Kneiphof
Encyclopedia
Kneiphof was one of three town
s in the Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights
that became the city of Königsberg
(now Kaliningrad). Kneiphof was originally Knypabe (Kneip-ape), meaning 'area flushed by water' (surrounded by a stream or river [ape]) in Old Prussian.
As other members of the Prussian Confederation
, Kneiphof rebelled against the Teutonic Knights
in 1454 at the beginning of the Thirteen Years' War and allied with King Casimir IV Jagiellon
of Poland, who did not provide assistance. The last Prussian Confederation town to resist in a long siege to the Teutonic Knights commanded by Heinrich Reuß von Plauen
, Kneiphof surrendered on June 14, 1455.
Kneiphof became part of the Duchy of Prussia after the Teutonic Order's Prussian branch was secularized in 1525. The town was united with Königsberg in 1724.
The territory was conquered by the Soviet Union, and the city was renamed to Kaliningrad in 1946.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
s in the Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights
Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights
The State of the Teutonic Order, , also Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights or Ordensstaat , was formed in 1224 during the Northern Crusades, the Teutonic Knights' conquest of the pagan West-Baltic Old Prussians in the 13th century....
that became the city of Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
(now Kaliningrad). Kneiphof was originally Knypabe (Kneip-ape), meaning 'area flushed by water' (surrounded by a stream or river [ape]) in Old Prussian.
As other members of the Prussian Confederation
Prussian Confederation
The Prussian Confederation was an organization formed in 1440 by a group of 53 gentry and clergy and 19 cities in Prussia to oppose the monastic state of the Teutonic Knights. It was based on the basis of an earlier similar organization, the Lizard Union...
, Kneiphof rebelled against the Teutonic Knights
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
in 1454 at the beginning of the Thirteen Years' War and allied with King Casimir IV Jagiellon
Casimir IV Jagiellon
Casimir IV KG of the House of Jagiellon was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1440, and King of Poland from 1447, until his death.Casimir was the second son of King Władysław II Jagiełło , and the younger brother of Władysław III of Varna....
of Poland, who did not provide assistance. The last Prussian Confederation town to resist in a long siege to the Teutonic Knights commanded by Heinrich Reuß von Plauen
Heinrich Reuß von Plauen
Heinrich Reuß von Plauen was the 32nd Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, serving from 1467 to 1470. He was the nephew of the previous Grand Master, Ludwig von Erlichshausen, and a distant relative to the 27th Grand Master, Heinrich von Plauen.-Biography:Reuß von Plauen came from the Reuss family...
, Kneiphof surrendered on June 14, 1455.
Kneiphof became part of the Duchy of Prussia after the Teutonic Order's Prussian branch was secularized in 1525. The town was united with Königsberg in 1724.
The territory was conquered by the Soviet Union, and the city was renamed to Kaliningrad in 1946.
Literature
- Baldur Köster: Königsberg. Im Anhang: Der Kneiphof, zeichnerische Rekonstruktionen und Gedanken zur Wiedergewinnung eines historischen Stadtbildes – Husum 2000; ISBN 3880429235