View source for Order of Saint John (Bailiwick of Brandenburg)

{{Short description|German Protestant branch of the Knights Hospitaller}}
{{Infobox order
|title=Order of Saint John<br />(Bailiwick of Brandenburg)
|image=[[File:Malteserkreuz.svg|150px|center]]
|caption=Flag of the Order
|type=[[Order of chivalry]]
|established=c. 1099; dissolved/ suspended 1812; restored 1852
|religion=[[Protestantism|Protestant]] Christianity
|ribbon=Black [[moiré]]
|head_title=''Herrenmeister''
|head=[[Prince Oscar of Prussia (born 1959)|Prince Oscar of Prussia]]
|classes={{plainlist|
*Commander
*Knight of Justice
*Knight of Honour}}
|image2=[[File:Order of St Giovanni.svg|100px]]
|caption2=Ribbon bar of the Order    
}}

The '''Bailiwick of Brandenburg of the Chivalric Order of Saint John of the Hospital at Jerusalem''' ({{langx|de|Balley Brandenburg des Ritterlichen Ordens Sankt Johannis vom Spital zu Jerusalem}}), commonly known as the '''Order of Saint John''' or the '''Johanniter Order''' (German: ''Johanniterorden''), is the [[Germans|German]] [[Protestantism|Protestant]] branch of the [[Knights Hospitaller]], the oldest surviving [[chivalric order]], which generally is considered to have been founded at [[Jerusalem]] in 1099.

The Order is led by its thirty-seventh ''Herrenmeister'' ("Master of the Knights" or [[Grand master (order)|Grand Master]]), [[Oskar Prinz von Prussia (b. 1959)|Oskar Prince of Prussia]]. Each of its knights, about four thousand men worldwide, is either a Knight of Justice (''Rechtsritter'') or a Knight of Honour (''Ehrenritter'').<ref>''Verzeichnis der Mitglieder der Balley Brandenburg des Ritterlichen Ordens St. Johannis vom Spital zu Jerusalem''; Berlin:  Johanniterorden, September, 2008; page 88.</ref> Membership in the Order is by appointment only, and individuals may not petition for admission; it is not limited to German citizens or German speakers, and knights include citizens and residents of numerous countries. Although membership is no longer limited to the nobility, as it was until 1948, the majority of knights still are drawn from this class.<ref>''Verzeichnis der Mitglieder der Balley Brandenburg des Ritterlichen Ordens St. Johannis vom Spital zu Jerusalem''; Berlin: Johanniterorden, October, 2011; ''passim''.</ref> The Order comprises seventeen [[Commandery (feudalism)|commanderies]] in Germany, one each in [[Austria]], [[Finland]], [[France]], [[Hungary]], and [[Switzerland]], and a global commandery with subcommanderies in twelve other countries ([[Australia]], [[Belgium]], [[Canada]], [[Colombia]], [[Denmark]], [[Italy]], [[Namibia]], [[Poland]], [[South Africa]], the [[United Kingdom]], the [[United States]], and [[Venezuela]]).<ref>''Verzeichnis der Mitglieder der Balley Brandenburg des Ritterlichen Ordens St. Johannis vom Spital zu Jerusalem''; Berlin:  Johanniterorden, October, 2011; pages 22-23.</ref>

Together with the [[London]]-based [[Order of Saint John (chartered 1888)|Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem]] (of which the British monarch is Sovereign Head), the [[Sweden|Swedish]] ''[[Johanniterorden i Sverige]]'', and the [[Netherlands|Dutch]] ''[[Johanniter Orde in Nederland]]'', the Order is a member of the [[Alliance of the Orders of Saint John of Jerusalem]]. Along with the Roman Catholic [[Sovereign Military Order of Malta]] (SMOM), these four "Alliance Orders" represent the legitimate heirs of the [[Knights Hospitaller]]. They consider other orders using the name of Saint John to be merely imitative, and the Alliance and the SMOM jointly formed a False Orders Committee (renamed and reorganised as the Committee on Orders of Saint John), with representatives of each of the five orders, to expose and take action against such imitations.<ref>Sainty, pages 63, 108-112, 145.</ref>

The Order and its affiliate orders in the Netherlands and Sweden, which became independent of the Bailiwick of [[Brandenburg]] in 1946, after the [[World War II|Second World War]], are Protestant. The SMOM, headquartered in [[Rome]], admits only men and women of the [[Catholic Church|Catholic faith]].<ref>Joint Declaration of SMOM and the Alliance of the Orders of St John of Jerusalem, Rome 22 October 2004</ref> The [[Order of Saint John (chartered 1888)|Venerable Order of Saint John]], a recreation of the medieval English ''[[Langue (Knights Hospitaller)|Langue]]'' of the Order of Saint John, was chiefly [[Church of England|Anglican]] at its formation in the nineteenth century but since has opened its membership to men and women of any faith.<ref>As explained in the article of this Wikipedia on [[Venerable Order of Saint John#Eligibility and appointment|"the Venerable Order"]], citing the ''Pro Fide'' report for 2005 of the Grand Council of that organization, profession of the Christian faith is now "not an essential condition of membership" in it.</ref>

