Video spoilers history, starting with the blitzkrieg on Poland

A new day, a new sky appears.

The camera slowly sweeps across the turbulent Mediterranean Sea.

The waves hit the shoreline.

As the camera zooms in, a magnificent medieval castle looms in the mist.

An exciting horn sounded through the sky.

Accompanied by Latin chanting.

A group of knights wearing white cloaks and black cross badges galloped out of the city on their horses.

The camera zooms in to take a close-up of a knight's cold visor. Only a pair of sharp eyes are revealed under the helmet, reflecting cold light.

At the same time, the screen flashed the scene of war:

Burning tents, flying arrows, soldiers shouting and fighting.

The camera zooms out, and a black cross on a white background appears in the center of the screen.

It seems to be telling people the legendary journey of this ancient organization from glory to transformation.

Tianmu also officially began to tell the story.

【They are God's warriors and cold-blooded conquerors. 】

[They built the empire, and destroyed it with their own hands.]

[They are the most crazy monk army in European history! ]

[This group of armed monks wearing white robes with black crosses can both chant and pray and swing swords to kill people.]

【From Jerusalem all the way to the Baltic Sea. 】

[A Knights' Kingdom of 18 square kilometers was created! ]

[What’s even more magical is that this military monster that once frightened Poland and Lithuania has now become a charity organization that helps the elderly and the disabled.]

【What happened in the meantime? 】

[In today's video, let's uncover the crazy rise and fall of the Teutonic Knights, a group of fighting monks! ]

[Back in 1190, the Third Crusade was in full swing. ]

[Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I, "Red Beard", was ambitious and led his army on the expedition. 】

[However, he accidentally drowned in a stream halfway! ]

[The leaderless German knights were confused, but since they were here, they couldn't go back empty-handed, right? ]

[So they followed Richard the Lionheart of England and besieged Acre together.]

[In war, someone has to take care of the wounded.]

[At that time, there were already two major knightly orders in the Middle East - the Knights Templar and the Knights Hospitaller.]

[But they mainly serve the British and French nobles, and no one cares if German soldiers are injured. ]

[A group of German knights were angry: "Let's set up a medical team ourselves!"]

[So they set up a tent in Acre to treat German wounded soldiers. This was the predecessor of the Teutonic Knights - the "German Brotherhood of the Hospital of St. Mary of Jerusalem".]

[The slogan is: Help, Rescue, and Protect.]

[At this time, the German Brotherhood, like the Knights Hospitaller, was mainly engaged in medical relief work and followed the code of the Knights Templar. ]

【As time went on, the Brotherhood grew and expanded.】

[In 1197, with the support of local residents and pilgrims, more and more members trained as knights joined.]

[The Crusader States at that time suffered a disastrous defeat at the Battle of Hattin in 1187, as well as fierce fighting between the Knights Templar and the Knights Hospitaller.]

【A new force is urgently needed to strengthen coastal defense.】

【So, the Germans in Acre took the opportunity to ask the Pope to transform the Brotherhood into a military order.】

[In 1198, the Pope issued a charter, and the Brotherhood officially completed its transformation into an organization that combines military and religious functions.]

[Holding the Bible in the left hand and the long sword in the right hand, he officially became the Teutonic Knights. 】

【And made Acre the headquarters. 】

[In 1199, the Vatican issued a decree that clearly defined the dress code, insignia, and rules of the Teutonic Knights.]

[In 1200, the King of Jerusalem sold a small piece of land north of Acre to the Teutonic Knights.]

[After that, the Knights successively acquired some scattered lands in Jaffa, Gaza and other places. ]

【And participated in the subsequent war for nearly a hundred years. 】

[However, the Teutonic Knights did not fare well in the Middle East.]

[The Templars and the Hospitallers had already divided up the territory, and the new Teutonic Knights could only pick up the leftovers. ]

[In a state of confrontation with the most powerful Knights Templar. 】

[In addition, the Crusaders were at a disadvantage in foreign wars for a long time, making expansion even more difficult. ]

[Until 1291, when Muslims recaptured Acre, the Crusaders' strongholds in the Holy Land were completely destroyed, and the three major knightly orders were collectively unemployed.]

[However, the Teutonic Knights had set their sights on Eastern Europe very early on. ]

[In 1211, the King of Hungary invited the Teutonic Knights to Hungary in order to resist the invasion of the Cumans and the Kipchaks so that he could participate in the Fifth Crusade with peace of mind.]

[And allowed them to settle in a part of Transylvania without paying taxes.]

[Around the Fifth Crusade, the Teutonic Knights expanded rapidly in Transylvania, Hungary, and built five castles. ]

[The Teutonic German knights began to take root and grow in the fertile plains of Eastern Europe. ]

……

Outside the sky.

Eastern Jin Dynasty.

Huan Wen looked at the sky.

Originally, when I saw the establishment and rise of the Teutonic Knights, I just thought of it as a way to pass the time, read some history, and broaden my horizons.

You can see here that the King of Hungary invited the Teutonic Knights to settle in.

Huan Wen couldn't jump any longer.

"It is understandable that the King of Jerusalem supports the Teutonic Knights."

"After all, I know that the military pressure in Jerusalem is too great and we need more support from the Germans."

"But in order to defend against foreign enemies, the King of Hungary actually invited the Teutonic Knights to take root in the country and exempted them from taxes?"

"I can only say... this Hungarian king is extremely confused!"

Huan Wen commented: "For the sake of the false reputation of participating in the Eastern Expedition, they disregarded the safety of the country, gave up land for nothing, and granted special privileges. This is tantamount to nurturing a tiger to cause trouble!"

