The German Order (full name Brothers of the German Order of the Virgin Mary in Jerusalem)
la.: Ordo domus Sanctæ Mariæ Theutonicorum Hierosolymitanorum
de.: Orden der Brüder vom Deutschen Haus der Heiligen Maria in Jerusalem
One of the oldest and, apart from the Knights Templar and the Knights of Malta, the most powerful ecclesiastical military community in the history of Europe and perhaps the world.
The Order originated in the 12th century in the Kingdom of Jerusalem (now Palestine and part of Israel). Its symbol became the now famous German cross (a black heraldic cross in a white field). Early in its existence it was involved in forays into the Holy Land, but it was the Order of the Knights Templar that played a rather dominant role there. The German Order was the biggest player in the North-East of Europe - especially in the Baltic States. Most of the Order's seats were located in Germany, of course, but also in Italy, Southern Greece, Austria, and France, among others. In the territory of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the now defunct Prussia, he even built a religious state (the German Order State). In this territory the Order performed its "educational" function, i.e. spread Christianity among the pagan Prussians and Slavs. Other great kingdoms were founded on its ruins. This, however, was naturally preceded by its demise. In the 14th and early 15th centuries, there were a series of revolts against the Order, led by the princes, mainly from Lithuania and Poland, which were de facto subordinate entities. The most famous of these were perhaps Vytautas and Jagello. The most famous and absolutely crushing defeat at the Battle of Grunwald was the fatal blow to the Order. In the north of the territory, another Order State, Terra Mariana, was established, which was ruled by a smaller Order of Livonian Knights. There was already a Lithuanian Principality on the territory of Lithuania, which after the fall of the Order State gained more territory and was soon promoted to Grand Duchy. In the south there was a very large German population, which the Order brought with them as part of the colonisation of the territory. The Principality of Prussia was then established on this territory, which was the nucleus of the future most powerful German state and the best fighting army in Europe with the best generals. However, this territory was never fully incorporated into the Holy Roman Empire. After the defeat and demise of the Order, the Order never again attempted any significant involvement in political events anywhere in the world, thus beginning its humanitarian work.
After Albrecht of Brandenburg accepted the Lutheran Reformation in 1525, thus making Prussia a Protestant state, the Order was forced to move its headquarters elsewhere. This became Mergentheim in Württemberg. This act had, among other things, partly influenced the fact that many of the Grand Masters of the Order came from the Habsburg dynasty until the First World War.
In the 18th and 19th centuries the Order was on the verge of collapse. It had lost a considerable amount of property. The French Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, ordered the dissolution of the Order. After the fall of Napoleon, the Order was restored, but it was purely hospital, and all that remained from its military days was the name and titles of its members.
The Order has been active on Czech territory since about the 15th century. It founded schools and orphanages or hospitals. After the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the establishment of independent Czechoslovakia, the Order was deprived of several lands and residences. However, it continued to work here in the education of Catholic youth. During the occupation and the existence of the Protectorate, all remaining buildings owned by the Order were confiscated by the Nazi armed forces. In fact, the Nazi regime did not officially recognize the existence of the Order, although paradoxically it used its symbolism - the Iron Cross. The Iron Cross had previously been a military decoration in the Royal Prussian Army, and later in the armies of the German Empire and the Weimar Republic. And to this day it is still the symbol of the Bundeswehr. In 1945, when Czechoslovakia was restored, the Order was returned to its pre-war material possessions. In 1948, however, a communist coup took place, which meant the end of the Order on our territory for 40 years. At that time, the Order moved its headquarters from Bruntál to Vienna, where it is still based today. After the Velvet Revolution, the property was returned to the Order, but no longer in its pre-48 state. To this day, the Order is still in litigation with the Czech Republic over the restitution of property, including Bouzov Castle. Currently, both the male and female branches of the Order are active in the Czech Republic.
STRUCTURE
The Order consists of a male branch, the German Order, and a female branch, the Sisters of Charity of Our Lady of Jerusalem. Each branch is divided into provinces, headed by a Provincial/Provincial Superior. The Provinces cover the territory of the State in which they are located. Each province then brings together the various institutions that the branch operates. In the case of the male branch, these are monasteries, schools (the Ecclesiastical Gymnasium of the German Order in Olomouc (interesting fact - a private company!). In the case of the women's branch, there are monasteries, hospices and various smaller social institutions. In Germany and Austria, of course, there is a much larger number of these institutions, but with the same composition. The Order is also active in Poland, Slovakia and Hungary. In the Czech Republic, the leadership of both branches is based in Opava. The head of the order is not the Grand Master (Grossmeister) as in most orders, but the High Master (Hochmeister), who is based in Vienna. There is a representative of the Order in the Vatican.
