By 1258, the Teutonic Order had become one of the foremost defenders of the Latin East. Under Herman von Salza, the Order's prominence had been derived partially from his personal diplomatic credentials. By this time, however, the brethren's military and material power alone ensured their influence and, although never as important as the Hospitallers and Templars, they possessed significant political power. The previous chapters have discussed the Teutonic Knights' wider policy between the Latin East and the Baltic; this section will examine their role in the governance of the kingdom of Jerusalem in the years after 1258.

After Frederick II's death, the Hohenstaufen territories began to fall apart. By 1267, two of Frederick's successors had assumed the title of king of Jerusalem, Conrad until 1254 and then Conradin until 1267, although neither of them ever travelled to the Latin East to enforce their rights. In 1267, however, the Hohenstaufen family's claims to the Latin East were finally expunged when Pope Clement IV (pope, 1265–1268) stripped Conradin of this throne. Even though it had been many years since these titular rulers had exerted any form of control in the region, this act allowed other contenders to make a bid for the crown of Jerusalem. The first was Hugh of Antioch-Lusignan, bailli of the kingdom and king of Cyprus (1267–1284), who claimed the regency in 1267 and took power the following year.