Diether von Isenburg

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Coat of arms of the Archbishop of Mainz
The tomb in the Mainz Cathedral

Diether von Isenburg (* 1412 ; † May 7, 1482 in Aschaffenburg ) was twice Archbishop of Mainz and was instrumental in the Mainz collegiate feud . As Archbishop of Mainz, he was ex officio also Elector and Lord Chancellor of Germany .

Life

His parents were Count Diether I von Isenburg in Büdingen (mentioned from 1442, † November 20, 1461) and his wife Elisabeth von Solms-Braunfels († July 17, 1451). Diether was chosen for the clergy at an early age, because his older brother Johann was to become the Count's successor. However, Johann decided at the age of 21 to go to the monastery, so that (rather unusually) the younger brother Ludwig (II.) Was chosen as the next Count of Isenburg-Büdingen. Diether studied in Cologne and then in Erfurt , where he became rector in 1434, then went to Mainz , where he was canon from 1427 and custodian of the cathedral church from 1453 .

When he was elected Archbishop of Trier in 1456, Diether was unable to prevail against Johann II of Baden , as he only had a minority behind him in the cathedral chapter.

After he had undertaken to join the union of the deceased Elector and Archbishop of Mainz, Dietrich Schenk von Erbach , with the Elector and Margrave of Brandenburg, Albrecht Achilles , against the Elector and Count Palatine of the Rhine, Friedrich I. , Diether was on 18 June 1459 elected Archbishop of Mainz with a narrow majority before Adolf von Nassau , but never confirmed by the Pope.

In 1461 Diether convened a princes' day in Nuremberg , where he campaigned for imperial and church reform. So here he energetically demanded the abolition of the papal annata requirements by a general council .

Coat of arms of Diether von Isenburg on the Höchst city wall

Due to his critical position on Pope Pius II and Emperor Friedrich III. there was a scandal, the so-called Mainz collegiate feud .

Since Diether refused to give up his reform efforts, he was deposed and banned by the Pope on August 21, 1461 . He opposed this with violence, and a devastating war began between him and the new Archbishop Adolf von Nassau, appointed by the Pope, and their mutual allies, in which Diether was ultimately defeated. Adolf's troops conquered the city of Mainz on the night of October 28, 1462. Until then, the citizens of Mainz had remained loyal to Diether, but now he and his followers - including Johannes Gutenberg  - had to flee the city. 400 people were killed that night, and 400 more were driven from the city. The collegiate feud was settled on October 5, 1463 in the Peace of Zeilsheim under a tree in the open field near Zeilsheim . Diether received the Mainz offices of Höchst , Steinheim and Dieburg as a separate rule ; his residence was the archbishop's highest castle .

When Adolf von Nassau was on his deathbed in 1475, he suggested his predecessor and former adversary Diether as his successor. On November 9, 1475, Diether von Isenburg was actually re-elected archbishop. This time his election was confirmed by Pope Sixtus IV .

He no longer endeavored to implement far-reaching reforms and from then on endeavored to implement strict church discipline. Among other things, he arranged for the Niklashaus pilgrimage to end in 1476 and led the heretic trial against Johann von Wesel . In Rome he was temporarily primus inter pares .

In 1477 Diether founded a university in Mainz . After his death in 1482 he was buried in Mainz Cathedral .

literature

Web links

Commons : Diether von Isenburg  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Note: The spelling of the name is not very clear, some sources write it as Diether von Y senburg. However, the Y in the tribe name appears for the first time in 1442 in connection with the elevation of his father to the rank of count. Its successors alternated with I or Y. See also in the discussion .

predecessor Office successor
Dietrich Schenk von Erbach Elector-Archbishop of Mainz
1459–1461 		Adolf II of Nassau
Adolf II of Nassau Elector-Archbishop of Mainz
1475–1482 		Adalbert III. of Saxony
personal data
SURNAME Isenburg, Diether von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ysenburg, Diether von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German clergyman, Archbishop of Mainz (1459–1462 and 1475–1482)
DATE OF BIRTH 1412
DATE OF DEATH May 7, 1482
Place of death Aschaffenburg