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Religion/The Military Orders

Chronological Table Of Events
Teutonic Knights

This table contains dates and events that highlight the origins and development of the Teutonic Knights throughout its history; also included are significant events in medieval history that may not be directly associated with the Teutonic Knights but give perspective to the history of the order. Please note that this table is still under construction.

• 1070 - Possible founding date of the Hospital of St. John in Jerusalem by Amalfi merchants
• 1098 - Crusaders of First Crusade captured Jerusalem

• 1113 - Hospital of St. John recognized by papal bull as separate order
• 1118 - Hugh of Payens of Burgundy and Godfrey of Saint Adhemar, a Fleming, with seven other knights were credited with founding the Templars whose headquarters was on or near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem
• 1126 - Hospital of St. John displayed possible military attributes; its "constable" was cited in sources
• 1127 - Possible date of the founding of the German Hospital of St. Mary in Jerusalem
• 1128 - Probable circulation of St. Bernard of Clairvaux' Liber ad milites templi de laude novae militiae
• Jan., 1129 - Council of Troyes recognized the Temple as an order
• 1131 - King Alfonso I of Aragon and Navarre attempted to turn over the kingdom to the Templars, Hospitallers, and Knights of the Holy Sepulcher in his will
• 1143 - Two sources of Pope Celestine II mention a German hospital in Jerusalem in some kind of dispute with the Hospital of St. John; the German hospital was put under the supervision of the Hospital of St. John
• 1147 - 1149 - Second Crusade
• 1160's or1170's - John of W(rzburg mentioned the German hospital in Jerusalem in his Description of the Holy Land
• 1172 - German monk Theodorich wrote Guide to the Holy Land
• 1176 - Sophia, Countess of Holland, was buried in the German hospital in Jerusalem
• May 1, 1187 - Hospitallers and Templars defeated by the Muslims at Nazareth
• July 4, 1187 - Battle of Hattin lost by crusaders; Hospitallers, Templars, and the "flower of the nobility" devastated
• Oct. 4, 1187 - Jerusalem surrendered to Saladin
• 1190 - Third Crusade featured the German Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, King Richard I of England, and King Philip II of France; the crusaders lay siege to Acre; Germans from L(beck and Bremen probably established a field hospital named after the previous German hospital of St. Mary in Jerusalem
• Sep., 1190 - King Guy of Jerusalem awarded Teutonic Order or "Teutonic Knights" a portion of a tower in Acre; the bequest was re-enforced on Feb. 10, 1192; the order perhaps shared the tower with the English Order of the Hospital of St. Thomas
• Feb. 6, 1191 - Questionable bull of Pope Clement III approving the German hospitaller order at Acre
• Jul. 12, 1191 - Siege of Acre ended in crusader victory
• Apr., 1195 - Count Palatinate Henry of Champagne provided Teutonic Knights the house of Theodore of Sarepta in Tyre
• Mar., 1196 - Count Palatinate Henry conferred possessions in Jaffa (Joppa) on Teutonic Knights
• Dec. 21, 1196 - Pope Celestine III took the "Hospital of St. Mary of the Germans in Jerusalem" under his protection
• 1196 - Hermann von Salza may have accompanied Landgraf Hermann von Thüringen to the Holy Land
• May 20, 1197 - German emperor Henry VI gave the Teutonic Knights a hospital in Barletta, Italy
• Jul. 18, 1197 - Henry VI gave Teutonic Knights a church and cloister (of the Holy Trinity) in Palermo, Sicily
• Mar. 5, 1198 - Teutonic Knights established as a military order in a ceremony in Acre's Temple which was attended by the secular and clerical leaders of the Latin Kingdom
• 1198 - First military action of the Teutonic Knights with King Amalric II of Jerusalem; Amalric gave them (in August) a tower in Acre, formerly belonging to the Order of St. Nicholas
• Feb. 19, 1199 - Bull of Pope Innocent III confirmed the Teutonic Knights' wearing of the Templars' white mantle and following of the Hospitallers' rule

