although in some later originals of the chronicle of Henry of Latvia the expression “Fratres gladiferi” is found in one place, this expression is obviously a later addition. Only in the middle of the 16th century did the name appear: “Frаtres ensiferi”. In some bulls of Pope Gregory IX, the brothers of the order are called “Fratres militia etempli de Livonia” or “Fratres, templariorum ordinem in Livonia profitentes”. All these names, however, refer only to the first category of order brothers, to the knight brothers.
To designate all the brothers of the order, the order in its entirety as a corporation, a special expression is extremely rare in sources. In one charter of Emperor Otto IV we find the name “Conventus Christi militum”; in the charter of Emperor Frederick II - “Magister domus militiae Christi”; in the Prussian chronicle of Peter of Dusburg - “Magister de ordine militum Christi.” However, the word “ordo” is used to call the corporation immediately after its establishment not only by Pope Innocent III, but also by the order itself, which gives itself the title “ordo & collegium fratrum militiae Christi”. Usually, everywhere in the sources where the entire order is discussed, one encounters “Fratres militiae Christi” or “Magister & fratres militiae (Christi)”, or “Magister militiae & fratres eius”. One might look upon the word "Militia" as a definition of a corporation, if, as has already been observed, it would not be more correct to translate it by "knightly service." Therefore, it cannot be justified that modern historians simply use the expression “Chivalry” to define the order as a corporation. It actually has a broader meaning and already at that time in Livonia there were other knights and other chivalry that did not belong to the order. But also the name “Knighthood of the Order,” strictly speaking, cannot refer to the entire order, because not all brothers of the order were knights of the order; but since the knights of the order were the most important and powerful class, the part was taken for the whole and in their name the name of the whole corporation was given.
With the current use of language, it is most consistent to call the entire corporation an order, namely the Order of the Sword, and its members in general as order brothers and to distinguish between them: brothers knights or order knights, brothers priests or order priests and serving brothers or order servants.
IV. Order Charter.
“The Order of the Sword was prescribed the charter of the Order of the Templars. This charter, compiled by the famous Cistercian abbot Bernhard of Clairvaux in 1128, on the basis of the order’s charter of St. Benedict, contained certain rules of the Cistercian charter. This charter, in its primitive form, does not exist; its oldest list has quite a few additions from later times, which, however, do not go back earlier than 1180. This list of the charter, consisting of 72 items, is written in Latin and first published in Miraei deliciae ordinum equestrium (Cologne 1613) p. 226 and next, as well as in the history of the Templar Order by W. F. Wilke, vol. II (Leipzig, 1827. 8.), pp. 203-222.
In addition to this present order charter, the Templars also had detailed statutes, which were included in the charter already in the 12th century and expanded it with petty definitions. The only now known original of the Templar Rule bears the title: “Les retraits et les etablissements de la maison du Temple”; it contains quite a few additions that reach the end of the 13th century. It is published in Provençal and is divided into 31 chapters. German translation of his Fr. Münter placed it in the work: Statutenbuch des Ordens der Tempelherren (vol. I, Berlin 1794. 8). In this translation, the individual chapters of the original are put in order, divided into eight books, with the inclusion of the issued clauses of the old charter in the appropriate places.
There can be no doubt that the above-mentioned Latin Order Charter served as a guide for the brothers of the Order of the Sword. However, it is more than likely that the Swordsmen also followed the statutes - Ketraits - as far as they belong to the beginning of the 13th century and do not contradict the old statute, especially since these statutes supplement the statute in relation to many regulations that did not yet exist at the time of drawing up the main statute and appeared only during the 12th century. Therefore, in the following story, which, however, should be limited to only the main features, due attention will be paid to the statutes.
V. Order vows.
Anyone who wants to be a brother of the order must first of all make the following four vows for the rest of his life:
1) Vow of obedience. He obliges the brother to completely renounce his own will and to unconditional and immediate obedience and execution of the orders of the order master or his deputy. Without the permission of these superiors, the brother does not dare leave the home of the order, neither receive nor write letters, even to his parents. He cannot accept any parcels from his parents until he reports to the master. However, order leaders are not subject to this last rule.
2) The vow of chastity prohibits brothers from having intercourse with the female sex. It prohibits even looking closely at a woman’s face, not to mention the fact that it prohibits kissing a woman, not excluding her mother and sister.
