The Rise of the Teutonic Knights

The success of the great military order owed much to the charismatic leadership of Herman von Salza, one of the most dynamic individuals of the 13th century.

Malbork Castle, the Prussian headquarters of the Teutonic Knights.

The army of the crusader kingdom of Jerusalem was annihilated at the Horns of Hattin on July 4th, 1187. The defeat was almost total and the survivors few. In the following months the crusader states crumbled. The victor in this hard-fought struggle was the Kurdish ruler Saladin and by October of the same year the holy city of Jerusalem was in his hands.

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