Secular clergymen in the castles of the Teutonic Order in Prussia, „Ordines Militares. Colloquia Torunensia Historica. Yearbook for the Study of the Military Orders” 23 (2018), s. 203-234 (original) (raw)
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Remarks on the Process of Institutionalisation of Mendicant Orders and their Role in Pastoral Work Based on the Example of the Dominion of the Teutonic Order in Prussia from the 13th to the Early-16th Century Rafał Kubicki Abstract The conditions and the environment of the mendicant religious orders (Dominicans, Franciscan Conventuals, Franciscan Observants, Carmelites, and Augustinians) in the holdings of the Teutonic Order in Prussia differed from those in Western Europe. In newly built castles and newly foundedcities, German and Polish-speaking communities predominated; while Prussians, unfamiliar withthe basics of Christianity, prevailed in rural territories. The network of parish churches declined towards the eastern and northern boundaries of the state. Therefore, the mendicant orders operated there on a different model. An examination of its characteristics is carried out by means of ananalysis of the stages, development and dynamics of the settlement of mendicant orders in Prussia. An attempt is made to identify the organisation of their provision and the supporting milieu. Particular attention is paid to the impact of mendicant orders on the deepening of the faith of the local Prussian population in the eastern part of the Teutonic Order’s holdings. Key words: Teutonic Order, Prussia, mendicant orders, Dominicans, Christianisation, Prussians, friars.
The article explores the role played by the figure of parish priest in the urban society of late-Medieval Prussia. The discussed problem has been presented from three angles: I. prosopography of the town parish priest, understood as the social expectations regarding his origin, education, and career; II. cultural model of the parish priest and his social roles; III. interactions between the parish priest and the townspeople. Matters discussed in detail include, among others, patronage over town parishes, scope of ministry-related and administrative duties of the parish priest, moral and personality traits making up the model of the good priest, authority of the parish priest over the town church and its clergy, disputes with the town council, as well as the relationship between the parish priest and the townspeople. In the course of analysing these problems, the figure of the town parish priest has been portrayed within various social and cultural contexts. The analysis has demonstrated the complexity and breadth of this function and allowed to address the key role played by the parish priest in the functioning of the parish.
The paper presents the general conditions in which the pastoral work of mendicant orders was conducted in the domains of the Teutonic Order and particular bishoprics in Prussia and Livonia, at the same time indicating similarities and differences in the situations in which friars had to work in these areas. The research focuses exclusively on pastoral work conducted among the urban population. The network of mendicant friaries in Prussia and Livonia was a reflection of the demographic potential and the degree of urbanisation of both parts of the domains of the Teutonic Order. The scale of effectiveness of the friars is authenticated by numerous references to prayer agreements concluded with members of religious orders and guilds of craftsmen, burials in friary churches (tombstones), and bequests of townspeople. The degree of success of mendicant orders and the support of the townspeople is confirmed in the partially preserved great hall-type churches erected by mendicants in the main towns (Gdańsk, Toruń, Tallinn, Riga).
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The paper concerns a financial aid to mendicant friaries in the Teutonic State in Prussia. In general, however, the sums paid to the mendicant cloisters by the Teutonic authorities were insignificant and they could not affect their functioning considerably. The support they received was definitely lower than the finances given to hospitals under the patronage of the Teutonic Order. The amounts of 26-30 marks given annually to a dozen of mendicant cloisters ( 2 marks each) was a minor donation. The maintenance of a priest in a parish church in a big Prussian town such as Gdańsk, Toruń or Elbląg cost about 20-30 marks a year. Mendicant cloisters belonged to the group of the poor and the needy; donating some money for such cloisters was considered to be a pious deed. From the perspective of the cloisters the annual donation of two marks was part of the sums received from believers for prayers, which was often recorded e.g. in last wills. For the sake of comparison, let us look at the example of the agreement of 1386 between the Gdańsk Dominicans and the guild of Gdańsk skippers. The skippers paid 30 marks and additionally offered two barrels of herring in return for systematic prayers . If one wanted to invest such a sum in real estates, the profit would have amounted to about 2.5 marks considering the common interest rate in Prussian towns. Hence, it can be concluded that two marks constituted more or less the amount of the profit earned by the guild foundation. Even if the funds given by the Teutonic Order were not significant, they should not be entirely ignored. In the decade under discussion each of the mendicant cloisters received in total 20 marks, or sometimes more. From the perspective of the money mendicants received on a regular basis, the funds donated by the Teutonic authorities were not insignificant.
