The Grand Master of the Teutonic Order (german: Hochmeister des Deutschen Ordens; la, Magister generalis Ordo Teutonicus) is the supreme head of the

Teutonic Order The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians on ...

. It is equivalent to the grand master of other military orders and the superior general in non-military

Roman Catholic religious order In the Catholic Church, a religious order is a community of consecrated life with members that profess solemn vows. They are classed as a type of religious institute. Subcategories of religious orders are: * canons regular (canons and canoness ...

s. ''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 Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

was ''Magister Hospitalis Sanctae Mariae Alemannorum Hierosolymitani''. Since 1216, the full title ''Magister Hospitalis Domus Sanctae Mariae Teutonicorum Hierosolymitani'' ("Master of the Hospital House of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Germans of Jerusalem") was used. The offices of ''Hochmeister'' and ''Deutschmeister'' (''Magister Germaniae'') were united in 1525. The title of ''Magister Germaniae'' had been introduced in 1219 as the head of the bailiwicks in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

, from 1381 also those in Italy, raised to the rank of a prince of the Holy Roman Empire in 1494, but merged with the office of grand master under Walter von Cronberg in 1525, from which time the head of the order had the title of ''Hoch- und Deutschmeister''. From 1466 to 1525, the Grand Masters of the Teutonic Order were vassals and princes of the

Polish Crown The Crown of the Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Korona Królestwa Polskiego; Latin: ''Corona Regni Poloniae''), known also as the Polish Crown, is the common name for the historic Late Middle Ages territorial possessions of the King of Poland, incl ...

Coat of arms

The coat of arms representing the grand master (''Deutschmeisterwappen'') is shown with a golden

cross fleury A cross fleury (or flory) is a cross adorned at the ends with flowers in heraldry. It generally contains the fleur-de-lis, trefoils, etc. Synonyms or minor variants include ''fleuretty'', ''fleuronny'', ''floriated'' and ''flourished''. In early ...

or cross potent superimposed on the black cross, with the imperial eagle as a central inescutcheon. The golden cross potent overlaid on the black cross becomes widely used by the 14th century, developing into a golden cross fleury by the 15th century. A legendary account attributes the introduction of the cross potent to

John of Brienne John of Brienne ( 1170 – 19–23 March 1237), also known as John I, was King of Jerusalem from 1210 to 1225 and Latin Emperor of Constantinople from 1229 to 1237. He was the youngest son of Erard II of Brienne, a wealthy nobleman in Champag ...

, King of Jerusalem, who granted the master of the order this cross as a variation of the

Jerusalem cross The Jerusalem cross (also known as "five-fold Cross", or "cross-and-crosslets") is a heraldic cross and Christian cross variant consisting of a large cross potent surrounded by four smaller Greek crosses, one in each quadrant. It was used as t ...

, while the

fleur-de-lis The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol. The fleur-de-lis has been used in the ...

was supposedly granted on 20 August 1250 by Louis IX of France. While this legendary account cannot be traced back further than the early modern period (Christoph Hartknoch, 1684) there is some evidence that the design does indeed date to the mid 13th century.

Before the Reformation

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 composed 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.Christiansen, 204 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 The House of Hohenzollern (, also , german: Haus Hohenzollern, , ro, Casa de Hohenzollern) is a German royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) dynasty whose members were variously princes, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern, Brandenbu ...

dynasties. When the Teutonic Knights were originally based in Acre in

Outremer The Crusader States, also known as Outremer, were four Catholic realms in the Middle East that lasted from 1098 to 1291. These feudal polities were created by the Latin Catholic leaders of the First Crusade through conquest and political in ...

, 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 Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...

during the

Northern Crusades The Northern Crusades or Baltic Crusades were Christian colonization and Christianization campaigns undertaken by Catholic Christian military orders and kingdoms, primarily against the pagan Baltic, Finnic and West Slavic peoples around th ...

and the creation of the militarized

State of the Teutonic Order The State of the Teutonic Order (german: Staat des Deutschen Ordens, ; la, Civitas Ordinis Theutonici; lt, Vokiečių ordino valstybė; pl, Państwo zakonu krzyżackiego), also called () or (), was a medieval Crusader state, located in Cent ...

, which lasted until 1525 (from 1466 to 1525 as part of the Kingdom of Poland as a

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form ...

