Konrad V von Jungingen (c. 1355 – 30 March 1407) was a
grand master of the
Teutonic Order
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians on ...
in 1393-1407. Under his administration the Teutonic Order would reach their greatest extent.
Konrad von Jungingen came from the
Swabian League
The Swabian League (''Schwäbischer Bund'') was a mutual defence and peace keeping association of Imperial State, Imperial Estates – free Imperial cities, prelates, principalities and knights – principally in the territory of the early mediev ...
. He joined the Teutonic Order together with his younger brother
Ulrich Ulrich (), is a German given name, derived from Old High German ''Uodalrich'', ''Odalric''. It is composed of the elements '' uodal-'' meaning "(noble) heritage" and ''-rich'' meaning "rich, powerful". Attested from the 8th century as the name of Al ...
around 1380. At first he was a commander at the castle in
Osterode. In 1391 he was promoted to the Treasurer of Marienburg.
Konrad's election to Grand Master and head of the Order arose through an indirect fashion. As chairman of the order, policy excluded him from consideration. One of the brothers, Wolf von Zolnhart, proposed his candidacy for the post of grand master. His proposal went unopposed and on 30 November 1393, they elected him unanimously as Grand Master.
Konrad opted to retain most of the policies of his predecessors. However, unlike them, he chose the path of diplomacy. He interfered with the
Lithuanian Civil War between the great princes – once supporting
Vytautas
Vytautas (c. 135027 October 1430), also known as Vytautas the Great ( Lithuanian: ', be, Вітаўт, ''Vitaŭt'', pl, Witold Kiejstutowicz, ''Witold Aleksander'' or ''Witold Wielki'' Ruthenian: ''Vitovt'', Latin: ''Alexander Vitoldus'', O ...
, another time in favor of
Skirgaila
Skirgaila ( la, Schirgalo; be, Скіргайла; pl, Skirgiełło, also known as Ivan/Iwan; ca. 1353 or 1354 – 11 January 1397 in Kiev (Kyiv); baptized 1383/1384 as ''Casimir'') was a regent of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania for his broth ...
. He also intended to weaken
Poland–Lithuania and the superior rights of
Jogaila to the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Li ...
.
Thanks to his clever policy, he obtained
Samogitia
Samogitia or Žemaitija ( Samogitian: ''Žemaitėjė''; see below for alternative and historical names) is one of the five cultural regions of Lithuania and formerly one of the two core administrative divisions of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...
for the Order. In 1402, taking advantage of the financial problems of
Sigismund von Luxembourg, he bought the
Neumarch. However, territorial acquisitions brought him more problems than benefits. In the Neumarch, the local knights objected to the dictatorial power of the Order, while a peasant uprising instigated by Jogaila broke out in Samogitia.
In 1398, King
Albert of Sweden
Albert (german: Albrecht, sv, Albrekt av Mecklenburg; c. 1338 – 1 April 1412) was King of Sweden from 1364 to 1389 and Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1384 to 1412.
Background
He was the second son of Duke Albert II of Mecklenburg and ...
pledged the island of
Gotland
Gotland (, ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a province, county, municipality, and diocese. The province includes the islands of Fårö and Gotska Sandön to the ...
to the Order in an attempt to curtail the predatory attacks of the
Victual Brothers
, native_name_lang =
, named_after = french: vitailleurs (provisioners, Hundred Years' War)
, image = Vitalienbrueder, Wandmalerei in d, Kirche zu Bunge auf Gotland, gemalt ca. 1405.JPG
, image_size = 250px ...
on maritime shipping throughout the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...
. Later that year Konrad lead a successful invasion force and destroyed
Visby
Visby () is an urban area in Sweden and the seat of Gotland Municipality in Gotland County on the island of Gotland with 24,330 inhabitants . Visby is also the episcopal see for the Diocese of Visby. The Hanseatic city of Visby is arguably th ...
. This would bring Konrad into conflict with the newly formed
Kalmar Union
The Kalmar Union (Danish language, Danish, Norwegian language, Norwegian, and sv, Kalmarunionen; fi, Kalmarin unioni; la, Unio Calmariensis) was a personal union in Scandinavia, agreed at Kalmar in Sweden, that from 1397 to 1523 joined under ...
under Queen
Margaret I of Denmark
Margaret I ( da, Margrete Valdemarsdatter; March 1353 – 28 October 1412) was ruler of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (which included Finland) from the late 1380s until her death, and the founder of the Kalmar Union that joined the Scandinavian k ...
when the Order refused to relinquish Gotland.
The threat of war on all sides forced Konrad to seek agreement with one of his rivals. In this situation, he decided to make diplomatic overtures to
Krakow. In 1404 he met Ladislaus in the bishopric of
Kuyavia
Kuyavia ( pl, Kujawy; german: Kujawien; la, Cuiavia), also referred to as Cuyavia, is a historical region in north-central Poland, situated on the left bank of Vistula, as well as east from Noteć River and Lake Gopło. It is divided into three t ...
in
Raciaz. His cessation of
Dobrzyn to the Polish Crown guaranteed peace with Poland–Lithuania.
He died after a long illness on 30 March 1407 in Marienburg. He was buried in the mausoleum of the great masters under the
chapel of St. Anne. According to the Chronicle of Gdańsk, the dying Grand Master warned the Teutonic dignitaries against choosing his militant brother as a successor, calling him a fool.
References
* Friedrich Borchert: "Die Hochmeister des Deutschen Ordens in Preußen." In: ''Preußische Allgemeine Zeitung'', 6 October 2001.
* C. A. Lückerath: Article ''K. v. Jungingen'' in
Dictionary of the Middle Ages
The ''Dictionary of the Middle Ages'' is a 13-volume encyclopedia of the Middle Ages published by the American Council of Learned Societies between 1982 and 1989. It was first conceived and started in 1975 with American medieval historian Josep ...
*
* Casimir Bumiller, Magdalene Wulfmeier: ''Konrad und Ulrich von Jungingen'', Beiträge zur Biografie der beiden Deutschordenshochmeister, Geiger-Verlag, Horb a. Neckar 1995
* Sebastian Kubon: ''Die Außenpolitik des Deutschen Ordens unter Hochmeister Konrad von Jungingen (1393–1407)'' (= ''Nova mediaevalia. Quellen und Studien zum europäischen Mittelalter.'' Volume 15). V & R Unipress, Göttingen 2007, .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jungingen, Konrad von
1355 births
1407 deaths
People from Zollernalbkreis
Grand Masters of the Teutonic Order
German untitled nobility
Gotland
Burials in the Chapel of St. Anne, Malbork
People from Malbork