Malbork Castle and the Teutonic Order.

In modern Poland and Germany, the Teutonic order of knights fought to colonize and Christianize the “Old Prussians” and other groups living along the coast of the Baltic Sea. One of the ways they secured their power was to build fortresses as bases that could keep the local population submissive, and one of the most impressive fortresses they built was Malbork Castle, located at modern Malbork, Poland, not far from Gdansk. It is considered the largest castle in the world measured by land area, and was an important center of the region for hundreds of years.
This is original content based on research by The History Guy. Images in the Public Domain are carefully selected and provide illustration. As very few images of the actual event are available in the Public Domain, images of similar objects and events are used for illustration.
You can purchase the bow tie worn in this episode at The Tie Bar:
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All events are portrayed in historical context and for educational purposes. No images or content are primarily intended to shock and disgust. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Non censuram.
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Script by JCG
#history #thehistoryguy #Knights

[@jorgen7702]

as a person living in malbork i feel obligated to thank you for making this video

[@Farweasel]

Despite not living in Malbork or anywhere near it ............... I too am grateful for this fascinating video which gives an astonishing overview of a history of north central & eastern Europe I had no idea had happened.

[@Artur_M.]

Seeing the History Guy cover a topic connected to my country really made my day. There is so much fascinating history in that general part of Europe, that often goes overlooked.

[@Jerzyvdm]

I’ve had the pleasure to visit Poland this summer. And you’re absolutely right about being overlooked. The Pomeranian region has so much to offer in terms of history! I’ve visited Malbork Castle, WW2 Museum Gdánsk, Blyskawica Museum and ofcourse the Old city of Gdánsk itself. Also have heard about the courageous stories of Westerplatte. For me it really was a fascinating trip and recommend the Pomeranian region for history buffs like us! I would love to visit Krakow and Wroclaw in the future to enjoy some more history! Greetings from the Netherlands! P.S. don’t get confused by my name, I am just a Dutchman with a Polish name ;)

[@livefree223]

Because History Cats deserve to be pet.

[@nline2blast722]

..ed

[@CatAndOrHatMan]

yo that's my cat

[@WildWestGal]

@@nline2blast722 Nope. It is "to be pet." "Petted" is a past tense participle. "Pet" is a present tense conjunction.

[@WildWestGal]

I agree completely, love THCs!!! And, love the grammatically correct sentence! :-)

[@mysticdru]

@@WildWestGal You deserve to be hug for your brave stance on this issue.

[@BernardvonSchulmann]

I visited Malbork in 1979 when I was 13. The day we visited it we were the only people who visited it. I spent hours wandering around everywhere in the castle

[@Asgoga]

As a Lithuanian and fan of your channel, i am really glad that you decided to make video about our region :)

[@nicku1]

Now it's the turn of the battle of Grunwald of 1410, one of the most important battles in the history.

[@DawnOldham]

An amazing castle when you stop and think that each brick was hand made in small kilns!

[@blacksmith67]

I bet a whole episode could be done just on the history of clay brick. I’m sure that deserves to be remembered.

[@simongleaden2864]

I agree. Brick buildings can be so impressive and attractive. Just take a look at the 16th century Hampton Court Palace a few miles west of London.

[@richwhitaker1506]

A story featuring knights. Almost as good as pirates.

[@loki2240]

The proper hierarchy is pirates, ninjas, and then knights.

[@Artur_M.]

An episode about the Victual Brothers would be great. They were a medieval pirate guild based on the Baltic island of Gotland and their history very much involves the Teutonic Knights.

[@MarkVrem]

@@Artur_M. cool read on them, also found interesting that Denmark had a queen ruler at the time. It seems to me at least so rare that a Germanic-type nation has a prominent female ruler besides later Britain.

[@emm4rmstrong]

@@loki2240 What about Piratical Knights? The Knights Hospitalier having lost their base in Rhodes and their other Aegean Islands, where granted sovereignty over Malta, but lacking for funds, they took to raiding Islamic ships in the Meditarean while similtaneously hunting down Islamic Pirates.