• Aug., 1200 - Teutonic Knights paid the sons of Theodore of Sarepta 200 besants for the house in Tyre to complete the 1195 deal
• 1202 - Gerold of Bozen gave the Teutonic Knights a hospital in Bozen
• 1202 - 1204 - Crusading effort led by Boniface of Montferrat diverted from Palestine or Egypt to Constantinople with influence of Venetians and pretender to the Byzantine throne
• Apr., 1204 - Fall of Constantinople to the Latin crusaders
• Early, 1205 - William of Champlitte and Geoffrey of Villehardouin conquered Patras, Andravida, Pundico Castro, Modon, and Coron in the Morea; Battle of Koundoura won by William of Champlitte and Geoffrey of Villehardouin with about 600 men over 5,000 Byzantine Greeks
• 1206 - Statutes of Margat adopted by the Hospitallers in annual chapter meeting
• 1207 - Famous singing contest held at the Wartburg; St. Elizabeth of Hungary and Hermann von Salza possibly attended
• 1208 - Teutonic Knights "marshal" appears in the sources; indicates the military nature of the order
• 1208 - 1229 Albigensian Crusade in France
• early, 120 - 9 Geoffrey Villehardouin, Prince of Achaia, in dividing up the Peloponnesus in his capital of Andravida, gave the Templars, Hospitallers, and Teutonic Knights four knightly fees; the Teutonic Knights' fee is near Kalamata
• 1209 - Teutonic Knights side with Hospitallers and barons in Acre against the Templars and prelates; origin of long-standing opposition between the Templars and Teutonic Knights
• Oct. 3, 1210 - Probable date of election of Hermann von Salza as grand master of the Teutonic Knights; the date coincided with the date of the marriage in Tyre of John of Brienne to Mary; it was also the date of John's coronation as King of Jerusalem
• Sep., 1211 - Frederick II chosen king in Germany
• 1211 - Burzenland settled by the Teutonic Knights with the authority of Hungary's King Andrew II
• Jul., 1212 - Peter II of Aragon defeats the Moors at Las Navas de Tolosa
• 1212 - Adomadana given to the Teutonic Knights by King Leo of Armenia
• 1212 - Children's Crusade: spring---German phase; June---French phase
• Sep. 12, 1213 - Simon of Montfort wins the battle of Muret; Peter II killed
• Feb. 24, 1214 - King Leo of Armenia granted Teutonic Knights Amudain, the castle of Sespin, and more
• Nov., 1215 - Innocent III called the Fourth Lateran Council; new crusade proclaimed; Hermann von Salza probably at the Fourth Lateran Council representing his order
• 1215 - Frederick II crowned in Aix-la-Chapelle; took the cross
• 1215 - Magna Carta signed in England
• 1215 - Dominican Order founded
• Feb. 18, 1216 - Innocent III issued a bull of protection for the Teutonic Knights
• Dec., 1216 - Hermann von Salza attended Frederick II's court in Nuremberg; first meeting between the Teutonic Knights' grand master and the emperor
• Feb., 1217 - Hermann von Salza received possessions in Sicily from Frederick II while at Ulm
• Jun.24, 1217 - Frederick II granted the Teutonic Knights the same status as the Templars and Hospitallers in the Kingdom of Sicily
• 1217 - 1221 - Fifth Crusade
• May - Aug. 1218 - Crusading army lands in Egypt; Hermann von Salza at Damietta; Saphadin died (1199-1218); al-Kamil, his son, became caliph (1218- 1238); crusaders captured Damietta
• 1218 - 1219 - Patriarch of Jerusalem, church officials, Templars and Hospitallers advised Pelagius not to accept peace terms of Sultan al-Kamil to surrender Jerusalem; contrary advice offered by King John of Jerusalem, Earl Ranulf of Chester, and the German leaders
• Spring, 1220 - Hermann von Salza went to Acre with King John of Jerusalem
• Nov., 1220 - Hermann von Salza was with Frederick II in Italy; first identified by name as Hermann von Salza in documents; Frederick II crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Honorius III
• 1220 - Leopold VI of Austria presented the Teutonic Knights the site of the castle of Montfort near Acre
• Jan. 9, 1221 - Honorius III gave privileges to the Teutonic Knights; as an order, they now were on the same level as the Templars and the Hospitallers
• Jan - Apr, 1221 - Hermann von Salza was in Italy; 57 privileges were given by Honorius III to the Teutonic Knights (Honorius III granted 113 to the Teutonic Knights during his pontificate)
• mid - April, 1221 - Hermann von Salza accompanied the duke of Bavaria and other German nobles to Damietta; arrived in May
• Aug. 30, 1221 - Battle of Mansurah; crusaders surrendered in Egypt (Templars led the rearguard action); peace treaty; Hermann von Salza and the master of the Temple held as hostages by the Muslims
