Grand Master Michael Küchmeister and the conflicts between the Monastic State of the Teutonic Order and Poland-Lithuania in the years 1414-1422. Endless crises or a period of consolidation? Considerations about the medieval foreign policy

Grand Master Michael Küchmeister (1414-1422) is presented in a somewhat negative light in historical studies. He is criticised for his arbitrary actions in the face of the Polish threat. According to critics, his policy cost more energy and resources than a possible war, and led to the external weakness and the internal decay of the Order. Th is accusation – made nowadays – says that Küchmeister did not want to look for a solution to the conflict in military terms, and his policy of concessions only prolonged the conflict. The sources have not been sufficiently examined because in 1945 important sources concerning the period of Küchmeister’s terms of office disappeared (Ordensfolianten 8-11). Substantial sections of this documentation have been reconstructed by secondary sources. On the basis of the materials it is once again possible to analyse the foreign policy of the grand master Michael Küchmeister towards Poland and Lithuania. The article presents the first considerations about this issue and outlines assumptions for further research