Johann von Tiefen

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Johann von Tiefen (died on 25 August 1497) was the 35th Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights between 1489 and 1497.

His date of birth is unknown and it is believed he hailed from Switzerland. His beginnings in the Teutonic Order start in Elbing where he was a right hand man of the Grand Hospitaller, Heinrich Reuss von Plauen. In 1474 he became the komtur of Memel and two years later, the Grand Komtur. He represented the Teutonic Order on several diplomatic missions to many European courts.

During the times of Grand Master Martin Truchsess von Wetzhausen, he tried to release the pressure between the Teutonic Order and the Kingdom of Poland. In 1480 he became the komtur of Pokarmin and the Grand Hospitaller of the Order. On June 25th, 1487 von Tiefen issued a charter in Drengfurt to establish a church in Stare Juchy.

In 1489 the Order's Capitulum named him the 35th Grand Master of the Teutonic Order. Right after being elected, von Tiefen went to Poland and on 18 November 1489, as the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order and vassal of the Teutonic Prussia he paid a homage in Radom to Casimir IV, the king of Poland.

Settling down the political situation with Poland helped him to concentrate on internal affairs of the Order. However, Lucas Watzenrode, the Bishop of Warmia had different ideas. He was trying to gain independence from the Polish Crown as well as the Grand Master.

In May of 1490 he sent a written request to Watzenrode to allow him to consecrate a John the Baptist chapel in Sterławki Wielkie as well as to allow the priest from Schwarzstein to say masses.

In 1492, the king of Poland John I Albert came up with the idea of moving the Teutonic Order from Prussia to Podolia, but the Grand Master von Tiefen opposed that. He understood this would mean the end of the sovereignty of the Teutonic Order. He appealed to the emperor Maximillian I von Habsburg and this itself crossed out the king's plans.

Called upon John I Albert, the Grand Master von Tiefen led a crusade against Turkey in order to capture the ports along the coast of the Black Sea. He had an army of 400 knights, but illness started to spread within. Traveling along the river Dniestr, the Grand Master fell ill to dysentry. He decided to turn around and go back to Lemberg, where unfortunatelly he never recovered.

Johann von Tieffen died on 25 August 1497 and was buried in the cathedral in Königsberg.