== History ==
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-00506, Feier zum Ritterschlag des Johanniter-Ordens.jpg|thumb|[[Prince Oskar of Prussia]] leading a procession of the Johanniterorden in 1924]]
=== Appearance in German-speaking lands ===
Soon after the formation of the Order in Jerusalem,<ref>The precise date and circumstances of the establishment of the confraternity that became the Order of Saint John remain unclear; the interested reader may find some details in the article on the [[Knights Hospitaller]], the name by which members of the Order commonly were known during the [[Middle Ages]].  Sainty, pages 1-2.</ref> supporters in [[Western Europe]] began to donate farmland and other assets for the objectives of the order, the military protection and medical aid of Christian [[Pilgrim|pilgrims]] to the [[Holy Land]]. In time, these landholdings were gathered into regional administrative divisions known as commanderies, each headed by a senior knight, or knight commander of the Order. The first commandery in [[List of states in the Holy Roman Empire|the Germanies]] was founded in the mid-twelfth century.<ref>Clark, pages 1-2; Storm, page 21.</ref>

By 1318, the Bailiwick of Brandenburg had been established in the northeastern parts of the [[Holy Roman Empire]], an aggregation of [[Commandery|commanderies]] of the Order under a [[bailiff]], a high officer of the Order.  The riches and influence of the Bailiwick (especially after augmentation by properties of the suppressed [[Knights Templar|Order of the Temple]]) were so sizeable that, in 1382, the Prior of the German [[Tongue (Knights Hospitaller)|''Langue'']] (the eight territorial "Tongues" of the mediaeval Order of Saint John were its major subdivisions) in what became known as the Accord of [[Heimbach]] recognized the right of the Bailiwick of Brandenburg to choose its own [[governor]] (the Bailiff of Brandenburg, more commonly called the ''Herrenmeister'') and [[Preceptor|preceptors]] (the commanders of the commanderies constituting the Bailiwick).<ref>Sainty, pages 4, 84-85, 89; Clark, pages 7-9.</ref>

=== Early modern Europe ===
During the [[Protestant Reformation]], large parts of the German ''Langue'' of the then-undivided Order of Saint John followed the leadership of the [[Bailiwick]] of [[Brandenburg]] and accepted [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] theology while continuing to recognize the headship of the [[Grand Master (order)|grand master]] of the Order, who, with the majority of the knights, remained [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]]. The higher officials of the Order, now headquartered on the Mediterranean island of [[Malta]] after the successive losses of [[Siege of Jerusalem (1187)|Jerusalem]], [[Siege of Acre (1291)|Acre]], and [[Siege of Rhodes (1522)|Rhodes]] to [[Muslims|Muslim]] [[Arabs]] and [[Turkish people|Turks]], evinced a desire to maintain a relationship with the Protestant knights despite the theological and ecclesiological differences between the two groups.  But in 1581, then Grand Master [[Jean de la Cassière]] called ''Herrenmeister'' Martin von Hohenstein before the Chapter ([[Council|ruling council]]) of the Order of Saint John in Malta; when the ''Herrenmeister'' did not appear, De la Cassière declared the expulsion of the knights of the Bailiwick from the order, though he did so without the agreement of the Chapter.<ref>Clark, pages 11-14 (noting that the Roman Catholic Grand Prior of Germany, nominal overlord of the Bailiff of Brandenburg, did not advise the Bailiff of this expulsion because he was attempting to keep the Bailiwick within the [[Order of Malta]]); Sainty, pages 84-86; Storm, pages 21-22.  See also the article [de:Johanniterorden|"Johanniterorden"] in the German Wikipedia.</ref>

Though separated from the Roman Catholic main stem of the Order of Saint John, the Bailiwick of Brandenburg continued to flourish.  Admitting only [[Nobility|noblemen]], principally from the Germanies, the Bailiwick maintained hospitals and other institutions to care for the poor, the sick, and the injured.  Elections of successive ''Herrenmeister'' (including a Roman Catholic, [[Adam, Count of Schwarzenberg|Adam von Schwarzenberg]], in 1641) were announced to the [[Prior (ecclesiastical)|Grand Prior]] of Germany in the Roman Catholic [[Order of Malta]] and, in accordance with the requests from the governing authorities of the Order of Malta, responsions (periodic remittances from revenues) were paid to the Grand Priory.<ref>Sainty, pages 85-86; Clark, pages 17-18.</ref>

