Bertold Brühaven

Bertold Brühaven (Latin: Bertoldus Bruhave), also known as Berthold von Brühaven or Berthold von
Bruehaven, was a Teutonic knight hailed from the then Duchy of Austria;[1] served in Prussia as the
Komtur of Balga in 1288–1289, the first Komtur of Ragnit[2] in 1289, then the Komtur of Königsberg in
from 1289 to 1302.[3]

Bertold Brühaven's military career is emphasized in two versions of The Chronicle of the Prussian Land by
Peter of Dusburg[4] and Nikolaus von Jeroschin.[5]

In 1291, as the Komtur of Königsberg, Bertold Brühaven organized and fulfilled a successful raid against
the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the region of Junigeda, which is described by Peter of Dusburg[6] and
Nikolaus von Jeroschin in their chronicles:

In the year of our Lord 1291 on the Day of our Lady known as Candlemas, Brother Bertold
Brühaven, that ever reliable warrior for God, took 1,500 brothers and armed men and set off
with them into Lithuania.... [H]e reached the area called Junigeda, which he attacked
ferociously, burning and looting it and also killing or taking prisoner approximately 700
heathen men and women.[7]

Later that year, at the head of 1,000 men he raided the same area again to storm the castle of the same
name. The storm was repulsed by the Lithuanians, and then Bertold Brühaven changed the direction of the
attack: his army stormed and captured the castle of Medraba. As Peter of Dusburg[8] and Nikolaus von
Jeroschin report,

[H]e ... went to the castle at Medraba ... and stormed it relentlessly until he captured it from the
control of the enemy, killing or taking prisoner everyone he found there. Having achieved this
he burned down the castle and returned home.[9]

In 1298, during a rivalry with the Archbishops of Riga for mastery in Livonia, Bertold Brühaven was sent
at the head of a large force to assist the Livonian branch of the Order. As Peter of Dusburg[10] and
Nikolaus von Jeroschin report,

Grand Master Gottfried von Hohenlohe ... heard what difficulties the arrogant Rigans were
inflicting on the brothers, he sent Brühaven with a big force of brothers and armed men to
Livonia to help and protect the brothers.... When Brühaven had arrived from Prussia with his
army he joined all the Livonians with their arms and together they turned against the people,
besieging Neuermühlen on the feast day of the Apostles St Peter and St Paul and beginning a
ferocious battle which saved Neuermühlen from further harm and created many widows in the
town of Riga.... [T]he brothers hacked at and killed ... more than 4,000 besides those who
barely escaped with serious wounds.[11]
Being the Komtur of Königsberg, Bertold Brühaven was wondering if he could to keep the vow of Clerical
celibacy he took when he joined the Order. Hence, he decided to test himself. As the abovementioned
chronicles both by Peter of Dusburg[12] and Nikolaus von Jeroschin go,

After long consideration, he decided that poverty and obedience were tolerable, but chastity
terrified him, because no-one can ever live chastely unless God makes it possible. He decided
to find out in advance whether he would be capable of withstanding this way of life; he tried
an amazing experiment with temptation. He chose a gentle, well brought-up young girl, whose
beauty was unequalled in that region, and he lay naked in bed with her virtually every night.
This went on for a full year and yet, as the girl later swore on oath, and as was proved by the
physical signs of her virginity, he had not deflowered her or ever treated her immodestly, but
had left her as he found her. These events are wonderful and miraculous. God gave Samson
great strength, King David holiness, Solomon wisdom, but that was not enough to save them
in their day: they were defeated by feminine wiles which made them do evil and laid them low.
This brother, however, freely sought out the company of a woman and yet abstained from
sinful contact with her. For this reason, if I dared, I would say that he was holier than David,
much stronger than Samson and much wiser than Solomon in his conduct and worthy of great
praise.[13]

