The Teutonic Knights: Rise and Fall of a Religious Corporation (Medieval Lives)

by: Aleksander Pluskowski (Author)

Publisher: Reaktion Books

Publication Date: 2024/7/30

Language: English

Print Length: 224 pages

ISBN-10: 1789148685

ISBN-13: 9781789148688

Book Description

A gripping account of the rise and fall of the last great medieval military order.   This book provides a concise and incisive introduction to the knights of the Teutonic Order, the last of the great military orders established in the twelfth century. The book traces the Order’s evolution from a crusader field hospital into a major territorial ruler in northeaste Europe. Notably, the knights constructed distinctive fortified convents, including their headquarters in Weste Christendom’s largest castle. The narrative concludes with the Order’s fifteenth-century decline due to the combined effects of a devastating war with Poland-Lithuania and the Protestant Reformation. The result is an accessible overview of this pivotal corporation in European history.

About the Author

A gripping account of the rise and fall of the last great medieval military order.   This book provides a concise and incisive introduction to the knights of the Teutonic Order, the last of the great military orders established in the twelfth century. The book traces the Order’s evolution from a crusader field hospital into a major territorial ruler in northeaste Europe. Notably, the knights constructed distinctive fortified convents, including their headquarters in Weste Christendom’s largest castle. The narrative concludes with the Order’s fifteenth-century decline due to the combined effects of a devastating war with Poland-Lithuania and the Protestant Reformation. The result is an accessible overview of this pivotal corporation in European history.