The Teutonic cross is the emblem of the Teutonic Order, a medieval religious and military order founded around 1190, during the Third Crusade. It is a black cross on a white field. Its design later influenced the German Iron Cross, which is why the two are often linked.
Who the Teutonic Knights were
The Order was dedicated to St Mary, and its full name reflects that. Its members cared for the sick as well as fighting. Over the following centuries, the Order built a state in Prussia and the Baltic region. In the 1520s, the Order’s Prussian state was secularised.
The Teutonic Order did not disappear. It continues today as a Catholic religious order with charitable work, and it is headquartered in Vienna. The medieval order and the modern one are linked by name and tradition, though the modern order is not a military force.
What the black cross stood for
The Teutonic cross is a Christian cross, so its meanings come from Christian faith. Sources attach symbolism to the black cross, such as Christ’s suffering and death, and the white field is often read as purity or hope. These are the traditions that the Order and commentators have attached to the symbol. They are not a fixed doctrine, so present them as interpretations rather than settled fact.
From the Order to the Iron Cross
On 10 March 1813, King Frederick William III of Prussia created the Iron Cross to honour service in the Wars of Liberation against Napoleon. Its design is a black cross with white edging, and it is commonly said to echo the Teutonic cross. The design is usually credited to the architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel.
The Iron Cross’s arms flare toward the ends, so it is not an exact copy of the Teutonic cross. The two are close in form, and the link is widely cited. The Iron Cross was used in several German series, including those of 1870, 1914 and 1939. For the 1939 crosses, see how to identify a real WWII Iron Cross, and for the higher grades, see the Knight’s Cross and War Merit Cross.
Not the same as the Templar cross
The Knights Templar, a separate medieval order, used a red cross. The Teutonic cross is black. Listings and forum posts sometimes mix the two, so check the colour and the order before you name a cross.
Reading the symbol in context
Black crosses and Iron Cross-derived designs appear in military history, heraldry, collecting and modern contexts. Some extremist groups have adopted Iron Cross-derived designs, so context matters when you see one. The 1939 Iron Cross carries a swastika, and the legal restrictions on Nazi-era symbols apply to it. The WWII German military badges guide explains those rules in more detail.