Ridders van het Duitse Kruis, 1180 1781 - 1783

"Ridders van het Duitse Kruis, 1180", or "Knights of the German Cross, 1180," is a pen and ink drawing created by Jacobus Buys. Buys lived through a period of significant social and political change and revolution, from the Dutch Golden Age into the Batavian Republic. This artwork depicts a knighting ceremony set in 1180. The Knights of the German Cross, or Teutonic Order, were a Catholic religious order with a strong military presence. These knights were central figures in the Crusades, often associated with brutality and violence in the name of religious and territorial expansion. Buys was likely commissioned to produce this drawing. It is an idealized and romantic vision of medieval knighthood, and perpetuates a narrative which overlooks the violence perpetrated by the Teutonic Order. Instead, it focuses on notions of chivalry and religious duty. The artist is less concerned with historical accuracy and more interested in constructing a heroic vision of the past.