[@MarkVrem]

@@emm4rmstrong They were raiding Islamic ships and settlements out of Rhodes too.. One of the big reasons for the invasion of Rhodes. Cause they lost their base in Jerusalem, and went to Rhodes, and used piracy for funds there.

[@farmergirlangie3469]

I know I always say this, but I LOVE seeing History kitties!

[@mattkrause6945]

Malbork is easily accessible by train and short Uber ride. The rail line between Gdansk and Warsaw runs right past the castle. The castle also houses a very good arms/armory museum and amber museum. We went in the off season, so only Polish guides were available, but they do have audio guides in many languages.

[@Hussaria]

It is also a nice short walk from the train station. I’m not in good shape, and it was a pleasant walk

[@tomekdarda]

Interestingly, the rail line actually goes _through_ the castle, I have just found out. The whole land area of the castle is that big. You see it clearly that the northernmost ramparts of the lowest section of the castle are to be found north of the rail line, the rest of it being located to the south. This is not clear from the ground though, as these are lesser parts of the complex.

[@AdeM-kc7sc]

It's worth mentioning that due to the location, the lack of natural resource to produce brick, and the time that castle was built it is very much possible that the castle had already stood there before the Teutons took the land. The research shows that the castle ruins were recovered by the Teutons and the existing materials were used to re-erect the castle.

[@lamegoldfish6736]

Why didn't my uni professor for Medieval European History talk about this? It seemed she never got out of France and England. She pretty much ignored Eastern Europe.

[@stefanfranke5651]

Believe me, you were lucky back then. I think medieval western Europe alone is crazy enough. Once you delve into the politics of the Holy Roman Empire and it's entanglements east and south, your head might explode :D

[@lamegoldfish6736]

@@stefanfranke5651 Thing is I wanted to know more of the eastern and Italian parts. I have had to do that outside uni.

[@stefanfranke5651]

@@lamegoldfish6736 Well done and much respect! I attended lectures in medieval history when I was studying archaeology, but due to the specialisation of the prof we learned mainly about East-Falia, Thuringia and Lower-Saxony and central Europe at most. It was often incomprehensible without the greater political and socio-economical context. So I tried to learn outside as well but soon found out, what rabbit hole medieval, feudal politics and history was. So I stuck to prehistoric archaeology :D

[@jonmccormick6805]

I've also pondered the lack of education concerning other areas of the world during the founding of the United States.

[@scottdodge6979]

@@jonmccormick6805 I mean, excluding the Roman Empire the majority of the western world is built on the backs of thinkers like Locke and Voltaire etc. There is a reason why Western Europe has kept its borders, they were way more centralized and in turn they have left a more noticeable mark on history in the west. That is not to say Eastern Europe is not fascinating but it is certainly a mess in terms of studying it.

[@grzegorzpiasek9076]

It is truly a magical castle. A long time ago (about 20 years) we were returning in the morning from a party, terribly dehydrated, when we saw a wonderful view. On the wall near the moat there was a bag with four cold cans of beer... :)

[@stefanfranke5651]

That was divine intervention! :D

[@andrewoplinger4759]

That is a true miracle!

[@sc4rf4ce81]

greetings from Poland , love your shorts . Keep up the good work Sir.

[@bartjohnson8139]

I’ve visited Malbork Castle! It’s very interesting. You can see where shells penetrated the walls and roof, those areas have a different color of red brick, and the roof tiles are a different color also.

[@nosuchname247]

Wow, what beautiful cats :-) But seriously, thank you for your shorts. I love them. Greetings from Poland. Pozdrowienia z Polski!

[@ariochiv]

The castle's brick construction may have been a factor in its survival to the present, as stone castles tended to be used as quarries by the locals when they fell into disuse.

[@billd.iniowa2263]

I hadnt thought of that. Interesting, thanx.

