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The Pomeranian noble gender of Grueningen (Groeningen)

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Count| Werner of Grueningen

The Pomeranian noble gender of Grueningen

This in former times existing noble gender is said to come from Livonia.

Dietrich of Grueningen (* about 1210, †03.09.1259?) stems from a Thuringian ministeriales gender of the Ludowinger, which called themselves after the town Grueningen close to Weissensee (Greussen).

Weighed down with sorrow from the sins of their youth, the three fellows langrave Konrad of Thuringia and count of Gudensberg respectively (* about 1206, †24.07.1240 in Rome), Hartmann of Heldrungen (†19.08.1282), and Dietrich of Grueningen marched to the church of the holy Nikolaus in Gladbach, Hesse. The priest who shrived them recommended the three fellows to join the Teutonic Knights (Teutonic Order) in order to santify themselves from the sins of their youth. Thereafter, on 18. November 1234, Konrad of Thuringia was accepted as a member of the Teutonic Order in Marburg together with two clerics and nine aristocrats - amongst them his two fellows Dietrich of Grueningen and Hartmann of Heldrungen.

The Teutonic Order was founded in 1190 during the third crusade (from 1189 to 1192 to reconquer the Holy Land and Jerusalem from Saladin, which however failed) as a nursing order with field hospitals, and was converted in March 1198 into a religious and military knight order. The Teutonic Order had its headquater in Akkon, a seaport in the Holy Land (in the north today's Israel). Amongst the military oders of the Knights Templar, the Order of St. John and the Knights Hospitaller respectively, the Teutonic Order was the third biggest military order which was founded during the medieval crusades and it was considerably involved to the medieval German eastward expansion.

The in former times acting Grand Master Hermann of Salza wanted already in 1237 that Dietrich of Grueningen becomes Landmeister ("land master") of Livonia. However, he refrained finally from nominating Dietrich due to his juvenile age (27 years). Dietrich of Grueningen is documented for the first time Landmeister if Livonia on 19 September 1239. Later, the anti-Staufer diplomat of the Teutonic Order appears frequently as Landmeister of Livonia and Prussia, and in personal union as temporary Grand Master. From 1238 to 1251 he was Landmeister of Livonia, but was frequently absent from the country. From 1246 to 1259 he appears as a Landmaster of Prussia, officiated in 1245 as deputy of the Grand Master, and presided over the Balleien as Geman Master from 1254 to 1256.

Peter Groening, mayor of Stargard, is repeatedly attributed to this gender by several foundations. Mainly by the in 1631 established foundation 'Collegium Groeningianum'.