Werner von Orselen

Grand Master's coat of arms of Werner von Orselen

Werner von Orlern (* around 1280; † November 18, 1330 in Marienburg ) was the 17th Grand Master of the Teutonic Order from 1324 to 1330.

Life

Werner von Oreln probably came from Oberursel in the Taunus . He was a close confidante and protégé of Grand Master Karl von Trier . First he was Vogt in Hessen, then from 1312 to 1313 Commander of Ragnit . Here was one of the most important religious castles in the fight against Lithuania , of which only the ruins remain today. From 1314 to 1324 he held the office of Grand Commander . On July 6, 1324 he was elected Grand Master by the General Chapter in Marienburg .

From 1326 to 1330 border wars took place with Poland , which tried in vain to win back Pomerania . In 1327 Werner von Orselen occupied Kuyavia as a result . He introduced the Hochmeisterkanzlei - the so-called Small Chancellery . During his time, the Marienburg was significantly expanded, especially its fortifications . The start of construction on the Königsberg Cathedral and the commission to compile the chronicle of Peter von Dusburg can also be traced back to Werner von Orseln . Oreln et al. Was also involved in the development of the country. a. with the founding of Osterode , Soldau and Rastenburg large share. In the year 1329 the so-called Oreln Statutes were promulgated, rules and instructions for the friars to better carry out their daily religious exercises.

Werner von Oreln was a very serious and deeply pious knight who, with his wisdom of the state, laid the foundation for the later lasting peace with Poland.

In November 1330 he was murdered by the friar Johann von Endorf for being reprimanded while leaving the convent church . He was originally buried in the St. Anne's Chapel in the Marienburg .

Afterlife

In the years of the decline of the order, the German master Eberhard von Saunsheim raised the claim of autonomy from the grand master and even a judicial increase of the office of the German master over the grand master , citing the statutes of Werner von Orselen . The dispute dragged on for ten years from 1439 to 1449. These statutes of Werner von Orselen turned out to be a forgery.

In May 2007, archaeologists discovered Oreln's coffin in a crypt under the presbytery of the cathedral in Marienwerder in the former West Prussia . Together with his final resting place, the remains of two other Grand Masters were found, namely Ludolf König von Wattzau and Heinrich the Elder von Plauen . According to dendrochronological examinations of the wood used for the coffins as well as DNA analyzes of the bone remnants, it is "96% certain" that these are the people mentioned.

The place name Wernersdorf (now Pogorzała Wieś ) probably goes back to Werner von Orseln.

literature

Golden gate of the Marienburg, in front of which Werner von Orselen was murdered in 1330

Simon Helms: Werner von Orselen. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL) , Vol. 31, ed. v. Traugott Bautz, Nordhausen 2010, Sp. 1434-1436, ISBN 978-3-88309-544-8
Manfred Gerner : Werner von Ursel, Grand Master of the Teutonic Order and Chronicle of Niederursel. Fulda 1998, ISBN 3-931991-20-2
Edith Countess Salburg: The Grand Master of Marienburg. A historical tragedy in five acts. Graz 1888
Uwe Ziegler: Cross and Sword. The history of the Teutonic Order. Böhlau, Cologne 2003, ISBN 3-412-13402-3
Dieter Zimmerling: The German order of knights. Econ, Düsseldorf, Vienna, New York 1988, ISBN 3-430-19959-X
Friedrich Borchert: The Grand Masters of the Teutonic Order in Prussia. In: Preussische Allgemeine Zeitung of May 26, 2001
Orselen's entry in: General Encyclopedia of Sciences and Arts. Third Section, Sixth Part , p. 53. Leipzig 1834

Web links

Commons : Werner von Orseln - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

^ Dieter Zimmerling: The German order of knights. P. 281.
↑ Agence France-Presse on December 11, 2008 ( Memento of January 3, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
↑ pogorzala-wies.org ( Memento from December 22, 2015 in the web archive archive.today )

personal data
SURNAME	Werner von Orselen
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Grand Master of the Teutonic Order
DATE OF BIRTH	around 1280
DATE OF DEATH	November 18, 1330
Place of death	Marienburg

[1] Dieter Zimmerling: The German order of knights. P. 281.

[2] Agence France-Presse on December 11, 2008 ( Memento of January 3, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )

[3] rzala-wies.org ( Memento from December 22, 2015 in the web archive archive.today )