• 1222 - "Golden Bull" of Hungary, first issue
• 1223 - Hermann von Salza negotiated with the pope over Gunzelin; later in the Holy Land, he arranged the marriage for the emperor (?)
• 1224 - Hermann von Salza was involved in the Treaty of Dannenberg
• Nov., 1225 - Frederick II married Isabella (Yolande) of Brienne and claimed the throne of Jerusalem; Hermann von Salza was present
• 1225 - Teutonic Knights forcibly expelled from Burzenland by king Andrew II; Conrad of Masovia requested aid from the Teutonic Knights in Prussia
• 1226 - "Golden Bull of Rimini" from Frederick II for the Teutonic Knights giving them wide-ranging authority in the name of the empire in Prussia
• 1227 - Montfort rebuilt---renamed Starkenberg
• Sep., 1228 - Frederick II arrived in the Holy Land accompanied by Hermann von Salza
• Feb. 18, 1228 - Frederick II took control of Jerusalem from the Egyptian Sultan al-Kamil by treaty; Hermann von Salza with Frederick
• Mar. 12, 1228 - Hermann von Salza sent a letter to Gregory IX from Joppa informing him about the treaty
• Mar. 18, 1228 - Frederick II crowned King of Jerusalem in the church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem; then held high court in the house of the Hospital of St. John
• Apr., 1229 - Peace of Paris ended Albigensian Crusade
• Apr., 1229 - Frederick II gave Teutonic Knights former house of Germans in Jerusalem; also a house that once belonged to King Baldwin located in the Armenian street near the church of St. Thomas (plus a garden and six acres of land)
• May 1, 1229 - At odds with the Templars and Ibelins, Frederick II departed Acre; feared losing Apulia to John of Brienne
• 1229 - 1244 - German Hospital of St. Mary in Jerusalem expanded
• 1230 - Kulm recognized by Pope Gregory IX as belonging to the Teutonic Knights
• 1231 - Teutonic Knights' Hermann Balke advanced into Prussia
• 1231 - Gautier of Brienne gave the Teutonic Knights Beauvoir
• 1231 - St. Elizabeth of Hungary died at Marburg; later was canonized (1234)
• 1234 - Teutonic Knights won the battle at Sirguna, Prussia
• 1234 - Pope took control of Prussia; leased it to the Teutonic Knights
• Spring, 1235 - Dobriner Order incorporated into Teutonic Knights; approved by Frederick II and Gregory IX
• Sept., 1235 - Andrew II of Hungary died; Bela IV succeeded him (until 1270)
• Dec. 23, 1236 - Gregory IX taxed the Peloponnesus to support crusading ventures; preceptor of the Teutonic Knights identified in the Morea as one of three collectors of the tithing effort
• 1237 - Frederick II's second Lombard campaign; Hermann von Salza at Battle of Cortenuova
• 1237 - Teutonic Knights and Swordbrothers unite
• Jul., 1237 - Geoffrey II of Achaia gave the Teutonic Knights a hospital in Andravida
• 1238 - Frederick II's third Lombard campaign; Hermann von Salza's health failed
• Mar., 1239 - Hermann von Salza died in Salerno and buried in Barletta; Frederick II excommunicated
• Mar., 1239 - Robert de l'Isle donates property (Villegrot) near Veligosti to the Teutonic Knights
• Apr. 9, 1241 - Battle of Liegnitz; Mongols defeat army of Poles and Germans including Hospitallers, Templars, and Teutonic Knights
• Apr. 5, 1242 - Russians under Alexander Nevsky defeat the Teutonic Knights on Lake Peipus
• 1244 - Muslims recapture Jerusalem
• Oct. 31, 1246 - Innocent IV transferred the Hospital of St. James to the Templars
• 1257 - Julian of Grenier, lord of Sidon, donated a fortress called Cave of Tyron to the Teutonic Knights (about 12 miles east of Sidon) signifying the order's role in Holy Land was expanding
• 1257 - 1261 - Teutonic Knights bought large land complex (called Souf or Schuf) northeast of Sidon from Julian Grenier, lord of Sidon for 23,000 crusader besants
• Oct. 16, 1258 - Peace treaty among the Templars, Hospitallers, and Teutonic Knights signed in Acre
• 1258 - Teutonic Knights buy a manor from John de la Tour, constable of Sidon, and two manors from John of Schuf and assumed the responsibility for defense north of Acre
• Jul., 1260 - Teutonic Knights routed at Durben; Prussians revolted
• 1261 - Teutonic Knights bought fief made up of several manors called Schuf from Andrew of Schufe
• May, 1263 - All Teutonic Knight possessions near Sidon lost to Muslims after Baybars won battle of Sidon
• 1290 - Teutonic Knights complete a 30óyear effort to control Prussians
• May 18, 1291 - Fall of Acre; Hospitaller and Templar headquarters moved from Acre to Cyprus; Teutonic Knights headquarters moved from Acre to Venice