[@JarthenGreenmeadow]

@@billd.iniowa2263 Its a huge reason that roman architecture doesnt exist in many places. The Colosseum and Parthenon were both quarried heavily, almost half of the structural stone was taken.

[@ariochiv]

@@JarthenGreenmeadow Same with the Giza pyramids... the entire limestone surface is gone.

[@missourimongoose7643]

@@JarthenGreenmeadow alot of the stone taken from the colosseum built st Peter's basilica and the reason half of it remains is because that side faced a walkway priest liked to use and they liked the way it looked lol

[@scottdoesntmatter4409]

@@ariochiv Best to thank Islam for the defacement of the Great Pyramids. Islam has an extensive history of doing the same to religious sites everywhere to put up its mosques.

[@jabonorte]

I really recommend a visit to Malbork. OK, it is pretty remote, but it's worth it to admire the brickwork, never mind the history

[@WyomingTraveler]

I have visited the castle and enjoyed it very much. I would like to go back and see what else has been restored.

[@MasonBourdeau]

Very much agree, I visited this castle a few years before COVID, well-worth the visit if you will be in Poland.

[@georgemckenna462]

Just Malbork's jaw dropping 14th century central heating system is worth the trip alone!

[@joselassalle5906]

Not remote at all. It's easily accessible by bus or train.

[@kazimierzgaska5304]

@@WyomingTraveler There are many interesting places conected with the Teutonic Order in that region of Poland. I recommend you to google and see fotos of such places as Kwidzyn, Toruń, Chełmno, Gniew. The Templar Order knights lived in Chwarszczany, Czaplinek, Drahim, Oleśnica Mała and others.

[@joselassalle5906]

I visited Malbork castle in July 2018. It definitely deserves a visit. It's a really impressive structure, with an interesting history. Greetings from Puerto Rico!!

[@escom2006]

The most beautiful castle in Europe! Definitely worth a visit! Pro tip: combine with Gdańsk

[@angeladoll9785]

I like that the kitties helped with this video❤️ How many do you have sir?

[@khukri_wielderxxx1962]

Every history guy video now must start with a kitty cat

[@Jivolt]

The History Gato.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Two this time. The kittens are very curious about filming.

[@livefree223]

@@TheHistoryGuyChannel They want their chance at internet cat fame!

[@clusterfer]

dos gatos!

[@shawnr771]

Yo tengo un gato en mis pantalones. Steve Martin The Three Amigos.

[@jennaapgar8107]

You have a new History kitteh!! This is only place I get to see you, so I guess I'm behind the times

[@Alexander-fr1kk]

Love your channel, thank you for teaching real history!!!

[@kaindragon]

Keeper of the history guy. Gods of the meow blessed this video.

[@TomKeown]

Hello, Pookie and Pocky! There's a statue in Central Park, NYC, to King Wladyslaw II Jagiello, the Polsih-Lithuanian king who defeated the Teutonic knights at Battle of Grunwald. The history of the statue could be a THG topic all its own.

[@goodun2974]

Hmm, "Pocky" reminds me of a Professor Longhair song, "Hey Pocky-way".

[@samiam619]

@@jimlogan5789 Why would anyone want to tear it down? It’s not a statue to a traitor to the U.S.

[@artmcteagle]

@@jimlogan5789 Some statues should be removed, especially when they represent tyranny and oppression. If you were one of the oppressed, can you imagine walking beneath one? Perhaps the murderer of a relative? Statues of Stalin and Hitler have no place, nor of slave traders in the English city of Bristol, or those in the US, traitors to the Constitution and who subjugated a portion of their own people (stolen from Africa) to slavery. These statues were built on feet of clay and belong in a museum, attesting to human arrogance, hubris and supposed superiority to others. The poem of Ozymandias comes to mind.

