Albrecht IV of Querfurt

Albrecht III. (IV.) Von Querfurt († June 12, 1403 at Giebichenstein Castle ) was Archbishop of Magdeburg from 1383 to 1403.

Life

Albrecht was a born nobleman from Querfurt . During his stay in Rome, where he applied for the diocese of Merseburg , he was unanimously elected as his successor by the cathedral chapter of Magdeburg after the death of Archbishop Friedrich († November 9, 1382) . His reign was not a very happy one for the Magdeburg region: it is almost exclusively filled by numerous feuds in which the archbishopric and city of Magdeburg were involved with the Margraviate of Brandenburg and Duke Rudolf of Saxony , as well as by multiple disputes between him and the city Magdeburg. In addition, Albrecht, as Chancellor of King Wenceslas, from 1395 devoted his time and energy more to the interests of Bohemia and the empire than to those of his archbishopric. The anarchic conditions in the Margraviate of Brandenburg since the death of Charles IV have drawn the bordering countries, especially the Magdeburg region, into constant harm. The feuds against the Mark, partly undertaken by the archbishop in connection with the city of Magdeburg, partly by him or her alone, dragged on with little interruptions and with varying degrees of luck through the years 1385 to 1400. At the same time (1396) Duke Rudolf von undertook Saxony, one does not know for what reason, an incursion into Magdeburg. The Magdeburg people, led by the Provost Heinrich von Warberg, suffered a defeat at Jüterbog and had to release their prisoners with heavy money.

The relationship between Archbishop Albrecht and the city of Magdeburg, initially a good one, suffered a severe blow as early as 1385 when he demanded that the citizens submit to the Saxon land peace confirmed by King Wenzel , which, however, severely impaired their independence. The differences between the two became more serious when the archbishop struck a worse coin in 1401. The cathedral chapter was informed by the council of the revolt within the citizenry, so that this together with the members of the collegiate foundation preferred to leave the city. Due to the prudence of the council, a contract was concluded that regulated the coinage, but a short time later new disputes arose because of various claims on the part of the cathedral chapter. Before they were settled, on September 14, 1402, also because of the coin, an uprising broke out in the city. The rebels destroyed the archbishop's coin, moved to the New Market, which was under the jurisdiction of the archbishop, wreaked havoc here, then went back to the old town and set up a new council here. Under pressure from the leaders of the uprising, the latter passed a new coin law, which, however, had the most damaging effects on the city. Archbishop Albrecht sued the city before the provost of Hildesheim after the rebellious party had rejected its willingness to make a cheap settlement. The representatives sent there by the city of Magdeburg were arrested on their return by Ludolf von Warberg, the brother of the provost of the cathedral, and the negotiations were thus dragged out. The city was given the interdict and summoned to the Landfriedensgericht nach Salze. The Magdeburgers, warned by friends to appear here, stayed away. The archbishop brought a lawsuit against the Magdeburg citizens and swore that the damage caused to him and the clergy by the uprising amounted to 40,000 marks. After various refusals on the part of the citizenry, through the mediation of Count Günther von Schwarzburg , a contract was finally concluded between the two parties on February 26, 1403, according to which the city undertook to rebuild the destroyed archbishop's mint, the village of Hohendodeleben , which had previously arrived from the archbishopric the city was pledged to be returned to the same, to pay 2,000 shock cross groschen, etc. A few months later (May 1st) a comparison was made with the cathedral chapter. Soon afterwards, on June 12th, Archbishop Albrecht died.

literature

• Karl Janicke:  Albrecht IV, Archbishop of Magdeburg from 1381-1403 . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 1, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1875, p. 267 f.
• Berent Schwineköper:  Albrecht IV. (Albertus) of Querfurt. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 1, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1953, ISBN 3-428-00182-6 , p. 166 ( digitized version ).
• Magdeburg Schöppenchronik (City Chronicles VII.) Pp. 286–314. (Chron. Magdeb. Bei Meibom, Scriptt. Rer. German. T. II. P. 350 ss.) Sagittarius bei Boysen, Histor. Magazine IV. 54-79.
• Albrecht IV of Querfurt . In: Helga Wäß: Form and Perception of Central German Memory Sculpture in the 14th Century
  Volume 1: A contribution to medieval grave monuments, epitaphs and curiosities: A contribution to medieval grave monuments, epitaphs and curiosities in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, North Hesse, East - Westphalia and Southern Lower Saxony in two volumes ;
  Volume 2: Catalog of selected objects from the High Middle Ages to the beginning of the 15th century ; Bristol et al. a., 2006; P. 377 ff. With ill. 533; ISBN 3-86504-159-0

Web links

• Albertus IV. In: Johann Heinrich Zedler : Large complete universal lexicon of all sciences and arts . Volume 1, Leipzig 1732, column 995 f.

predecessor	Office	successor
Frederick II of Hoym	Archbishop of Magdeburg 1382–1403	Günther II of Schwarzburg