The horrific [[Thirty Years' War]] devastated the Bailiwick, resulting in the deaths of many knights and the destruction of much of the wealth of the Bailiwick.  By the terms of the [[Peace of Westphalia]] ending the conflict, the Bailiwick was effectively placed under the protection of the [[Prince-elector|Prince Electors]] of Brandenburg, later [[List of monarchs of Prussia|Kings of Prussia]], members of the [[House of Hohenzollern]].<ref>The order was the subject of Article XII, section 3, of the Treaty of Osnabrück; http://www.lwl.org/westfaelische-geschichte/portal/Internet/finde/langDatensatz.php?urlID=740&url_tabelle=tab_quelle#art12, viewed November 5, 2011.</ref>  Under this protection, the ''Johanniterorden'', as the Order came to be known, came to be headquartered at [[Słońsk|Sonnenburg Castle]] in the [[Neumark (region)|Neumark]] of Brandenburg, east of the [[Oder River]], though the ''Herrenmeister'' resided in the [[Ordenspalais]] in [[Berlin]] from its completion in 1738.

As the intense sectarianism of early modern Europe gave way to the [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]], further if sporadic attempts were made to accommodate the Protestant Bailiwick within the Roman Catholic [[Order of Malta]].  Despite cordial relations, however, including payment of responsions to Malta and participation of delegates from the Bailiwick in the Chapter General of the Order of Malta in 1776, nominal reunion of the two orders was prevented by the withholding of papal approval.<ref>King Frederick II ("[[Frederick the Great]]") of Prussia and Grand Master [[Manuel Pinto da Fonseca]] of the Order of Malta agreed in 1764 to such a reunification, but Pope Clement XIII would not allow admission into a Roman Catholic organization of men he viewed as heretics; nevertheless, members of each order continued to regard the others as confreres.  Clark, pages 18-25; Sainty, pages 86, 89-90.</ref>

=== The nineteenth century and thereafter ===
In 1811 and 1812, as protector of the Order, King [[Frederick William III of Prussia]] transferred the powers of the ''Herrenmeister'' and the Chapter (the governing council of the Order) to the Prussian Crown, effectively dissolving the Bailiwick and confiscating its possessions.  In its place he established a similarly named order of merit, the [[Royal Prussian Order of Saint John]] which also had similar insignia.  The ''Herrenmeister'' of the Bailiwick, [[Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia|Prince August Ferdinand]], became the first grand master of the new order of merit and continued to reside in the [[Ordenspalais]], the palace of the Bailiwick of Brandenburg.  All knights of the Bailiwick became members of the new order of merit.<ref>Clark, pages 27-28; Freller, page 216; Sainty, page 90; Storm, page 22.</ref>

[[File:Kaiser Wilhelm II als Herrenmeister des Johanniter Ordens.jpg|thumb|left|[[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|German Emperor William II]] in ceremonial robes as Protector of the Order of Saint John]]
[[File:Otto+von+bismarck.jpg|thumb|right|[[Otto von Bismarck]] wearing neck and breast crosses of a Knight of Honor, circa 1862]]
In 1852 the order of merit was in its turn dissolved and King [[Frederick William IV of Prussia]], again exercising the powers of the kings of Prussia as protectors of the Order, restored the original Bailiwick.  The eight surviving knights of justice of the original Order were among its first members.  In 1853, they elected the younger brother of the Prussian king, [[Prince Charles of Prussia|Prince Friedrich Karl Alexander]], the new ''Herrenmeister'' of the restored Order.  He announced his election to the head of the Order of Malta, who in acknowledgement recognized this restoration as the continuation of the historic Bailiwick.<ref>Clark, pages 28-31; Freller, pages 217-218, 223; Herrlich, pages 235-236; Pierredon, page 277.  From 1805 until 1889, the Order of Malta was headed by a "Lieutenant", as Roman Catholic Popes withheld confirmation of elections of grand masters; the announcement from the Bailiwick thus was made to Philip von Colloredo as Lieutenant of the Order of Malta, and he responded with an implicit recognition of the Bailiwick as a continuing part of a greater Order of Saint John.</ref>  The ''Johanniterorden'' and its branches became fully independent of the Roman Catholic grand master in [[Rome]], although the ''Herrenmeisters'' then and since have continuously and explicitly recognized the Order's historical connection with the Roman Catholic [[Order of Malta]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.johanniter.de/org/orden/ueber/geschichte/ueberblick/deindex.htm |title=Johanniter.de |access-date=2009-02-16 |archive-date=2009-05-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090503123437/http://www.johanniter.de/org/orden/ueber/geschichte/ueberblick/deindex.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

During the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the Order created and supported more and more charitable activities. It now owns and operates numerous hospitals, ambulance services, old-age homes, and nurseries and provides first-aid training courses and disaster relief, both within Germany and abroad.

