Heinrich von Bobenhausen (c. 1514 - March 21, 1595) was the 41st Grandmaster of the Teutonic Knights, reigning for close to two decades from 1572 to 1590.

Biography

Heinrich heralded from the Franconian von Bobenhausen noble family. He joined the Teutonic Order in 1547. He was Komtur of

Mergentheim Bad Mergentheim (; Mergentheim until 1926; East Franconian: ''Märchedol'') is a town in the Main-Tauber-Kreis district in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It has a population of around 23,000. An officially recognized spa town since 1926, B ...

from 1547 to 1549, Komtur of Frankfurt from 1549, and Landkomtur of the

Bailiwick of Franconia Bad Mergentheim (; Mergentheim until 1926; East Franconian: ''Märchedol'') is a town in the Main-Tauber-Kreis district in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It has a population of around 23,000. An officially recognized spa town since 1926, B ...

from 1557. He was also Komtur of

Regensburg Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...

until 1565, when then Grandmaster Wolfgang Schutzbar revoked his position. In 1566, when Schutzbar died, his successor,

Georg Hund von Wenkheim Georg Hund von Wenkheim, or Georg Hundt von Wenkheim (c. 1520 - June 17, 1572) was the 40th Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, Grandmaster of the Teutonic Knights, reigning from 1566 to his death 1572. Biography Georg Hund was born in Wenkhe ...

, recalled Heinrich and made him Komtur of . After Georg Hund's death in 1572, Heinrich was elected Grandmaster of the Teutonic Knights on March 17. In 1576,

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...

Maximilian II appointed him as administrator of the Princely Abbey of Fulda. Unlike his predecessor, he was much more lenient towards

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

and less supportive of the

counter-reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also called the Catholic Reformation () or the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to the Protestant Reformation. It began with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) a ...

, which deteriorated relations between him Maximilian II. Relations only worsened with Maximilian's successor,

Rudolf II Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg), Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–160 ...

, who in 1585, forced Heinrich into being a coadjutor, with him and Rudolf both sharing the title of Grandmaster. Rudolf's brother and Maximilian II's son,

Maximilian III Maximilian III may refer to: * Maximilian III, Archduke of Austria (1558–1618) *Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria Maximilian III Joseph, "the much beloved", (28 March 1727 – 30 December 1777) was a Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Emp ...

, would attempt to wrestle control of the order away from Heinrich. Maximilian III's efforts were largely irresistible. After Maximilian took the oath on October 20, 1585, Heinrich was forced to surrender the

Mergentheim Palace Mergentheim Palace (''Deutschordensschloss von Mergentheim'') is a historic building located in Bad Mergentheim, Germany. The palace was first a castle, built in the early Middle Ages as the seat of the , but then became a Teutonic possession in ...

, the residence of the Teutonic Grandmaster since 1527. The following year in 1586, Heinrich was forced to surrender the Teutonic coat of arms, regalia, and the titles of Hochmeister and Deutschmeister. On February 20, he was forced to give up the administration of the Imperial Abbey of Fulda to Maximilian. Heinrich attempted to retake control of the order, however, the governor of

halted his efforts in 1587. In 1585, shortly after the Hapsburgs began to seize power over the order, Heinrich retired to the Deutschmeister's chamber house in Weissenburg, Alsace. In 1590, having already de facto lost all power over the Teutonic Order, Heinrich officially relinquished his position of Grandmaster of the Teutonic Knights. He died in Weissenberg on March 21, 1595, and was buried in the local ''Kommendenkirc'' (or Commandery Church).''The Grand Masters of the Teutonic Order 1190-2012'' In: Udo Arnold (ed.): . 2nd expanded and corrected edition. tape 40 . Publisher and database for humanities, Weimar, p. 193 .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:von Bobenhausen, Heinrich 1595 deaths Grand Masters of the Teutonic Order 1514 births