Heinrich I. (Würzburg)

Heinrich I (von Würzburg) , also known as Heinrich von Rothenburg († November 14, 1018 in Würzburg ), was bishop of Würzburg from 995 or 996 until his death . He is one of the most important Würzburg bishops. He is also known as the creator of the (secular) prince-bishopric of Würzburg, as he was confirmed and extended by the emperor and extended his sphere of influence considerably.

Heinrich in the family context

Heinrich I, also Hezelin , probably comes from Wegele from the house of the Counts of Rothenburg , named after today's Rothenburg ob der Tauber . Later research ascribes him to the Conradinians . His maternal half-brother is the Italian Chancellor and Archbishop of Cologne Heribert , whose father is Count Hugo von Worms in Einrichgau . The two Eichstätter bishops Heribert (1022-1042) and Gezemann (1042) are nephews of Heinrich.

Heinrich as bishop

After the death of his predecessor Bernward on the return journey from Constantinople , Emperor Otto III recommended . his Chancellor Heribert . However, he stood up for his half-brother Heinrich.

Under Henry I the diocese was again to 996 in his immunity as Bishopric confirmed and ostfränkischer by royal donations counties in Rangau and Waldsassengau greatly expanded. He managed to bring several monasteries into his possession, which also brought an increase in territorial power.

Fight against the Margrave of Schweinfurt

He stood at the side of King Heinrich II in the suppression of the uprising of the Schweinfurt Margrave Heinrich , who had allied himself with the Polish Duke Bolesław I. This dispute is known as the Schweinfurt feud and Thietmar von Merseburg reported on it at the time. The Grafschaft Schweinfurt was based on possessions in the Nordgau , Radenzgau and Volkfeldgau , which were secured by a chain of castles, which gave the margrave an important position in the central realm.

The fighting also affected the Creußen Castle . The margrave tried in vain to shock her. In view of the failed attempt, the castle garrison surrendered and prevented the castle from being completely destroyed. In the further course the margrave had his own castle Kronach burned down to prevent it from being captured by the opposing troops. However, they took many prisoners in Kronach. Among them were quite a few Poles and also the son of Count Siegfried von Nordheim . The margrave fled to his ally, the Polish duke. Together with Erkanbald , the abbot of Fulda , he was supposed to set fire to and destroy the prince's headquarters at Schweinfurt Castle . In fact, out of consideration for the margravial mother Eila, only the fortified buildings of the castle were razed .

The County of Schweinfurt was thus destroyed. In the period that followed, a power vacuum developed in the region. The margrave was willing to make reconciliation, but the king only gave him back his property and kept him prisoner at Giebichenstein Castle . He died in freedom on September 18, 1017 and was buried by Heinrich, the first Bamberg Bishop Eberhard and the Trieste Bishop Richulf (also Rikulf) on the north side of the church of Schweinfurt Castle.

Foundation of the Bamberg diocese

After the founding of the Bamberg diocese in 1007, the Würzburg diocese had to cede areas; it was compensated with property in the Meininger Mark . The diocese of Würzburg was promised to become an archbishopric to which Bamberg and Eichstätt would submit . This also endangered the position of the diocese of Mainz , represented by Bishop Willigis as a metropolitan . The promise was not fulfilled and the negotiations between Bishop Heinrich and King Heinrich II were tense. The assignments of territory were corrected in favor of Würzburg and Heinrich was granted further privileges in the form of market rights , wild bans and count rights . The Eichstätter Bishop Megingaud managed to defend his property. With the establishment of the diocese in Bamberg, King Heinrich II pursued, among other goals, the creation of a corridor loyal to the king in the empire, whose bishops were not subject to dynastic interests and on whose elections he could exercise significant influence.

Reactivation of the monasteries and construction activities

Following on from the work of his predecessors, Heinrich continued the reactivation of episcopal monasteries. Amorbach Monastery developed particularly positively . The new abbot was appointed as early as 1007 , and Heinrich appointed an abbot for the first time in the Schlüchtern monastery . He appointed Richard for the Fulda monastery .

His construction activities in the city of Würzburg included the construction of the city ​​wall and the establishment of the Haug collegiate monasteries around 1000 and around 1014 St. Peter (called St. Peter, Paul and Stephanus from 1108), from which the Benedictine Abbey of St. Stephan emerged a little later .

He was buried in the Würzburg Cathedral.

literature

• Peter Kolb, Ernst-Günther Krenig (Ed.): Lower Franconian history . Würzburg 1989, pp. 219-227.
• Franz Xaver von Wegele :  Henry I . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 11, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1880, pp. 629-632.
• Alfred Wendehorst: The diocese of Würzburg. Part 1 . (= Germania Sacra). De Gruyter, Berlin 1962, p. 74 ff. ( (Partial) digitized version )
• Alfred Wendehorst:  Heinrich I .. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 8, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1969, ISBN 3-428-00189-3 , p. 404 ( digitized version ).
• Scientific Association for the German Order e. V. and Historical Teutonic Order Compaigne zu Mergentheim 1760 e. V. (Hrsg.): 1300 years of Würzburg - signs of history, pictures and seals of the bishops of Würzburg . Issue 23. Lauda-Königshofen 2004, p. 4

Individual evidence

1. ↑ see also list of medieval districts
2. ^ Wilhelm Engel in: Willy Schmitt-Lieb, Wilhelm Engel: Würzburg in the picture. Wisli-Mappe, Würzburg 1956, p. 9.
3. ↑ St. Stepgan: Website ( history ).

predecessor	Office	successor
Bernward	Bishop of Würzburg 996 - 1018	Meginhard I.