After [[World War II]], with the Neumark given by the victorious [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] to [[Poland]] (Sonnenburg has been renamed "[[Słońsk]]", and the castle lies in ruins),<ref>[[:de:Słońsk]]</ref> the Order moved its headquarters to [[Bonn]], [[West Germany]].  After the reunification of West and East Germany, the headquarters were moved again, to [[Berlin]].

More than the location of the seat of the Order changed in the aftermath of the Second World War. The Swedish and Dutch commanderies separated from the direct oversight of the Bailiwick (though continuing in loose association with it through [[Alliance of the Orders of Saint John of Jerusalem|the Alliance]] since 1961) in 1946, and two years later, the Bailiwick itself began to admit commoners as knights, because the post-monarchical German nobility was seen as a "frozen caste". The Finnish commandery, however, remains a purely noble society, as do the now independent Swedish and Dutch orders.<ref>Sainty 95-96, 99, 103.</ref>

Although the ''Herrenmeister'' is now elected and no is longer nominated by the king of Prussia or emperor of Germany, each holder of the office since 1693 has been a member of the [[House of Hohenzollern]], the family of the former Prussian kings and last German emperors.<ref>Clark, pages 110-111; see also [http://www.johanniter.de/org/orden/ueber/geschichte/ueberblick/deindex.htm Johanniter.de] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090503123437/http://www.johanniter.de/org/orden/ueber/geschichte/ueberblick/deindex.htm |date=2009-05-03 }}.</ref>

The present status of the Order under German law derives from its incorporation in 1852, and from official recognition by the [[Federal Republic of Germany|German government]] in 1957 and 1959 of the badges of rank in the Order as German decorations of merit. <ref>Clark, pages 52 and 55-56.</ref>

== Organisation ==

===Ranks===
There are three active classes in the Order: Commander (''Kommendator''), Knight of Justice (''Rechtsritter''), and Knight of Honour (''Ehrenritter''). There are also classes of Honorary Commander (''Ehrenkommendator''), given to Knights of Justice who have rendered distinguished service to the Order, and Honorary Member (''Ehrenmitglieder''), which can be bestowed on men (including non-evangelical Christians) who do not belong to the Order but have given it some extraordinary service.<ref>Clark, pages 63-64.</ref>

==Charitable works==
Through its [[Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe]] ("Saint John Accident Assistance"), its [[Hospital|hospitals]], [[Nursing home|nursing homes]], [[Hospice|hospices]], and other institutions, the Order today is a major provider of medical and rescue services in Germany and, to a lesser extent, of comparable services elsewhere in Europe, [[Africa]], and the [[Americas]].  These services are similar to the [[St. John Ambulance]] in many [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth nations]], and to various organisations affiliated with the [[Sovereign Military Order of Malta]].  All are carried out under the auspices of the Christian faith.

Additionally, spiritual retreats and other activities of the Order concentrate on the spiritual formation and development of Christian citizens in the modern world.<ref>[http://www.johanniter.de/org/orden/ueber/geschichte/ueberblick/deindex.htm Johanniter.de] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090503123437/http://www.johanniter.de/org/orden/ueber/geschichte/ueberblick/deindex.htm |date=2009-05-03 }}; [http://www.allianceofstjohn.org/], viewed on November 5, 2011; Clark, pages 62, 70–105.  As of 2011, the ''Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe'' counted 1,200,000 members in Germany alone; the ''Johanniter-Schwesterschaft'' (Saint John's nursing sisterhood) had about 600 nurses, all trained in the Order's nursing schools and most working in the hospitals and other institutions of the order in Germany; the annual financial turnover of the Order and its associated institutions exceeded a billion euroes.</ref>

== Insignia ==
[[File:Walther von Hallwyls ordensdräkt som Rechtsritter i Johanniterorden bestående av flera delar - Hallwylska museet - 85849.tif|thumb|upright|Cloak of a Knight of Justice worn over the now obsolescent dress uniform of the Order]]
[[File:JoKreuz.jpg|thumb|right|The cross of a Knight of Justice.]]
[[File:Order of Saint John (Bailiwick of Brandenburg) Star Cross 001-1.jpg|200px|thumb|Star or breast badge of the Order, which is worn on the left jacket breast.]]

