Mergentheim

Mergentheim lies on the Tauber in Franconia and was long a residence of the Teutonic Order. First recorded in 1058, it gained a lasting connection to the order in 1219, when three brothers of the Hohenlohe family gave it property and rights here, establishing a commandery. Emperor Louis the Bavarian raised Mergentheim to the rank of a town in 1340 at the request of the order's German master.

From 1526 Mergentheim was the headquarters of the order and the seat of its grand master. Witch trials from 1539 to 1665 claimed many lives in the town. In 1809 Mergentheim passed to Württemberg, ending the order's rule. A revolt against recruitment for the new government broke out that June and was suppressed by Württemberg troops; its leaders were sentenced to death.