Modern Historiography of the Teutonic Order
The modern historiography of the Teutonic Order is a transnational and comparative enterprise. It has developed a more nuanced and more balanced view of the Order’s history than the historiographies of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Order is studied, in the modern historiography, in the context of the broader history of the military-religious orders — the Templars, the Hospitallers, the Calatrava, the Santiago, the Aviz, the Sword Brothers — and in the context of the broader history of the European frontier societies — the Iberian frontier, the Baltic frontier, the crusader states of the Levant. The modern historiography is also interested in the Order’s role in the development of the European state system, in the Order’s contribution to the Christianisation of north-eastern Europe, in the Order’s architectural legacy, in the Order’s legal traditions, and in the Order’s contribution to the cultural and economic development of the Baltic region.
The Comparative Approach
The comparative approach to the study of the Teutonic Order treats the Order as one of the military-religious orders of the medieval period, and studies the Order in the context of the other military-religious orders. The Templars, the Hospitallers, the Calatrava, the Santiago, the Aviz, and the Sword Brothers are, in the comparative approach, studied in the context of the Order’s history.
The comparative approach has developed a substantial body of scholarship on the military-religious orders, and the comparative approach has developed a substantial body of scholarship on the European frontier societies. The Iberian frontier, the Baltic frontier, and the crusader states of the Levant are, in the comparative approach, studied in the context of the Order’s history, and the Order is studied in the context of the history of the European frontier societies.
The Regional Approaches
The German, Polish, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, and Czech historiographies are central elements in the modern historiography of the Order, and the regional historiographies have developed a substantial body of scholarship on the Order’s history in their respective regions.
The German historiography has treated the Order as a German institution, and the German historiography has developed a substantial body of scholarship on the Order’s history in the German-speaking lands. The German historiography has distanced itself from the Nazi appropriation of the Order, and the German historiography has developed a more nuanced and more balanced view of the Order’s history.
The Polish historiography has treated the Order as a symbol of the German oppression of the Slavic peoples, and the Polish historiography has developed a substantial body of scholarship on the Order’s history in the Polish-speaking lands. The Polish historiography has retained the Grunwald narrative as a central national symbol, and the Polish historiography has treated the Battle of Grunwald as a moment of national redemption.
The Estonian and Latvian historiographies have treated the Order as a colonial oppressor, and the Estonian and Latvian historiographies have developed a substantial body of scholarship on the Order’s history in the Baltic region. The Estonian and Latvian historiographies have been more interested in the cultural and administrative legacy of the Order than in the national-mission rhetoric of the nineteenth century.
The Thematic Approaches
The Order’s role in the development of the European state system, the Order’s contribution to the Christianisation of north-eastern Europe, the Order’s architectural legacy, the Order’s legal traditions, and the Order’s contribution to the cultural and economic development of the Baltic region are central themes in the modern historiography of the Order.
The Order’s role in the development of the European state system is a central element in the development of the field. The Order’s territorial state in Prussia and the Order’s branch state in Livonia were important experiments in the development of the European state system, and the Order’s role in the development of the European state system is a central element in the modern historiography of the European state.
The Order’s contribution to the Christianisation of north-eastern Europe is a central element in the development of the field. The Order’s Prussian mission and the Order’s Livonian mission were important episodes in the Christianisation of the European continent.
The Institutional Presence and the Archives
The Order’s continuing institutional presence in Vienna is a central element in the modern historiography. The Order’s archives in Vienna are the principal repository of the Order’s medieval records, and the Order’s archives are an important source for the modern historiography of the Order. The Order’s archives are, in the present day, open to qualified researchers, and the Order’s archives are a central element in the modern historiography of the Order.
The modern Order is, in its self-understanding, a continuation of the medieval Order, and the modern Order is committed to the religious vocation of the medieval Order. The modern Order has, in addition, a substantial archival and historical apparatus, and the modern Order has been a substantial supporter of the modern historiography of the Order. The modern Order has supported the publication of the Order’s medieval records, the organisation of scholarly conferences on the Order’s history, and the development of the modern historiography of the Order.
Sources
- Biskup, Marian, and Gerard Labuda. Dzieje zakonu krzyżackiego w Prusach. Gdańsk: Wydawnictwo Morskie, 1986.
- Boockmann, Hartmut. Der Deutsche Orden: Zwölf Kapitel aus seiner Geschichte. Munich: Beck, 1981.
- Burleigh, Michael. The Third Reich: A New History. New York: Hill and Wang, 2000.
- Forey, Alan. The Military Orders: From the Twelfth to the Early Fourteenth Centuries. Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1992.
- Housley, Norman. Contesting the Crusades. Oxford: Blackwell, 2006.
Related Reading
For the modern perception of the Order, see the cluster on the modern perception. For the Nazi appropriation of the Order, see the article on the Nazi appropriation. For the romantic and nationalist legacy, see the cluster on the romantic and nationalist legacy. For the Prussian state, see the pillar on the Teutonic State. For the Livonian branch, see the pillar on Livonia. For the founding of the Order at Acre, see the article on the founding.