Hermann Balk Hermann Balk ( ? - died March 5 , 1239 , Würzburg ) , also known as Hermann von Balk or Hermann Balke , was a Knight - Brother of the Teutonic Order and its first " Landmeister " , or Provincial Master , in both Prussia and Livonia . From 1219 to 1227 , he served as the " Deutschmeister " in the Order ' s Province of Alemannia . Balk led the crusaders during the Prussian Crusade and became Master of Prussia in 1230 . From 1237 to 1238 , he also served in the additional role as Master of Livonia . Life . Balk came from a family of Lower Saxon - Markish origin . He may have been a former canon at Hildesheim and may have joined the Teutonic Knights at Acre in 1189 . He was well respected by fellow Roman Catholics , but he had no patience for pagans . His leadership and traditions were emulated by his successors throughout the 13th century , and he created the master ' s seal presenting the flight into Egypt . While all other masters ' seals were anonymous , only Balk ' s included his name . In 1226 , the Teutonic Knights were invited to combat the Old Prussians by Duke Conrad I of Masovia , whose lands had been raided by the pagans over the preceding decades . Balk led the first substantial detachment of Teutonic Knights to Castle Vogelsang near Toruń . The master allegedly negotiated the Treaty of Kruszwica with Conrad in 1230 , by which the Teutonic Knights would control Culmerland and future conquests instead of them passing to the Masovian duke or Bishop Christian of Oliva ; the arrangement was similar to what had been agreed upon by Emperor Frederick II in the 1226 Golden Bull of Rimini . Granted the titles of " Landpfleger " ( " per Sclavoniam et Prusia m preceptor " ) and " Landmeister " , Balk led the Teutonic Knights during the conquests of Culmerland , Pomesania , and northern Warmia in the first decade of the Prussian Crusade , the 1230s . Because the Teutonic Order ' s primary focus was defending Outremer , Balk , the " Pizarro of the Baltic lands " , had limited resources at his disposal . He utilized guerilla warfare , forest ambushes , and his white - cloaked cavalry in winter campaigns ; the master crossed the Vistula in 1231 to hang a Prussian chief from a sacred oak tree . Balk allowed tribes who accepted Christianity to become auxiliaries of the Teutonic Knights and left them with their lands , while tribes that remained pagan were defeated and expelled . Ballista e and crossbow s were used by the crusaders to capture the Prussians ' forts . Under Balk ' s leadership , castles were built at Marienwerder ( Kwidzyn ) , Culm ( Chełmno ) , Elbing ( Elbląg ) , and Thorn ( Toruń ) . The master encouraged the settlement of German colonists near Teutonic " Ordensburg " castles ; the municipal privileges granted to Culm and Toruń on 28 December 1233 by Balk and Grand Master Hermann von Salza became the basis for Culm law , which was later applied to other developing towns in Prussia . The Livonian Brothers of the Sword , a German military order active in Livonia , were crushed by Samogitians in the 1236 Battle of Saule . The remnants of the Sword - Brothers were assimilated into the Teutonic Order the following year , and Balk was given the charge of reorganizing the new brethren . He recruited sixty knights from the Teutonic Order ' s north German convents , as they spoke the Low German used by the Sword - Brothers . After sailing to Riga , he distributed his troops to reinforce the countryside . At Stensby in 1238 , Balk returned Danish Estonia , which had been conquered by the Sword - Brothers , to King Valdemar II of Denmark . The upset Livonian Brethren refused to cooperate with Balk , who traveled to Italy to seek aid from Grand Master Hermann von Salza and Pope Gregory IX . Balk received little assistance , as Gregory IX was feuding with Emperor Frederick II and Hermann von Salza died in Salerno . Dietrich von Grüningen was named Master of Livonia later in 1238 , and Balk died at Würzburg in Franconia the next year . Because of his leadership in the conquest and Christianization of the region , many West Prussian towns had monuments and fountains dedicated to Balk .