Gerhard von Malberg

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gerhard von Malberg was the sixth Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, from 1241 to 1244.

He hailed from lower Rheinland. His father was murgrabe Theodoric von Aere who married Agnes von Malberg and took her last name and the castle Malberg.

Gerhard von Malberg did not plan to join the priesthood. He was married and had two sons, Thedoric and Otto. He joined the Teutonic Order after the death of his wife and in 1240 he became the Grand Marshal of the Order in Acre. From the start of his career with the Teutonic Order he was tied with the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the whole Middle East. He was chosen as the sixth Grand Master in 1241. The reason behind his election as the Grand Master was to have closer ties with thew Middle East by the Elders of the Order. Von Malberg also had clear support of the pope Innocent IV who in 1243 claimed Prussia as papal fiefdom.

The majority was supporting the emperor while von Malberg was seen as pro-papal. The fraction within the Order caused von Malberg to be called off as the Grand Master, he, however, never accepted capitulum's decision. He forged the Grand Master's stamp and issuing his own documents and what was the worst for the Order, taking big loans under the Grand Master's name. Pope Innocent IV, still supporting von Malberg, issued him dispensation, paid off his debt and received a promise and von Malberg and his followers will stop taking new loans and will join the Knights Templars. However, it is highly unlikely that he lived up to his promise and this caused the pope to issue a new document in which he allowed the Grand Master to charge von Malberg in the case he tried to misuse his privileges. This has never happened as Gerhard von Malberg has died a few months later, in either 1245 or 1246.

[edit] Battle of Lake Peipus

It is believed that only von Malberg and a handful of knights were able to escape with their lives, but some historians seem to disagree with this theory. They claim that Grand Master Gerhard von Malberg who probably never set foot in Livonia in his life and did not lead the crusades in 1242 on Lake Peipus. They claim the crusades were led by Hermann von Buxhoeveden.

This article on a member of the German nobility is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.