Defense of Baumburg in 1231 by Teutonic Knights

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Length of book: 64 pages

The enigmatic and legendary Teutonic Order are unfortunately little known among Catholics, despite the fact that we have much to learn from the great value of their struggle. Thankfully, in the past few decades a considerable amount of historical literature about the Order and the Northern Crusades have been written in English. Complimenting this, primary sources such as The Chronicle of Prussia by Nicolaus von Jeroschin now can read in English, on account of remarkable translations. Among these books, this compact work is a fitting place to start. Within its pages, a lot of detailed information is presented about the Order’s history, structure, military strategy, and even spirituality. Perhaps the most striking of these is the brief coverage of the immense devotion to the Immaculata that this crusader order endorsed:

Morale was also maintained through a cult of the Virgin Mary and various saints, the Officium Marianum (Service of Mary) being said daily in addition to the usual church services, while one of the most important literary works produced by the Teutonic Order was The Passional, which recounted the life of the Virgin and her miracles.

(27)

How encouraging these words are to those that pray the Little Office, and how inspiring they are to those who do not pray it! In my own case, it was precisely the mention of the Knights’ use of the Office that played the decisive role in convincing me that I should learn how to pray it.

Another glimmer of the Marian spirituality of the Order comes out when the author provides a translation of the formula used by the Knights in their profession:

I………………do profess and promise chastity, renunciation of property, and obedience to God and to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and to you, Brother……………….Master of the Teutonic Order, and to your successors, according to the Rule and Institutions of the Order, and I will be obedient to you, and to your successors, even unto death.

(22)

The captivating illustrations, helpful maps and pictures also add much more value to the content in this work. The only criticism to be had with this primer on this obscure subject is that the secular bias of the author has a way of occasionally rearing its nasty head in the text; for example, he terms the extension of the crusade indulgence to Prussia and the Baltics a “legal fiction”. Quite an absurd criticism, considering that Our Lord has given St. Peter and his successors the power to bind and loose!

But overall, this little book is well worth the read. I foresee that it will, in the right hands, inspire Catholic men and boys to carry on the legacy of this venerable order. The faithful need heroes, especially in our times. We cannot look to the world to provide ourselves with a good example. Therefore, we must look to the past to edify us, and to help us preserve and pass down the Holy Faith.