Arnold van Hoorn

Arnold van Hoorn , also Arnould de Hornes , Arnold von Horn , (* around 1339 or 1340 ; † March 8, 1389 ) was Prince-Bishop of Utrecht from 1371 to 1379 and Prince-Bishop of Liège from 1378 to 1389 .

Origin and early years

He came from the family of the Counts of Hoorn . He was the son of Wilhelm von Hoorn and his second wife Elisabeth von Kleve. He joined the Franciscan Order and studied law in Paris, among other things. At an unknown time, he was ordained a priest. He was canon in Cologne , Liège and Utrecht.

Bishop of Utrecht

The Stichtse Landbrief from 1375, Utrecht Archives

After the death of the bishop of Utrecht Johann V von Virneburg , the succession was controversial. In addition to the cathedral chapter, four other spiritual institutions were entitled to vote at that time. The cathedral chapter tried to monopolize the election and elected the provost Zweder Uterlo as bishop . The other chapters suggested Gregory XI. Arnold van Hoorn. The Pope agreed and consecrated it. On September 28, 1371 he moved into Utrecht.

He proved to be a warlike sovereign. So he got involved in the War of the Geldr Succession . He took the side of Mathilde von Blois against Wilhelm von Jülich . As a result, the bishopric of Utrecht was heavily burdened by war burdens and the devastation of the war opponents.

Inside, Arnold van Hoorn managed well and was able to redeem a number of pledged properties.

However, he was in a weak position compared to the stands. There had been a dispute over certain rights between the city of Utrecht and the bishopric for a long time. Arnold van Hoorn accommodated the city by renouncing important rights. In 1375 he issued the so-called "Stichtse Landbrief" in Dutch. This regulates the rights of the three estates (the five chapters, nobility, cities) of the Landtag. Arnold van Hoorn had to renounce the right to levy taxes and the right to sell the princely castles and palaces. Even as a fiefdom, the possessions should only be able to be given to the local nobility . He even renounced the right to wage war unauthorized.

Bishop of Liege

After the Prince-Bishop Jan van Arkel died in Liège in 1378 , part of the cathedral chapter elected Arnold van Hoorn as his successor. Another part chose Eustachius of Rochefort . While Rochefort was recognized by Clement VII in Avignon , Arnold van Hoorn was in Rome by Urban VI. approved.

Even as bishop in Liège, his reign was marked by armed conflicts. First, Arnold van Hoorn had to prevail against Rochefort. This was supported by Friedrich III. von Saar Werden , Archbishop of Cologne , and from the Duchy of Brabant . After moving to Liège, he initially waited. At first he declared that he only wanted to be governor. So he could remain bishop in Utrecht. Rochefort began violence against supporters of van Hoorn and the Brabantians also invaded the country and destroyed a number of villages. The war against Brabant in particular took on unusually bitter features. Prisoners were not released for ransom but killed. For Arnold it was an advantage that the Archbishop of Cologne and the Count of Jülich left the opposing coalition. This enabled the Liège Monastery to concentrate entirely on the fight against Brabant. A counter-offensive ensued, with the Liège in turn devastating the Brabant area. Peace was concluded through the mediation of Ludwig II of Flanders . Thereupon Rochefort had to give up his claim and withdrew to Avignon. In 1383 the bishop tried in vain to settle the dispute between the Count of Flanders and Richard II of England .

As a result, there was a failed attempt in 1380 to conquer the Bouillon Castle , which belonged to the monastery . A year later, Arnold van Hoorn supported the citizens of Ghent against the Count of Flanders. In 1382 there was a fruitless conspiracy by supporters of Clement VII in the Liège clergy against Arnold van Hoorn.

In Liège the citizens enforced the right to freely elect their magistrate. Until then, this was claimed by a group of noble families.

He declined the offer of elevation to cardinal 1381 or 1384.

After his death he was buried in the Cistercian monastery Keyserbosch.

literature

• Alberdingk Thijm:  Arnold II of Hoorn . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 1, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1875, p. 581 f.
• Karl Moritz Fabritius: History of the bishopric Liège. Leipzig, 1792 pp. 174-180
• Georg Victor Schmid: The secularized dioceses of Germany. Vol. 1 Gotha, 1858 pp. 274f.

Web links

• Arnold van Hoorn. In: Salvador Miranda : The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church. ( Florida International University website, English)

predecessor	Office	successor
Johann von Virneburg	Bishop of Utrecht 1371–1379	Florence from Wevelinghoven
John IV of Arkel	Bishop of Liège 1378–1389	Johann of Bavaria