Before his death, Casimir IV Jagiellon recommended his Polish subjects elect his son, John I Albert, as king. The royal council invited the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, Johann von Tiefen, to participate in the election of the new ruler, as per the conditions of the Peace of Thorn (1466), which recognized the Grand Master as a "prince and advisor to the king and the Kingdom."
Queen Dowager Elisabeth also wrote a letter to the Grand Master, encouraging him to support John I Albert, as the prince had rivals for the throne. The head of the Order set out for the election but turned back, officially citing illness. In reality, he had received information about internal conflicts within the Jagiellonian dynasty, in which he did not wish to become involved.
Consequently, his relations with King John I Albert were later strained. The 1492 election was the only event in which a Grand Master of the Teutonic Order was expected to participate as a ruler dependent on Poland.
