A military order in an order state. Pomeranian Hospitallers and the Teutonic Knights, 1308–1370
A military order in an order state. Pomeranian Hospitallers and the Teutonic Knights, 1308–1370

Summary/Abstract: Polish literature on the subject has for years held the view that the relations between the Teutonic Order in Prussia and the Hospitallers in Pomerania in the years 1308–1370 were not very good. The main reason for the mutual hostility of both orders was seen in economic competition. After taking over Gdańsk Pomerania, the Teutonic Knights were to block the economic development of the Hospitaller estates in Pomerania. Due to this, the Hospitallers were eventually unable to withstand the economic competition with the Teutonic Knights, and by 1370, somewhat forced to do so, they sold their estates to the Teutonic Knights.However, the view of Polish researchers presented above cannot be maintained in the light of the preserved sources. In the years 1308–1309, the Teutonic Knights occupied Gdańsk, and then took over the rest of the former Duchy of Pomerania (Gdańsk) to the detriment of Władysław the Elbow-high. In addition to Henryk von Plotzke, Günther and Sieghard von Schwarzburg played an important role in these events. The first of them was, among others, commander of Grudziądz, and then commander of the Chełmno land. He took part in the capture of Gdańsk by the Teutonic Knights and in the subsequent fights between the German Order and Poland. Sieghard held many offices in the German Order, including: Prussian national champion. He was also a renowned diplomat, often delegated by the Teutonic Knights to talk with the Polish side. According to some sources, the Teutonic Knights found themselves in Gdańsk after Władysław the Elbow-high engaged them to defend the town against the Brandenburg invasion. They were persuaded to do so by Łokietek's brother, Prince Siemowit of Dobrzyń - also a relative of Günther and Sieghard von Schwarzburg. After the events of 1308/1309, the Polish prince must have felt betrayed not only by the German Order, but also indirectly by the aforementioned Teutonic Knights - the Schwarzburg brothers. However, this did not mean breaking off contacts with them. According to the Prussian Chronicle by Wigand of Marburg, Władysław the Elbow-high had a certain amount of sympathy for at least Sieghard von Schwarzburg.In the mentioned period, representatives of the related German families von Schwarzburg and von Henneberg played a large role in the structure of the Hospitaller Order. Albrecht von Schwarzburg was a renowned Hospitaller diplomat and a talented military commander. He became famous for his military operations in the Mediterranean. His nephew Berthold VI von Henneberg distinguished himself in the history of the Polish province of the Hospitaller Order and the Hospitallers from Bohemia, Moravia and Austria, of which he became the prior. He ended his career as a German prior. He had a major influence on the manner in which the Hospitallers took over the property after the Templar Order, which was officially dissolved in 1312.In the internal and foreign policy of the rulers of the Reich, the Schwarzburgs and, above all, the Hennebergs were involved in the conflict between the Wittelsbachs - the papacy - the Luxembourgs. Due to the foreign policy of Władysław the Elbow-high towards the Margraviate of Brandenburg and the Teutonic Order, both German families mentioned above were among the opponents of the Polish ruler. The relations between Władysław the Elbow-high and the Hospitallers were not good, certainly because the Pomeranian Hospitallers were then subordinated to the Hospitallers from Mecklenburg and Brandenburg. In the period we are interested in, and especially after the gradual takeover of the estates of the dissolved Templars, the idea of creating a separate Bailiwick of Hospitallers from northern Germany and Pomerania began to form among a group of Hospitallers from northern Germany and Pomerania, which was later referred to as the Brandenburg Bailiwick. The success of this idea depended on the relations of the Hospitallers with the territorial rulers of Brandenburg and Mecklenburg. Władysław the Elbow-high's opponents included both the Ascanians and, later, the Wittelsbachians. From 1317, it should also be noted that Władysław the Elbow-high's relations with the Polish Hospitallers deteriorated.As a consequence of the above sequence of events, the Pomeranian Hospitallers did not remain passive in the process of liberating Gdańsk Pomerania from Polish rule. Most likely, already in the first decade of the 14th century, they took an active part in the fights between the Teutonic Knights and Poland. They became especially famous for their armed actions against the people of the Polish ruler's supporter, i.e. Bishop of Kujawy, Gerward of Ostrów. They were punished for this and, pursuant to a court judgment passed during the trial between Poland and the Teutonic Knights in 1321, the estates of Kujawy and Lesser Poland were confiscated from the Hospitallers. Władysław Łokietek was to ensure the execution of this sentence. Trying to regain the lost goods, the Hospitallers continued to act against the bishops of Kuyavia in the following years. This time they did it in court. These attempts did not end happily for them - they lost the Kujawy estates (Zbląg and Niemojewko) and the Lesser Poland estates (Zagość) forever.In the 1430s and 1440s, the Hospitallers in Eastern Pomerania maintained quite good relations with the Teutonic Knights, in whom they recognized their feudal superior. Thanks to this, they managed to end a long-lasting court dispute with the Cistercians from Pelplin. It is possible that the ruling issued by the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, Luther of Brunswick, played a role in this. It is necessary to remember that the family of Brunswick princes, from which Luther came, agreed to hand over the Templar estates in their ancestral estates to the Hospitallers. They became part of the emerging Bailiwick of Brandenburg. One of Luther's own brothers, Konrad, was also a Hospitaller.In the preserved sources we can see that during the trial between the Pomeranian Hospitallers (from Lubiszewo) and the Cistercians from Pelplin, a representative of the East Pomeranian Hospitallers appeared - Henning von Wartenberg, a former Templar from Chwarszczany. After the dissolution of his mother order, he entered the service of the Hospitallers. To his actions, the Pomeranian Hospitallers owed their attempt to carry out economic reforms, which mainly consisted in locating the property of the Hospitaller Order under German law. The Teutonic Knights did not interfere with these actions. Preserved sources show that they sometimes conducted commercial transactions with the East Pomeranian Hospitallers, which brought benefits to both parties.The position and importance of the Hospitallers in Eastern Pomerania began to weaken in the 1360s. However, this was not due to the Teutonic Knights' reluctance towards them, but was the result of the financial resources of the Hospitaller Order being invested in strengthening the defense of their main seat - the island of Rhodes. This was coupled with a decline in European societies' interest in supporting the Hospitallers. This was manifested in the financial sphere and in the inflow of new members to the order. These phenomena strongly affected the headquarters of the Hospitallers in Eastern Pomerania. Due to the concentration of the Hospitaller properties from the Bailiwick of Brandenburg in Brandenburg, Mecklenburg, Saxony, Western Pomerania and New March, the headquarters of the East Pomeranian Hospitallers became peripheral for the order. In the 1460s, the sale of the Knights' property began. The natural buyer was, of course, the Teutonic Knights, who exercised feudal supremacy over Eastern Pomerania and probably offered the largest possible ransom sum. Between 1366 and 1370, the Hospitallers completed the complete sale of their East Pomeranian estates to the Teutonic Knights. The German Order paid over 10,000 for them. fines, which was probably a good price considering the conditions at that time.

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