Martin Truchseß von Wetzhausen

Martin Steward of Wetzhausen to Dachsbach (* 1435, † January 5, 1489 in Königsberg ) was the 34th Grand Master of the Teutonic Order.

Life

Martin Steward of Wetzhausen came from a resident of the Bishopric of Würzburg knights. In 1461 he was mentioned as bailiff of Stuhm and was also lower since 1462 Kompan of the Grand Master Ludwig von Erlichshausen.

Since 1467 Commander in Osterode, took place on August 4, 1477 he was elected Grand Master of the Teutonic Order ( other sources mention 26 July or the August 10, 1477 as the date of the election ). He took a heavy inheritance, because the Second Peace of Thorn had in 1466 had the loss of independence of the Order episode, and about half of the former Order of the area had fallen as Prussia Royal proportion to the Kingdom of Poland, which the Prussian Confederation already be had assumed. The political significance of the order was consequently dropped sharply, the Grand Master de facto become a vassal of the Polish king.

Martin Steward of Wetzhausen tried to improve the situation of the Teutonic Knights against the Peace of Thorn contract. So he was taking a defensive alliance with the Warmia Prince Bishop Nicholas of Tüngen and the Hungarian king Matthias Corvinus. In the latter he found a like-minded allies against the Polish King Casimir IV, who quarreled with it about the Bohemian crown. Immediately after his election as Grand Master was hit by Wetzhausen preparations for war against Poland, but he was in the stands of the Polish royal Prussia no allies for his plans.

" before he Welde the kings of Poland serious, he Welde before in his Blutte vortrincken " ( before he would make the King of Poland took the oath, he wanted to drown rather in his own blood), the Grand Master had once said and the Polish king, the denied mandatory oath of allegiance. Therefore Casimir IV tried to call his rebellious vassal by military means to reason and advanced with troops in the land of the order. In a first settlement date, the negotiations for several weeks but attracted towards success. It was only when his ally, Matthias Corvinus with the German Emperor and King of Bohemia Vladislav II, a son of Casimir IV, peace had closed, leaving Martin Steward of Wetzhausen a serious negotiations with the Polish crown.

As the result of which he made on October 9, 1479 the Polish king in Nowe Miasto Korczyn (Newtown Korczyn ) in Lesser Poland (now in the powiat Buski ) the oath of allegiance. This, according to John Voigt, in his history of the Teutonic Order in its twelve bailiwicks in Germany ( see literature) " the hardest day that Martin Steward counted in his life " have been. The chronicle describes him also bold and courageous, who had grown the storms of time in every way as a serious, intelligent and high-minded man, do so.

After his defeat, the Grand Master was dedicated only to the reduction of the debt burden and improving the religious discipline. Still, he could not stop the further deterioration of the Order. Domestic political reforms were not enforceable because the religious branches in Germany and Livonia refused it.

Since the summer of 1488 Martin Steward was greatly weakened by an ongoing illness. In autumn and winter, his condition deteriorated, so that the famous doctor Sebald Erckel was launched from Elbing. But he could give no relief and Martin Steward succumbed to his sufferings. In Königsberg Cathedral, he found the final resting place with his predecessors.