[@artmcteagle]

@@jimlogan5789 Well my opinion is that men who think slavery is OK are pure evil. Millions of innocent people died as a result of slavery, families forever torn apart, homes forever lost, lives destroyed, all for profit. Do you know anything about slavery? The conditions on the slave ships? You are sadly lacking in compassion and empathy. "Have the opportunity to live in this country"? Are you kidding? It's like saying the Holocaust was worth it because the Jews got to live in Israel. No mate, you just can't admit openly that you're a racist. Racism is pure evil. Statues honoring evil men who broke their oaths to the constitution have no place as memorials, perhaps only as a testament and warning to man's ignorance, lack of humanity and hate, somewhere in a museum.

[@artmcteagle]

@@jimlogan5789 No mate, don't give me that "I've served in the Military" BS. You know damn well there are lot's of racists in the US govt forces. Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staffs, Gen Mark Milley has addressed this very issue on many occasions. Homeland Security cites the greatest threat to the US is domestic terrorism, yes mainly from right wing organisations, including white supremacists, militias etc. most of them rascist and including members belonging to either past or present to the armed forces, law enforcement. This was borne out in the attempted Jan 6th insurrection, where these wicked fools broke their oaths to defend the constitution. Yes you are a racist, either through ignorance of your own country's history or willfully so. Your dishonest attempts to justify racism are transparent and odious. Playing a tiny violin and bleating on about your "military service" doesn't cut the mustard and veterans of yore would find your views abhorrent, especially those who fought against facism, you are a stain on their memory with your racist views. Statues of men who were part of a system which subjugated millions of innocent people to slavery, and it's vile consequences (including a civil war) playing out to this very day, have no place in our public squares and need to be torn down. I repeat again RACISM IS EVIL!

[@AlessandroGenTLe]

Oh, I've been there twice already (I'm from Italy and my ex and my daughter are in Gdansk, a wonderful city nearby), let me see the history behind this huge castle :)

[@JanSzymonGoowacz]

North of Poland have lot of casels. Malbork is greatest but for example in Lidzbark and frombork had live Kopernik. Invite U one day to visit it. Regards from north Poland.

[@rabbi120348]

Kopernik = Copernicus for the astronomically challenged.

[@frankgulla2335]

Thank you for peeking into that distant history of the Teutonic Knights and their role in the settlement of East Europe.

[@sabineb.5616]

Nice video! I live in the North of Germany and I have visited the castle with my two boys on a vacation in Poland. The castle is very impressive and the boys had a great time! The castle was built with red baked bricks because the whole Baltic area does not have many suitable stones quarries for masonry. The red bricks are still very much in use btw.

[@publicminx]

not just the Baltics, from the Balics to UK etc. red bricks are used. You can also see a lot in Berlin, in Hamburg, in Luebeck, Netherlands etc.)

[@franknicholson6108]

I spent 2 tours in Germany and didn't even hear of this. How little we actually know. Great Episode Thanks

[@nicku1]

Perhaps you didn't hear of this because it's in Poland?

[@comentedonakeyboard]

Unsurprising. Former german territory in eastern europe are a bit of hot potatoe issue in Germany. Weirdly enough the teutonic Order was less of an issue in East Germany (albeit seen through a Russian lens).

[@Sofus.]

@@comentedonakeyboard It is also a hot potato in Eastern Europe, has seen several examples of revision of history to fit the Slavic image.

[@MarkVrem]

@@Sofus. Berlin is a west slavic name, it means Swamp.. but it sounds close enough to "Ber" "Bear" in Germanic.. it works both ways! lol. .. just stirring the pot, since it's the subject of the post :-P

[@Sofus.]

@@MarkVrem As I understand it, Berlin can be interpreted both ways and the original naming is unclear. 🐻

[@matthewpoplawski8740]

AS ALWAYS THE HISTORY GUY, AN EXCELLENT VIDEO!! I, also, didn't know much about the Teutonic Knights except the name, and, didn't know how much they had to do with Polish history during the Middle Ages. ALSO, in the Comments section, I discovered the story the PIRATICAL KNIGHTS. WOW!!! To me, knights were always portrayed as rescuing damsels in distress, or, on some sort of quest or crusade. To NOW KNOW that there are knights who were pirates is FAR OUT MAN,🌞🌞🌞😄😄😄✌✌✌✌

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

The purpose of the Navy of the Order of St John was ostensibly to fight the Barbary pirates and police the Mediterranean. In practice this meant raiding Ottoman shipping- that is, there was little practical line between the order and the pirates they were fighting.