3) According to the vow of poverty, not a single brother dared to have any property; he especially did not dare to have or carry money with him without permission. Everything that a member of the order owns or acquires belongs to the order as a corporation, therefore everything received by a brother by gift or bequest must be transferred to the order's master or chapter. Without the permission of the elders, none of the brothers dares to change or demand any thing from another, even of the most insignificant value. No brother dares have a lock on his suitcase or chest. The only people excluded from this are traveling brothers, masters and commanders.
4) These three vows, mandatory for all spiritual and knightly orders in general, were supplemented by the Templars and the Order of the Sword with a fourth vow: to devote their entire lives to the fight against the infidels."
1. In general.
“Although the order’s charter prescribes that persons wishing to join the order be subjected to a test (Noviciat) before their acceptance, the duration of which depends on the discretion of the master, this rule was almost not followed at all by the Templars, especially in recent times. To what extent were the brothers observing it? -sword bearers - unknown; however, it can be assumed that while the need to increase the number of brothers was urgent - and this was probably the case before the collapse of the order - the time of probation was greatly reduced. For the same reasons, the rule of the order's charter not to accept children and minors into the order was undoubtedly observed among the swordsmen were stricter than those of the Templars, since the first thing was most important to acquire husbands who could immediately enter into battle.
Each brother is obliged to be present at daily and hourly divine services, unless this is prevented by any official duties assigned to him by his superior in another place and by great fatigue or serious illness resulting from their performance. After the beginning of the last Vespers (Complete) until the first Matins (Prime), each brother must observe deep silence, which can only be interrupted as a last resort. On performing prayers, observing holidays and fasting days, etc., the order's statutes contain especially many detailed rules.
Brothers must live in peace with each other, but also look out for each other. If anyone notices a mistake in another, he should reproach him for it; if this does not help, he must repeat the admonition in the presence of the third brother, and if this turns out to be unsuccessful, then repeat the admonition before the meeting of the convention. Old and weak brothers should be honored, treated with respect and, in regard to their bodily needs, as far as the rules allow, they should be supported less strictly. Sick brothers should be carefully cared for in special sick rooms; only the master can, if he is sick, stay in his room.
All brothers have a common home in the houses (castles) of the order. They eat, not excluding the master and the rest of the bosses, at a common table. During the meal, the brother priest reads the holy lesson, so that the brothers will all the better remain silent.
The brothers' clothing should be simple, of the same color, depending on the category: white, black or brown - and made of coarse fabric (burellum); there just needs to be a bed for sleeping. Each brother receives the necessary things from the reserves of the order's house. Worn clothes, as soon as they are replaced with new ones, are given to brothers of the lowest rank or to the poor. Exactly the same thing is done with military weapons. The hair on the head must be cut and the beard must also be trimmed short.
The brothers, according to their vows, namely the vow of poverty, were limited in pleasures. The charter prohibited hunting, and specifically hunting with birds of prey; Even a brother did not dare to accompany his brother going hunting with a bird of prey."
2. Brothers knights.
“Brother knights or order knights constituted the first, most important ruling class of order brothers, of whom the highest dignitaries of the order were elected.
Anyone who wanted to be a knight had to answer with an oath the following questions asked of him: 1) that he comes from a knightly family and that his father was a knight or could have been one; 2) that he was born in a legal marriage and 3) that he is not married; 4) that he does not belong to any other order and has not taken any initiation; 5) that he has no debts that he could not pay from his property; 6) that he is healthy and not infected with any hidden disease, and finally, 7) that he has not given or promised a gift to anyone, that is, from the Templars, with the aim of becoming a member of the order through him. When all these requirements were satisfied, the candidate had to take vows of the order and then, in the assembled chapter, he was solemnly accepted into the order, and the master placed on him the cloak of the brother of the knights and girded it with a cord. However, those accepted in advance had to earn the title of knight, since a brother of the order could not be awarded a knight. Each brother knight received from the order full armor with all accessories: shield, sword, spear and club. He had at his disposal three horses and a squire for his servants. The weapon had to be good and durable, but as simple as possible, without any decoration. The attire consisted of a long white caftan with a cutout at the top and a white cloak that especially distinguished the brothers of the knights, on which on the chest on the left side the Templars wore a red cross, the lower end of which was longer than the other three. On the white cloak of the brothers of the knights of the sword there was a red sword and above it the Templar cross. The sound of the sword should not only distinguish the brothers of the sword from the temple knights, but also show that they are not subordinate to the latter."
