He is first mentioned as a member of the Teutonic Order in 1311. As a youthful knight, he often engaged in combat with the
Lithuanians, and according to monastic legend, defeated the
Grand Duke of Lithuania,
Vytenis, in a
duel. Vytenis later honored him for his courage and chivalry in battle. In 1318, he is mentioned as a member of the convent of
Polessk castle. He became
commander of
Ragnit in 1329 and became
mayor of
Sambia in 1334. He became commander of
Brandenburg in the same year, and then Grand Marshall and commander of
Koningsberg. From 1335 to 1339, he was commander-in-chief of the order's army. In 1339, a dispute between him and then grandmaster
Dietrich von Altenburg resulted in Dusemer's demotion and exile to
Brodnica, where he became commander. In either 1343 or 1344, he fought against the
Estonians.
Rule In September 1345, Grandmaster
Ludolf Konig, who according to historical records, was mentally reeling from a failed campaign against the Lithuanians, resigned, and on December 13, 1345, Dusemer was elected Grandmaster of the Teutonic Order. Shortly following his election, in 1346,
Estonia was acquired by the Teutons from the
Danes for 19,000
marks. War with the Lithuanians resumed under his reign, ending in the decisive
Battle of Strėva on February 2, 1348, which rendered the Lithuanians as a non-threat for decades. The Teutons intended to subdue the entirety of
Lithuania, however, the
Black Death reached
Prussia in that year, resulting in Dusemer being forced to widthraw his troops from the area. In 1349 he approved one of the rare monastery foundations of the time of the order for the
Benedictine nuns in
Löbenicht . He expressed his gratitude for the victory over the Lithuanians at Strėva. The monastery was endowed with substantial property in the form of forests in the district of
Wehlau. The forests later bore the name
Löbenichtscher Hospitalforst. Under his reign, construction started on the grandmaster's palace in the Teutonic capital of
Marienburg. Talks with the
Kingdom of Poland resulted in the establishment of a definitive Teutonic-Polish border in 1349 in
Pomerania. In 1351, probably due to illness, Henry Dusemer resigned from office. He left for
Bratian and no longer held any honorable functions. He died in Bratian in 1353. He was buried in Malbork in the mausoleum of the grand masters of the Teutonic Order under the chapel of St. Anna. == References ==