Talk:Hermann Balk

First Landmeister?
This is a good article, that I will be glad to give B-rating (Military History project) if you can answer a question or two. 1. Balk is described as 'the first Landmeister.' Compare this with the German Wikipedia article, where he is described as the first Landmeister in Prussia. Is the regional qualification necessary? 2. He is stated to be the successor to Volkwin (succession box at the bottom of the German article) as Livonian Landmeister. Is that important? As I understand it, Volkwin was a Sword-Brother, not a Teutonic knight, but the succession may be appropriate because of the integration of the two orders. (This is properly a question for the German article, but my German isn't good enough. It does, however, prompt me to suggest that you put such a succession box in the English article.) PKKloeppel (talk) 13:10, 8 June 2008 (UTC)


 * As far as I can tell, Balk was the first Landmeister in both Prussia and Livonia; DE-WP gives 1229-1239 for the former and 1237-1238 for the latter, but WP articles are not definitive. Balk succeeded Volkwin as leader of the Livonian knights, but their actual titles were different. DE-WP seems to be generalizing (see de:Liste der Landmeister von Livland). Olessi (talk) 16:32, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Thank you. I see no reason to deny B-class rating. PKKloeppel (talk) 01:23, 10 June 2008 (UTC)