The [[cloak]] of the Order is plain black with a large, white, linen eight-pointed cross on the left breast.  For most knights, the cloak is black woollen (to which French knights add distinctive white woollen collars) with a plain lining, but the ''Herrenmeister''’s cloak is of black velvet lined in satin.  The cloaks of most knights are closed only at the neck, but the ''Herrenmeister'', Commanders, Honorary Commanders, and Knights of Justice also wear a long black cord called a ''[[Cingulum (Catholicism)|cingulum]]''.<ref>Clark, page 64.</ref>

The [[insignia]], also known as crosses of honor,<ref>Clark, page 63.</ref> are no longer bestowed by the Order automatically (reception into the Order now involves only ceremonial robing with the cloak in a church service).  Knights of Honor now must have rendered five years of service to the Order before a cross of honor is granted.  Promotion to Knight of Justice requires at least seven years of distinguished service.

The basic insignia of the Order is a white-[[Enamelled glass|enamelled]] [[Maltese cross]].  The crowned Brandenburg (later, Prussian) eagles between the arms of the crosses date from 1668; they are gold for Knights of Justice, Honorary Commanders, Commanders, and the ''Herrenmeister'', but, on the crosses of Knights of Honour and Honorary Members, the eagles are enamelled black with only the tiny crowns on each eagle's head left unenamelled gold.  The closed crown of the king of Prussia on the ''Herrenmeister''{{'}}s cross and the crosses of Commanders, Honorary Commanders, Knights of Justice, and Honorary Members dates from the time of [[Frederick the Great]], when his government authorised it to be used on the insignia.<ref>Clark, page 65.</ref>  Excluding the crown, the cross of a Knight of Justice is 5&nbsp;cm in diameter; the cross of a Commander, Honorary Commander, or Honorary Member, 5.5&nbsp;cm; and the cross of the ''Herrenmeister'', 7&nbsp;cm  The uncrowned cross of a Knight of Honour is 6&nbsp;cm in diameter.  Each cross is worn from a black-moire, 4.5-centimeter-wide ribbon worn about the neck.

All members of the Order may also wear a plain, Maltese cross as a star or 'breast badge'.  Most such stars are of plain linen, though enamelled stars in either silver or silver gilt, of about 5.5cm in diameter, also are worn in formal evening attire.

A white-enamelled Maltese cross in either gold (generally about 1.8 centimeters in diameter) or silver (1.3), may be worn on the left lapel of a knight's suit coat or sportcoat.<ref>Clark, page 66.</ref>

From the late eighteenth century, the ''Johanniter'' have had a uniform similar to the Knights of Malta. Though not abolished, this uniform has not been worn since before the Second World War.<ref>Clark, pages 63-65.</ref>

==Related orders==
In 1946, the Dutch and Swedish commanderies of the Order separated from the direct oversight of the Bailiwick to form distinct, though related, orders.

===Order of Saint John in the Netherlands===
{{main|Order of Saint John in the Netherlands}}
The mediaeval Dutch [[Bailiwick of Utrecht]] and Commandery of Haarlem formed parts of the German [[Tongue (Knights Hospitaller)|''Langue'']] (one of the "Tongues", the major divisions of the mediaeval Order of Saint John) until, during the [[Reformation]], they associated themselves with the reformed Bailiwick of Brandenburg.  Both the Bailiwick of Utrecht and the Commandery of Haarlem were suppressed in 1810, during the Napoleonic occupation.

Dutch knights of the Bailiwick of Brandenburg formed their own commandery within the ''Johanniterorden'' in 1909, when the Dutch monarch afforded it royal protection; and the commandery separated from the German ''Johanniterorden'' in 1946.  The commandery became an independent order in 1958 and is known as ''Johanniter Orde in Nederland'', now admitting noblewomen as well as noblemen.  The Dutch monarch is an honorary commander.  With the German and Swedish orders, the Dutch order helped found [[the Alliance of the Orders of St. John of Jerusalem]] on June 13, 1961.<ref>Sainty, pages 98-101; Clark, page 57; website of the Dutch order, http://www.johanniterorde.nl/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010227051554/http://www.johanniterorde.nl/ |date=2001-02-27 }}, accessed November 5, 2011.</ref>

Dutch insignia of the ''Johanniter Orde in Nederland'' replace Prussian eagles with the [[coat of arms of the Netherlands|Dutch lion]].

===Order of Saint John in Sweden===
{{main|Order of St John in Sweden}}
A Swedish commandery of the Order of Saint John had been established by 1185, but laicized in 1530 as a result of the [[Reformation]]. Some Swedish noblemen had become knights of the ''Johanniterorden'' by the early nineteenth century; by 1920, when King [[Gustav V]] placed them under his protection as a union of Swedish knights of the Order, they were 54 in number.

