Anyone interested in the Northern Crusades? Teutonic Knights, Crusaders, Poland, Novgorod, Lithuania, Mongols, Danes...

[Sarmatian]

Is anyone around here interested in the Northern Crusades?

There were some minor crusades by some other folk, but the two most famous groups was the Livonian Order and the Teutonic Knight, who eventually became one. They were trying to convert the native Balts to Christianity, at the request of some Polish dukes; also, some German merchants cane to the region for its resources, like amber. The knights and their allies were generally successful at subduing their opponents, but the population was quick to revert back to paganism and rise in rebellion. Unfortunately for the crusaders, one of the cities was contested (maybe Danzig/Gdansk?) and it led to some bad blood between the Teutonic Order and Poland, and the two fought several conflicts, the most notable being the Battle of Grunwald, which really stunted the crusades there.

Anyway, was wondering if anyone was interested in this sort of subject.

[Dion]

@Sarmatian It was Danzig that was contested, but in fact it was most of the land around that that was also contested. The land given to them by the Polish king was never meant to remain theirs, but once they amassed larger power, they refused to give it back. Danzig was among that land, I believe.

[Sarmatian]

@Sarmatian It was Danzig that was contested, but in fact it was most of the land around that that was also contested. The land given to them by the Polish king was never meant to remain theirs, but once they amassed larger power, they refused to give it back. Danzig was among that land, I believe.

@Buddha

Right, it's been a while since I've done my reading. I read William Urban's Teutonic Knights book, and aside from some video games and online research, that's where most of my knowledge comes from.

They were actually doing something similar in Hungary, I think. The King at the time had them defending against the Cumans, but the King's son believed they were "building a kingdom within a kingdom" or something, and so when the King died and the son became the next monarch, the Teutonic Knights decided it was time to up and leave. I think that's when Hermann von Salza had them sent to Prussia, as he saw it as a great training ground before sending his knights to Outremer.

[Dion]

@Sarmatian something like that yes. The Romuva had the added 'benefit' of being hard to convert (harder than the Germanic Saxons) so there was a more dire need to 'convert them by force' so to speak. And in doing so they would gain access to more land to own. I suppose that's the gist of it. I mean naturally it is to be expected that the Teutons would try something like this, as amassing power was a common thing in this age.

[Oak7ree]

Right, it's been a while since I've done my reading. I read William Urban's Teutonic Knights book, and aside from some video games and online research, that's where most of my knowledge comes from.

They were actually doing something similar in Hungary, I think. The King at the time had them defending against the Cumans, but the King's son believed they were "building a kingdom within a kingdom" or something, and so when the King died and the son became the next monarch, the Teutonic Knights decided it was time to up and leave. I think that's when Hermann von Salza had them sent to Prussia, as he saw it as a great training ground before sending his knights to Outremer.

@Sarmatian

I have the exact same book, and I am curious about the crusades and the Catholic knightly orders, like the Teutonic Knights and the Knights Templar. I ordered the book and Malcolm Barber's The New Knighthood a few weeks ago, and have been them for some time now.

[DepressedSoviet]

Now this may seem sacrilege given my username, but as an amateur historian, my guilty pleasure is Teutonic Knights/Prussia.

[Sarmatian]

@depressedsoviet@buddha@oak7ree

I am trying to develop some kind of role play, and so far this is what I have:

Hansa

Leaving Lubeck
The game starts in Lubeck, Spring 1200. All players begin with 1,000 coin (the currency to be used) and a single cog (the trade ships). Here in Lubeck, the coin will be used to purchase supplies; alternatively you can donate to the Swordbrothers (the precursor to the Livonian Order). A single unit of supplies is 200 coin, and will be used to build and upgrade settlements. Donating to the Swordbrothers increases your influence with them, and attracts the crusaders to your cause. These are the 'opening moves' of the role play, and once your choices have been determined the game advances to Summer 1200.

Example: I purchased x2 units of supplies, and donated the other 600 coin to the Brotherhood.

Settling in the Baltic
You must pick a spot along the Baltic coast to build your first settlement (which must be a coastal settlement). It costs 1 unit of supplies to build a settlement, which starts at level 1. You can start at level 2 by using 2 units of supplies, or level 3 by using 3 units of supplies; and so on. Alternatively you can save your supplies to build/upgrade future settlements.

Your settlement will produce one of several resources. Those resources are:
Amber; Hemp; Flax; Tar; Potash; Furs; Salt (more will be added)

A level 1 settlement produces 1 unit of your chosen resource. So you might produce 1 unit of amber, or 1 unit of Fur, etc. Level 2 produces 2 units, while level 3 produces 3 units, and so on.

The prices of these goods change over time, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. You can load specific amounts back onto your trade cog and have it delivered to Lubeck, earning you some more coin.

Maintaining Settlements
You can use your coin for several purposes. You can build palisade and stone walls to protect against attacks, armories to arm the locals, stables to equip local troops with horses, warehouses to stockpile your goods, churches to gain the favor of the Church, etc. You can also purchase additional trade cogs. Ultimately, you may want to buy some more supplies to build another settlement further inland; inland settlements have the added bonus of producing two resources rather than one.

The Swordbrothers
Historically, the Swordbrothers assisted Bishop Albert of Riga in his Northern Crusades. In this role play, however, they're assisting you. Everyone has equal influence with them at the beginning of the role play, but giving them donations increases your influence; building churches and forts also increases your influence.

What exactly is this influence? The Swordbrothers are small in number, but they're extremely capable combatants and are essential to protecting your claims in the Baltic. Players with higher influence receive a higher garrison of knight-brothers in their settlements. The Swordbrothers want to push inland, however, and subdue local pagan tribes and destroy their hillforts. They then want to convert these hillforts into stone forts, and you can help them do this. By helping them build stone forts, they can exercise control across the local region and further fend off attacks to your settlement. This helps you move inland as well and build more settlements.

Additionally, guest crusaders from England, France, and the Holy Roman Empire make appearances, usually arriving in the Spring or Summer, and are willing to assist the knight brothers until the end of Fall. These guests typically don't remain in the area during the Winter.

The Swordbrothers are looking to consolidate in the area as well, and will eventually form the Livonian Order. They may or may not prove to be a threat to you in the future...

Conflicts
Throughout the Baltic are Livonians, Latvians, Estonians, and more. These tribal pagans resent you and wish to see you expelled from the Amber Coast. They may make attempts against your settlement, and you should be prepared. The bulk of your defense rests in the hands of the locals, and their size depends on the settlement level. Generally, spearmen and crossbowmen are common, but with a stable you can have some horsemen too. Your best soldiers, however, are the Swordbrothers, who inspire allies and strike fear into the hearts of their enemies.

Some tribes may prove to be overly aggressive, in which case you may need to enlist the aid of the Swordbrothers to destroy the nearby forts and villages.