See also
Prussian Crusade
Löbenicht

Notes
1. The Chronicle of Prussia (https://books.google.kz/books?id=GREWu1KjJJAC&pg=PA215&
dq=chronicle+nicolaus+jeroschin+valiant+Austrian+Bertold&hl=ru&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjig
O6JtcXqAhVOUZoKHcpRBMkQ6AEwAHoECAMQAg#v=onepage&q=chronicle%20nicola
us%20jeroschin%20valiant%20Austrian%20Bertold&f=false) by Nicolaus von Jeroschin,
Lines 18,968–19,017; III, 235
2. The Chronicle of Prussia (https://books.google.kz/books?id=GREWu1KjJJAC&pg=PA215&
dq=chronicle+nicolaus+jeroschin+Bertold+its+commander&hl=ru&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiM
saSxtsXqAhXn-ioKHVmHDo8Q6AEwAHoECAEQAg#v=onepage&q=chronicle%20nicolau
s%20jeroschin%20Bertold%20its%20commander&f=false) by Nicolaus von Jeroschin,
Lines 18,968–19,017; III, 235
3. The Chronicle of Prussia (https://books.google.kz/books?id=GREWu1KjJJAC&pg=PA216&
dq=chronicle+nicolaus+jeroschin++Bertold+commander+K%C3%B6nigsberg&hl=ru&sa=X
&ved=2ahUKEwjiu6LmtsXqAhWMuIsKHWZEDZkQ6AEwAHoECAMQAg#v=onepage&q=c
hronicle%20nicolaus%20jeroschin%20%20Bertold%20commander%20K%C3%B6nigsberg
&f=false) by Nicolaus von Jeroschin, Lines 19,018–103; III, 236
4. Chronicon terrae Prussiae by Peter of Dusburg
5. The Chronicle of Prussia (https://books.google.kz/books/about/The_Chronicle_of_Prussia.ht
ml?id=xzgFqIB1wkMC&redir_esc=y) by Nikolaus von Jeroschin
6. Chronicon terrae Prussiae (http://www.vostlit.info/Texts/rus6/Dusburg/frametext33.htm) by
Peter of Dusburg, III, 243 (in Russian)
 7. The Chronicle of Prussia (https://books.google.kz/books?id=xzgFqIB1wkMC&pg=PA220&d
q=chronicle+nicolaus+jeroschin+Bertold+area+called+junigeda&hl=ru&sa=X&ved=2ahUK
EwiN0PaxucXqAhVK-yoKHSTpB8MQ6AEwAHoECAAQAg#v=onepage&q=chronicle%20n
icolaus%20jeroschin%20Bertold%20area%20called%20junigeda&f=false) by Nikolaus von
Jeroschin, Lines 19,494–519; III, 243
8. Chronicon terrae Prussiae (http://www.vostlit.info/Texts/rus6/Dusburg/frametext33.htm) by
Peter of Dusburg, III, 244 (in Russian)
9. The Chronicle of Prussia (https://books.google.kz/books?id=xzgFqIB1wkMC&pg=PA220&lp
g=PA220&dq=chronicle+nicolaus+jeroschin+medraba&source=bl&ots=mLlQMUUULY&sig
=ACfU3U1E7XZvGanP1wTmk5TofAPtuD1A3A&hl=ru&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiA1_3UvMXq
AhVlpIsKHU1eCuQQ6AEwAXoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=chronicle%20nicolaus%20jeros
chin%20medraba&f=false) by Nikolaus von Jeroschin, Lines 19,520–45; III, 244
10. Chronicon terrae Prussiae (http://www.vostlit.info/Texts/rus6/Dusburg/frametext33.htm) by
Peter of Dusburg, III, 269 (in Russian)
11. The Chronicle of Prussia (https://books.google.kz/books?id=ZfTOCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA234&l
pg=PA234&dq=chronicle+nicolaus+jeroschin+sent+Br%C3%BChaven+big+force&source=
bl&ots=MjMsSPPbp6&sig=ACfU3U24QPuBVDI_WGaQhuLZSRUJBRyMkg&hl=ru&sa=X&
ved=2ahUKEwj_t4yZwMXqAhUP0qYKHdWRCPQQ6AEwAHoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q=
chronicle%20nicolaus%20jeroschin%20sent%20Br%C3%BChaven%20big%20force&f=fals
e) by Nikolaus von Jeroschin, Lines 20,914–21,059; III, 269
12. Chronicon terrae Prussiae (http://www.vostlit.info/Texts/rus6/Dusburg/frametext33.htm) by
Peter of Dusburg, III, 236 (in Russian)
13. The Chronicle of Prussia (https://books.google.kz/books?id=GREWu1KjJJAC&pg=PA216&l
pg=PA216&dq=chronicle+nicolaus+jeroschin+chose+gentle+well+brought-up+young+girl&
source=bl&ots=wF97I1otRg&sig=ACfU3U32UMkgGVkHzJm2y5phv00lAMl-WA&hl=ru&sa=
X&ved=2ahUKEwinj92FxMXqAhVryaYKHTTGCfUQ6AEwAXoECAsQAQ#v=onepage&q=c
hronicle%20nicolaus%20jeroschin%20chose%20gentle%20well%20brought-up%20youn
g%20girl&f=false) by Nikolaus von Jeroschin, Lines 19,018–103; III, 236

External links
A History of the Teutonic Knights in Prussia 1190-1331: The Kronike Von Pruzinlant (https://
books.google.kz/books/about/The_Chronicle_of_Prussia.html?id=xzgFqIB1wkMC&redir_es
c=y) by Nikolaus von Jeroschin (in English)
The Chronicle of Prussia (https://books.google.kz/books?id=GREWu1KjJJAC&pg=PA199&l
pg=PA199&dq=chronicle+of+prussia+by+nicolaus+von+jeroschin+brother+ludwig+was+fro
m+a+branch+of+a+noble&source=bl&ots=wF95HZtpPi&sig=ACfU3U2T0ztprfjx_iTcoXAqz-Ii
x1wyuw&hl=ru&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjVwZv_sIfqAhWz6KYKHfBLDCYQ6AEwAHoECAkQ
AQ#v=onepage&q=chronicle%20of%20prussia%20by%20nicolaus%20von%20jeroschin%
20brother%20ludwig%20was%20from%20a%20branch%20of%20a%20noble&f=false) by
Nikolaus von Jeroschin (in English)
Chronicon terrae Prussiae (http://www.vostlit.info/Texts/rus6/Dusburg/frametext32.htm) by
Peter of Dusburg (in Russian)
Chronicon terrae Prussiae (http://www.vostlit.info/Texts/rus6/Dusburg/frametext33.htm) by
Peter of Dusburg (in Russian)

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