3. Brothers priests.
“To be accepted into the ranks of brother priests, the same conditions were required as for brother knights, with the exception of only the first and fourth, because they did not need to be of knighthood, but for that they had to take holy orders earlier. Between vows , it seems, a fourth was also issued, on the fight against the infidels.The solemn dedication was preceded by the reading of certain psalms.
The order dress, received by the priest from the master, consisted of a narrow and buttoned white caftan with a red cross on the chest. Priest brothers had to shave their beards. They had the right only to food and clothing from the order. However, the other brothers had to especially honor them, they received the best clothes of the order, sat at the table next to the master and were served first. Not a single brother dares to confess to anyone other than the order’s priest, and only from him can he receive absolution.
From these order priests, who performed their duties in the order castles and houses, and accompanied members of the order on campaigns, it is necessary to distinguish clerics who were appointed priests in the church located in the order areas, and were not supposed to be order brothers.
4. Serving brothers.
“The serving brothers of the Order of the Sword in native chronicles and charters are called “servi fratrura militiae”, and collectively they are called “familia fratrum militiae”; the serving brothers were called “famuli” or “fratres servientes” by the Templars. When they were accepted, they were asked the same questions , like the brother knights, they, however, could not be of knightly blood. The person being accepted had to certify that he was no one’s servant or slave. After the ensuing acceptance, they had to swear allegiance to the order.
It is very likely that in the Order of the Swordsmen, as in the Order of the Temple Knights, the serving brothers were divided into two divisions: the brothers of the squires, fratres armigeri, and the brothers of the artisans, fratres opifices. The first probably included the arrows and crossbowmen of the brothers, often mentioned by Henry of Latvia; the latter included the less honorable ones: blacksmiths, cooks, bakers and domestic servants.
The attire of the serving brothers consisted of a caftan (for squires, chain mail) of dark, black or brown color, templars with a red cross; it is very likely that the brothers of the sword also added a sword to this category. Each had a horse at his disposal, and the squire brothers had light weapons. The latter also ate at the same table with the knights and priests, and in all respects they treated them as brothers. From them, the brother knights received squires, who rode ahead of them on military campaigns, carried their things and led their horses."
5. Brothers of the Order.
“In addition to the listed members, the Order of the Swordsmen, as well as the Templars, consisted of “Confratres” as brothers and other members who did not make any vows, but enjoyed the benefits of the order. They also probably included married brothers, who were probably encountered as exceptions. When accepting brothers, they did not turn attention to the rank of the applicant. A Riga burgher even had the right to “go to the order” if he took with him all his movable and immovable property. The benefits or advantages enjoyed by such brothers consisted mainly in attending services in the order churches, precisely in the case of an interdict , in burial in the cemeteries of the order, in the service of memorial services, etc. Probably such brothers were not prohibited from leaving the order at any time, but then probably followed by the withholding of part of the contributed property."
They founded states and dictated their will to European monarchs. The history of knightly orders began in the Middle Ages and is not finished yet.
Order of the Knights Templar
Date of foundation of the Order: 1119
Interesting Facts: The Templars are the most famous knightly order, the history and mysteries of which are the subject of many books and films. The topic of the “curse of Jacques de Molay” is still actively discussed by conspiracy theorists.
After being expelled from Palestine, the Templars switched to financial activities and became the richest order in history. They invented checks, carried out profitable usurious activities, and were the main lenders and economists in Europe.
On Friday, October 13, 1307, by order of King Philip IV the Fair of France, all French Templars were arrested. The order was officially banned.
The Templars were accused of heresy - of denying Jesus Christ, of spitting on the crucifix, kissing each other indecently and practicing sodomy. To “prove” the last point, it is still customary to mention one of the emblems of the Templars - two poor knights sitting on one horse, which served as a symbol of the non-covetousness of the knights of the order.
Warband
Date of foundation of the order: 1190
Interesting Facts: The Teutonic motto is “Help-Protect-Heal.” Initially, this is what the order was doing - helping the sick and protecting German knights, but at the beginning of the 13th century the military history of the order began, it was connected with an attempt to expand the Baltic states and Russian lands. These attempts, as we know, ended unsuccessfully. The “black day” of the Teutons was the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, in which the combined forces of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania inflicted a crushing defeat on the Order.