In 1946, the union of Swedish knights separated from the German ''Johanniterorden'' and a Swedish order was established.  Known as the ''Johanniterorden i Sverige'', and with the Swedish monarch as its High Protector, it helped found [[the Alliance of the Orders of St. John of Jerusalem]] on June 13, 1961. Even though it is still a semi-official chivalric order of the Swedish state, membership of the Swedish order in practice remains limited to noblemen.<ref>Sainty, pages 102-104; Clark, pages 57, 86-87; website of the Swedish royal house, http://www.kungahuset.se/royalcourt/monarchy/orders/theordersinsweden.4.396160511584257f2180005761.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120615203516/http://www.kungahuset.se/royalcourt/monarchy/orders/theordersinsweden.4.396160511584257f2180005761.html |date=2012-06-15 }}, accessed April 9, 2012; website of the Swedish order, http://www.johanniterorden.se/, accessed November 5, 2011.</ref>

Swedish insignia of the ''Johanniterorden i Sverige'' replace Prussian eagles with the sheaf of the [[House of Vasa]].

==''Herrenmeister''==
[[File:Carl von Preußen.jpg|thumb|right|[[Prince Charles of Prussia|Prince Friedrich Carl Alexander]], ''Herrenmeister'' from 1853 to 1883, wearing the breast cross of a Knight and the neck cross of his office]]
[[File:Oskar von Preussen in June 2013.png|thumb|[[Prince Oscar of Prussia (born 1959)|Prince Oskar of Prussia]], ''Herrenmeister'' since 1999]]

Following is a list of the men who have headed the Order, with the title of ''Herrenmeister'', from the beginning of the institution as a subdivision of the Knights Hospitaller.<ref>Clark, pages 110-111.</ref>

* 1323–1336: Gebhard von Bortefelde (''praeceptor generalis''), considered the first ''Herrenmeister''
* 1341–1371: Hermann von Wereberge
* 1371–1397: Bernhard von der Schulenburg
* 1397–1399: Detlev von Walmede
* 1399–1418: Reimar von Güntersberg
* 1419–1426: Busso von Alvensleben
* 1426–1437: Balthasar von Schlieben
* 1437–1459: Nicolaus von Thierbach
* 1459–1460: Heinrich von Redern
* 1460–1471: Liborius von Schlieben
* 1471–1474: Kaspar von Güntersberg
* 1474–1491: Richard von der Schulenburg
* 1491–1526: Georg von Schlabrendorff
* 1527–1544: Veit von Thümen
* 1544–1545: Joachim von Arnim
* 1545–1564: Thomas von Runge
* 1564–1569: Franz von Naumann<ref>''Codex diplomaticus Brandenburgensis: Hauptth. Urkunden-Sammlung für die Orts'', by Adolph Friedrich Johann Riedel</ref> 
* 1569–1609: Martin, [[Count|Graf]] von Hohenstein
* 1610–1611: [[Frederick IX, Margrave of Brandenburg|Friedrich]], [[Margrave|Markgraf]] zu Brandenburg
* 1611–1613: Ernst, Markgraf zu Brandenburg
* 1614–1615: [[George Albert II, Margrave of Brandenburg|Georg Albrecht, Markgraf zu Brandenburg]]
* 1616–1624: [[Joachim III Frederick, Elector of Brandenburg#Biography|Johann Georg, Markgraf zu Brandenburg]]
* 1624–1625: [[John Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg#Family and children|Joachim Sigismund, Markgraf zu Brandenburg]]
* 1625–1641: [[Adam, Count of Schwarzenberg|Adam, Graf von Schwarzenberg]]
* 1641–1652: Georg von Winterfeld, Landvogt der Neumark, Komtur zu Schivelbein
* 1652–1679: [[John Maurice, Prince of Nassau-Siegen|Johann Moritz]], [[Prince|Fürst]] von Nassau-Siegen
* 1689–1692: [[Prince Georg Friedrich of Waldeck|Georg Friedrich, Fürst zu Waldeck, Graf zu Pyrmont]]
* 1693–1695: [[Charles Philip of Brandenburg-Schwedt|Karl Philipp, Markgraf zu Brandenburg-Schwedt]]
* 1696–1731: [[Margrave Albert Frederick of Brandenburg-Schwedt|Albrecht Friedrich]], [[Prince|Prinz]] in Preußen, Markgraf zu Brandenburg-Schwedt
* 1731–1762: [[Charles Frederick Albert, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt|Karl, Prinz in Preußen, Markgraf zu Brandenburg-Schwedt]]
* 1762–1812: [[Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia|August Ferdinand, Prinz von Preußen]]
* 1853–1883: [[Prince Charles of Prussia|Friedrich Carl Alexander, Prinz von Preußen]]
* 1883–1906: [[Prince Albert of Prussia (1837–1906)|Albrecht, Prinz von Preußen]]
* 1907–1926: [[Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia|Eitel Friedrich, Prinz von Preußen]]
* 1927–1958: [[Prince Oskar of Prussia|Oskar, Prinz von Preußen]]
* 1958–1999: [[Prince Wilhelm-Karl of Prussia|Wilhelm Karl, Prinz von Preußen]]
* 1999–present: [[Prince Oskar of Prussia (b. 1959)|Oskar, Prinz von Preußen]]