[@southilgurl2003]

History Kitten does not seem as impressed as she should be.

[@chuckh5999]

probably had to sit through a series of rehearsals ha, ha.

[@arturjaszczak9599]

In the region there are many castles from the same period as Malbork Castle, made from bricks. Same of them have been destroyed like in Gdańsk or Toruń, but still many of them exist and can be visited: Radzyń Chełmiński, Golub, Olsztyn. You can find the map and information about the castles in Internet. Number of them is really impressive.

[@kapps5]

I searched for this castle and was pleased to find THG has this offering. This is miles ahead of other video on the topic, rich in history and details, no filler! Thanks!

[@dasboot5903]

A little correction: Duke of the Lithuania, called later after taking Christianity the Polish-Tithuanian King Wladyslaw Jagiello, he marred the former Hungarian royal princess Jadwiga Andegawenska when she was holding her official status as a *KING of Poland.* Jadwiga Andegawenska, she was the youngest daughter of the Hungarian King .... . She - As a teenage, she finally came to Poland, and she started to govern Kingdom of Poland, with her official status as a *KING* (not Queen) *of POLAND* !!!!

[@paulaschroen3954]

I heard of that from some frivolous source, had no way to check.

[@unclebob6728]

Thank You!

[@knightforlorn6731]

very cool. I love castles and knights, and its neat that Poland now has it mostly reconstructed. I definitely will visit

[@bobbysenterprises3220]

Surprised and happy to see not one but two history cats.

[@FLYUSMC09]

Outstanding as always!

[@kingcosworth2643]

That's a thought, such an amazing structure and defence system is rendered useless if you can pay off the guards.

[@obelic71]

The same happend with the Chinese wall. A bribe can open a defence system easily

[@zot2676]

stimulus money anyone?

[@chrisennis9686]

I love this channel!!! I'm always willing to learn something or even just hear about history!!!

[@mgarretter1]

Love your channel. Thanks for this episode Blofeld

[@grzegorzmalikiewicz]

Greetings from Poland! Regular viewer here😁

[@sterfry8502]

Great episode!

[@np8953]

This was excellent. By explaining the meaning of a place, you end up telling the whole history of a region, a religious order, and an attitude which is transformative people who live by it, even today. Thank you! Please make a video on El Escorial commissioned by Philip II of Spain!

[@24u684]

Well worth a visit, stay in Gdansk a very beautiful and historic city and travel to Malbork with your personal guide for a in depth tour.

[@skillaz908]

Sooo Amazing to listen and watch The History guy talking about my home town! Thank You 😎😁

[@dwaynegriffey4137]

Got the Dr. Evil vibe kicking with the cat. Nicely done.

[@schlirf]

Have a feeling that kitty will come in handy on or about Halloween...and a story about "Familiars". 😎

[@jocelynmartin1572]

THOSE cats! There were at least 2 of them!

[@thesharpiefp]

Great content and very through, thanks for all the effort put into your videos. Keep up the informative work.

[@Dan-iv9tg]

I think you could, single-handedly, return the History Channel to its former, pre-reality show glory, if they would only give you a show.

[@ronjon4010]

Thanks for the insight. All of your stuff is well done and informative.

[@EMTevjorgensen]

Great video!

[@howardjohnson2138]

Your presentations are always Good. Thank you

[@pbrazor50]

Has the History Guy become a Bond villain?

[@shawnr771]

Or was he always the Bond villian?

[@callenclarke371]

Excellent content.

