The Bailiwick of Utrecht of the Teutonic Order (Dutch: Ridderlijke Duitse Orde Balije van Utrecht) is a chivalric order based in Utrecht, Netherlands. It originated in 1231 as a division of the order of Teutonic Knights.
During the Protestant Reformation most of the members became Protestant, mainly Reformed or Lutheran. The Bailiwick cut its ties with the order based in the Holy Roman Empire and placed itself under the protection of the United Provinces of the Netherlands.
The order was briefly suppressed during the Napoleonic era, but revived in 1815 after the restoration of the House of Orange. In 1995 it returned to the Duitse Huis (Teutonic House) as its headquarters, a building that dates from 1348.
Contents
Foundation
The Teutonic Order originated in 1190 during the siege of Acre in the Holy Land during the Third Crusade.
At first the mission was to nurse the sick and wounded crusaders. In 1198 a military element was added.
The mission was to fight the enemies of Christendom, particularly in the Holy Land, and to protect pilgrims to the holy land.
The statutes of the order were confirmed by Pope Innocent III in a bull of 19 February 1199.
The Teutonic Order was particularly active in the Baltic region.
However, it had many branches in western Europe to provide sources of funds and of recruits.
As with other religious institutions, the order depended on donations of land and buildings from princes and private individuals. The income could then support the troops.
The order soon established an organization throughout the German Empire of bailiwicks headed by a land commander reporting to the German master.
Below the land commander were commanders, who administered the order's property.
The Teutonic Order was given property in the Netherlands in 1218–19 by Count Adolf von Berg and Sweder van Dingede.
The master of the order held the property at first.
The Bailiwick of Utrecht was established in 1231 when a donation was made of a house with land at the Tolsteegsingel, outside Utrecht in the location of the present University Hospital.
In 1232 a commander's house had been built and Antonius van Printhagen, known as "Lederzak" (leatherbag) was named commander of Utrecht.
This became the headquarters of all the property of the Teutonic order in the diocese of Utrecht, Holland, Zeeland, Friesland and Gelderland.
Early years
The Teutonic Order's Bailiwick of Utrecht (Balije van Utrecht) initially focused mainly on the spiritual development of its own members.
The knights and priests took the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.
The Bailiwick of Utrecht soon owned several estates and churches. These included the church of Maasland (1241), St. Nicholas Church in Utrecht (1250), Leiden (1268), Rhenen (1270), the church of Valkenburg in Katwijk (1388) and so on.
Commanderies were founded to manage these properties, and over time these came to include the commanderies of Dieren, Schelluinen, Maasland, Schoten, Middelburg, Tiel, Leiden, Doesburg, Nes (Friesland), Valkenburg, Bunne (Drenthe), Schoonhoven, Rhenen and Katwijk.
There were convents of priest brethren at Nes, Rhenen and Tiel.
The smaller houses also owned large areas of land, and were run by commanders.
The head of a commandery was usually a knight but was sometimes a priest brother.
The knight brethren were nobles. The land commander was always a knight, and most of the commanders were also knights.
A knight brother had to have no physical defects, and be of legitimate birth with four noble grandparents. He gave a vow of chastity and obedience. Once admitted after an elaborate ceremony he could not leave the order.
The order was not a religious one, since its goals were mainly nursing the sick and fighting the enemies of Christendom, but religious worship played a large role in the community's life. A convent or main house of a Bailiwick should consist of a commander and twelve brothers, recalling Jesus and his disciples.
Transitional period
The Union of Utrecht was signed on 23 January 1579 in Utrecht by Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Gelderland and Groningen.
In the months that followed the other Protestant territories and cities of the Netherlands joined the union.
In 1580 the States of Utrecht began to demand that Catholic institutions such as the Bailiwick be dissolved and their goods used for charity.
The Catholic land commander in 1579–1612, Jacob Taets van Amerongen, resisted on the basis that the goods "belonged to our Lord the German Master", and that the Bailiwick was a knightly institution that served "where necessary to fight with weapons for the defense of the Empire against our common arch enemy, the Turk..."
A struggle ensued with the States of Utrecht, which finally allowed the order to continue to exist on condition that they completely break with the Teutonic Order in Germany. The States of Utrecht would appoint the land commander, coadjutor and commanders. Assets could not be sold without the consent of the States and the order had to contribute to the costs of maintenance and preservation of the reformed worship. Although forced to accept these terms, Taets van Amerongen was an ardent supporter of the Catholic faith and throughout his life considered that he was subordinate to the German master and the Archduke of Austria.
Taets van Amerongen died on 4 December 1612.
On 18 December 1612 the commanders were ordered to provide a detailed account of their goods, rents and mortgages.
The investigation showed that the Bailiwick had serious problems and had to adopt drastic measures. Dieren and Tiel were heavily indebted, and some property had to be sold.
On 8 June 1615, when the chapter asked for permission to appoint a coadjutor, the States determined that offices, prebends and so on could only be given to followers of the reformed religion.
Protestant order
In 1637 the knights formally accepted the protection of the United Provinces of the Netherlands.
They remained an order of Teutonic Knights, but were no longer Catholic.
The land commander and commanders decided on admission to the order. Candidates had to provide their certificate of baptism and had to belong to the reformed church.
After paying their fees, they became knights expectant, and had to wait for a vacancy among the commanders.
The Bailiwick gradually lost property. The house in Dieren was destroyed by soldiers in 1629 and had to be rebuilt. The new house and its estate were sold to the Prince of Orange.
In 1657 the town of Doesburg took over the commander's house for use as an orphanage. The order lost the church of Katwijk in 1674. Buildings that were too expensive to maintain were demolished in Tiel (1682), Maasland (1721), Leiden (1730), Middelburg (1740) and Schoonhoven (1740).
By now the commanders generally did not live in their commanderies, and did not exercise effective financial control.
At a meeting on 23 September 1760 a general steward was appointed to take over all financial administration.
The commanders now became purely title holders, receiving a salary determined by the rank and importance of the commandery.
The general steward received a salary of 6% of total revenues, plus fixed fees for managing the finances and maintaining the house in Utrecht.
Use of this house for banquets, balls and concerts was forbidden.
Land Commanders
Land Commanders of the order were: