State of the Teutonic Order

The Teutonic Order was formed during the Crusades, but it switched its emphasis from Jerusalem to the Baltic coast, where it spread Christianity in the 13th century. It formed an identifiable state in 1230, eventually covering most of Old Prussia, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. The Order’s territory became subject to the King of Poland in 1466 and its secular influence disappeared from the Baltic region entirely in 1560.

 

After losing its Baltic territories, The Teutonic Order maintained a presence within the Holy Roman Empire by dividing the Empire into Ballei (bailiwicks), each with a commander responsible for the Order’s properties therein—mostly monasteries and hospitals. Nine Ballei located in modern Germany had a significant geographic presence during the period covered by this database (1545-1794). Only two had subdivisions that merit inclusion in the database, as follows

 

• Biesen
• Franconia
  • Mergentheim
  • Ellingen
  • Neckarsulm
  • Horneck
  • Eschenbach
  • (maybe more)
• Hesse
• Koblenz
  • Elsen
• Lorraine
• Saxony
• Swabia-Alsace-Burgundy
• Thuringia
• Westphalia

 

 

Master list of countries and subdivisions in the Cologne region