Also called the Marian Cross, teutonic crossand in heraldry, the Potent cross.
Comprised of four Tau Crosses, this form of cross was assigned to the knight of the Teutonic (Germanic) Order, founded by Emperor Henry VI as a hospital order in 1191. By 1198, they became a religious military order of crusaders, first fighting in the Holy Land and later in Prussia and Lithuania. The order secured high status for themselves, but this ebbed in the 15th century.
