Henning Schindekopf

Henning Johann Schindekopf (* around 1330 in Westphalia; † February 17, 1370 in the Battle of Rudau ) was a Teutonic Knight , Commander, and finally, as Order Marshal, one of the largest areas of the Teutonic Order .

Life

Mentioned for the first time in 1348 as a member of the Konigsberg Order , Schindekopf was appointed Commander of Ragnit in the contested border region to Shamaites / Lithuania to higher command in the order's hierarchy. In view of the constant threat to Ragnit in the order at that time, it was customary to fill this commandery with specially qualified knights. The constant armed conflict with Lithuania was to shape Schindekopf's life and career.

In 1354 Schindekopf was given the office of commander of the important Coming Balga . In this office he confirmed the town charter of Rastenburg in 1357 .

In 1360, Grand Master Winrich von Kniprode appointed Schindekopf, described as impetuous and heated, as Order Marshal and Commander of Königsberg. Here he had the difficult task of coordinating the war with the still pagan Grand Duchy of Lithuania . Due to the impassability of the country bordering to the east, permanent security of the order's land proved impossible, one had to limit oneself to temporary and territorially narrowly limited "war trips", while the Lithuanians, especially under their Grand Duke Kęstutis , for their part devastated the hostile districts with robbery and fire . The way of fighting of the orders of the order differed in no way from the approach of their opponents. Since in the course of time it had become a fashionable custom of the Western European nobility to embark on "pagan journeys" in the spirit of the Crusades , the order succeeded in putting this warlike potential in the service of its interests. The order marshal, namely Schindekopf, played a key role in this. Although Schindekopf achieved some spectacular successes, such as the temporary capture of Kęstuti, the enemy proved to be unbroken.

In the winter of 1370 the order marshal faced a huge threat: In January the entire army of Lithuania attacked the heartland of the Teutonic Order from the northeast under the two Lithuanian grand dukes Algirdas and Kęstutis . The order 's contingent, supplemented by knights from Livonia and so-called "guest knights ", the Prussian travelers , moved towards the Lithuanians and their allies in two columns under Grand Master Winrich von Kniprode and Order Marshal Henning Schindekopf. North-east of Königsberg, on February 17, 1370, the Battle of Rudau , which was victorious for the order, took place , during which the orderly marshal was fatally wounded. Schindekopf succumbed to his injuries on the march back to Koenigsberg. His successor as marshal of the order was Rüdiger von Elner .

Aftermath

In Rudau itself, a memorial was erected at the place of Henning Schindekopf's fall; centuries after the battle, the helmet, gauntlet and marshal's baton from the estate of Henning Schindekopf are said to have been shown in the Quednauer Church . The Schindekop-Straße from Stresemann-Straße to Samitter Allee was named after him from 1911 in Königsberg.

The German writer Agnes Miegel dedicated one of her ballads to Henning Schindekopf's role in the Battle of Rudau - quote:

"Master, who is the victory?" And the old man
said: "We won." He spoke it softly.
And then louder: “My Henning, take note!
Snow clouds came up at noon,
hid the sky black and thick -
the brothers above do not know,
that the order found rest for eternity!
The ride there is difficult and long.
Who will tell Hermann von Salza
that we have beaten Olgierd and Kynstut? ”
Henning Schindekopf said:
“ Öck sülvst! ”

Footnotes

1. ^ The Grand Master Hermann von Salza died in Barletta in 1239

literature

• Hans Prutz : The orders of knights . Bechtermünz Verlag, Berlin 1908
• Wolfgang Sonthofen: The German Order . Weltbild Verlag, Augsburg 1995
• Dieter Zimmerling: The German order of knights . ECON Verlag, Munich 1998