Johann von Posilge (c. 1340 – 1405) was a parish priest of Deutsch Eylau (
Iława
Iława (; german: Deutsch Eylau ) is a town in northern Poland with 32,276 inhabitants (2010). It is situated in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship (since 1999); previously it was in Olsztyn Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is the capital of Iława C ...
) and later assistant to
Bishop of Pomesania
The Bishopric of Pomesania (german: Bistum Pomesanien; pl, Diecezja pomezańska) was a Catholic diocese in the Prussian regions of Pomesania and Pogesania, in modern northern Poland until the 16th century, then shortly a Lutheran diocese, and b ...
.
[ He is better known as the author of ''Chronik des Landes Preussen'', a chronicle detailing events in ]Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...
from around 1360. It is one of the most important sources on the history 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 ...
for the period. After his death, the chronicle was translated from Latin to German continued to 1420.[ Posilge was not a German, but a native ]Prussian
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...
, born in the village of Posilge (Żuławka Sztumska
Żuławka Sztumska is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dzierzgoń, within Sztum County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It lies approximately north-west of Dzierzgoń, north-east of Sztum
Sztum () (; formerly ge ...
), east of Marienburg ( Malbork). As such, he was more critical of the Knights and deviated from traditional overly panegyric chronicles of the time.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Posilge, Johann von
1340s births
1405 deaths
Lithuanian chronicles
German chronicles
People from the State of the Teutonic Order
Old Prussian people