13Th Century - Teutonic Knights On Foot (X 9) (New)

This kit includes:

• 9 bodies (6 knights + 3 command group)
• 9 capes
• 8 sword hands
• 8 mace hands
• 2 scabbards (1 with sword, 1 without)
• 1 banner
• 1 shield

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All models are supplied as both Pre-Supported and Unsupported in 28mm scale STL and LYS files.

13th century Teutonic Knights from the time of the Prussian Crusade - UPDATED VERSION

The background of the formation of the Deutsccher Orden or Teutonic Order was the Third Crusade (1189-92) to regain Jerusalem. The crusade was only a partial success, as Jerusalem was not retaken, but the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem was re-established along the coast of Palestine and Lebanon, with the city of Acre as its capital. During the siege to take Acre, the German Imperial participants to the Crusade established a field hopsital dedicated to the Virgin Mary. In March 1198, the hospital was granted Papal recognition as an independent military order, the organization that would become better known as the Teutonic Knights.

The Teutonic Knights took part in the Baltic Crusade when Duke Conrad of Mazovia asked for their help against the neighboring pagan Prussian tribes. The Order's Hochmeister agreed to help, on the condition that the duke surrendered his rights in a small frontier territory around the settlement of Kulm to the Order. The knights began their campaign in Prussia in 1228.
The motives for joining the Teutonic Knights were similar to those of the other military orders and were not necessarily religious: men could be escaping problems, seeking higher prestige or just looking for regular meals. From its inception the Order of Teutonic Knights welcomed all militarily capable recruits, nobles or otherwise, who were subjects of the German Emperor. Nor did they necessarily have to be Germans, especially in the early days, though aristocratic status subsequently became important.

A remarkable amount is known about the origins of the brethren. Between 1250 and 1309 over 90 percent of came from Thuringia, Saxony, southern Germany and the Rhineland: and the remainder from elsewhere. Over 12 per cent came from the upper aristocracy, over 7 per cent from knightly families, over 75 per cent from the minsteriales, and over 4 per cent from other classes.

As in all the military orders, the Teutonic Knights were hugely dependent upon others who, though not brethren or even half- brethren, fought, worked or otherwise supported the Order. These included local auxiliaries from both the indigenous and settler communities within the Teutonic Knights’ territories. There some of the now Christian, Prussian native aristocracy had been ‘Germanized’ by the late 13th century, adopting Western European styles of warfare. Others, though converted to Christianity, clung to the old ways and did military service for the Teutonic Knights armed with “Prussian weapons’, indicating that they usually served as light cavalry. Though valuable against the pagan Lithuanians, they were not permitted to join the Order as brethren. Many native chiefs similarly fought for Teutonic Knights in Livonia and Estonia. Nevertheless, there was a gradual shift away from a general levy to the raising of a fixed quota of men from each vakus (small district in the Baltic).

In many respects the appearance of members of the Teutonic Knights went against the knightly, chivalric ethos from which its recruits were drawn, which regarded fine or decorated clothing, bright arms and armour and gilded horse-harness as proper for members of the military élite. The habit or uniform of the Teutonic Knights was specified in detail, all brothers wearing a black cross on their overtunics which, from 1244 onwards, were always white. That year the Pope allowed the clerics of the Order to wear white camilis over their other clothes, white having previously been the mark of a brother knight. “Worldly splendour’ was forbidden and no brother could possess more than the uniform kit consisting of two shirts, a pair of breeches, two pairs of ‘boots’ (in reality perhaps hose), a surcoat, a sleeping bag, a blanket, a breviary and a knife. A fur coat had to be of cheap goatskin or sheepskin. The men slept in their shirt, breeches and boots, and they were not permitted to lock the box in which they kept their clothing, They were allowed to wear a beard but their hair had to be short. Nor were they allowed to display their own coat-of-arms, if they had one, or to joust or hunt most forms of game. Their only lawful amusement was woodcarving. All ‘courtesy and conviviality’ with secular knights was forbidden.

The military equipment of the Teutonic Knights in the 13th century was likely equivalent to that of other German knights and as such featured chainmail as their primary form of protection. They donned a chainmail hauberk, a knee-length shirt made of countless small metal rings woven together, complete with a chainmail coif, covering the head and neck. Beneath their mail, knights often wore padded aketons. The aketon absorbed blows, while the chainmail stopped the cutting action of enemy weapons. They wore enclosed helms, and great helms when on horseback, encasing the enire head and face. They wielded swords as a symbol of knighthood, but often carried maces as well. Kite shields, albeit smaller than those used during the 12th century, were still the main type of shields used during this period.