[@damac5136]

Very important happenings there, indeed. Thanks!

[@kylewittorff1500]

Our high school mascot was the Teutons. I always thought it was cool because it was such a rare mascot. Inman Teutons! (Inman Kansas USA)

[@ottosaxo]

Wittorff = White village, a Low Saxon name, that would be "Weissdorf" in modern Standard German. Most likely it's referring to a place on white and poor sandy soil, which is quite common in northwestern Germany. Because of that, there are several towns and villages called Wittorf in Lower Saxony and Holstein. The two ff are an older spelling of the name.

[@kylewittorff1500]

@@ottosaxo you really don't know how much it means you telling me this. I've wondered so long, but I had no reference. Thank you very much.

[@ottosaxo]

@@kylewittorff1500 You're welcome. 👋

[@spinnetti]

Love it. I like all your stuff, but this earlier history is particularly interesting

[@aaronstephenson8909]

Great episode

[@emmettg7490]

I went to this castle once. It's HUGE. Very happy to see this video, thank you History Guy!

[@skywatcher5616]

There is always something new learned with each episode.

[@rickharold7884]

Fascinating Thx!

[@clv603]

This is a region of the world that always fascinated me, and seemingly seldom talked about. I bet the History Guy can talk about this for hours and I would listen lol.

[@morlamweb]

Yay, the History Cat is back! Now on to the video, something about a big castle... ;)

[@shadowbanned1996]

Great info

[@whitedomerobert]

We hear of the Teutonic orders much as Arthur and Merlin. It is a good thing to know where they fit into European history. Thanks again History Guy.

[@ryanharris1052]

Wonderful looking castle. Would love to see it in person one day. 🙂

[@wmeemw994]

Great history expounded and love the docility of your furry friend.

[@soldieramerican5964]

Enjoyed!

[@TheHylianBatman]

Brick Gothic is one of my favorite styles. It's like real adult LEGOs. Like... they made that! With bricks! That's so cool, and it's awesome that this place not only has so much history, but is still with us to teach it. An excellent episode! I love Lithuania so much, I wanna visit there terribly!

[@kazimierzgaska5304]

60 000 000 bricks !

[@thefooltouchstone3569]

Epic! As always! ;)

[@zbigniewkozlowski2749]

Thanks

[@vickilindsay981]

I enjoy your videos; but it is sometimes rather difficult to follow the locations of the things you talk about without a modern map to illustrate exactly where these things took place. And don’t just show the map, but point out the area that you’re talking about - have it highlighted. Maybe a half screen map, with the interesting pictures on the other side. It would also be nice if you would write the names of the places or people in the pictures correctly, as the closed captioning is frequently hysterically wrong. 😂 And always be sure closed captioning is available- because without it many people can’t follow you at all. I had to skip several videos that didn’t offer closed captioning. 😞 Thanks for the info! Vicki Lindsay < P.S. Your cats 🐈‍⬛ are beautiful. I want to pet them. 😍

[@Munce72]

Great story! Thank you so much. Keep up the good work. Ciao!

[@MS46Z]

Awesome

[@randyherbrechtsmeier4796]

The History of my Family Danke

[@followthegrow108]

Good video

[@MarshOakDojoTimPruitt]

thanks

[@trj1442]

Another great episode. Thankyou THG. A suggestion is a relatively forgotten explorer Nicholas Baudin.

[@kjtherrick4031]

Very interesting! Thank you. I am very unfamiliar with the history of this area and appreciate your research.

[@steelboss337]

Haha! I’ve been there! The tours were really good and the castle and grounds are indeed vast.

[@michellecornum5856]

Magic cat change! Didn't know some of this about the Teutonic wars.

[@trimmerman1]

Thank you for the history. As a child, I heard that modern state of Germany had a lot of political turmoil before WW2. However, that small bit of knowledge is eclipsed by this video, and this video is really just a taste of the history of this region. There is no wonder the different Baltic states distrust each other even to this day. The stories of Poland are particularly interesting. From the look of it, the Polish people have been fighting off aggressors as long as there has been written language. I wonder why?