• 1306 - Hospitallers began conquest of Rhodes
• Nov. 28, 1309 - Trial of Jacques de Molay, Grand Master of the Templars (in Paris)
• 1309 - Hospitallers' headquarters moved from Cyprus to Rhodes
• 1309 - Teutonic Knights' headquarters moved from Venice to Prussia
• May 16, 1312 - Hospitallers awarded Templars' estates throughout western Europe, Cyprus, and Greece
• Mar. 15, 1314 - Jacques de Molay, Templar grand master, and Preceptor of Normandy burned at the stake in Paris
• Sep. 9, 1320 - Teutonic Knight commander in the Morea died in battle against the Greeks near the fortress of St. George
• 1348 - Plague devastated the Byzantine Empire
• 1376 - 1381 - Hospitallers leased the Principality of Achaia from Joanna of Naples for 4,000 ducats per year
• 1383 or 1384 - Strife between Hospitallers and the Teutonic Knights in the Peloponnesus
• 1387 - Rudolf Schoppe, preceptor of the Teutonic Knights in the Morea, became the field deputy of Pedro Bordo de San Superan
• 1391 - List of Moreote fiefs included the Hospital of St. John and the Teutonic Knights

• 1401 - Jacob of Arkel, preceptor of the Teutonic Knights in the Morea, rewarded with vineyards at Modon and Coron by the Venetians
• 1402 - Source identified a number of Teutonic Knight monasteries in the Morea including St. Steven in Andravida
• 1410 - Teutonic Knights defeated at Tannenberg; bankrupted
• May 21, 1433 - Teutonic Knight procurator John Nichlausdorf in Rome reported he protested to the Byzantine representative the loss of properties in the Morea
• Apr. 27, 1435 - Teutonic Knights' representative at the Council of Basel asked the return of possessions in the Morea from the Byzantines
• 1435 - 1437 - Johann Franke attempted to purchase Mostenitsa

• 1500 - Turks conquered Modon from the Venetians and expelled the Teutonic Knights from the Peloponnesus

Copyright (C) 1996, Eric Opsahl. This file may be copied on the condition that the entire contents, including the header and this copyright notice, remain intact.

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