The Grand Masters

From the establishment of the German Order as regular hospital brotherhood in autumn 1190 until its advancement to a religious order of knights on 5 March 1198 the provost of the Order do not have a uniform title, although the title “Master” already appears in some documents.
Since 1216, during the tenure of Hermann von Salza (1209 - 1239) title "Magister Hospitalis (later with the addendum "domus") Sancte Marie Alemannorum (later almost exclusively "Theutonicorum") Jerosolimitani", in English: "Master of St. Mary’s Hospital of the Germans of Jerusalem", became the official title. After the loss of the Prussian Order’s land (1525), on 6 December 1527 Deutschmeister Walther von Cronberg (1526 - 1543) was put in charge of the administration of the vacant position as Grand Master by Karl V. 
This provisional measurement of the emperor was sanctified under the laws of the Order on a general chapter in Frankfurt/Sachsenhausen on 1 September 1529; the rights of the head of the Order decided in the framework of this chapter were explicitly sanctioned under the law of the ruling power by Karl V. on 21 August 1530, and – upon request of Deutschmeister Cronberg - also under canon law by the papal legate Lorenzo Campeggio on 12 September 1530. From 1530 to 1834, the highest Superior bore the title "Administrator of the Grand Masterdom in Prussia, Master of the Teutonic Order in the German and French-Swiss territories“, the latter title modified as of 1809 as "Master of the Teutonic Order in the Austrian patrimonial lands" due to the loss of territorial possessions, however, in the semi-official language usage it is used in the shortened form “Hoch- und Deutschmeister” since the early 17th century. From 1834 - 1929 the official title was "Hoch- und Deutschmeister des Deutschen Ritterordens" [Grand Master and Deutschmeister of the German Order of Knights], and due to an ordinance of the Secretary of the religious congregation the term "Supremus Magister”, in German “Hochmeister” is used as the official title since 20 January 1930.


The List of Highest Leaders of the teutonic Order

1. In the time of the Teutonic Order as hospital brotherhood (1190 - 1198)

At the time of the hospital brotherhood there has not been an actual Grand Master. At a pre-stage, there were the following leaders of the hospital brotherhood:

 

Master Sibrand

1190
 

Gerhard

1192
 

Heinrich (prior = priest)

1193/94
 

Heinrich, (preceptor)
(probably identical with Heinrich Walpot,
the first Master of the Order of Knights 1198)

1196

2. In the time of the Teutonic Order as religious Order of Knights from 1198 to 1929:

 

 1.

Heinrich Walpot

1198-1200
 

 2.

Otto von Kerpen

1200-1208
 

 3.

Heinrich von Tunna gen. Bart

1208-1209
 

 4.

Hermann von Salza

1209-1239
 

 5.

Konrad von Thüringen

1239-1240
 

 6.

Gerhard von Malberg

1240-1244
 

 7.

Heinrich von Hohenlohe

1244-1249
 

 8.

Gunther von Wüllersleben

1249-1252
 

 9.

Poppo von Osterna

1252-1256
 

10.

Anno von Sangershausen

1256-1273
 

11.

Hartmann von Heldrungen

1273-1282
 

12.

Burchard von Schwanden

1282-1290
 

13.

Konrad von Feuchtwangen

1291-1296
 

14.

Gottfried von Hohenlohe

1297-1303
 

15.

Siegfried von Feuchtwangen

1303-1311
 

16.

Karl von Trier

1311-1324
 

17.

Werner von Orseln

1324-1330
 

18.

Luther von Braunschweig

1331-1335
 

19.

Dietrich von Altenburg

1335-1341
 

20.

Ludolf König

1342-1345
 

21.

Heinrich Dusemer

1345-1351
 

22.

Winrich von Kniprode

1352-1382
 

23.

Konrad Zöllner von Rotenstein

1382-1390
 

24.

Konrad von Wallenrode

1391-1393
 

25.

Konrad von Jungingen

1393-1407
 

26.

Ulrich von Jungingen

1407-1410
 

27.

Heinrich von Plauen

1410-1413
 

28.

Michael Küchmeister

1414-1422
 

29.

Paul von Rusdorf

1422-1441
 

30.

Konrad von Erlichshausen

1441-1449
 

31.

Ludwig von Erlichshausen

1449-1467
 

32.

Heinrich Reuß von Plauen

1467-1470
 

33.

Heinrich Reffle von Richtenberg

1470-1477
 

34.

Martin Truchseß von Wetzhausen

1477-1489
 

35.

Johann von Tiefen

1489-1497
 

36.

Friedrich von Sachsen

1498-1510
 

37.

Albrecht von Brandenburg-Ansbach

1510-1525
 

38.

Walther von Cronberg

1527-1543
 

39.

Wolfgang Schutzbar gen. Milchling

1543-1566
 

40.

Georg Hund von Wenckheim

1566-1572
 

41.

Heinrich von Bobenhausen

1572-1590/95
 

42.

Maximilian von Österreich

1590/95-1618
 

43.

Karl von Österreich

1619-1624
 

44.

Johann Eustach von Westernach

1625-1627
 

45.

Johann Kaspar von Stadion

1627-1641
 

46.

Leopold Wilhelm von Österreich

1641-1662
 

47.

Karl Joseph von Österreich

1662-1664
 

48.

Johann Kaspar von Ampringen

1664-1684
 

49.

Ludwig Anton von Pfalz-Neuburg

1684-1694
 

50.

Franz Ludwig von Pfalz-Neuburg

1694-1732
 

51.

Clemens August von Bayern

1732-1761
 

52.

Karl Alexander von Lothringen

1761-1780
 

53.

Maximilian Franz von Österreich

1780-1801
 

54.

Karl Ludwig von Österreich

1801-1804
 

55.

Anton Victor von Österreich

1804-1835
 

56.

Maximilian Joseph von Österreich

1835-1863
 

57.

Wilhelm von Österreich

1863-1894
 

58.

Eugen von Österreich

1894-1923

3. In the times of the Teutonic Order as clerical Order since 1929:

 

59.

Bishop  Dr. Norbert Klein

1923-1933
 

60.

Abbot Paul Heider

1933-1936
 

61.

Abbot Robert Schälzky

1936-1948
 

62.

Abbot Dr. Marian Tumler

1948-1970
 

63.

Abbot Ildefons Pauler

1970-1988
 

64.

Abbot Dr. Arnold Wieland

1988-2000
 

65.

Abbot Dr. Bruno Platter

2000-

 

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