[@lizj5740]

Read Poland by James Michener, which goes into great detail about the constant fighting in the area.

[@kazimierzgaska5304]

Read "Poland. The God's Playground" by Norman Davies.

[@michaelnovak260]

Being of Polish descent....I was unaware of this piece of history! I'll try to remember

[@loganmpe7559]

Boy these hundreds of years of history would make for a fantastic series of middle ages movies. Told truthfully, on par with Tolkien's Lord of the rings! _What a beautiful castle,_ a shame I'll never get to see it in person!

[@juliao1255]

[@PObermanns]

Fantastic. I wish that I'd known this info back in 2010, when we visited Poland. Our route from Warsaw to Gdansk would have taken us right by there. Thanks for this video.

[@jurgenblick5491]

Love the cat

[@raywood8187]

History Cats are dreaming about all the rodents running around in that medieval castle.

[@The_Cultural_Historian_DrRGST]

I always like it when you do the history of a place I've visited. it's a fantastic place to tour and you can spend all the time you want there. When we were there they had a Renaissance fair type of thing going on. A great visit.

[@evelineewelajna1569]

I live in Malbork :D Regards to all of you!

[@hickory572]

ok now place to go see on my bucket list

[@korbell1089]

Tuxedo cat:"nope nope nope!" Tabby:"I shall allow you to rub my ears in front of your friends." Ok, now you must give us their names.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

The Tuxy is Pocky, who couldn’t decide if he wanted up or down, and apparently wanted both at the same time. The Caliby is his sister Strudel. Both are very fascinated with me filming.

[@cortneyfoskey4474]

Melbork is very impressive! Thank you for telling us it's story and about the Tetonic (spelling?) Knights. I had never heard of them before and it was interesting to learn a little about them! Thank you for all your videos! They are all very good!

[@stefanfranke5651]

Almost: *Teutonic ;) In german it's simply the Deutsch-Ritter-Orden. You see the cognation.

[@berlineczka]

@@stefanfranke5651 And in Polish it's "Krzyżacy", which means Kreuzritter/Cross knights.

[@kostek4430]

And they still exist to this day although nowadays they are more ecclesiastically inclined than the Order of Malta (mostly social club for catholic nobility with some semblance of statehood)

[@stefanfranke5651]

​@@berlineczka May I ask as someone born and raised in germany, is _Krzyżacy_ used by the polish as a derogatory term or had it a negative connotation in the past? No offense, I could be completely wrong, but it sounds as if it's supposed to be spoken in a contemtuous tone, followed by spitting to the side. ;) How is this era of polish/german history teached in the schools or regarded by the polish public today? Here it is teached rather neutrally or only narrowed to the initial conquest and atrocities against the heathens to my experience. The later conflicts with the Polish crown or the Nowgorod-russians are rushed a bit over here. I don't intend to stirr conflict, just asking genuinly. Greatings and much love to Poland! :)

[@kostek4430]

@@stefanfranke5651 In here the order is rather seen as a full fledged enemy. Their invitation by polish duke is seen as an early sparkle to some polish miseries (they formed German colony in Prussia which obviously in later time wanted to be connected to Germany proper - see polish partitions and WWII) Far more than say Germans or Russians and their respective countries that can be viewed as friends. The name is not used as offensive, but it's not a reason for glory in polish eyes. But yes if you want more neutral term you give their full proper name in polish - Zakon Szpitala Najświętszej Maryi Panny Domu Niemieckiego w Jerozolimie And also the battle of Grunwald in 1410 is one of most celebrated polish victories.

[@SANTO971]

I’ve seen it and is truly impressive even by today’s standards.

[@rkinder6335]

I can't help but notice that you are getting close to a million subscribers. Quite exciting for you I imagine. What are the implications of this for you? Always enjoy the episodes. ☺

[@johnw2026]

Good history...