Deprived of its former military ambitions, the Teutonic Order was restored in 1809. Today he is involved in charity work and treating the sick. The headquarters of the modern Teutons is in Vienna.
Order of the Dragon
Date of foundation of the order: 1408
Interesting Facts: Officially, the Order of the Dragon was founded by the King of Hungary, Sigismund I of Luxembourg, but in the Serbian folklore tradition, the legendary hero Milos Obilic is considered its founder.
The knights of the order wore medallions and pendants with images of a golden dragon with a scarlet cross curled into a ring. In the family coats of arms of the nobles who were members of the order, the image of a dragon was usually framed by the coat of arms.
The Order of the Dragon included the father of the legendary Vlad the Impaler, Vlad II Dracul, who received his nickname precisely because of his membership in the order - dracul means “dragon” in Romanian.
Order of Calatrava
Date of foundation of the order: 1158
Interesting Facts: The first Catholic order founded in Spain was created to defend the Calatrava fortress. In the 13th century it became the most powerful military force in Spain, capable of fielding between 1,200 and 2,000 knights. At its peak, under Chiron and his son, the order controlled 56 commanderies and 16 priories. Up to 200,000 peasants worked for the order, its net annual income was estimated at 50,000 ducats. However, the order did not have complete independence. The title of grandmaster, starting from the time of Ferdinand and Isabella, has always been borne by Spanish kings.
Hospitallers
Date of foundation of the order: around 1099.
Interesting Facts: The Hospice Order, the Hospitallers, the Knights of Malta, or the Johannites, is the oldest spiritual order of knighthood, which received its unofficial name in honor of the hospital and church of St. John the Baptist. Unlike other orders, the Hospitallers accepted female novices into their ranks, and all men who joined the order were required to have a noble title.
The order was international, and its members were divided according to linguistic principles into seven langes in the Middle Ages. Interestingly, the Slavic languages belonged to the Germanic language. The 72nd Grand Master of the order was Russian Emperor Paul the First.
Despite the vow of non-covetousness, the Hospitallers were one of the richest orders of knighthood. During Napoleon's capture of Malta, the French army caused almost three tens of millions of lire worth of damage to the order.
Order of the Holy Sepulcher
Date of foundation of the order: 1099
Interesting Facts: This powerful order was created during the First Crusade and the emergence of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Its king stood at the head of the order. The order's mission was to protect the Holy Sepulcher and other holy places in Palestine.
For a long time, the Grand Masters of the order were the Popes. It was not until 1949 that the title was transferred to members of the Vatican Curia.
The order still exists today. Its members around the world include representatives of royal families, influential businessmen, and the political and scientific elite. According to a 2010 report, the order's membership exceeded 28,000. Its headquarters are located in Rome. More than $50 million was spent on the order's charitable projects between 2000 and 2007.
Order of Alcantara
Date of foundation of the order: 1156
Interesting Facts: The Order was originally created as a partnership to defend the frontier fortress of San Julian de Peral in Spain against the Moors. In 1177 the partnership was elevated to an order of knighthood; he pledged to wage perpetual war against the Moors and defend the Christian faith.
King Alfonso IX in 1218 donated the city of Alcantara to the order, where it settled under a new name. Before the occupation of Spain by the French in 1808, the order controlled 37 counties with 53 towns and villages. The history of the order was full of vicissitudes. It grew richer and poorer, it was abolished and restored several times.
Order of Christ
Date of foundation of the order: 1318
Interesting Facts: The Order of Christ was the successor to the Templars in Portugal. The Order is also called Tomar - after the name of the Tomar Castle, which became the residence of the Master. The most famous Tomarese was Vasco da Gama. On the sails of his ships there is a red cross, which was the emblem of the Order of Christ.
The Tomarians were one of the main pillars of royal power in Portugal, and the order was secularized, which, of course, did not suit the Vatican, which began to award its own Supreme Order of Christ. In 1789 the order was finally secularized. In 1834, the nationalization of his property took place.
Order of the Sword
Date of foundation of the order: 1202
Interesting Facts: The official name of the order is “Brotherhood of the Warriors of Christ.” The knights of the order received the nickname “sword bearers” because of the swords depicted on their cloaks under the clawed Templar cross. Their main goal was to capture the Eastern Baltic. According to the agreement of 1207, 2/3 of the captured lands became the property of the order.