).Górski, p. 96-97, 214-215 After the order's capital moved from

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

to Malbork (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 A chapter ( la, capitulum or ') is one of several bodies of clergy in Roman Catholic, Old Catholic, Anglican, and Nordic Lutheran churches or their gatherings. Name The name derives from the habit of convening monks or canons for the re ...

would meet in Elbląg (Elbing), he was able to use this influence to ratify administrative measures he proposed. The grand master also served as the castellan of Marienburg and was aided by the order's

treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury ...

. He was also a member of the Hanseatic League, allowing him to receive some of the league's custom dues. Excavations in the church of Kwidzyn (Marienwerder) performed in 2007 yielded the skeletal remains of three Grand Masters of the late medieval period,

Werner von Orseln Werner von Orseln (c. 1280 – 18 November 1330) was the 17th Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, serving from 1324 to 1330. Von Orseln hailed from a noble family of ''vogts'' (reeves) of the Counts of Falkenstein in Oberursel near Frankfurt. I ...

(1324–30), Ludolf König von Wattzau (1342–45) and

Heinrich von Plauen Heinrich von Plauen (the Elder) (ca. 1370–1429) was the 27th Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, serving from November 1410 to October 1413. Having becoming grandmaster in the wake of the Battle of Grunwald, he was a stern proponent of prol ...

(1410–13). The church had been known as the burial place of the

bishops of Pomesania The Bishopric of Pomesania (german: Bistum Pomesanien; pl, Diecezja pomezańska) was a Catholic diocese in the Prussian regions of Pomesania and Pogesania, in modern northern Poland until the 16th century, then shortly a Lutheran diocese, and be ...

, but the discovery of the grand masters' burials was unexpected. The bodies had been buried in gold-painted wooden coffins draped in silk robes. Since the 1466

Second Peace of Toruń The Peace of Thorn or Toruń of 1466, also known as the Second Peace of Thorn or Toruń ( pl, drugi pokój toruński; german: Zweiter Friede von Thorn), was a peace treaty signed in the Hanseatic city of Thorn (Toruń) on 19 October 1466 betwe ...

, the Grand Masters of the Teutonic Order were vassals of the Kingdom of Poland, and every Grand Master of the Teutonic Order was obliged to swear an oath of allegiance to the reigning Polish king within six months of taking office. The Grand Masters were also princes and counselors of the Polish kings and the Kingdom of Poland. The State of the Teutonic Order was a part of Poland as a

Leaders of the early Brotherhood, 1190–1198

The Teutonic Order as a hospice brotherhood in

Grand Masters of the Order, 1198–1525

Kolbe 1825 Siegfried von Feuchtwangen enters Malbork castle

The Teutonic Order as a spiritual military order had a total of 37 grand masters between 1198 and 1525. Several armorials of the 15th and early 16th century depict the coat of arms of the grand masters. These include the ''Chronica'' by Ulrich Richenthal, an armorial of St. Gallen kept in Nuremberg, an armorial of southwest Germany kept in

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...

and the Miltenberg armorial. Conspicuously absent from these lists are three grand masters, Gerhards von Malberg (1241–1244) and his successors Heinrich von Hohenlohe (1244–1249) and Gunther von Wüllersleben (1250–1252), so that pre-modern historiographical tradition has a list of 34 grand masters for the time before 1525 (as opposed to 37 in modern accounts). :1. 1198–sometime before 1208 Heinrich Walpot von Bassenheim :2. documented for 1208 Otto von Kerpen :3. 1208–1209 Heinrich von Tunna :4. 1209–1239 Hermann von Salza. As a friend and councillor of emperor Frederick II, Hermann achieved the recognition of the order as of equal status with the older military orders of the

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...

and the Knights Templar by

Pope Honorius III Pope Honorius III (c. 1150 – 18 March 1227), born Cencio Savelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 18 July 1216 to his death. A canon at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, he came to hold a number of impor ...

. In 1237, he also oversaw the incorporation of the

Livonian Brothers of the Sword The Livonian Brothers of the Sword ( la, Fratres militiæ Christi Livoniae, german: Schwertbrüderorden) was a Catholic military order established in 1202 during the Livonian Crusade by Albert, the third bishop of Riga (or possibly by Theoderi ...

into the Teutonic order. :5. 1239–1240 Konrad von Thüringen : (6.) 1240–1244

Gerhard von Malberg Gerhard von Malberg (born c. 1200, died after 1245) was the sixth Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, serving from c. 1241 to 1244. He was forced to resign from the office, and he does not appear in lists of the order's Grand Masters compiled in th ...

: (7.) 1244–1249

Heinrich von Hohenlohe Heinrich von Hohenlohe (died 15 July 1249) was the seventh Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, serving between 1244 and 1249. He was the son of one of the richest and most powerful feudal lords in Württemberg and had four brothers and one sist ...

