Everything about Grand Masters Of The Teutonic Knights totally explained
The
grand master (; ) is the holder of the supreme office of the
Teutonic Order. It is equivalent to the
grand master of other
military orders and the
superior general in non-military
Roman Catholic religious orders.
Hochmeister, literally "high master", is only used in reference to the Teutonic Order, as
Großmeister ("grand master") is used in German to refer to the leaders of other orders of knighthood.
An early version of the full title in
Latin was
Magister Hospitalis Sancte Marie Alemannorum Jerosolimitani. Since 1216, the full title
Magister Hospitalis Domus Sancte Marie Theutonicorum Jerosolimitani ("Master of the Hospital House of St. Mary of the Germans at Jerusalem") was used.
Compared to other medieval governments, transfer of power within the Teutonic Knights was run efficiently. Upon the death of a grand master, the vice master called a
capitulum of the leading officers of the order. The general chapter would select a twelve-person electoral college composed of seven knights, four sergeants, and one priest. Once a majority-candidate for grand master was chosen, the minority electors would concede to support unanimity. These elections usually provided a succeeding grand master within three months.
Candidates for the position of grand master had experience as senior administrators for the order and were usually chosen on merit, not lineage. This changed only after the order had entered a steady decline, with the selection of
Frederick of Saxony and
Albert of Brandenburg-Ansbach, members of the powerful
Wettin and
House of Hohenzollern dynasties.
When the Teutonic Knights were originally based in
Acre in
Outremer, the grand masters spent much of their time at the
papal and
imperial courts. The grand masters were most powerful after the order's 13th century conquest of
Prussia during the
Northern Crusades and the creation of the militarized
monastic state (
Ordenstaat), which lasted until 1525. After the order's capital moved from
Venice to
Marienburg in 1309, the grand master's power was at its height. He had ultimate control over Prussia, which gave him command over the Prussian commanders. When the
general chapter would met in
Elbing, he was able to use this influence to ratify administrative measures he proposed.
Grand Master Albert of Brandenburg-Ansbach converted to
Lutheranism and turned the Ordenstaat into the secular, Lutheran
Duchy of Prussia in 1525. The Teutonic Order retained its holdings in Germany and autonomous Livonia, however. Due to being limited to their possessions in other parts of Germany, which were led by the
Deutschmeister, the titles
Hochmeister and
Deutschmeister were combined during the reign of
Walter von Cronberg, who was appointed by Emperor
Charles V. This dual-title lasted until 1923. For centuries the "
Jägerregiment Wien" of the
Military of Austria was known as the "
Hoch- und Deutschmeister Regiment".
The Teutonic Order is still led by a grand master, although the organization is now a clerical Roman Catholic religious order.
List of Grand Masters of the Teutonic Order
Leaders of the early Brotherhood, 1190-1198
The Teutonic Order as a
hospice brotherhood in
Outremer:
Grand Masters of the Order, 1198-1525
The Teutonic Order as a spiritual
military order:
1198–1200 Heinrich Walpot von Bassenheim
1200–1208 Otto von Kerpen
1208–1209 Heinrich von Tunna
1209–1239 Hermann von Salza
1239–1240 Conrad of Thuringia
1240–1244 Gerhard von Malberg
1244–1249 Heinrich von Hohenlohe
1249–1252 Günther von Wüllersleben
1252–1256 Poppo von Osterna
1256–1273 Anno von Sangershausen
1273–1282 Hartmann von Heldrungen
1282 or 1283 –1290 Burchard von Schwanden
1290–1297 Konrad von Feuchtwangen
1297–1303 Gottfried von Hohenlohe
1303–1311 Siegfried von Feuchtwangen
1311–1324 Karl von Trier
1324–1330 Werner von Orseln
1331–1335 Luther von Braunschweig (Lothar)
1335–1341 Dietrich von Altenburg
1342–1345 Ludolf König
1345–1351 Heinrich Dusemer
1351–1382 Winrich von Kniprode
1382–1390 Conrad Zöllner von Rothenstein
1391–1393 Konrad von Wallenrode
1393–1407 Konrad von Jungingen
1407–1410 Ulrich von Jungingen
1410–1413 Heinrich von Plauen
1414–1422 Michael Küchmeister von Sternberg
1422–1441 Paul von Rusdorf
1441–1449 Konrad von Erlichshausen
1449 or 1450–1467 Ludwig von Erlichshausen
1467–1470 Heinrich Reuß von Plauen
1470–1477 Heinrich Reffle von Richtenberg
1477–1489 Martin Truchseß von Wetzhausen
1489–1497 Johann von Tiefen
1497–1510 Frederick of Saxony
1510–1525 Albert of Brandenburg-Ansbach (Albert of Prussia)
Hoch- und Deutschmeister, 1530-1929
1527–1543 Walter von Cronberg
1543–1566 Wolfgang Schutzbar
1566–1572 Georg Hundt von Weckheim
1572–1590 Heinrich von Bobenhausen
1590–1618 Maximilian of Austria Habsburg
1619–1624 Karl I of Austria
1625–1627 Johann Eustach von Westernach
1627–1641 Johann Kaspar von Stadion
1641–1662 Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria
1662–1664 Karl Josef of Austria
1664–1684 Johann Caspar von Ampringen
1685–1694 Ludwig Anton of Palatinate–Neuburg
1694–1732 Ludwig Franz of Palatinate–Neuburg
1732–1761 Clemens August of Bavaria
1761–1780 Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine
1780–1801 Archduke Maximilian Franz of Austria
1801–1804 Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen
1804–1835 Anton Viktor of Austria (office becomes hereditary to Imperial House of Austria)
1835–1863 Maximilian of Austria–Este
1863–1894 Wilhelm Franz Karl of Austria
1894–1923 Eugen Ferdinand Pius Bernhard of Austria (end of hereditary status)
1923–1933 Dr. Norbert Klein
1929 - present-day
Time of the Teutonic Order as a clerical Roman Catholic religious order
1923–1933 Dr. Norbert Klein
1933–1936 Paul Heider
1936–1948 Robert Schälzky
1948–1970 Dr. Marian Tumler
1970–1988 Ildefons Pauler
1988–2000 Dr. Arnold Othmar Wieland
2000–present Dr. Bruno PlatterFurther Information
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