WI: after the Knights Templar was abolished, most Templars joined the Teutonic Order?

[Deleted member 97083]

After the Knights Templar was abolished, many of the knights joined the Order of Christ in Portugal. What if instead, the vast majority of former Templars joined the Teutonic Order? Assume that no ordinances are declared by the Holy Roman Empire against their travel and most of them make it to the Baltic safely.

What are the implications for the Teutonic Order and the Baltic states?

 

[33k7]

State of the Teutonic Order may last longer 60 years longer or a little more but i don't see it lasting in to the 1700s

 

[Tonifranz]

After the Knights Templar was abolished, many of the knights joined the Order of Christ in Portugal. What if instead, the vast majority of former Templars joined the Teutonic Order? Assume that no ordinances are declared by the Holy Roman Empire against their travel and most of them make it to the Baltic safely.

What are the implications for the Teutonic Order and the Baltic states?

I am under the impression that the Teutonic Order is basically a German Order, hence its name? If that is the case, then only German Templars could join the Teutonic Order.

 

[Deleted member 97083]

I am under the impression that the Teutonic Order is basically a German Order, hence its name? If that is the case, then only German Templars could join the Teutonic Order.

I don't think their membership was exclusively German. It was just that the Holy Roman Empire was the largest recruitment area for them. But I could be wrong.

 

[Thoresby]

I am under the impression that the Teutonic Order is basically a German Order, hence its name? If that is the case, then only German Templars could join the Teutonic Order.

I don't think their membership was exclusively German. It was just that the Holy Roman Empire was the largest recruitment area for them. But I could be wrong.

They weren't exclusively German, they had a reasonable Scandinavian and Low Countries contingents, but most of the Knightly orders tended to have specific recruitment areas, so just as there weren't many German Templars there weren't many French Teutonic Knights. Also the Teutonic order was obviously focused on Eastern Europe and for your average French knight the choice between chasing pagans around swamps in the Baltic or fighting Muslims in Iberia was fairly easy.