John of Ow

Münchenbuchsee church, memorial stone with the coats of arms of Johannes von Ow and Jacques de Milly (around 1460).

Johannes von Ow († 1481 ) was Grand Bailli of the Order of St. John from 1466 to 1467 and Grand Prior in Germany from 1467 to 1481 .

Life and career

Johannes von Ow came from the Swabian noble family Ow and was the son of Hans von Ow († 1432) and Agathe von Altensteig. He joined the Order of St. John around 1438 . He was banned for a short time because of a minor offense. In 1440 he received the Kommende Freiburg i. Üe. In 1445 the Coming Biberstein was added. From 1443 to 1446 he stayed in Rhodes, where he participated in the defensive battles against the Ottoman troops. In 1449 the Kommende Münchenbuchsee was added to his offices, in 1461 the Kommende Thunstetten as well . later the upcoming Wädenswil , Bubikon and Leuggern-Klingnau . Between 1448 and 1469 he stayed mainly in Rhodes. There he officiated as Grand Prior of Cyprus. From 1465 to 1466 he was deputy Großbailli. On August 23, 1466 he was elected to the Grand Bailli. The Großbailli was responsible for the defenses in Rhodes (later also in Malta) and was provided by the German tongue of the Order of St. John. In 1467 Johannes von Ow was appointed Master of the German Lands (Grand Prior). During the siege of Rhodes (1480) he was one of the defenders of the island; as early as the spring of 1480 he had traveled to Rhodes with a group of German knights. After the last unsuccessful assault by the Ottoman troops on July 28, 1480 and their withdrawal, he embarked for Germany already sick and made his (still preserved) will on October 11, 1480. In the course of 1481 he died and was buried in the order church in Münchenbuchsee.

In the church in Münchenbuchsee, a memorial stone on the north wall of the choir commemorates the Grand Master of the Order of St. John Jacques de Milly and Johannes von Ow. The inscription reads "hoc op [us] fiery fecit fr [ater] joh [ann] es de ou co [m] me [n] dat [or]" (Latin. This building was built by Brother Johannes von Ow, commander ).

literature

• Wolfgang Friedrich von Mülinen : Johann von Ow, master master of the Order of St. John . In: Blätter für Bernische Geschichte, Kunst- und Altertumskunde 5, 1909, 1, 31, doi : 10.5169 / seals-178728
• Walter G. Rödel: The German (grand) priors. In: Bernard Andenmatten (arrangement), Petra Zimmer and Patrick Braun (ed.): Helvetia Sacra, 4th department, volume 7, part 1 Die Johanniter, pp. 51–76, Schwabe Verlag, Basel, 2006, p. 60 / 61.
• Heinrich Zeller-Werdmüller: The knight house Bubikon. In: Communications from the Antiquarian Society in Zurich . Vol. XXI, Issue 5, 1881, pp. 143-174 and 4 plates; here p. 164–165 doi : 10.5169 / seals-378830

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Hauptstaatsarchiv Stuttgart A 419 Bü 16:… 1466 Aug. 23 Brother Johann von Aw, Grand Bailli of the Holy Convent of Rhodes, governor of the Johannitermeister in Germany, Reinhard von Buttlar and the common caretakers in the chapter on Speyer free at the intercession of the Count Palatine Schultheißen Michael Prenger (Bernger) to Affaltrach of tax, valuation, service and all complaints. ...
2. ↑ The current state is the result of an assembly made of fragments in 1908.

predecessor	Office	successor
Richard von Buttlar	Grand Prior of the German Order of St. John 1469–1481	Rudolf von Werdenberg
Konrad Zaspel	Großbailli of the Order of St. John 1466–1467	Johann Schenk von Stauffenberg