The plans of the eastern expansion of the Swordsmen were thwarted by the Russian princes. In 1234, in the battle of Omovzha, the knights suffered a crushing defeat from the Novgorod prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, after which Lithuania, together with the Russian princes, began campaigns on the lands of the order. In 1237, after the unsuccessful Crusade against Lithuania, the Swordsmen joined the Teutonic Order and became the Livonian Order. It was defeated by Russian troops in the Livonian War in 1561.
Order of Saint Lazarus
Date of foundation of the order: 1098
Interesting Facts: The Order of Saint Lazarus is notable for the fact that initially all its members, including the Grand Master, were lepers. The order received its name from the place of its founding - from the name of the hospital of St. Lazarus, located near the walls of Jerusalem.
It is from the name of this order that the name “infirmary” comes from. The knights of the order were also called “Lazarites”. Their symbol was a green cross on a black cassock or cloak.
At first, the order was not military and was engaged exclusively in charitable activities, helping lepers, but from October 1187 the Lazarites began to participate in hostilities. They went into battle without helmets, their faces, disfigured by leprosy, terrified their enemies. Leprosy in those years was considered incurable and the Lazarites were called “the living dead.”
In the Battle of Forbia on October 17, 1244, the order lost almost all of its personnel, and after the expulsion of the crusaders from Palestine, it settled in France, where it is still engaged in charity work today.
Battle of Siauliai. In 1236, many crusaders from Germany arrived in Livonia. Together with the Order of the Swordsmen, they planned a campaign against Lithuania, whose inhabitants were pagans. Having gathered, they set out on a campaign. Order banners and multi-colored banners of German feudal lords fluttered proudly in the wind, white cloaks with red crosses shone. The steel ribbon of knights clad in armor confidently moved into the Lithuanian lands. It seemed that there was no force capable of stopping their army. Attacking the Lithuanians, the crusaders plundered and devastated their villages. But when they returned home with all the loot, they were ambushed among impenetrable swamps and forests. The knights were unable to deploy their cavalry here and, one after another, died under the swords of the “pagans”. The master of the sword himself, along with 48 order brothers, was surrounded by enemies. The knights fought desperately, but the enemies knocked down trees on them and killed every one of them.
Grandmaster's Seal
Teutonic Order
The campaign ended in a terrible defeat. It could have turned into a disaster for the Livonian Germans. The Lithuanians invaded Livonia and started a Curonian uprising. The Pope himself was very concerned. He was afraid that the Lithuanians would intensify their onslaught, other tribes conquered by the Germans would rise up in rebellion, and the presence of Catholics in the Baltic states would come to an end.
Therefore, in 1237, he issued a decree according to which the Order of the Swordsmen was dissolved, and its members were part of another German order - the Teutonic Order.
Warband. It was founded during the Crusades to the East, in Palestine in 1190. But in the Holy Land it did not play a big role, because the powerful orders of the Templars and Hospitallers had existed here for several decades, who did not want to recognize the Teutons as their equals. Then the Teutonic Order began to look for another place where it could gain power. Chance helped the Teutons. At this time, the Poles were greatly disturbed by the pagan Prussians with their raids. One Polish prince called the Teutons for help. However, instead of helping in the defense of Polish lands, the Teutonic Order decided to conquer Prussia itself and establish a state here. From 1230, the Teutonic knights began to conquer Prussian lands.
Submission of the Swordsmen to the Teutonic Order. And now the pope ordered that the defeated Swordsmen be included in the Teutonic Order. Their order ceased to exist independently and merged with the Teutonic Order. From now on, it began to be called the Livonian Landmasterate (i.e., the Livonian province) of the Teutonic Order, but historians, for the sake of brevity, often call it the Livonian Order. The Livonian knights replaced the scarlet cross and sword on their attire with a black Teutonic cross. They were now controlled by the one sent by the Teutons. The former swordsmen found themselves in a subordinate position.
Knight of the Teutonic Order XII-XIII centuries,
Western European crossbowman and knight
Order of the Swordsmen XII-XIII centuries.
The Sword Bearers are planning a campaign to Russian lands. The Sword Bearers were not at all pleased with the papal order. They understood perfectly well that dad had put a collar around their necks, but they could not openly oppose them, so they began to harm them on the sly. They did not want to carry out the orders of the head of the order and wanted, as before, to pursue an independent policy. The Teutonic master sent them his famous military leader Hermann von Balcke as their manager. But he was never able to cope with the willful swordsmen. They put a spoke in Herman's wheels at every opportunity. Finally, Herman’s patience ran out and he left Livonia.
