Georg Wolfsbach

Georg Wolfsbach or Georg Wolffsbach (* 15th century in Würzburg , † May 1, 1535 in Münsterschwarzach ) was abbot of the Benedictine monastery in Münsterschwarzach from 1505 to 1535 .

Münsterschwarzach before Georg Wolfsbach

Half a century before Wolfsbach's election as abbot was marked by great uncertainty in Münsterschwarzach. Many abbots lived lavish lifestyles and enriched themselves with the abbey properties. Nikolaus von Gleissenberg was even deposed from the convent in 1444 and punished with excommunication . The many wars of the 15th century aggravated the situation even further, so that the monastery became heavily indebted.

The lords of the monastery, the prince-bishops of Würzburg , tried to remedy this situation by appointing monks from the Reformed Abbey of Fulda . When the efforts failed, Abbot Martin began turning to the Bursfeld Congregation in 1480 . This amalgamation of monasteries promoted the monastic renewal of the monasteries and guaranteed greater independence from the Würzburg bishops. The reform ideas were further consolidated under Wolfsbach's direct predecessors.

Life

Until the Peasants' War

Georg Wolfsbach was born in Würzburg in the 15th century. He was the son of a tanner or trader whose family has only been handed down in the city since April 6, 1451 and probably came from the Schweinfurt area. Little is known about his early spiritual career. In 1495 he belonged to the convent of the Benedictine monastery of St. Stephan in his native city and held the office of master chef there. In 1495 he wrote an interest and validity register (in particular penny interest and wineries in Würzburg and Heidingsfeld ) of the Würzburg monastery St. Scholastika zur Gnadenpforte (before 1476 St. Ulrich), which also contains a list of documents and a part of the fiefdom .

When Abbot Paulus von Münsterschwarzach died in 1505 , there were disputes between the electors of the new ruler. Three candidates, including the future abbot Nikolaus Scholl, received the same number of votes. In order to avoid a split in the convent, the Würzburg prince-bishop Lorenz von Bibra was asked to name a candidate. He decided in favor of Georg Wolfsbach from Würzburg, who was also elected between April 1 and April 24, 1505. Thereupon he received the confirmation of the bishop.

Georg first consolidated the monastery within the Bursfeld congregation and was sworn in at the General Chapter of St. Jacob in Mainz in 1506 to the monastery union. Soon afterwards, in 1508, he was appointed visitor of the Union in the Franconian Empire . This office was confirmed to him in 1509, 1510, 1520, 1521, 1523, 1524 and 1526. In 1522 Wolfsbach received further powers; Now, in addition to Franconia, he was also allowed to visit Speyer and Strasbourg.

At the same time, the abbot participated in the general chapters of the congregation. He attended the chapters of 1508, 1513, 1515 and 1521, where he was co-president of the latter in Cologne . In the other chapters of his term of office, however, Georg Wolfsbach had himself represented by his priors and thus underlined the distance from the congregation that had triggered the events of 1525.

Until his death

At the beginning of the year the tensions between the landlords and their serf farmers increased. In the Prince Diocese of Würzburg, too, the rural population was fermenting. From mid-April 1525, the abbot therefore requested the support of Prince-Bishop Konrad II von Thüngen . This granted the monastery the establishment of a militia , which should be formed from the residents of the city ​​of Schwarzach . Instead of guarding the monastery, however, the residents looted the pantries and destroyed the abbey library on the night of April 24th to 25th.

Abbot Georg Wolfsbach had to flee the monastery because the peasants had made one of their own as the new abbot. He received support from the mayor of Gerlachshausen , Johann Zirold, who hid him in the town's castle . After three days he followed his monks to the St. Stephan monastery in Würzburg, before he was accepted as a guest in St. Egidien in Nuremberg. He was only able to return to Münsterschwarzach with 15 monks on June 24, 1525.

In order to be able to rebuild the destroyed monastery buildings, Abbot Georg needed money. He tried to get this by seeking help from the Bursfeld congregation, which had set up an aid fund for members in need. But the monastic union did not respond to the abbot's request and refused to provide any help. This resulted in the creeping distance from the monastery federation, which reached its climax in the exit in 1535.

The monastery was poorly repaired until 1528, so that the monks, who had since found accommodation in Gerlachshausen and Nordheim , could return. Abbot Georg drew conclusions from the disloyalty of the residents of Stadtschwarzach and in 1531 signed over all goods and rights to Prince-Bishop Konrad. Georg Wolfsbach died on May 1, 1535 and was buried in the middle of the monastery church in front of the cross altar.

literature

• Kassius Hallinger: Chronology of the abbots of Münsterschwarzach a. M. (1390-1803) . In: Abtei Münsterschwarzach (Ed.): Abtei Münsterschwarzach. Works from their history . Münsterschwarzach 1938.
• Johannes Mahr: blossom in ruins. Life and work of the Münsterschwarzach abbot Johannes Burckhardt (1563-1598) . Münsterschwarzach 1998.
• Johannes Mahr: Münsterschwarzach. 1200 years of a Franconian abbey . Münsterschwarzach 2002.
• Heinrich Wagner: The abbots of Megingaudshausen and Münsterschwarzach in the Middle Ages . In: Pirmin Hugger (Ed.): Magna Gratia. Festschrift for the 50th anniversary of the consecration of the Münsterschwarzach Abbey Church 1938-1988 . Münsterschwarzach 1988.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Mahr, Johannes: Münsterschwarzach. 1200 years of a Franconian abbey . P. 22.
2. ↑ Hallinger, Kassius: Chronology of the Abbots of Münsterschwarzach . P. 97.
3. ↑ Ingrid Heeg-Engelhart: The women's monasteries. In: Ulrich Wagner (Hrsg.): History of the city of Würzburg. 4 volumes, Volume I-III / 2 (I: From the beginnings to the outbreak of the Peasant War. 2001, ISBN 3-8062-1465-4 ; II: From the Peasant War 1525 to the transition to the Kingdom of Bavaria 1814. 2004, ISBN 3 -8062-1477-8 ; III / 1–2: From the transition to Bavaria to the 21st century. 2007, ISBN 978-3-8062-1478-9 ), Theiss, Stuttgart 2001–2007, Volume 1 (2001), Pp. 272-294 and 625-634, here: p. 279.
4. ↑ Mahr, Johannes: Bloom in ruins . P. 24.
5. ↑ Mahr, Johannes: Münsterschwarzach. 1200 years of a Franconian abbey . P. 23.
6. ^ Wagner, Heinrich: The Abbots of Megingaudshausen and Münsterschwarzach in the Middle Ages . P. 152.

predecessor	Office	successor
Paul	Abbot of Münsterschwarzach 1505–1535	John III Buttner