FOR 019 Crusader Castles of the Tuetonic Knights (2)

Founded in the late 12th century, the order of the Teutonic Knights was to play a major role during the crusades, both in the Holy Land and Northern Europe. The forced conversion of Livonia, what is now Latvia and Estonia, was originally carried out by Fratres Militiae Christi, the Brethren of the Sword. But following their catastrophic defeat at the battle of Saule in 1236, this order was incorporated into the Teutonic Knights. This title studies the stone fortifications built by the order in their attempts to pacify and convert Livonia, and traces the development of these structures from the Medieval to the Early Modern period.