Grand Masters of Teutonic Order

Throughout its history, the Grand Masters of the Teutonic Order were pivotal in establishing the order's influence in the Baltic region and beyond. They not only led military expeditions but also negotiated treaties and alliances with local rulers, thus shaping the political landscape of medieval Europe.

The Grand Masters were also responsible for the internal governance of the order, ensuring adherence to its rules and the spiritual well-being of its members. Their leadership legacy is marked by both military conquests and the establishment of significant cultural and architectural monuments in the territories they governed.

Members of the Grand Masters of Teutonic Order lineage

• Heinrich Walpot von Bassenheim, 1st Grand Master (?–1200) — First Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, founded in 1190 during the siege of Acre as a field hospital for German crusaders.
• Otto von Kerpen, 2nd Grand Master (?–1208) — Expanded the order's presence in the Holy Land and established early commanderies in the German lands.
• Hermann Bart, 3rd Grand Master (?–1210) — Brief tenure consolidating the order's growing network of hospitals and fortifications.
• Hermann von Salza, 4th Grand Master (?–1239) — Greatest Grand Master. Trusted advisor to Emperor Frederick II and Pope. Secured the Golden Bull of Rimini (1226) granting the order sovereignty over Prussia. Transformed the Teutonic Knights into a major European power.
• Konrad von Thüringen, 5th Grand Master (?–1240) — Landgrave of Thuringia who continued the Prussian Crusade and expansion into the Baltic.
• Gerhard von Malberg, 6th Grand Master (?–1244) — Resigned after internal disputes over the direction of the order's crusading efforts.
• Heinrich von Hohenlohe, 7th Grand Master (?–1249) — Continued the brutal conquest of Prussia, establishing fortified towns and converting pagan Prussians.
• Gunther von Wüllersleben, 8th Grand Master (?–1252) — Managed the order during the great Prussian uprising of 1242–1249 against Teutonic rule.
• Poppo von Osterna, 9th Grand Master (?–1256) — Oversaw the continued pacification and colonization of Prussia.
• Anno von Sangerhausen, 10th Grand Master (?–1273) — Led the order during the second great Prussian rebellion (1260–1274) which nearly destroyed the Ordensstaat.
• Hartmann von Heldrungen, 11th Grand Master (?–1282) — Finally crushed the Prussian rebellions and consolidated the order's monastic state.
• Burchard von Schwanden, 12th Grand Master (?–1290) — Resigned to join the Hospitallers; witnessed the fall of Acre in 1291.
• Konrad von Feuchtwangen, 13th Grand Master (?–1296) — Moved the order's headquarters from Venice to Prussia, establishing Marienburg (Malbork) as the capital.
• Gottfried von Hohenlohe, 14th Grand Master (?–1309) — Completed the transfer of power to Prussia and the construction of the magnificent Marienburg Castle.
• Siegfried von Feuchtwangen, 15th Grand Master (?–1311) — Officially established Marienburg as the Grand Master's seat — it became the largest brick castle in the world.
• Karl von Trier, 16th Grand Master (?–1324) — Expanded the Ordensstaat and began campaigns against pagan Lithuania.
• Werner von Orseln, 17th Grand Master (?–1330) — Assassinated by a disgruntled knight. Signed the Treaty of Kalisz with Poland.
• Luther von Braunschweig, 18th Grand Master (?–1335) — Patron of arts and learning; commissioned the first German-language chronicle of the order.
• Dietrich von Altenburg, 19th Grand Master (?–1341) — Led major campaigns (Reisen) against Lithuania, attracting crusading knights from across Europe.
• Ludolf König von Wattzau, 20th Grand Master (?–1345) — Continued the Lithuanian crusades during the order's golden age of military power.
• Heinrich Dusemer von Arfberg, 21st Grand Master (?–1353) — Won the great Battle of Straube against Lithuania in 1348 but resigned due to illness.
• Winrich von Kniprode, 22nd Grand Master (?–1382) — Led the order during its absolute zenith of power and prosperity. The Ordensstaat became one of Europe's wealthiest and most efficiently governed territories.
• Konrad Zöllner von Rotenstein, 23rd Grand Master (?–1390) — Faced the growing threat of a united Poland-Lithuania after the marriage of Jogaila and Jadwiga in 1386.
• Konrad von Wallenrode, 24th Grand Master (?–1393) — Launched the last major crusading campaigns against the now-Christian Lithuania, losing moral justification.
• Konrad von Jungingen, 25th Grand Master (?–1407) — Aggressive Grand Master who provoked conflict with Poland-Lithuania, setting the stage for disaster.
• Ulrich von Jungingen, 26th Grand Master (?–1410) — Killed at the catastrophic Battle of Grunwald (Tannenberg) in 1410 — the worst defeat in the order's history. The Ordensstaat never recovered.
• Heinrich von Plauen, 27th Grand Master (?–1429) — Saved Marienburg from capture after Grunwald through a heroic defense, but was later deposed by internal rivals.
• Michael Küchmeister von Sternberg, 28th Grand Master (?–1422) — Managed the order's decline after Grunwald and the punishing Treaty of Thorn (1411).
• Paul von Rusdorf, 29th Grand Master (?–1441) — Faced growing internal rebellion from Prussian towns and nobility against the order's authoritarian rule.
• Konrad von Erlichshausen, 30th Grand Master (?–1449) — Attempted to reform the order and placate the discontented Prussian estates.
• Ludwig von Erlichshausen, 31st Grand Master (?–1467) — Lost the Thirteen Years' War (1454–1466) against Poland. The Second Treaty of Thorn stripped the order of western Prussia and made it a Polish vassal.
• Heinrich Reffle von Richtenberg, 32nd Grand Master (?–1477) — Governed the diminished Ordensstaat as a vassal of the Polish Crown from Königsberg.
• Martin Truchseß von Wetzhausen, 33rd Grand Master (?–1489) — Continued the order's decline as a vassal state in eastern Prussia.
• Johann von Tiefen, 34th Grand Master (?–1497) — Last Grand Master to attempt military campaigns, dying during a failed expedition against the Ottomans.
• Friedrich von Sachsen, 35th Grand Master (1473–1510) — Saxon prince who tried to use his family connections to restore the order's independence from Poland.
• Albrecht von Brandenburg-Ansbach, 36th Grand Master (1490–1568) — Last Grand Master in Prussia. Converted to Lutheranism in 1525 and secularized the Ordensstaat, transforming it into the Duchy of Prussia — ending 300 years of Teutonic rule.
• Walter von Cronberg, 37th Grand Master (1477–1543) — First Grand Master of the reorganized order based in Mergentheim, Germany, after the loss of Prussia. The order continued as a Catholic institution in the Holy Roman Empire.