Günther von Wüllersleben
Encyclopedia
Günther von Wüllersleben (died May 3 or May 4, 1252) was the eighth Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights
, serving from 1249 to 1252.
Von Wüllersleben hailed from a ministerialis
family of Hersfeld Abbey
whose seat was in Bad Hersfeld
. It is unknown when he joined the Teutonic Order, although he served in Acre
until 1215. He was a close friend of Grand Masters Hermann von Salza
and Heinrich von Hohenlohe
, allowing him to take part in secret diplomatic missions for the Order. He spent 1244 in Prussia
where he served under the Master of Livonia, Poppo von Osterna
.
Günther von Wüllersleben was chosen Grand Master by the Order's capitulum
in 1249 or 1250 in Acre
. Ludwig von Queden, the unsuccessful choice of the pro-papal party led by Dietrich von Grüningen, was made Landmeister of Prussia. As the supreme authority of the Order, von Wüllersleben resided in Outremer
and probably never left Acre.
Although little is known of his tenure as the Grand Master, von Wüllersleben tried to reconcile the papal and imperial parties which were demoralizing the monastic life within the Order. He often sent missions to distant provinces to supervise discipline. For a short time, he was able to overcome the division within the Order's chapter to which the pro-papal fraction was leading.
Von Wüllersleben died in Acre.
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
, serving from 1249 to 1252.
Von Wüllersleben hailed from a ministerialis
Ministerialis
Ministerialis ; a post-classical Latin word, used in English, meaning originally servitor, agent, in a broad range of senses...
family of Hersfeld Abbey
Hersfeld Abbey
Hersfeld Abbey was an important Benedictine imperial abbey in the town of Bad Hersfeld in Hesse , Germany, at the confluence of the rivers Geisa, Haune and Fulda.-History:...
whose seat was in Bad Hersfeld
Bad Hersfeld
The festival and spa town of Bad Hersfeld is the district seat of Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in northeastern Hesse, Germany, roughly 50 km southeast of Kassel....
. It is unknown when he joined the Teutonic Order, although he served in Acre
Acre, Israel
Acre , is a city in the Western Galilee region of northern Israel at the northern extremity of Haifa Bay. Acre is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the country....
until 1215. He was a close friend of Grand Masters Hermann von Salza
Hermann von Salza
Hermann von Salza was the fourth Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, serving from 1210 to 1239...
and Heinrich von Hohenlohe
Heinrich von Hohenlohe
Heinrich von Hohenlohe was the seventh Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, serving between 1244 and 1249. He was the son of one of the richest and most powerful feudal lords in Württemberg and had four brothers and one sister....
, allowing him to take part in secret diplomatic missions for the Order. He spent 1244 in Prussia
Prussia (region)
Prussia is a historical region in Central Europe extending from the south-eastern coast of the Baltic Sea to the Masurian Lake District. It is now divided between Poland, Russia, and Lithuania...
where he served under the Master of Livonia, Poppo von Osterna
Poppo von Osterna
Poppo von Osterna was the ninth Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, serving from 1252-56 or 1257.Poppo hailed from a family with rich knightly traditions which resided in Osternohe, just outside Nuremberg in Franconia. He joined the Teutonic Order in 1228 and was one of the first friars to...
.
Günther von Wüllersleben was chosen Grand Master by the Order's capitulum
Chapter (religion)
Chapter designates certain corporate ecclesiastical bodies in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Nordic Lutheran churches....
in 1249 or 1250 in Acre
Acre, Israel
Acre , is a city in the Western Galilee region of northern Israel at the northern extremity of Haifa Bay. Acre is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the country....
. Ludwig von Queden, the unsuccessful choice of the pro-papal party led by Dietrich von Grüningen, was made Landmeister of Prussia. As the supreme authority of the Order, von Wüllersleben resided in Outremer
Outremer
Outremer, French for "overseas", was a general name given to the Crusader states established after the First Crusade: the County of Edessa, the Principality of Antioch, the County of Tripoli and especially the Kingdom of Jerusalem...
and probably never left Acre.
Although little is known of his tenure as the Grand Master, von Wüllersleben tried to reconcile the papal and imperial parties which were demoralizing the monastic life within the Order. He often sent missions to distant provinces to supervise discipline. For a short time, he was able to overcome the division within the Order's chapter to which the pro-papal fraction was leading.
Von Wüllersleben died in Acre.