Konrad von Erlichshausen

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Konrad von Erlichshausen
Grand Master's coat of arms of Konrad von Erlichshausen

Konrad von Erlichshausen (also Konrad von Ellrichshausen ; * around 1390 or 1395 in Ellrichshausen near Satteldorf ; † November 7, 1449 in the Marienburg Order Castle ) was the 30th Grand Master of the Teutonic Order from 1441 to 1449.

Life

Konrad von Erlichshausen came from a line of ministerials of the Lords of Hohenlohe in the Crailsheim - Feuchtwangen area .

He began his career in the order as Vogt von Roggenhausen. After that he was at different times Komtur von Ragnit , von Thorn and von Althaus. From 1432 to 1439 he was Grand Commander and from 1434 to 1436 and from 1440 to 1441 Order Marshal .

After the Battle of Tannenberg in the First Peace of Thorn, the Teutonic Order was forced to pay high contributions to Poland, which brought it to the brink of financial ruin. Therefore, the Teutonic Knights levied taxes from the Prussian estates and Hanseatic cities for the first time . The estates then demanded a say in the government of the religious order, which was rejected. They organized themselves in the Prussian Federation , which was founded on March 14, 1440 in Marienwerder . Grand Master Paul von Rusdorf refused its recognition and resigned on January 2, 1441 (he died a week later), and Konrad, who had opposed Rusdorf's policies, was elected as his successor on April 12, 1441.

He sought a balance with the estates and gave the cities more rights. In 1443 Konrad gave the handhold to Arys ( Orzysz in Polish ) with an area of ​​790,000 hectares. During a visit by Seehesten ( Szestno ) he affirmed the rights of Sensburg ( Mrągowo ) on February 20, 1444. Later he founded Krausendorf ( Kruszewiec ) near Rastenburg ( Kętrzyn ).

All in all, he succeeded in peacefully asserting the interests of the order against the estates and in 1446 in defusing the statutes of the Prussian Confederation.

At the same time he reached the balance with the German master and the land master of Livonia . In 1442 the rules of the order were reformed.

In 1448 an understanding was reached with Poland (Peace of Rastenburg).

Konrad's policy of equalization ended with his death on November 7th, 1449 in the Marienburg Castle , where he was buried like his predecessors in the St. Anne's Chapel. Under the wise and powerful leadership of Konrad, the crisis of the order seemed to have been overcome. The reputation of the order at home and abroad increased again significantly. His successor was his cousin Ludwig von Erlichshausen .

literature

Web links

Commons : Konrad von Erlichshausen  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Konrad von Erlichshausen
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Konrad von Ellrichshausen; Erlichshausen, Konrad von; Ellrichshausen, Konrad von; Konrad
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German Grand Master of the Teutonic Order
DATE OF BIRTH around 1390 or 1395
PLACE OF BIRTH Ellrichshausen near Satteldorf
DATE OF DEATH November 7, 1449
Place of death Marienburg Order Castle