== Notable members ==
=== Commanders ===
{{Div col|colwidth=15em|rules=|gap=4em}}
* [[Prince Albert of Prussia (1837–1906)]]
* [[Alexis, Prince of Bentheim and Steinfurt]]
* [[Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia (1828–1885)]]
* [[Otto von Bismarck]]
* [[Karl Eberhard Herwarth von Bittenfeld]]
* [[Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin]]
* [[Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin]]
* [[Prince Frederick of the Netherlands]]
* [[Hermann, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg]]
* [[Julius, Count of Lippe-Biesterfeld]]
* [[Helmuth von Maltzahn]]
* [[Otto Theodor von Manteuffel]]
* [[Helmuth von Moltke the Elder]]
* [[Emil von Schlitz]]
* [[Karl von Schlitz]]
* [[Wilhelm von Wedell-Piesdorf]]
* [[Otto Graf zu Stolberg-Wernigerode]]
* [[Remus von Woyrsch]]
* [[Friedrich Graf von Wrangel]]
{{Div col end}}

=== Knights of Justice ===
{{Div col|colwidth=15em|rules=|gap=4em}}
* [[Adolphus Frederick V, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]]
* [[Adolf von Bonin]]
* [[Bernhard von Bülow]]
* [[Bruno, Prince of Ysenburg and Büdingen]]
* [[Charles of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich]]
* [[Karl von Einem]]
* [[Ludwig von Falkenhausen]]
* [[Frederick Francis III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin]]
* [[Heinrich VII, Prince Reuss of Köstritz]]
* [[Heinrich von Gossler]]
* [[Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck]]
* [[Prince Henry of Prussia (1862–1929)]]
* [[Hermann, Prince of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich]]
* [[Theodor von Holleben]]
* [[Dietrich von Hülsen-Haeseler]]
* [[Georg von Kameke]]
* [[Adolf von Glümer]]
* [[Günther von Kirchbach]]
* [[Hugo von Kirchbach]]
* [[Alexander von Linsingen]]
* [[Moriz von Lyncker]]
* [[Georg von der Marwitz]]
* [[Ernst von Prittwitz und Gaffron]]
* [[Maximilian von Prittwitz]]
* [[Wichard von Alvensleben]]
* [[Ferdinand von Quast]]
* [[Gustav Waldemar von Rauch]]
* [[Albrecht von Roon]]
* [[Prince Albert of Saxe-Altenburg]]
* [[Gustav von Senden-Bibran]]
* [[Eberhard Graf von Schmettow]]
* [[Wilhelm von Tümpling]]
* [[Konstantin Bernhard von Voigts-Rhetz]]
* [[Karl von Wedel]]
* [[Alfred von Waldersee]]
* [[William, Prince of Wied]]
* [[Karl von Wrangel]]
* [[Duke Nicholas of Württemberg]]
* [[Duke William of Württemberg]]
* [[Ferdinand von Zeppelin]]
{{Div col end}}

