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 em ...

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 on ...

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 Malbork; ; * la, Mariaeburgum, ''Mariae castrum'', ''Marianopolis'', ''Civitas Beatae Virginis'' * Kashubian: ''Malbórg'' * Old Prussian: ''Algemin'' is a town in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland. It is the seat of Malbork County and has a ...

). As such, he was more critical of the Knights and deviated from traditional overly

panegyric A panegyric ( or ) is a formal public speech or written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing. The original panegyrics were speeches delivered at public events in ancient Athens. Etymology The word originated as a compound of grc, ...

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