Winrich von Kniprode

22nd Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights

You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in German. (March 2024) Click [show] for important translation instructions.

Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia.
Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article.
You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing German Wikipedia article at [[:de:Winrich von Kniprode]]; see its history for attribution.
You may also add the template {{Translated|de|Winrich von Kniprode}} to the talk page.
For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

Winrich von Kniprode was the 22nd Grand Master of the Teutonic Order. He was the longest serving Grand Master, holding the position for 31 years (1351–1382). His winning personality and his sense of tact and tone won the Order many friends within the nobility of Germany, France and England. Under his leadership, the Teutonic Order came to be characterized by knightly life and courtly culture.^[1]

Winrich von Kniprode was born in 1310 in Monheim am Rhein near Cologne. He served as the Komtur of Danzig (1338–1341) and Balga (1341–1343). In 1341 he was promoted to the Grand Marshal.

Winrich was elected Grand Master in 1351, and with his guidance The Teutonic Order enabled the Baltic Crusades to reach a moral peak.^[2] He constantly fought with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to gain access to Livonia. He achieved a victory in the Battle of Rudau. The victory was attributed to the Virgin Mary and in her honor Kniprode established the Augustinian convent at Heiligenbeil (Mamonovo).^[3] The battle marked the last serious threat from the Lithuanians in Prussia in the 14th century.^[4]

During his time as Grand Master, he also enhanced the look of Marienburg Castle, with more comfort and bigger scale. For this his reputation grew far beyond the borders of The Holy Roman Empire.^[5]

Winrich died in 1382 and was buried in Marienburg Castle in the mausoleum under the Chapel of St. Anna.

References

^ Urban, William (2003). The Teutonic Knights. London. Greenhill Books. p.327 ISBN 91-518-4478-8.
^ Urban, William (2003). The Teutonic Knights. London. Greenhill Books. p.167 ISBN 91-518-4478-8.
^ Christiansen, Eric (1997). The Northern Crusades (2nd ed.). London: Penguin Books. p. 222. ISBN 0-14-026653-4.
^ Urban, William (2006). Samogitian Crusade. Chicago: Lithuanian Research and Studies Center. p. 158. ISBN 0-929700-56-2.
^ Urban, William (2003). The Teutonic Knights. London. Greenhill Books. p.176 ISBN 91-518-4478-8.

Christiansen, Eric (1997). The Northern Crusades (2nd ed.). London: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-026653-4.
Friedrich, Borchert (2001) "Die Hochmeister des Deutschen Ordens in Preußen."Preußische Allgemeine Zeitung
Urban, William (2003). The Teutonic Knights. London. Greenhill Books. ISBN 91-518-4478-8.
Urban, William (2006). Samogitian Crusade. Chicago: Lithuanian Research and Studies Center. ISBN 0-929700-56-2.