"When I saw Tianmu's introduction to the Crusades, I knew that these knights shouted honor, but their hearts were full of business." "Although they also had fanatical beliefs, they were ultimately a group of robbers chasing fame and fortune."

"Foreign troops may be helpful at first, but they will become trouble in the long run. If the king is fighting abroad and the country is empty, how can these knights be content?"

Huan Wen snorted coldly.

"In ten years, Transylvania will no longer belong to Hungary."

The counselor Xi Chao at the side also murmured: "The Grand Marshal is right. In the past, when the Shenzhou land sank, it was also because the kings first borrowed the Hu soldiers to quell the rebellion, and then turned against the Central Plains."

The picture on the sky was still changing, and the castle of the Teutonic Knights stood tall.

Huan Wen also looked at the sky seriously.

Are you planning to see whether the subsequent Teutonic Knights will bring harm to Hungary?

Canopy.

[As for the character of the Knight, everyone knows it. ]

【Hungarians are not stupid. 】

[The rapid expansion of the Teutonic Empire has caused concern in Hungary.]

[The domestic nobles also began to distrust the king who invited the Teutonic Knights.]

[In 1222, Hungarian nobles forced the king to sign an edict demanding the restriction of royal power.]

[Although the king refused to revoke the authorization of the Teutonic Knights, he modified the authorization content to allow the Knights to build castles. ]

[It was forbidden to recruit Hungarian and Romanian settlers, but it was allowed to recruit farmers from the German region.]

[Even so, Hungarian Crown Prince Béla still supports domestic nobles in suppressing the Teutonic Knights. ]

[In order to protect the interests of the Knights Templar, Captain Hermann went to Rome to discuss with Pope Honorius III. ]

[It was finally decided to place the Knights' territory in Transylvania under the protection of the Pope.]

[This is equivalent to forcibly establishing a new country in the Hungarian region.]

[This move completely angered the King of Hungary. ]

[In 1225, the king took back the Teutonic Knights' territory in Transylvania.]

[The Teutonic Knights had to find other space for development. ]

[But there is always a way out. Duke Conrad of Poland was being beaten up by the Prussian natives, so he desperately sought help from the Teutonic Knights. ]

[This time the Teutonic Knights learned their lesson. ]

[First, ask the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II to issue a Golden Bull, which is a land ownership license. ]

[He then asked Pope Gregory IX to stamp his seal before charging into Prussia with his sword in hand]

[This advance diplomatic arrangement secured the Teutonic Knights both the lands granted by Conrad and the lands to be gained from future conquests of the Prussians.]

【Enjoy full rights as a noble in the Holy Roman Empire. 】

[Solved future loot issues.]

[Full of fighting spirit, working for yourself, the Teutonic Knights officially expanded in the Prussian region. 】

【And they are definitely not good people! 】

[The Teutonic Knights started the bloodiest colonial war in European history. ]

[In 1226, the first group of Teutonic Knights arrived in Prussia. Although this group consisted of only 7 knights and 100 knight squires and infantry, they were full of fighting spirit.]

[After all, every inch of land they conquer will become their wealth and title. ]

[Knights continued to lead teams to come to support. ]

[In 1232, the Teutonic Knights basically controlled the Pomeranian region and established a stronghold in Cheunom. ]

[This result made the Vatican very satisfied. ]

[With the support of the Vatican, the Teutonic Knights' army had reached tens of thousands of people by the summer of 1233.]

[In the winter of the same year, they successfully defeated the Prussian tribal coalition.]

【With the continuous victory of the Teutonic Knights in the Prussian region. 】

[The ownership of the occupied territories has gradually become prominent.]

[The Prussian Archbishop proposed that two-thirds of the territory seized in Prussia should belong to the diocese, and only one-third to the Teutonic Knights.]

[This obviously did not satisfy the knights. ]

[In 1234, the Teutonic Knights appealed to the Vatican.]

【After complicated negotiations, the two sides reached a compromise:】

[The Teutonic Knights occupied the entire territory of Prussia in the name of the Holy See.]

【But the Prussian Church enjoyed various privileges. 】

[In 1236, the Teutonic Knights entered the Vistula River Delta and built many castles along the river as fortifications, gradually establishing their hegemony in the Prussian region.]

Outside the sky.

Qin Dynasty.

Although Ying Zheng was very sad when he was scolded by Tianmu before.

But the sky still needs to be watched.

Ying Zheng saw on the map on the sky that the Teutonic Knights quickly conquered a piece of land.

He also spoke slowly: "The actions of the Teutonic Knights in the West are somewhat similar to the feudal lords of the Great Zhou Dynasty."

“They first obtained permission from the Holy Roman Emperor and the Pope before they could open up the land.”

"Just like the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty enfeoffed the princes and granted them fiefs and power."

"But how much you can capture depends entirely on your own ability."

Fusu nodded and said, "Father, your majesty is wise."

"Although the Teutonic Knights fought under the orders of the Pope, they are ambitious and will definitely betray the Church if they can no longer gain benefits from it in the future."

"During the Zhou dynasty, the princes still paid tribute to the Holy See. However, this Knights Order has already started bargaining with the Holy See before they have even completed their mission."

Meng Tian also agreed with Fusu and said, "Your Highness is right. This Knights may seem loyal to the Church, but in fact they have established their own nation. They will surely become a separatist regime in the future."

"But it does have its merits."

"Gaining status first and then conquering will save you a lot of trouble."

"It can also motivate the Knights to recruit more talents."

"Without the pre-agreed remuneration, Teutonic expansion would not have been so smooth." (End of this chapter)