The Victual Brothers, Vitalien Brothers or Vitalian Brethren (, ) were a loosely organized guild of 14th century Germanic privateers that initially included Mecklenburg nobility, but that later became more thoroughly the efforts of commoners, and turned to outright piracy. The guild had a clear historical effect in that era on maritime trade in the North and Baltic Seas. As privateers, they provisioned blockaded locations and otherwise served as a naval contingent on behalf of regional rulers, with clients that included the Queen of Denmark, and rulers of Mecklenburg and East Frisia. As their activities turned to piracy, the aims devolved to personal enrichment. The pledge of their adopted base of Gotland to the Teutonic Order by King Albert of Sweden led to that island's invasion and the destruction of Visby by Konrad von Jungingen and the Order in 1398; this disruption, the executions of some of their band in Hamburg, and the Hanseatic League's continuing effort to control and make safe trade on the Baltic Sea led to changing maritime influences and a decline of the band. The Victual Brothers band either were also sometimes known or possibly became a somewhat distinct group otherwise known as the Likedeelers. Klaus Störtebeker was identified with both, as a subordinate in the Victual Brothers and as one in command in the Likedeelers. Background The Victual or Vitalien Brothers, names drawn from the German Vitalienbrüder and associated with the Norse vitaliebrødrene, were a loosely organized guild of privateers, later turning to piracy, who affected maritime trade during the 14th century in the North and Baltic Seas. The name Victual Brothers is derived indirectly from the Latin word for provisions, victualia, and makes reference to their first mission, which was to supply the besieged city of Stockholm. More directly and specifically, as Dirk Meier explains in his Seefahrer, Händler und Piraten im Mittelalter (Seafarers, Merchants and Pirates in the Middle Ages):During the Hundred Years' war [1337-1453], the people who provisioned the army were called vitailleurs. In 1394, when Mecklenburg was at war with Denmark, the Dukes of Mecklenburg hired pirates (known as Vitalienbrüder) whose job was to maintain a supply of food for the city of Stockholm, under siege by the Danes. As privateers, they served as a naval contingent on behalf of various regional rulers, work that included provisioning blockaded locations, with clients that included the Queen of Denmark, and rulers of Mecklenburg