Adalbert I. (Worms)

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Adalbert I of Rheinfelden (* around 1020 ; † August 6, 1070 ) was a Benedictine and from 1065 to 1070 Bishop of Worms .

origin

Grave slab of brother Rudolf von Rheinfelden in the cathedral at Merseburg ; oldest bronze grave plate in Central Europe

He came from a noble Burgundian count family named after Rheinfelden in Switzerland and related to the Rudolfingern , the Burgundian branch of the Guelphs , as well as to the Liudolfingern .

Rudolf von Rheinfelden , Duke of Swabia and later German rival king, was his brother. Both father's name was Kuno von Rheinfelden and was the half-brother of Itas von Lothringen , wife of Count Radbot von Habsburg .

Life

Adalbert von Rheinfelden became a Benedictine in the prince abbey of St. Gallen . His brother was held in high honor under King Heinrich IV for a long time, which is probably due to his appointment as Bishop of Worms . His appointment took place in the summer (probably June) 1065, the consecration on September 22nd or 23rd of that year.

Adalbert was very stout and was considered the fattest known man in his day. The contemporary chronicler Lampert von Hersfeld writes about him rather disparagingly: “He was completely lame on one leg and worth seeing in every respect. He was incredibly strong, extremely voracious and so fat that the sight of it aroused more horror than admiration. ” He was also very broad-shouldered, he was hardly looked at without disgust and horror and he was considered a monster of the ancient world of fables or the realm of the dead can.

His enormous body is passed down by all chroniclers, but it is unclear whether it is actually solely due to "voraciousness" or not to an illness. According to the contemporary description, Adalbert also appears to have been deformed. Lampert von Hersfeld writes about the cause of death (apparently unknown to him) that he “probably choked on his obesity” , which later historians reported as a fact and an indication of his immoderation, although there is no solid evidence for this.

Like his brother Rudolf von Rheinfelden, the bishop supported a renewal of the church in line with the Cluniac reforms . In the "Helvetia Sancta" it says about him: "In terms of body he was extremely fat and almost shapeless in size, only in this lived a beautiful soul and he was distinguished by sobriety as well as by holiness."

The traditional grave inscription reads: “Adalbero steadfastly and cheerfully taught the citizens of Worms to keep faith in their hearts. So he kept his faith and pastured the flock and so he climbed up, dying to the starry tent. "

In 1068, the Hochheim district of Worms was first mentioned in a document by Bishop Adalbert von Rheinfelden.

The bishop's nephew (son of his sister Judith), Abbot Adelgaud von Ebersheimmünster, had the royal crown made secretly for his uncle Rudolf von Rheinfelden in his monastery in 1077.

literature

  • Marian Nebelin, Sabine Graul: Losers of history: from antiquity to modernity , p. 215, LIT Verlag, Münster, 2008, ISBN 3825813266 ; (Digital scan)
  • Laurenz Burgener: Helvetia Sancta , Volume 1, p. 5, Benziger Verlag, Einsiedeln, 1860; (Digital scan)
  • Friedrich Zorn: Wormser Chronik , Literarischer Verein, Stuttgart, 1857, p. 45; (Digital scan with epitaph)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Gerd Wunder: Contributions to the genealogy of Swabian ducal houses , in: Journal for Württembergische Landesgeschichte , Volume XXXI, Kohlhammer Verlag, Stuttgart, 1973, p. 7; (PDF document)
  2. ↑ August Friedrich Gfrörer : Pabst Gregorius VII. And his age , Volume 2, Schaffhausen, 1859, p. 100; (Digital scan)
  3. ^ Website about the bishop, which, citing Lampert von Hersfeld, states that he suffocated while eating
  4. ^ Website portal regional history, to Worms-Hochheim
  5. ^ Gerd Wunder: Contributions to the genealogy of Swabian ducal houses , in: Journal for Württembergische Landesgeschichte , Volume XXXI, Kohlhammer Verlag, Stuttgart, 1973, p. 7; (PDF document)
  6. ↑ Alexander Schnütgen : Journal for Christian Art , Volume 14, 1902, p. 51; (Detail scan)
predecessor Office successor
Arnold I. Bishop of Worms
1065-1070 		Adalbert II.
personal data
SURNAME Adalbert I.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Adalbert I of Rheinfelden
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Benedictine, Bishop of Worms, brother of the German anti-king Rudolf von Rheinfelden
DATE OF BIRTH around 1020
DATE OF DEATH August 6, 1070