The Grand Marshal of the Teutonic Order
The Grand Marshal — Großmarschall in the German language of the Order — was, throughout the Teutonic Order’s Prussian period, the senior operational commander of the Order’s Prussian field armies and the second-in-command of the Order’s military forces. The Grand Marshal was, in the formal sense, one of the five Grossgebietiger of the Order, and he was, in the operational sense, the principal subordinate of the Grand Master in the conduct of the Order’s military operations. The Grand Marshal was, one of the most important single offices of the Teutonic Order.
The Grand Marshal’s office was, the operational heart of the Teutonic Order’s military establishment. The Grand Marshal was responsible for the day-to-day command of the Order’s Prussian field armies; the Grand Marshal was responsible for the recruitment, training and equipping of the Order’s knight-brothers; the Grand Marshal was responsible for the maintenance of the Order’s fortresses; and the Grand Marshal was, in the formal sense, the commander of the Order’s field forces in the absence of the Grand Master.
The Office
The office of Grand Marshal was, in the formal sense, one of the five Grossgebietiger — the five “great officers” of the Teutonic Order. The five Grossgebietiger were, in the formal hierarchy of the Order: the Grand Master, the Grand Marshal, the Grand Hospitaller, the Grand Trapier and the Grand Komtur. The Grand Treasurer was, in the later years, added to the list.
The Grand Marshal was, in the formal hierarchy, the second-in-command of the Order. The Grand Marshal was, in the operational sense, the principal subordinate of the Grand Master in the conduct of the Order’s military operations, and the Grand Marshal was, in the formal sense, the commander of the Order’s field forces in the absence of the Grand Master.
The Powers of the Grand Marshal
The Grand Marshal was, in the formal sense, the commander of the Order’s Prussian field armies. The Grand Marshal was, responsible for the following operational duties: the command of the Order’s Prussian field armies in the absence of the Grand Master; the recruitment, training and equipping of the Order’s knight-brothers; the maintenance of the Order’s Prussian fortresses; the conduct of the Order’s Lithuanian and Prussian Reisen; the supervision of the Order’s regional Komturs; the administration of the Order’s military justice; and the administration of the Order’s military finances.
The Grand Marshal was, in the operational sense, supported by a substantial staff. The Grand Marshal’s chancery, housed at the Marienburg, was a substantial administrative office, comprising a marshal, a number of clerks, and a substantial number of support staff. The Grand Marshal’s chancery was, in significant part, the operational heart of the Order’s Prussian military administration, and the Grand Marshal’s chancery was, one of the most sophisticated military administrative offices in the Latin West.
The Grand Marshal in the Field
The Grand Marshal was, in the operational sense, the principal commander of the Order’s Prussian field armies. The Grand Marshal was, responsible for the conduct of the Order’s Lithuanian and Prussian Reisen — the seasonal raids into enemy territory — and the Grand Marshal was, in the operational sense, the principal commander of the Order’s field forces in the Baltic theatre.
The Grand Marshal was, in the operational sense, supported by a number of subordinate commanders. The Grand Marshal’s principal subordinate commanders were the regional Komturs, who were responsible for the conduct of the Order’s regional military operations. The Grand Marshal’s principal operational subordinates were, in the Prussian period, the Komturs of the principal Prussian Komtureien: Schwetz, Elbing, Danzig, Königsberg, Kulm, and others.
The Grand Marshal in the Order’s Major Campaigns
The Grand Marshal was, in the operational sense, the principal subordinate of the Grand Master in the conduct of the Order’s major campaigns. The Grand Marshal was, present at the Order’s major field engagements: the battle of Durbe in 1260, the battle of Tannenberg in 1410, the battle of Wilkomierz in 1435, and the various engagements of the Order’s Lithuanian and Prussian Reisen.
The Grand Marshal was, in significant part, the operational commander of the Order’s field armies in the Polish-Teutonic War of 1431–1435, and the Grand Marshal was, in significant part, the operational commander of the Order’s field armies in the war of 1519–1521.
The Grand Marshal was, in the operational sense, often killed in the Order’s major field engagements. The Grand Marshal Friedrich von Wallenrode was killed at the battle of Tannenberg in 1410. The Order’s loss of its Grand Marshal at the battle of Tannenberg was, in significant part, a substantial operational loss that contributed to the Order’s long fifteenth-century decline.
The Significance of the Office
The office of Grand Marshal was, one of the most important single offices of the Teutonic Order. The Grand Marshal was, in the formal sense, the second-in-command of the Order, and the Grand Marshal was, in the operational sense, the principal subordinate of the Grand Master in the conduct of the Order’s military operations. The Grand Marshal was, the operational heart of the Teutonic Order’s military establishment.
The office of Grand Marshal was, in addition, a substantial long-term liability. The Grand Marshal was, in the operational sense, often killed in the Order’s major field engagements, and the Order’s loss of its Grand Marshal was, in significant part, a substantial operational loss. The Order’s loss of its Grand Marshal at the battle of Tannenberg in 1410 was, in significant part, a substantial operational loss that contributed to the Order’s long fifteenth-century decline.
Sources
- Boockmann, Hartmut. Der Deutsche Orden: Zwölf Kapitel aus seiner Geschichte. Munich: Beck, 1981.
- Favreau-Lilie, Marie-Luise. Die Ritterbrüder im livländischen Zweig des Deutschen Ordens. Cologne: Böhlau, 2003.
- Strehlke, Ernst, ed. Tabulae ordinis Theutonici. Berlin: Weidmann, 1869.
Related Reading
For the broader context of the Order’s military organisation, see the cluster on military organisation and the pillar on military campaigns. For the constitutional context of the Grossgebietiger, see the article on the five Grossgebietiger. For the Order’s major campaigns in which the Grand Marshal served, see the article on the battle of Tannenberg 1410 and the article on the battle of Wilkomierz 1435.