Having survived Hermann von Balcke, the swordsmen achieved the appointment of a more pliable landmaster in his place. He, not wanting to share the fate of his predecessor, decided that it was more profitable for him to cooperate with the swordsmen than to stubbornly pursue the line of the Teutonic master. He demanded that the Swordsmen attack Lithuania and Prussia. However, the Livonian knights did not want to obey his orders. They decided to do it their own way and launch an attack on Russian lands. The Bishop of Dorpat, who had long coveted the lands of his eastern neighbor - Pskov, strongly asked them about this. So the crusaders, instead of fighting the pagans, took up arms against Russian Christians.
At the same time, the Swedish knights decided to launch an offensive against Novgorod, irritated that the Russians were preventing them from establishing themselves in Finland.
Read also other topics Part IX "Rus between East and West: battles of the 13th and 15th centuries." section "Rus and Slavic countries in the Middle Ages":
- 39. “Who is the essence and the split-off”: Tatar-Mongols by the beginning of the 13th century.
- 41. Genghis Khan and the “Muslim front”: campaigns, sieges, conquests
- 42. Rus' and the Polovtsians on the eve of Kalka
- Polovtsy. Military-political organization and social structure of the Polovtsian hordes
- Prince Mstislav Udaloy. Princely Congress in Kyiv - the decision to help the Polovtsians
- 44. Crusaders in the Eastern Baltic
- Invasions of the Germans and Swedes into the Eastern Baltic states. Foundation of the Order of the Swordsmen
- Battle of Siauliai. Founding of the Teutonic Order
- 45. Battle of the Neva
- Alexander Nevskiy. Novgorod land: economy, government structure, management system
- 46. Battle on the Ice
When considering the Teutonic Order, it is impossible to ignore one event that increased its territory by two and a half times - the accession to it of the Livonian Order of the Sword, also German. This order should be known to us from the history of Russia - it was its knights who went to Rus' with crusades and for the most part suffered failures. Also, the Livonian order organization became forerunner state entities Estonia And Latvia, so it will be interesting to figure out what and where they came from there.
It all started as usual - with attempts Christianize the local population. Lived there at that time Do you- a tribe related to the Ests (modern Estonians). Their territory was located along the coast of the Gulf of Riga, they were mainly engaged in fishing and handicrafts. However, the first attempts at Christianization turned out to be unsuccessful- the Livs won in battle and killed the visiting missionaries. After the death of several high-ranking priests, Pope Celestine III approved in the early 13th century Livonian Crusade.
The first success in the Germans' development of the Baltic lands awaited the bishop Albert Buxtoven. He personally recruited volunteers from Saxony for the annual spring campaigns into the lands of the Baltic pagans, and achieved a papal bull for the forgiveness of all sins of the settlers. He chose as his base the place where the Dvina (Daugava) River flows into the Baltic Sea, where the Riga River finally flowed into it. This is how the Riga Episcopal Castle appeared. To ensure the protection of displaced people, it was The Order of the Sword was created. Its distinctive feature from other orders was its direct subordination to the local Bishop. Albert himself began to successfully fight with the local Livonians, as well as the Baltic tribe of Latgalians, located to the east. He gave a third of the conquered lands to the Order of the Sword, and used two thirds for church needs. They founded bishoprics throughout the Baltics, which made it possible for the Riga viceroy of the Pope to be called Archbishop.
A map that allows you to better understand what is happening. We are interested red arrows, describing the path of the Order of the Sword and the Bishop of Riga.
The main obstacle to the final conquest of the Latgalians was the prince Vladimir Polotsky, from Rurikovich. The population along the Dvina River is already gradually and voluntarily accepted Orthodoxy and paid tribute to Polotsk. The Livonians also paid tribute to Polotsk, but were indifferent to Orthodoxy. This is what prompted them at first join to the colonial Germans, their tribal leader Kaupo even converted to Catholicism. But when the oppression of the Germans on the local Liv population became unbearable, they raised an uprising, which was easily suppressed. Do you asked for help from Vladimir of Polotsk, because they did not want to depend on the Germans, and the Latgalians joined the Bishopric of Riga, because they wanted to get rid of Russian patronage. This was followed by a series of sieges of German fortresses by Russian squads, as well as a series of sieges of Russian fortresses in the Dvina region by German knights. In 1209, Vladimir lost his vassal fortress of Gersik along with his relatives, who ruled there, and was forced to go to peace. At the negotiations were Bishop Albert with the order, Vladimir with his squad, as well as representatives of the Livs and Latgalians. The result was loss of Russian influence in Livonia. After this, Vladimir began to assemble an alliance of Russian princes against Livonia, but in the process he died, and Polotsk was mired in feudal squabbles. Livonia went to the Bishopric of Riga.