: (8.) 1249–1252 :6. (9.) 1252–1256 Poppo von Osterna (the pretender Wilhelm von Urenbach (1253–1256) was chosen in opposition to Poppo von Osterna). :7. (10.) 1256–1273 Anno von Sangershausen :8. (11.) 1273–1282 Hartmann von Heldrungen :9. (12.) 1282 or 1283 –1290 Burchard von Schwanden :10. (13.) 1290–1297 Konrad von Feuchtwangen. After the

fall of Acre The siege of Acre (also called the fall of Acre) took place in 1291 and resulted in the Crusaders losing control of Acre to the Mamluks. It is considered one of the most important battles of the period. Although the crusading movement continue ...

, Konrad moved the Order's headquarters to

. :11. (14.) 1297–1303 Gottfried von Hohenlohe :12. (15.) 1303–1311

Siegfried von Feuchtwangen Siegfried von Feuchtwangen (died 1311) was the 15th Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, serving from 1303 to 1311. Von Feuchtwangen was born in Feuchtwangen in Middle Franconia, and was a relative of the earlier Grand Master Konrad von Feuc ...

, of the same family as his predecessor Konrad von Feuchtwangen. Siegfried moved the order's headquarters to Prussia in 1309. :13. (16.) 1311–1324

Karl von Trier Karl Bessart von Trier (1265 – February 11, 1324) was the 16th Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, serving from 1311 to 1324. Karl came from a family of patricians of Trier and strove for a refined education. He was the eldest son of Jak ...

:14. (17.) 1324–1330

:15. (18.) 1331–1335

Luther von Braunschweig Luther von Braunschweig (also known as Lothar of Brunswick; – 18 April 1335) was the 18th Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, serving from 1331 until his death. Life Luther was a younger son of the Welf duke Albert I of Brunswick-Lüne ...

(Lothar) :16. (19.) 1335–1341 Dietrich von Altenburg :17. (20.) 1342–1345 Ludolf König von Wattzau :18. (21.) 1345–1351 Heinrich Dusemer :19. (22.) 1351–1382 Winrich von Kniprode :20. (23.) 1382–1390 Konrad Zöllner von Rotenstein :21. (24.) 1391–1393 Konrad von Wallenrode :22. (25.) 1393–1407

Konrad von Jungingen Konrad V von Jungingen (c. 1355 – 30 March 1407) was a grand master of the Teutonic Order in 1393-1407. Under his administration the Teutonic Order would reach their greatest extent. Konrad von Jungingen came from the Swabian League. He join ...

:23. (26.) 1407–1410

Ulrich von Jungingen Ulrich von Jungingen (1360 – 15 July 1410) was the 26th Grand Masters of the Teutonic Knights, Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, serving from 1407 to 1410. His policy of confrontation with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Pol ...

:24. (27.) 1410–1413

:25. (28.) 1414–1422 Michael Küchmeister von Sternberg :26. (29.) 1422–1441 Paul von Rusdorf :27. (30.) 1441–1449 Konrad von Erlichshausen :28. (31.) 1449 or 1450–1467

Ludwig von Erlichshausen Ludwig von Erlichshausen (1410–1467) was the 31st Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, serving from 1449/1450 to 1467. As did his uncle and predecessor Konrad von Erlichshausen, Ludwig came from Ellrichshausen in Swabia, now part of Satteldo ...

's first year in office is given as 1449 on the Teutonic Order's German site and 1450 on the Austrian site. :29. (32.) 1467–1470

Heinrich Reuß von Plauen Heinrich Reuß von Plauen (died 2 January 1470) was the 32nd Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, serving from 1467 to 1470. He was the nephew of the previous Grand Master, Ludwig von Erlichshausen, and a distant relative to the 27th Grand Master, ...

:30. (33.) 1470–1477 Heinrich Reffle von Richtenberg :31. (34.) 1477–1489 Martin Truchseß von Wetzhausen :32. (35.) 1489–1497

Johann von Tiefen Johann von Tiefen (died 25 August 1497) was the 35th Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, serving from 1489 to 1497. Von Tiefen's date of birth is unknown, although it is believed he hailed from Switzerland. His beginnings in the Teutonic Order ...

:33. (36.) 1497–1510 Frederick, Duke of Saxony :34. (37.) 1510–1525 Albert of Brandenburg-Ansbach

After the Reformation

The last ''Hochmeister'', Albert of Brandenburg-Ansbach, converted to

Lutheranism Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

and, with the consent of his overlord and uncle, King

Sigismund I of Poland Sigismund I the Old ( pl, Zygmunt I Stary, lt, Žygimantas II Senasis; 1 January 1467 – 1 April 1548) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1506 until his death in 1548. Sigismund I was a member of the Jagiellonian dynasty, the ...

