Heinrich Reffle von Richtenberg

Heinrich Reffle of Richtenberg (* 1415 in Swabia, † 1477 in Königsberg ) was the 33rd Grand Master of the Teutonic Order from 1470 to 1477.

Heinrich comes from the Swabian aristocratic dynasty of Richtenberg from the western Neckar region.

First, he was the Kompan the Grand Master Konrad and Ludwig von Erlichshausen and masters in Puck. In the years 1460-1470 he was Großgebietiger in different positions.

After the Teutonic Order was defeated in the Thirteen Years' War, he was forced to cede West Prussia to Poland and in 1466 to swear fealty to the Second Peace of Thorn, the king of Poland. The predecessor of Heinrich, Heinrich Reuss von Plauen, had this delayed in order not to pay homage to the Polish king must. When he finally did, he died in 1470 on his way home.

On October 29, 1470 Heinrich Reffles was elected Grand Master. He initiated immediately austerity measures to consolidate the Order Finance. Since May 1470 led to serious clashes with the new Bishop of Sambia Dietrich of Cuba to the initiated selbigem indulgences. The dispute escalated in 1474, when the Grand Master learned of a conspiracy of the bishop to his downfall and let him imprison then. When the bishop died in custody under suspicious circumstances, this led to a serious conflict with the Curia in Rome.

Another confrontation during the tenure of Henry was the Prussian Pfaff War, a dispute between the Bishop of Warmia, the claim to the title of prince-bishop - awarded by Charles IV a century earlier - rose against the Polish king Casimir IV Jagiello. The Order supported this successful Bishop Nicholas of Tüngen.

He died on April 20, 1477 and was buried in Königsberg Cathedral.