The Northern Crusades are often overshadowed by the campaigns in the Holy Land, yet their long-term impact on Europe was immense. Beginning in the late 12th century, papal bulls granted crusader status—and indulgences—to those fighting pagans in Prussia, Livonia, and Estonia. The Livonian Brothers of the Sword and, later, the Teutonic Order combined missionary work with conquest, building brick fortresses like Marienburg and launching annual “reisen” that devastated local communities. These wars