, turned the State of the Teutonic Order into the secular

Duchy of Prussia The Duchy of Prussia (german: Herzogtum Preußen, pl, Księstwo Pruskie, lt, Prūsijos kunigaikštystė) or Ducal Prussia (german: Herzogliches Preußen, link=no; pl, Prusy Książęce, link=no) was a duchy in the region of Prussia establish ...

per the

Treaty of Kraków The Treaty of Kraków was signed on 8 April 1525 between the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights. It officially ended the Polish–Teutonic War.John Freely Celestial Revolutionary: Copernicus, the Man and His Universe ...

, which was sealed by the

Prussian Homage The Prussian Homage or Prussian Tribute (german: Preußische Huldigung; pl, hołd pruski) was the formal investment of Albert of Prussia as duke of the Polish fief of Ducal Prussia. In the aftermath of the armistice ending the Polish-Teuton ...

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

in 1525. The commanderies in the autonomous Livonian

Terra Mariana Terra Mariana (Medieval Latin for "Land of Mary") was the official name for Medieval Livonia or Old Livonia ( nds, Oolt-Livland, liv, Jemā-Līvõmō, et, Vana-Liivimaa, lv, Livonija). It was formed in the aftermath of the Livonian Crusade ...

likewise were lost by 1561, as that region also became Protestant. However, the Order retained its bailiwicks in the Holy Roman Empire (

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

), which had been administered by the ''Deutschmeister'' since 1219. As the Order was now limited to its possessions in the German kingdom, incumbent ''Deutschmeister''

Walter von Cronberg Walter von Cronberg (1477 or 1479 – 4 April 1543) was the 38th Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, serving from 1527 to 1543. Biography Von Cronberg hailed from a rather poor family of knights from Kronberg Castle near Frankfurt. He joined t ...

was also appointed ''Hochmeister'' by Emperor

Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infa ...

in 1527. The administrative seat was moved to Mergentheim Castle in

Franconia Franconia (german: Franken, ; Franconian dialect: ''Franggn'' ; bar, Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian languages, Franconian dialect (German: ''Fränkisch''). The three Regierungsbezirk, administrative ...

. The ''Hoch- und Deutschmeister'' was ranked as one of the ecclesiastical

Princes of the Holy Roman Empire Prince of the Holy Roman Empire ( la, princeps imperii, german: Reichsfürst, cf. ''Fürst'') was a title attributed to a hereditary ruler, nobleman or prelate recognised as such by the Holy Roman Emperor. Definition Originally, possessors o ...

until 1806; when Mergentheim fell to the newly established

Kingdom of Württemberg The Kingdom of Württemberg (german: Königreich Württemberg ) was a German state that existed from 1805 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg. The kingdom was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which existe ...

, their residence was relocated to the ''Deutschordenshaus'' in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. The dual title lasted until in 1923, when the last secular Grand Master, Archduke Eugen of Austria, resigned from office. A Franconian of the Imperial Army was formed under Count Palatine Francis Louis of Neuburg in 1696; organized as 4th Infantry Regiment in 1769 and deployed at Vienna, it was known as the

Lower Austria Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P ...

n ''Hoch- und Deutschmeister'' regiment from 1814. Chiefly known for its popular military band, the regiment's tradition was adopted by the Wehrmacht 44th Infantry Division in 1938 and today is maintained by the of the

Austrian Armed Forces The Austrian Armed Forces (german: Bundesheer, lit=Federal Army) are the combined military forces of the Republic of Austria. The military consists of 22,050 active-duty personnel and 125,600 reservists. The military budget is 0.74% of nati ...

Hoch- und Deutschmeister, 1527–1929

* 1527–1543

* 1543–1566

Wolfgang Schutzbar Wolfgang Schutzbar genannt Milchling ( – 11 February 1566) was the 39th Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, serving from 1543 to 1566. Schitzbar hailed from the family of ''Schutzbar genannt Milchling'' from Hesse. He joined the Teutonic Order ...

* 1566–1572 Georg Hund von Wenkheim * 1572–1590 Heinrich von Bobenhausen * 1590–1618

Maximilian III, Archduke of Austria Maximilian III of Austria, briefly known as Maximilian of Poland during his claim for the throne (12 October 1558 – 2 November 1618), was the Archduke of Further Austria from 1612 until his death. Biography Born in Wiener Neustadt, Maximilian ...