Further German advance changed direction to the north, to the lands of the Estonians, which, like their southern neighbors, were fragmented into different tribes. Initially, when the forces of the Germans and Estonians were equal, after a series of battles, a truce was concluded between them for three years. During these three years, the Order and the Bishopric managed to annex many more lands and replenish their composition with converted Latgalians and Livonians, and the Estonian leaders couldn't agree about the formation of a more centralized states, or at least about joint defense. As a result, the entire territory of the Estonians began to be divided among themselves by the Germans, Danes and Swedes. And if at first the Estonians turned to the Germans for help against the Novgorod princes, then after 1219 they turned to Novgorod for help against the Order. But this help only increased the time during which the south of Estonia was conquered by the Germans, and the north by the Danes.
The third stage of the German conquest of lands in the Baltic states was the territory of the Curonians, Semigallians and Selei, located further south. However, here the Germans ran into competition with the nascent Grand Duchy of Lithuania, under the control and protection of which the above-mentioned tribes began to gradually pass. Therefore, the Order managed to conquer only their northern lands.
On this era of success for the Riga Archbishopric ended. After conquering most of the pagan tribes, it remained in the vicinity of Novgorod and Great Lithuanian principalities that already understood the intentions of the Germans. As part of the Northern Crusade in 1233, the Livno Order invaded the territory of the Novgorod prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. The decisive battle took place near the city of Yuryev, on the Omovzha River. Heavy knights fell through the ice and the battle was lost. At this time, from the south the Order successfully attacks the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, enjoying the support of the Livonians, Semigallians and Russian princes. On February 9, 1236, Pope Gregory IX declared a Crusade against Lithuania, and on September 22 of the same year, the decisive battle of Saul took place, which the Order of the Swordsmen lost to smithereens, having lost his master Volkwin von Winterstatten in battle. After such a defeat, local tribes rebelled throughout the entire Archbishopric of Riga.
This state of affairs has led to the accession of the Order of the Sword to more successful, but smaller in territory Teutonic Order as the Livonian Landmaster (local branch). As a result, the lands of the united Teutonic Order extended from Pomerania in the west to the Russian principalities in the east, from the former Polish Kulm in the south to the Estonian lands in the north, which at that time allowed it to become a state of regional importance.
Original taken from
The idea of the Crusades, supposedly directed against the Muslims who captured the Holy Sepulcher, was perfect for almost any conquest carried out by Western European feudal lords, any event in which the papal curia saw its benefit. This is how the Crusades began in Europe. They were directed both against heretics, such as the Albigensians, and against pagans in Eastern Europe. The Germans were interested in the Eastern Baltic lands. Rome was also interested in Christianizing these territories. While the crusaders in Asia were fighting against the Saracens, their colleagues were already fighting with might and main in the Baltic states. Here the knights received from the pope the same privileges as the “soldiers of Christ” in Palestine.
In 1200, Canon Albert landed with the German crusaders at the mouth of the Dvina. Having defeated the Liv detachments, the Germans built their fortress here - Riga. Albert became the local bishop. In 1202, he established the spiritual knightly order of the Swordsmen. In 1207, the Swordsmen achieved the right to a third of all captured lands. (The rest was ruled by the bishops of Riga, Ezel, Dorpat and Courland.)
The orders were needed by the church in order to have a disciplined (as opposed to the usual feudal army), morally stable army under its direct subordination. Members of the order took vows of chastity, poverty and obedience. Their main task was to spread Christianity and fight the “pagans”. The order was headed by the Grand Master (Grandmaster), and individual provinces were governed by Landmasters. A clear hierarchy and discipline, religious zeal, financial and legal support from the pope, and the transfer of the property of the incoming brothers into the possession of the orders allowed them to seize significant territories and accumulate enormous wealth.
