- Hermann Balk
:"For the World War II general, see
Hermann Balck . For the American bishop, seeVictor Hermann Balke ."Hermann Balk (died March 1239), also known as Hermann von Balk or Hermann Balke, was aKnight -Brother of theTeutonic Order and its first "Landmeister ", or Provincial Master, in both Prussia andLivonia . From 1219-27, he served as the "Deutschmeister " in the Order's Province ofAlemannia . Balk led the crusaders during thePrussian Crusade and became Master of Prussia in 1230. From 1237-38, he also served in the additional role as Master of Livonia.Life
Balk came from a family of Lower Saxon-Markish origin. ["ADB"] He may have been a former canon at
Hildesheim and may have joined the Teutonic Knights at Acre in 1189. [Urban, p. 279] He was well-respected by fellow Roman Catholics, but he had no patience for pagans.Urban, p. 55] His leadership and traditions were emulated by his successors throughout the 13th century, and he created the master's seal presenting theflight into Egypt . While all other masters' seals were anonymous, only Balk's included his name.In 1226, the Teutonic Knights were invited to combat the
Old Prussians by Duke Conrad I ofMasovia , whose lands had been raided by the pagans over the preceding decades. Balk led the first substantial detachment of Teutonic Knights to Castle Vogelsang nearToruń . The master allegedly negotiated theTreaty of Kruszwica with Conrad in 1230, by which the Teutonic Knights would control Culmerland and future conquests instead of them passing to the Masovian duke or BishopChristian of Oliva ; the arrangement was similar to what had been agreed upon by Emperor Frederick II in the 1226Golden Bull of Rimini . [Urban, p. 56]Granted the titles of "Landpfleger"Seward, p. 101] (
preceptor ) and "Landmeister", Balk led the Teutonic Knights during the conquests of Culmerland,Pomesania , and northernWarmia in the first decade of thePrussian Crusade , the 1230s. Because the Teutonic Order's primary focus was defendingOutremer , Balk, the "Pizarro of the Baltic lands", had limited resources at his disposal. He utilizedguerilla warfare , forest ambushes, and his white-cloaked cavalry in winter campaigns; the master crossed theVistula in 1231 to hang a Prussian chief from a sacred oak tree. Balk allowed tribes who accepted Christianity to become auxiliaries of the Teutonic Knights and left them with their lands, while tribes that remained pagan were defeated and expelled.Ballista e andcrossbow s were used by the crusaders to capture the Prussians' forts.Under Balk's leadership, castles were built at Marienwerder (Kwidzyn), Culm (Chełmno), Elbing (Elbląg), and Thorn (Toruń). The master encouraged the settlement of German colonists near Teutonic "
Ordensburg " castles; the municipal privileges granted to Culm on28 December 1233 by Balk and Grand MasterHermann von Salza became the basis forCulm law , which was later applied to other developing towns in Prussia.The
Livonian Brothers of the Sword , a German military order active inLivonia , were crushed bySamogitians in the 1236Battle of Saule . The remnants of the Sword-Brothers were assimilated into the Teutonic Order the following year, and Balk was given the charge of reorganizing the new brethren. He recruited sixty [Seward, p. 102] knights from the Teutonic Order's north German convents, as they spoke theLow German used by the Sword-Brothers. After sailing toRiga , he distributed his troops to reinforce the countryside. AtStensby in 1238, Balk returnedDanish Estonia , which had been conquered by the Sword-Brothers, to KingValdemar II of Denmark . The upset Livonian Brethren refused to cooperate with Balk, who traveled toItaly to seek aid from Grand Master Hermann von Salza andPope Gregory IX . Balk received little assistance, as Gregory IX was feuding with Emperor Frederick II and Hermann von Salza died inSalerno . [Urban, p. 91]Dietrich von Grüningen was named Master of Livonia later in 1238, and Balk died atWürzburg inFranconia the next year.Because of his leadership in the conquest and
Christianization of the region, manyWest Prussia n towns had monuments and fountains dedicated to Balk.Footnotes
References
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* [http://www.peter-hug.ch/lexikon/balk/02_0288 Hermann Balk] in "Meyers Konversations-Lexikon ", 1885 de icon
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