* 1619–1624

Charles of Austria, Bishop of Wroclaw Charles of Austria (german: Karl von Österreich; 7 August 1590 – 28 December 1624), nicknamed ''the Posthumous'', a member of the Imperial House of Habsburg, was Prince-Bishop of Wrocław (Breslau) from 1608, Prince-Bishop of Brixen from 1613 ...

* 1625–1627 * 1627–1641 * 1641–1662

Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria (5 January 1614 – 20 November 1662), younger brother of Emperor Ferdinand III, was an Austrian soldier, administrator and patron of the arts. He held a number of military commands, with limited success, an ...

* 1662–1664

Archduke Charles Joseph of Austria Charles Joseph (german: Karl Joseph) (7 August 1649 – 27 January 1664) was an Archduke of Austria and Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights (1662–64). He was also the bishop of Olmütz, and Breslau, Passau. Charles Joseph was born in V ...

* 1664–1684 Johann Caspar von Ampringen * 1685–1694

Ludwig Anton von Pfalz-Neuburg Ludwig Anton von Pfalz-Neuburg (also sometimes called Ludwig Anton von Rhein zu Neuburg) (1660–1694) was the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights from 1685 to 1694, and the Prince-Bishop of Worms from 1691 to 1694. Biography A member of the ...

* 1694–1732 Francis Louis of Palatinate-Neuburg * 1732–1761 Prince Clemens August of Bavaria * 1761–1780 Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine * 1780–1801

Archduke Maximilian Francis of Austria Archduke Maximilian Francis of Austria (Maximilian Franz Xaver Joseph Johann Anton de Paula Wenzel; 8 December 1756 – 26 July 1801) was Elector of Cologne and Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights. He was the youngest child of Holy Roman E ...

* 1801–1804

Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen Archduke Charles Louis John Joseph Laurentius of Austria, Duke of Teschen (german: link=no, Erzherzog Karl Ludwig Johann Josef Lorenz von Österreich, Herzog von Teschen; 5 September 177130 April 1847) was an Austrian field-marshal, the third s ...

* 1804–1835

Archduke Anton Victor of Austria Anton Victor, Viceroy of Lombardy–Venetia (full German name: Anton Viktor Joseph Johann Raimund von Österreich; 31 August 1779 – 2 April 1835) was an Archduke of Austria and a Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights. He was also briefly the las ...

(office becomes hereditary to the Imperial House of Austria) * 1835–1863 Archduke Maximilian of Austria-Este * 1863–1894

Archduke Wilhelm Franz of Austria Archduke Wilhelm Franz Karl of Austria-Teschen (German: Erzherzog Wilhelm Franz Karl von Habsburg-Lothringen, 21 April 1827 – 29 April 1894) was an Archduke of Austria from the House of Habsburg. He was born in Vienna as the son of Archduk ...

* 1894–1923 Archduke Eugen of Austria (end of hereditary status) * 1923–1929

Norbert Klein Norbert Klein (25 October 1866 in Brunzeif, Austrian Silesia – 10 March 1933 in Bruntál, Czechoslovakia) was Bishop of Brno from 1916 to 1926 and 59th Grand Master of the Teutonic Order from 1923 to 1933. Life Klein began his theologica ...

( Bishop of Brno from 1916 until 1926)

1929–present

Time of the Teutonic Order as a clerical

* 1929–1933:

* 1933–1936: Paul Heider * 1936–1948: Robert Schälzky * 1948–1970: Marian Tumler * 1970–1988: Ildefons Pauler * 1988–2000: Arnold Wieland * 2000–2018: Bruno Platter * 2018–present:

Frank Bayard Frank Bayard (born 11 October 1971) is a German Catholic Church, Catholic priest and 66th Grand Masters of the Teutonic Knights, Grand Master of the Teutonic Order. Early life After completing an apprenticeship as a banker at Deutsche Bank, Ba ...

Notes

References

* Arnold, Udo (ed.), ''Die Hochmeister des Deutschen Ordens 1190-1994''. Quellen und Studien zur Geschichte des Deutschen Ordens 40 = Veröffentlichungen der Internationalen Historischen Kommission zur Erforschung des Deutschen Ordens 6. Marburg, 1998. *Borchert Friedrich, "Die Hochmeister des Deutschen Ordens in Preußen." In: ''Preußische Allgemeine Zeitung'', 6 October 2001. * *Urban, William, ''The Teutonic Knights: A Military History''. Greenhill Books. London, 2003. .

External links

* {{Authority control Teutonic