Conflicting Expectations: Parish Priests in Late Medieval Germany
2007
THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA ® GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Final Examination Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by Peter A. Dykearta entitled Conflicting Expec±ations: Parish Priests in Late Medieval Germany and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of
2024
Remarks on town, parish and monastic schools in the State of the Teutonic Order in Prussia and in Royal Prussia in the Middle Ages The issue of organisation and functioning of schools in the Teutonic Order state in Prussia has already been addressed in historical research (Antoni Karbowiak, Emil Waschinski). This article makes an attempt to provide a summary of the results of previous studies on the topic and takes into account not only urban and rural parish schools but also monastic schools. In the earliest period of the dominion of the Teutonic Order in Prussia, founding schools was dictated by the need to educate future clerics, including those originating from the Prussian population; this purpose was served by cathedral schools established by the local bishops. It was not much later that the idea emerged of setting up schools in towns in order to provide education for the laity; those schools were closely connected with the functioning of parishes . Researchers estimate the number of urban and rural schools, confirmed in various ways in sources, at around 150, including around 50 outside towns. In the case of rural parish schools, often the only mentions of them were noted in the ledger of the Teutonic Order’s treasurer from the years 1399–1409 (Tresslerbuch), where records were made of providing aid to students originating from various towns and villages on the route of the Grand Masters’ journeys. Other sources confirm the existence of schools only in the case of large towns; it is those schools that played the biggest role in educating the youth. Control over schools initially stemmed from the right of patronage over parishes, exercised by the Teutonic Order and individual bishops. Accordingly, parish priests supervised not only the activity of schools, but also the appointment of their rectors. However, in the process of their emancipation, town councils tried to gain control over appointing teachers. One factor at play was that the costs of building and maintaining school premises were covered by the councils; the remuneration of teachers usually came from fees paid by students from affluent families. Unfortunately, the organisation of urban and rural schools in the earliest period is poorly documented in extant sources. One exception is the school in Malbork, whose operations can be reconstructed thanks to the preserved fourteenth-century school ordinance. This state of affairs means that our picture of schools functioning in the dominion of the Teutonic Order in Prussia is somewhat superficial: we know more about the effects of teaching than the very system and network of schools. Apart from town and parish schools there were also monastic schools. They were particularly important to mendicant orders: the Dominicans, the Franciscans, the Augustinian Hermits and the Carmelites. The aim of their schools was to educate friars, the best of whom would continue their education at studia generalia, often operating at universities. Schools also functioned at the Cistercian monasteries in Oliwa and Pelplin; they focused on the needs of the order rather than active participation in the intellectual life of Prussia and Gdańsk Pomerania of the time. On the other hand, the Teutonic Order did not have its own schools and had other ways of recruiting educated people who were required. Uwagi o szkołach miejskich, parafialnych i klasztornych w państwie zakonu krzyżackiego w Prusach i Prusach Królewskich w średniowieczu Zagadnienie organizacji i funkcjonowania szkół w państwie zakonu krzyżackiego w Prusach było już podejmowane w badaniach historycznych (Antoni Karbowiak, Emil Waschinski). W tym miejscu podjęto próbę podsumowania dotychczasowych prac, uwzględniając nie tylko miejskie i wiejskie szkoły parafialne, ale także szkoły zakonne. W najwcześniejszym okresie powstawania władztwa krzyżackiego w Prusach organizacja szkolnictwa była podporządkowana potrzebie przygotowania duchowieństwa, w tym wywodzącego się z ludności pruskiej, czemu służyły szkoły katedralne zakładane przez miejscowych biskupów. Niewiele później zaczęto zakładać szkoły także w celu kształcenia świeckich w miastach, co ściśle wiązało się z funkcjonowaniem parafii. Badacze szacują liczbę szkół miejskich i wiejskich, potwierdzonych w różny sposób w źródłach, na około 150, w tym około 50 poza miastami. Często jedyną wzmianką o wiejskich szkołach parafialnych były zapisy w księdze podskarbiego krzyżackiego z lat 1399–1409 (Tresslerbuch), gdzie odnotowywano przypadki udzielania pomocy uczniom pochodzącym z różnych miejscowości położonych na trasie podróży wielkich mistrzów. Inne źródła potwierdzają istnienie szkół jedynie w dużych miastach. Te ostatnie odgrywały też największą rolę w kształceniu młodzieży. Kontrola nad szkołami wynikała początkowo z prawa patronatu nad parafiami, które sprawował zakon krzyżacki i poszczególni biskupi. Wynikało to z faktu, że plebani nadzorowali nie tylko działalność szkół,ale także nominacje ich lektorów. Wraz z postępującą emancypacją rad miejskich starały się one przejąć kontrolę nad nominacjami nauczycieli. Wiązało się to również z tym, że koszty funkcjonowania szkół, a więc budowy i utrzymania pomieszczeń, ponosiły one same, choć wynagrodzenie nauczycieli pochodziło zazwyczaj z opłat wnoszonych przez zamożnych uczniów. Niestety, organizacja szkół miejskich i wiejskich w najwcześniejszym okresie jest słabo udokumentowana w zachowanych źródłach. Wyjątek stanowi szkoła funkcjonująca w Malborku, której działalność można zrekonstruować dzięki zachowanej XIV‑wiecznej ordynacji szkolnej. Wszystko to sprawia, że nasz obraz funkcjonowania szkół w Prusach Krzyżackich jest nieco powierzchowny, gdyż właściwie więcej można powiedzieć o efektach nauczania niż o samym systemie i sieci szkół. Obok szkół miejskich i parafialnych istniały także szkoły klasztorne. Szczególny nacisk na ich funkcjonowanie kładły zakony żebracze (dominikanie, franciszkanie, augustianie eremici i karmelici). Ich celem było kształcenie braci, z których najlepsi kontynuowali edukację w studiach generalnych, często działających przy uniwersytetach. Własne szkoły mieli także cystersi w Oliwie i Pelplinie. Zajmowały się one jednak wewnętrznymi potrzebami wspólnoty zakonnej, a nie aktywnym uczestnictwem w życiu intelektualnym ówczesnych Prus i Pomorza Gdańskiego. Natomiast zakon krzyżacki nie utrzymywał własnych szkół, gdyż w inny sposób pozyskiwał potrzebną kadrę wykształconych osób.