=== Knights of Honour ===
{{Div col|colwidth=15em|rules=|gap=4em}}
* [[Vladimir Fyodorovich Adlerberg]]
* [[Duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg]]
* [[Alexander Frederick, Landgrave of Hesse]]
* [[Alexander of Battenberg]]
* [[Aleksandr Baryatinsky]]
* [[Friedrich Ferdinand von Beust]]
* [[Friedrich Wilhelm von Bismarck]]
* [[Julius von Bose]]
* [[Georg, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe]]
* [[Ludwig von Bogdandy]]
* [[Konrad von Burgsdorff]]
* [[Hans von Bülow (general)|Hans von Bülow]]
* [[Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]
* [[Prince Charles of Prussia]]
* [[Chlodwig, Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld]]
* [[Edward VII]]
* [[Emich, Prince of Leiningen]]
* [[Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg]]
* [[Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia]]
* [[Botho zu Eulenburg]]
* [[Friedrich, Prince of Wied]]
* [[Friedrich II, Duke of Anhalt]]
* [[Friedrich Wilhelm Leopold Konstantin Quirin Freiherr von Forcade de Biaix]]
* [[Ludwig von Gablenz]]
* [[Karl von der Gröben]]
* [[Heinrich LXVII, Prince Reuss Younger Line]]
* [[Miklós Horthy]]
* [[August von Kleist]]
* [[Ludwig Wilhelm, Prince of Bentheim and Steinfurt]]
* [[Edwin Freiherr von Manteuffel]]
* [[Christoph Johann von Medem]]
* [[Gustav Bogislav von Münchow]]
* [[Prince Oscar of Prussia (born 1959)]]
* [[Prince Oskar of Prussia]]
* [[Thorleif Paus]]
* [[Dubislav Friedrich von Platen]]
* [[Arthur von Posadowsky-Wehner]]
* [[Prince Wilhelm-Karl of Prussia]]
* [[Hermann, Fürst von Pückler-Muskau]]
* [[Philip Riedesel zu Camberg]]
* [[Alexander von Schleinitz]]
* [[Charles Gonthier, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen]]
* [[Ludwig Freiherr von und zu der Tann-Rathsamhausen]]
* [[Victor II, Duke of Ratibor]]
* [[August von Werder]]
* [[Wilhelm, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg]]
* [[William II of Württemberg]]
{{Div col end}}

=== Honorary Members ===
{{Div col|colwidth=15em|rules=|gap=4em}}
* [[Friedrich Sixt von Armin]]
* [[Frederick I, Duke of Anhalt]]
* [[George Albert, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt]]
{{Div col end}}

== See also ==
*[[Alliance of the Orders of Saint John of Jerusalem]], formed by the Bailiwick, its associated orders, and the Venerable Order of Saint John
*[[Johanniter International]], a network of charities affiliated with the Alliance Orders
*[[Sovereign Military Order of Malta]], based in Rome
*[[Venerable Order of Saint John]], based in London
*[[Philip Riedesel zu Camberg]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* Article on "Johanniterorden" in the German-language ''Wikipedia''.
* Clark, Robert M., Jr., ''The Evangelical Knights of Saint John:  A History of the Bailiwick of Brandenburg of the Knightly Order of St. John of the Hospital at Jerusalem, Known as the Johanniter Order''; Dallas, Texas: 2003.
* Freller, Thomas. ''The German Langue of the Order of Malta:  A Concise History''; Santa Venera, Malta:  Midsea Books Ltd., 2010.
* Herrlich, Carl Hugo. ''Die Balley Brandenburg des Johanniter-Ordens von ihrem Entstehen bis zur Gegenwart und in ihren jetzigen Einrichtungen''; Berlin: Carl Heymanns Verlag, 1904 (fourth edition).
*{{cite book |last=Hoegen Dijkhof |first=Hans J. |title=The Legitimacy of Orders of St. John: a historical and legal analysis and case study of a para-religious phenomenon |place=Leiden |series=Doctoral thesis |publisher=University of Leiden |year=2006 |ISBN=9065509542 }}
* De Pierredon, Michel. ''Histoire Politique de l'Ordre Souverain des Hospitaliers de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem dit de Malte, depuis la chute de Malte jusqu'a nos jours''; Paris, 1926.
* [[Guy Stair Sainty|Sainty, Guy Stair]]. ''The Orders of Saint John:  The History, Structure, Membership and Modern Role of the Five Hospitaller Orders of Saint John of Jerusalem''; New York: The American Society of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John in Jerusalem, 1991.
* Staehle, Ernst.  ''Geschichte der Johanniter und Malteser''; Gnas, Austria:  Weishaupt Verlag, 2002 (in four volumes).
* Storm, Robert. "A Brief History of the Bailiwick of Brandenburg of the Chivalric Order of St. John of the Hospital at Jerusalem", in Volume XXVIII, No. 1 (Easter, 2011), of ''Johanniter Herald'' (quarterly journal of the North American Subcommanderies of the ''Balley Brandenburg'').

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Johanniterorden}}
* [http://www.johanniterorden.de/ Official website of the Johanniterorden in Germany] {{in lang|de}}
* [http://www.johanniter.us/ Official website of the American subcommandery of the Johanniterorden] {{in lang|en}}
* [https://johanniter.org/ Johanniter International]

{{Alliance of the Orders of Saint John of Jerusalem}}
{{Orders and decorations of the Kingdom of Prussia}}
{{Orders of Imperial Germany}}

{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Order of Saint John (Bailiwick of Brandenburg)| ]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 1852]]
[[Category:1852 establishments in Prussia]]
[[Category:Frederick William IV of Prussia]]