Gisela von Spiegelberg

Gisela von Spiegelberg (* around 1170 ; † after December 7th, 1221 ) was the first abbess of the Fraumünster in Zurich , who was upgraded to mistress of Zurich through an act of grace by King Friedrich von Hohenstaufen .

Historical background

The Fraumünster in Zurich on the altarpieces by Hans Leu the Elder , late 15th century

With the Grossmünster and the Fraumünster, Zurich owned two spiritual pens. The Fraumünster with its respective abbess was of essential importance for the administrative tasks and as early as the 9th century the political arm of the king in the city. Between 1050 and 1250, the Fraumünster in Zurich reached the height of its influence. Secular rule over both monasteries and the adjoining city of Zurich had been the hereditary office of an imperial bailiff from the ranks of the Lenzburg and Zähringers since the early 11th century . Both sexes were extinct in the main line in 1218.

With the division of the imperial bailiwick between Kyburg and a de facto imperial city of Zurich, Frederick II placed the city under his direct control in 1218. According to his appointment, the bailiff was elected in local self-government from now on. The Fraumünster abbess, elected by the convent and confirmed by both king and bishop , was now also the city mistress of Zurich. This state of affairs was further cemented in 1245 by Friedrich II ( emperor since 1220 ) by enfeoffing the abbess as imperial duchess and thus helping her to achieve an imperial position.

Life

As the first of eight Thurgau abbesses of the Fraumünster Zurich, Gisela von Spiegelberg was elected to the office in 1218, accompanied by violent protests from some nuns who did not recognize the election. Whether this resulted from the fact that these nuns themselves were not involved in the election, or whether this was initiated in a much more explosive manner by the house of the Zähringer heirs, who were virtually disenfranchised by the election , is disputed. The most violent accusation made against her was that von Spiegelberg was the mother of several children of a cleric - whereupon the Bishop of Konstanz, Konrad II von Tegerfelden , was unable to recognize her election. Conversely, the then Pope Honorius III. a tripartite commission made up of the abbots of St. Gallen , Salem and Fischingen to “get the opposing nuns to obey”, otherwise the accusation should be investigated in court. Nothing is known about the outcome: in any case, Gisela von Spiegelberg held the office of abbess until her death.

A certification by Gisela von Spiegelberg as a witness to a land purchase is first handed down from the year 1220, “in the 8th  indiction , ie before September 24th of the year”.

Her commitment to the sick in the infirmary in St. Jakob an der Sihl is particularly emphasized.

But not only here their influence seemed: "Fraumünster abbess Gisela von Spiegelberg to a chaplain of St. Jacob in addition to the income from the Seelmessen a Pfrund on how another of its canons ." «The chaplain is not allowed to serve in any other parish church. If he receives another benefice, the woman abbess will replace him. She has the right to withhold his wages from him if he does insufficient work. "

After Gisela's death, Adelheid von Murkart became abbess in 1222.

literature

• Elsanne Gilomen-Schenkel (arr.): Early monasteries, the Benedictines in Switzerland . In: Helvetia Sacra Board of Trustees; founded by Rudolf Henggeler , continued by Albert Bruckner (ed.): Helvetia Sacra (=  Department 3, The Orders with Benedictine Rule ). tape 1 , third part. Francke Verlag, Bern 1986, ISBN 3-317-01533-0 , p. 2001 .

Individual evidence

1. ^ Heidi Leuppi: The monastery palatinate of Zurich . Page 213–228 in: Pfalz - Kloster - Klosterpfalz St. Johann in Müstair. Historical and archaeological issues . Ed .: Hans Rudolf Sennhauser
2. ^ ^{A b} Johannes Bernoulli: Acta Pontificium Helvetica , Volume 1 , Georg Olms Verlag 1977, ISBN 978-3-487-40917-7 , p. 75
3. ^ Zurich and the last Zähringer. Special print from: Constitutional and State History, Festschrift for Theodor Mayer , Vol. II (1955, pp. 93-104.) Doi : 10.5169 / seals-378936
4. ^ Ernst Leisi: The Lords of Spiegelberg in Thurgau and in Linzgau. Reprint from: Writings of the Association for the History of Lake Constance and its Surroundings. Konstanz, Issue 79, 1971.
5. ^ Franz X. Wöber: The Miller from and to Aichholz. A genealogical study. Part I: The Mülner of Zurich and their fall. (1102-1386). 1. Volume: From the earliest times to the death of the Imperial Bailiff Jacob des Mülner (1287). Gerold, Vienna 1893. ISBN 978-5-87861-971-4 , p. 65. online
6. ↑ Hans Brauchli: Thurgau ancestral gallery. ISBN 3-85809-127-8 , p. 49.
7. ↑ ^{a b} Zurich City Archives: IA1602.a (1221) information on content and structure. Catalog entry