The Swordsmen, unlike the Templars or Hospitallers, also obeyed the local bishop, although they constantly fought for independence from him. They wore white cloaks with a red sword and cross on them. The residence of the master of the order was Wenden Castle (present-day Cesis in Latvia). The knights fought for the lands of the Livs, Estonians, Latgalians, Semigallians, etc. In 1229, Bishop Albert of Riga died. Even then, the Master of the Order of the Swordsmen, Folkvin, decided to get rid of his dependence on the Riga bishops and invited Hermann von Salze to unite the orders. The reason for this was not only the struggle with the bishop. The Teutonic Order enjoyed much greater popularity and, being closer to Germany, with which it bordered by land, received constant reinforcements. The Knights of the Order of the Sword had great difficulty involving new compatriots in their actions, suffered heavy losses in battles with the local population and felt that the fate of German Livonia was constantly in the balance. However, Salze refused to accept Falkwyn’s offer, in particular due to the fact that the swordsmen did not have proper discipline.
The Teutonic Order, which began operating in the southern Baltic a little later than the Swordsmen appeared to the north, was established during the Third Crusade. Then merchants from Lübeck created a hospital brotherhood that cared primarily for wounded Germans. In 1198, this organization turned into the spiritual-knightly Teutonic Order of the Virgin Mary. The Teutons wore white cloaks with black crosses. The Order did not disintegrate with the end of the Crusade, but transferred its activities to Europe. At the request of the Hungarians, the Teutons settled in Semigrad in 1211 to defend the borders of the kingdom from the Cumans. But in the 1220s, King Andrew II, convinced that the Teutons were more interested in Hungary itself, expelled them from the country.
In 1226, the Polish prince Konrad of Mazowiecki turned to Grand Master Herman Salze, inviting his order to settle on the Vistula in the Chelmin and Dobrin regions and fight against the Prussians and Lithuanians who were bothering Konrad, on the condition that the order would receive all the captured lands. This was a fatal step on the part of the prince. The Poles themselves invited people with whom they would have to wage an irreconcilable struggle until the middle of the 20th century. In 1230, Salze sent a detachment of knights to the Chelmin region - the bloody conquest of the Prussian land began. In 1231, the Teutons crossed to the right bank of the Vistula and built the castles of Thorn (Toruń) and Kulm (Chelmno) here.
In 1234, the Teutonic Order received from the Pope the right to own all Prussian and Kulm land for the obligation to pay tribute personally to the pope, who thus became the overlord of the order. The order regularly paid tribute, but the pope's power over it remained nominal. Soon the pontiff declared a Crusade against the Prussians. They were completely conquered in 1283. A significant contribution to strengthening the position of the Teutons was made by the talented politician and diplomat, Grand Master of the Order of Salze. He sought appropriate letters and privileges from both the German Emperor Frederick II and the Pope. They regularly invited the Teutonic as a mediator in resolving certain disputes. Salze participated in the imperial council as a prince.
By the beginning of the 40s of the 13th century. The Teutons firmly established themselves in the lands of Pomesania, Pogesania, Warmia and along the coast of Western Prussia. They also owned lands and castles in Slovenia, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Romania and Greece. The mouths of the Vistula, Dvina and Neman rivers were in the hands of the Germans, and therefore a significant part of all Baltic trade was under their control.
However, the knights met fierce resistance from the Russians and Lithuanians. The latter united and strengthened their state under the leadership of Prince Mindaugas. On September 22, 1236, in the Battle of Saul (Šiauliai), the Lithuanians completely defeated the Swordsmen. The success of the battle was facilitated by the timely transition of Zemgale troops to the Lithuanian side. Under Saul, the Master of the Swordsmen, Folkwin Winterstatten, died, and in general the losses of the order were significant. The Germans were driven back west of the Dvina, losing almost everything they had acquired over the past 30 years. This defeat was the reason for the unification of the two orders. A delegation of swordsmen went to the pope in Rome with a corresponding request. As a result of lengthy negotiations with the active participation of the papal curia, an agreement was reached on the union of the Order of the Sword and the Teutonic Order. The treaty was signed on May 14, 1237 at the residence of Pope Gregory IX in Viterbo near Rome. The Order of the Swordsmen became a semi-autonomous part of the Teutonic Order - the Livonian Order, its master became the Landmaster of the Teutonic Order (he became the Teutonic Hermann Balcke). The Livonian Order controlled previously captured lands in Latvia and Estonia. At the same time, the Livonian landmaster was also subordinate to the Riga archbishop.
