Johann von Posilge was a parish priest of Deutsch Eylau (Iława) and later assistant to Bishop of Pomesania. He is better known as the author of Chronik des Landes Preussen, a chronicle detailing events in Prussia

Prussia (region)

Prussia is a historical region in Central Europe extending from the south-eastern coast of the Baltic Sea to the Masurian Lake District. It is now divided between Poland, Russia, and Lithuania...

 from around 1360. It is one of the most important sources on the history of the Teutonic Knights

Teutonic Knights

The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...

 for the period. After his death, the chronicle was translated from Latin to German continued to 1420. Posilge was not a German, but a native Prussian

Old Prussians

The Old Prussians or Baltic Prussians were an ethnic group, autochthonous Baltic tribes that inhabited Prussia, the lands of the southeastern Baltic Sea in the area around the Vistula and Curonian Lagoons...

, born in the village of Posilge (Żuławka Sztumska), east of Marienburg (Malbork

Malbork

Malbork is a town in northern Poland in the Żuławy region , with 38,478 inhabitants . Situated in the Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999, it was previously assigned to Elbląg Voivodeship...

). As such, he was more critical of the Knights and deviated from traditional overly panegyric

Panegyric

A panegyric is a formal public speech, or written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing, a generally highly studied and discriminating eulogy, not expected to be critical. It is derived from the Greek πανηγυρικός meaning "a speech fit for a general assembly"...

chronicles of the time.