Gerhard von Ehrenberg

Replica of the original epitaph in the Bruchsal City Museum

The baroque epitaph by Vinzenz Möhring, 1775, Speyer Cathedral

Gerhard von Ehrenberg († 1363 ) was Bishop of Speyer from 1336 to 1363.

Life

Gerhard von Ehrenberg came from the von Ehrenberg family and was the first bishop from the Kraichgau knighthood (later: knight canton Kraichgau ). Gerhard was initially an employee of the law firm Ludwig of Bavaria and was elected Bishop of Speyer at his instigation. In 1388 the emperor granted him various privileges for Udenheim and Rotenberg . Gerhard provided the emperor with military support and only switched to Charles IV's side after Ludwig's death . The von Ehrenberg family profited from Gerhard's position, family members received lucrative benefices , later also in the Mainz area and became important donors to the kings.

Gerhard von Ehrenberg had the Augustinian monastery in Speyer rebuilt quickly after a fire. In addition, he equipped the sacristy of the Speyer Cathedral and freed the Speyer monastery from its debts. He could not prevent the persecution of the Jews of 1349 as the spread of the plague . He tried to limit the civil rights of the residents of the city of Speyer through taxes on acquired land.

In 1356, after the arrest of the Begarden preacher Berthold von Rohrbach , he convened a synod, during which the steadfast defender of his faith was sentenced to death at the stake .

The grave of Gerhard von Ehrenberg is in the north aisle of the Speyer Cathedral, the original monument was destroyed in 1689. In 1775 the sculptor Vinzenz Möhring made a new baroque epitaph with the portrait of the buried bishop adorned with coat of arms in the upper part and an inscription in the lower part. It is located in the nave of the Speyer Cathedral and was badly damaged when the cathedral was sacked by French revolutionaries in 1794.

From 1341, Bishop Ehrenberg's great cousin Eberhard von Randeck worked under him as Speyer cathedral dean . He was elected as his successor in 1363, but - subject to certain special rights - had to give way to the imperial candidate Lamprecht von Brunn .

Gerhard von Ehrenberg is one of the positive main characters in Maximilian Pfeiffer's historical novel Kyrie Eleison (1925, reprint 1984) about life in the medieval city of Speyer and the persecution of the Jews there from 1349.

coat of arms

Coat of arms of Bishop Gerhard von Ehrenberg, 1336–1363

The prince-bishop's coat of arms is usually quartered . The fields of the coat of arms alternate with the Ehrenberg family coat of arms, a lying eagle wing with an eagle head in red on silver and the coat of arms of the diocese of Speyer, a silver cross on a blue background.

literature

• Hans Ammerich : The diocese of Speyer and its history , Volume 2: From the Staufer period (1125) to the beginning of the 16th century ; Kehl am Rhein 1999; ISBN 3-927095-44-3 ; Pp. 25-26.
• Bruno Thiebes: Small cathedral book. Introduction to the history, construction and significance of the Speyer Cathedral . Speyer 1980; ISBN 3-87637-015-9 ; P. 48.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Ludwig Keller:  Rohrbach, Berthold von . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 29, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1889, p. 62.

predecessor	Office	successor
Baldwin of Luxembourg	Bishop of Speyer 1336–1363	Lamprecht von Brunn Eberhard von Randeck (Elekt)