Teutonic Order's Crusades and the Destruction of Baltic Paganism

Founded in 1190 by German merchants during the Third Crusade, the Teutonic Order originally focused on providing care for the ill but transitioned to a military role in 1198. Following the fall of Acre in 1291, the order directed its efforts toward the Baltic Crusades against pagan groups in Prussia, Livonia, and Lithuania. Grand Master Hermann von Salza, who led from 1210 to 1239, secured significant privileges, such as the Golden Bull of Rimini in 1226 and the Bull of Rieti in 1234. The order created a theocratic state and merged with the Livonian Order in 1237. Its expansion continued until the defeat at the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, resulting in the Treaty of Thorn in 1411 and the Second Treaty of Thorn in 1466. The order was dissolved during the Napoleonic Wars but was reestablished in 1834 and remains active today in Vienna.