Order of Saint John (Bailiwick of Brandenburg)

The Order of Saint John is very old.

It began a long time ago in a place called Jerusalem.

Today, many people belong to this group. They are called knights.

They live in many different lands.

Most of these knights follow a kind faith. They work to help others. They run hospitals for sick people.

They also help people after big disasters. They teach people how to give first aid. This helps keep people safe.

It is a very special group of people.

They have worked to help the world for many years.

The Order of Saint John is a very old group.

It started in Jerusalem around the year 1099. This group is also called the Johanniter Order. It is the Protestant branch of the Knights Hospitaller.

Today, the Order has about four thousand knights.

These men live all over the world. They are either Knights of Justice or Knights of Honour. The group is led by Oskar, the Prince of Prussia. Most members follow the Lutheran faith.

In the past, only noble people could join. This changed in 1948. Now, anyone can be invited to join. You cannot ask to join on your own. You must be chosen.

The Order does much good work. They run hospitals and homes for old people. They also run nurseries for children.

They help people after big disasters happen. They even teach first aid classes. The Order has many branches in many lands. They have groups in places like Canada and the United States. They also have groups in Australia and South Africa. They work hard to help those who are sick or hurt.

The Order of Saint John is a very old group of people.

It is also called the Johanniter Order. This group is the German Protestant branch of the Knights Hospitaller. Many people believe this group began in Jerusalem around the year 1099. Today, the Order is led by Oskar, the Prince of Prussia. He is the thirty-seventh Herrenmeister, which means he is the Master of the Knights.

The Order is a very important part of history.

Membership in the Order works in a special way. You cannot ask to join the group on your own. Instead, people are chosen by appointment only. There are about four thousand knights living all over the world. These men are divided into two groups. Some are called Knights of Justice, and others are called Knights of Honour.

Most of these knights follow the Evangelical-Lutheran faith. While membership used to be only for noble people, that rule changed in 1948.

History shows that the Order has changed many times. In the mid-twelfth century, the first commandery was founded in the German lands. A commandery is a local group that manages land and resources. By 1318, the Bailiwick of Brandenburg was established in the northeast of the Holy Roman Empire.

During the Protestant Reformation, many knights became Lutheran. This caused a split from the Roman Catholic branch in 1581. Even so, the two groups often kept a friendly relationship.

There are many specific facts about where the Order works. The Bailiwick of Brandenburg has seventeen commanderies in Germany. It also has one commandery each in Austria, Finland, France, Hungary, and Switzerland.

There is also a global commandery with branches in twelve other countries. These places include Canada, the United States, Australia, and South Africa. The Order has even had branches in places like Colombia and Venezuela.

The Order is very busy helping people today. They run many hospitals and ambulance services to help the sick.

They also take care of children in nurseries and help the elderly in old-age homes. Their work includes providing first-aid training and helping during big disasters. The Order is part of a larger group called the Alliance of the Orders of Saint John of Jerusalem. This alliance helps ensure that the history of the Knights Hospitaller is kept alive through good work.

The Bailiwick of Brandenburg of the Chivalric Order of Saint John of the Hospital at Jerusalem is a Protestant branch of the Knights Hospitaller. This group is also known as the Johanniter Order. It is considered part of the oldest surviving chivalric order in history. Many historians believe the original order was founded in Jerusalem around the year 1099.

Today, the Order is led by its thirty-seventh Herrenmeister, Oskar, the Prince of Prussia. The term Herrenmeister means "Master of the Knights." The Order continues a tradition of service that spans many centuries.

Membership in the Johanniter Order follows a very specific process. Individuals cannot petition or apply to join the group on their own. Instead, membership is granted by appointment only. There are approximately four thousand knights serving worldwide. These members are divided into two distinct classes. The first class is known as Knights of Justice, or Rechtsritter.

The second class is known as Knights of Honour, or Ehrenritter. While membership was once strictly limited to the nobility, this rule was changed in 1948. Most knights today follow the Evangelical-Lutheran denomination of Christianity.

The organization is structured through various regional administrative divisions. These divisions are called commanderies. Each commandery is managed by a senior knight known as a knight commander. The Bailiwick of Brandenburg includes seventeen commanderies located within Germany. It also maintains one commandery each in Austria, Finland, France, Hungary, and Switzerland. Furthermore, a global commandery operates with subcommanderies in twelve other nations. These include countries such as Canada, the United States, Australia, and South Africa. Other locations include Belgium, Colombia, Denmark, Italy, Namibia, Poland, the United Kingdom, and Venezuela.

The history of the Order involves significant changes and shifts in power. Supporters in Western Europe began donating land and assets to support Christian pilgrims. These resources helped provide military protection and medical aid in the Holy Land. The first commandery in the Germanies was established in the mid-twelfth century. By 1318, the Bailiwick of Brandenburg was formed in the northeastern Holy Roman Empire.

This Bailiwick was an aggregation of commanderies under a high officer called a bailiff. By 1382, the Accord of Heimbach recognized the Bailiwick's right to choose its own governor.

Religious shifts in Europe led to a formal separation of the Order. During the Protestant Reformation, many knights in the German Langue accepted Lutheran theology. The main body of the Order remained Roman Catholic and was based in Malta. In 1581, Grand Master Jean de la Cassière expelled the Protestant knights from the Order.

This happened because the Herrenmeister did not appear before the ruling council in Malta. Despite this expulsion, the Bailiwick of Brandenburg continued to flourish. It maintained hospitals to care for the poor, the sick, and the injured.

The nineteenth century brought periods of dissolution and restoration. In 1811, King Frederick William III of Prussia transferred the Order's powers to the Prussian Crown. This effectively dissolved the Bailiwick and created the Royal Prussian Order of Saint John. This new group was an order of merit rather than a chivalric order.

However, King Frederick William IV restored the original Bailiwick in 1852. The eight surviving Knights of Justice were among the first members of this restored group.

This restoration was recognized by the head of the Order of Malta.

Today, the Order is a major participant in international charitable work. It operates numerous hospitals and ambulance services to assist the public. The organization also manages old-age homes and nurseries for children.

They provide essential first-aid training and offer relief during natural disasters. The Johanniter Order is a member of the Alliance of the Orders of Saint John of Jerusalem. This alliance includes the Swedish Johanniterorden and the Dutch Johanniter Orde.

Together with the Roman Catholic Sovereign Military Order of Malta, they represent the legitimate heirs of the original Knights Hospitaller.