Friedrich von Pernstein

Friedrich von Pernstein (Czech Fridrich z Pernštejna ; * around 1270 ; † March 22, 1341 ) was a Moravian nobleman and member of the Minorite Order as well as a papal penitentiary . From 1304 to 1341 he was Archbishop of Riga .

Life

Frederick's descent from the Lords of Pernstein results from a papal document John XXII. of January 14, 1333. With this the Pope commissioned him to visit the Augustinian monastery in Doubravník in Moravia, where he should call his relative, the abbess Euphemie ( Ofka ) to order because of their vicious life. Since the Doubravník monastery was founded by the Pernsteiners and their predecessors, the Lords of Medlov ( Mödlau ), it is assumed that Frederick came from this family. However, it is not known whether he himself used the predicate von Medlov or von Pernstein . He had probably successfully fulfilled the papal mandate. In any case, the abbess Euphemia was still in office in 1344. It is not known whether Frederick personally reformed the Doubravník monastery or was commissioned by him.

It is likely that Frederick was a grandson of Stephen of Medlov ( Štěpán z Medlova ), who is documented as the burgrave of Děvičky ( Maidenburg ) for the years 1208 to 1258 . He was appointed for the clerical status by his parents, whose names and dates are not yet known. It is believed that he is identical to that "dominus Fridericus de Bohemia", who matriculated at the University of Bologna in 1290 . It is also not known when he joined the Order of the Minorites ( Franciscans ). They sent him to Rome, where he began a career at the Curia . Before 1304 he rose to the papal penitentiary.

On March 21, 1304, Frederick was Pope Benedict XI. appointed Archbishop of Riga . In the spring of 1305 he arrived in Riga , where initially property disputes with the cathedral chapter awaited him. In addition, it was a dispute over the former Cistercian monastery Dünamünde that the Teutonic Order was bought, the one there without episcopal approval Coming had built and now the Dünazugang controlled. Since Frederick's complaint to the Curia was unsuccessful, he traveled to Rome himself in 1307. Only in 1311 did he return to Riga, accompanied by the papal chaplain Francis of Moliano ( Francesco di Moliano ), who was supposed to head a commission of inquiry. There they imposed a ban and interdict on the Teutonic Order . In 1312 Friedrich returned to Avignon . During his absence, the Teutonic Order succeeded in winning the majority of the Livonian powers and also the Riga Cathedral Chapter on its side.

The dispute with the Teutonic Order put Pope Johannes XXII. 1319 when he confirmed the possession of Dünamünde to the order. The defeated Friedrich now tried to damage the order by trying to prevent the replacement of the Prussian and Livonian bishoprics, but could not assert himself.

After the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas intended to be baptized in 1323 , Frederick returned to Riga with two papal legates in 1324. Since the Teutonic Order had doubts about Gedimin's readiness for baptism, there were again disputes with Friedrich. When Gediminas was actually not baptized for diplomatic reasons, Friedrich filed new charges against the Teutonic Order in 1325. Before he finally left Livonia in the same year, he repeated the ban. The subsequent dispute between the city of Riga, which was on the side of the Lithuanians, and the order, which finally took Riga in 1330 after a six-month siege, which he made a religious city, Friedrich only experienced from a distance. He now lived permanently at the papal court in Avignon . From there he tried to administer his archbishopric. The long absence weakened his position in Riga and beyond.

Friedrich von Pernstein was very learned and bibliophile . In Avignon , which at that time was a center of ecclesiastical and spiritual life, he owned an extensive library with theological, legal and church-historical works. Some of them had an illumination at their own expense . In addition to Latin and Italian literature, a translation of the Koran is also listed from its inventory .

literature

• Bernhart Jähnig: Friedrich von Pernstein (OFM) (around 1270-1341) . In: Erwin Gatz : The Bishops of the Holy Roman Empire 1198–1448 . ISBN 3-428-10303-3 , pp. 651f.
• Kurt Forstreuter: Archbishop Friedrich von Riga (1304-1341). A contribution to its characteristics . In: Zeitschrift für Ostforschung, issue 19, 1970, pp. 652–665.
• Zdeňka Hledíková : Z domácností Friedricha z Pernštejna . In: Pocta Janu Janákovi . Brno 2002, ISBN 80-86488-07-1 , pp. 391-403.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ See Bodo Hechelhammer:  Feuchtwangen, Siegfried von. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 29, Bautz, Nordhausen 2008, ISBN 978-3-88309-452-6 , Sp. 429-431.

predecessor	Office	successor
Jens Grand	Archbishop of Riga 1304–1341	Engelbert von Dolen