Gottfried IV Schenk of Limpurg

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Gottfried IV Schenk von Limpurg in the Würzburg Cathedral

Gottfried IV Schenk von Limpurg (born January 26, 1404 ; † April 1, 1455 in Würzburg ) was Prince-Bishop of Würzburg from 1443 until his death in 1455.

Gottfried IV. In the family context

Gottfried IV. Schenk von Limpurg came from the Swabian - Franconian noble family of Schenken von Limpurg . The Limpurg Castle, which gives it its name, is now part of the town of Schwäbisch Hall in the Stuttgart region . The title of nobility of gift giving was integrated into the name as the original court office . Variants of the name can also be found as Erbschenk or Limburg .

His parents are Friedrich III. Schenk von Limpurg and Elisabeth, a born von Hohenlohe-Speckfeld, is probably the eighth of eleven children. Many of his brothers became canons in Würzburg and the neighboring dioceses. A relative, George III. Schenk von Limpurg , was Prince-Bishop of Bamberg from 1505 to 1522 .

Gottfried IV as bishop

Rochlitz Castle, exile of Gottfried IV.
Coat of arms of Gottfried Schenk von Limpurg after Lorenz Fries : Chronicle of the Bishops of Würzburg, 1574–1582

As bishop, Gottfried IV found an impoverished and indebted diocese, for which his two predecessors, Johann II. Von Brunn and Sigismund von Sachsen , were particularly responsible. After Sigismund of Saxony let his office rest, Gottfried was with the support of Friedrich III. initially employed as a carer. When Pope Felix V abdicated and Eugene IV became the new Pope, the Sigismund Church also withdrew its support; he had to give up the office of bishop and went into exile at Rochlitz Castle until the end of his life .

In the course of his reign, Gottfried IV succeeded in consolidating the diocese's budget and restoring peace in the region by taking action against robber nobles, but also expropriating and expelling Jews to whom he was indebted. Pledged property could gradually be released. He held diocesan synods in 1446, 1452 and 1453 .

Through various alliances with his neighbors, he led the diocese relatively unscathed through times of war. Margrave Albrecht in particular tried, together with Thuringian alliance partners, to expand his sphere of influence at the expense of the cities. Würzburg was not entirely spared, because Duke Wilhelm of Saxony invaded the Würzburg region from Coburg together with Apel Vitzthum . In the great city war of the margrave against Nuremberg, Gottfried IV retained extensive diplomatic neutrality.

He was buried in the Würzburg Cathedral.

coat of arms

The Prince-Bishop's coat of arms is quartered . The second field takes up the family coat of arms of the Schenk von Limpurg. This is the field with five 3: 2 silver pistons on a blue background. The crest consists of buffalo horns in red and silver, from which racing flags grow. The first and fourth fields contain the Franconian rake for the Duchy of Franconia and the third field a racing flag in red and silver for the Diocese of Würzburg . Gottfried IV is the first Würzburg bishop to claim the Franconian title of duke. It is noticeable that the Franconian rake referring to it in the bishop's coat of arms was already included in the family coat of arms.

literature

Web links

Commons : Gottfried IV. Schenk von Limpurg  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ See Judaica on Jewish history in Haßfurt, Franconia
predecessor Office successor
Sigismund of Saxony Prince-Bishop of Würzburg
1443–1455 		Johann III. from Grumbach
personal data
SURNAME Gottfried IV Schenk of Limpurg
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Gottfried IV of Würzburg
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prince-Bishop of Würzburg
DATE OF BIRTH January 26, 1404
DATE OF DEATH April 1, 1455
Place of death Wurzburg