The German Order of Knights was founded in 1191 during the Crusades. Its goal was to defend Christianity and protect pilgrims visiting the biblical sites in the Holy Land. Predominantly wealthy German nobles joined this order. The first master of the order was Heinrich Walpot von Bassenheim. The members of the order were required to adhere to the rules of the order's book, which committed them to vows of obedience, poverty, and chastity. The order's garment, which the knights received, was a white cloak with a black cross. Conquests by the German Order of Knights occurred not only in the Holy Land but also in Poland and Prussia. This is a revised reprint of the original edition from 1850.