The Teutonic Knights, the bishop of Warmia and the relics of the True Cross in Prussia in the second half of the fourteenth century

Abstract

On Easter Sunday 30 March 1383 a mission sent by the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, led by the high-ranking officer, the Grobschaffer of Malbork, brother Henry of Allen, arrived in Paris. The Teutonic Order, as a religious institution, was interested in the cult of saints, and it is very possible that in the Holy Land the Order collected some holy relics. In the second half of the fourteenth century, the revival of religious life in the territory of the Teutonic Order’s state in Prussia is very clear, both within the Order itself and among the diocesan clergy. This process is evidenced by the activity of the Bishop of Warmia and the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order in the field of obtaining highly significant relics, especially the relics of the True Cross. Only the bishopric of Warmia conserved its “independence”, which led to problems in later relations between Teutonic Order and bishops of Warmia.