Henning Schindekop (also Schindekopf) (ca. 1330 – 17 February 1370) was a high-ranking official of the

Teutonic Knights The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians o ...

. A native of

Westphalia Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the regio ...

in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

, Schindekop was mentioned as a Teutonic brother in

Königsberg Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was name ...

in 1348. Two years later he was documented as the

Komtur Commander ( it, Commendatore; french: Commandeur; german: Komtur; es, Comendador; pt, Comendador), or Knight Commander, is a title of honor prevalent in chivalric orders and fraternal orders. The title of Commander occurred in the medieval mili ...

of Ragnit (Neman) and participated in campaigns against

Samogitia Samogitia or Žemaitija ( Samogitian: ''Žemaitėjė''; see below for alternative and historical names) is one of the five cultural regions of Lithuania and formerly one of the two core administrative divisions of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

and the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Lit ...

. Schindekop was appointed Komtur of

Balga Balga (russian: замок Бальга; german: Burg Balga; lt, Balga; pl, Balga) was a medieval castle of the Teutonic Knights in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. The castle ruins are located on the shore of the Vistula Lagoon, north of Mamonovo ...

in 1354, a position which allowed him to grant town rights to Rastenburg (Kętrzyn) in 1357. Grand Master

Winrich von Kniprode Winrich von Kniprode was the 22nd Grand Master of the Teutonic Order. He was the longest serving Grand Master, holding the position for 31 years (1351–1382). Winrich von Kniprode was born in 1310 in Monheim am Rhein near Cologne. He served a ...

promoted Schindekop to the positions of Ordensmarschall and Komtur of Königsberg in 1359 or 1360. Schindekop died from a spear-wound during the

Battle of Rudau The Battle of Rudau (german: Schlacht bei Rudau, lt, Rūdavos mūšis) was a medieval pitched battle fought between the Teutonic Knights and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania on 17 or 18 February 1370 near Rudau village, north of Königsberg (now Me ...

in 1370;

Hans von Sagan Hans von Sagan was a heroic figure from East Prussian folklore. Hans was said to be a journeyman shoemaker from the Königsberg town of Kneiphof. At a crucial point during the 1370 Battle of Rudau between the Teutonic Knights and the Grand Duchy ...

allegedly rallied the Teutonic forces to victory after Schindekop fell in combat. A monument was built where he fell at Rudau to commemorate Schindekop.

Quednau Church Quednau Church Quednau Church (german: Quednauer Kirche) was a Protestant church in northern Königsberg, Germany. History The first church in Quednau was a Roman Catholic pilgrimage church for fishermen and sailors built in 1268. Measuring 25 ...

contained armor which allegedly belonged to him. The street Schindekop-Straße in the Königsberg districts of

Vorderhufen Vorderhufen was a quarter of northern Königsberg, Germany. Its territory is now part of the Tsentralny District of Kaliningrad, Russia. History Vorderhufen ("near Hufen") was originally a village in the eastern part of the Hufen region extendi ...

and

Tragheimsdorf Tragheimsdorf was a quarter of northern Königsberg, Germany. Its territory is now part of Kaliningrad, Russia. History Tragheimsdorf was originally a small village located north of Tragheim along the western shore of the Oberteich. It was incor ...

was named after the knight. The poet Agnes Miegel also wrote a ballad about him.

References

* 1330s births 1370 deaths 14th-century German military personnel Christians of the Prussian Crusade German military personnel killed in action People from the Duchy of Westphalia Teutonic Knights People from the State of the Teutonic Order {{Germany-mil-bio-stub