A land of mists and of mystery where the Cross had yet to reach. Beyond the pagan frontier of medieval Europe where the old gods confronted the new. Christian crusades but far from the deserts of Palestine. A wilderness of forests, ice and snow. The northern crusades: lost castles, last stands, no quarter asked nor given. A war nearly two centuries long fought by one of the most powerful military orders. A savage war and an inhuman trade. For God and for the Empire they bore the Cross of Christ, the brothers of the German hospital of St Mary who became the Order of the Teutonic knights. The Crusaders s1e2: The Teutonic Knights
The Templars and Hospitallers recruited from numerous nations across Europe … but the Teutonic Order was different: the German Order rose to eventually become one of the most powerful of the Middle Ages. ibid.
As with all the military orders knights, the main armoured soldiers who comprised the Teutonic Order’s core battlefield troops, were relatively few in number. Yet in the northern crusades the armoured knight on horseback could never dominate in the terrain of the Baltic – they needed infantry. ibid.
The Order pushed north and east from Prussia. Historians and archaeologists can now trace the routes they took. ibid.
In the Holy Land a new kingdom built by Crusaders. Devout servants of the Holy State. A life of prayer lived by a solemn rule: the white cross, the black and the red, new orders of the Cross and also the Sword. Feared by their enemies, guardians of the poor and the sick. Dark times ahead for all the military orders. New frontiers for the soldiers of Christ. From the Middle East to the Aegean and beyond: The Order of the Knights Hospitaller. The Crusaders s1e3: The Hospitaller Knights
‘There were warriors of God … One of the best known, most identifiable of the military orders.’ ibid. David Nicolle, medieval historian
Full-scale battles were scarce. It was frontier work, often far from the major towns. Vitally important to both sides were outposts: the military orders operated many castles in the Holy Land, including some of the most important border strongholds. ibid.
Horses were at the heart of the Norman battle plan ... William’s 2,000 mounted knights gave him an awesome fighting machine. Peter & Dan Snow, Battlefield Britain: Hastings, BBC 2004