Overview of the Seats: Akkon (Kingdom of Jerusalem, 1192-1291), Venice (1291-1309), Marienburg (German Order, 1309-1466), Königsberg (Königsberg, now Kaliningrad, German Order State, former East Prussia, now Kaliningrad Oblast of the Russian Federation, 1466-1525), Mergentheim (Württemberg, 1525-1809), Vienna (Austria-Hungary, 1809-1918, [i::in the years of occupation 1938-1945 the order de facto did not exist due to Nazi repressions), since 1948 in Vienna.
OVERVIEW OF HIGH MASTERS
- Master Sibrand 1190-1198
- Gerhard 1192-?
- Prior Heinrich 1193-1194
- Ulrich 1190-1198
- Heinrich I. Walpot von Bassenheim 1198-1200
- Otto von Kerpen 1200-1206
- Heinrich II. von Tunna 1206-1209
- Hermann von Salza 1209-1239
- Konrad I. von Thüringen 1239-1240
- Gerhard von Malberg 1241-1244
- Heinrich III. von Hohenlohe 1244-1249
- Gunther von Wüllersleben 1249-1252
- Poppo von Osterna 1253
- Hanno von Sangershausen 1257-1274
- Hartmann von Helbrungen 1274-1283
- Burkhard von Schwanden 1283-1290
- Konrad II von Feuchtwangen 1290-1297
- Gottfried von Hohenlohe 1297-1302
- Siegfried von Feuchtwangen 1302-1310
- Karl Bessart von Trier 1311-1324
- Werner von Orselen 1324-1330
- Lothar von Braunschweig 1331-1335
- Dietrich von Altenburg 1335-1341
- Ludolf Konig von Wattzau 1342-1345
- Heinrich IV. Dusener von Arfberg 1345-1351
- Winrich von Kniprode 1351-1382
- Konrad III. Zollner von Rothstein 1382-1390
- Konrad IV. von Wallenrode 1391-1393
- Konrad V. von Jungingen 1393-1407
- Ulrich von Jungingen 1407-1410
- Heinrich V. von Plauen 1410-1413
- Michael Kuchenmeister von Sternburg 1414-1422
- Paul Belenzer von Ruszdorf 1423-1440
- Konrad VI. von Erlichshausen 1441-1449
- Ludwig von Erlichshausen 1450-1467
- Heinrich Vi. von Reuss 1467-1470
- Heinrich VII. von Richtenberg 1470-1477
- Martin Truchsetz von Wetzhausen 1477-1489
- Johann von Tiefen 1489-1497
- Friedrich von Sachsen 1497-1510
- Albrecht von Brandenburg-Ansbach 1510-1525
- Walter von Cronberg 1527-1543
- Wolfgang Schutzbar 1543-1566
- Georg Hudt von Weckhelm 1566-1572
- Heinrich VIII. von Bobenhausen 1572-1590
- Maximilian of Austria 1590-1618
- Charles I of Habsburg 1619-1624
- Johann Eustach von Westernach 1625-1627
- Johann Kaspar I von Stadion 1627-1641
- Leopold William of Austria 1641-1662
- Charles Joseph of Austria 1662-1664
- Johann Kaspar II von Ampringen 1664-1684
- Ludwig Anton von Pfalz-Neuburg 1685-1694
- Franz Ludwig of Neuburg 1694-1732
- Clement August of Bavaria 1732-1761
- Karl Alexander of Lorraine 1761-1780
- Maximilian Franz of Austria 1780-1801
- Karl Ludwig of Austria-Teschen 1801-1804
- Antonín Victor of Austria 1804-1835
- Maximilian Joseph of Austria 1835-1863
- William of Austria-Tesina 1863-1894
- Eugene of Austria-Tesina 1894-1923
- Norbert Jan Nepomucky Klein 1923-1933
- Paul Heider 1933-1936
- Robert Schälzly 1936-1948
- Marian Tumler 1948-1970
- Ildefons Pauler 1970-1988
- Arnold Othmar Wieland 1988-2000
- Bruno Platter since 2000
SOURCES:
www.wikipedie.org
self-study materials