Heinrich I of Bilversheim

Heinrich I von Bilversheim († September 17, 1257 in Wolfsberg (Carinthia) ) was bishop of the Bamberg diocese from 1242 until his death in 1257 and administrator of Chiemsee from 1247–1252 .

Heinrich I in the family context

The von Bilversheim family was a ministerial dynasty from the place Pülfringen, today incorporated in Königheim in the Main-Tauber district in the northeast of Baden-Württemberg . Place names and surnames come in numerous variants, e.g. B. Bilvirnkeim, Bilverinckheim, Bulferkeim, Büluerigkheim and Pülferingen. The knights have been documented as local nobility since 1050. Heinrich I was the first Bamberg bishop to come from a small family of ministers; his predecessors can usually be assigned to the large dynasties of neighboring count houses.

Biographical data

Before his appointment as bishop, Heinrich I held the provost office a, Aachen Marienstift and was a canon in Bamberg. As a follower of Emperor Frederick II , whose notary he was, he traveled through Italy at his side and only submitted to Pope Innocent IV in 1245 after the First Council of Lyon , which Frederick deposed. Since 1245, the Bamberg diocese has also been separated from the association with the Mainz archdiocese and is directly subordinate to the Holy See. The Pope had thus significantly strengthened his influence in the Bamberg region.

Heinrich I as bishop

Gatehouse of the Altenburg - the Altenburg becomes the seat of the Bamberg bishops

At the time of his appointment as bishop, Frederick II was King of the Holy Roman Empire . In the period that followed, Bamberg hosted fewer diets or received kings. From 1241 to 1243 there was no pope , the period in which the papal chair remained vacant is called sedis vacancy .

Henry I held a first diocesan synod in 1243 , another followed during his term in office. In 1245 the city of Bamberg received permission from the emperor to hold a three-week fair . The fair was connected with the cathedral church consecration and therefore held in May. A fair of this size meant an economic revaluation of the city.

From the local history of Vorra in Upper Franconia , we learn that Bishop Heinrich fell into the hands of his opponents and borrowed money from Michelsberg Monastery in 1246 in order to be able to buy himself out again. For this, property in Vorra was used as a pledge. The place Strullendorf owes its first documentary mention in 1247 to a pledge. After Heinrich I had taken three golden crosses from the cathedral treasury and pawned them, he left his estate in Strullendorf to the cathedral chapter for security.

From 1251 the Altenburg became a bishopric. It also offered security from the aspiring citizens. Henry I is also considered a patron of the Franciscans , named after Francis of Assisi, who died in 1226 . In 1256 he founded the cathedral choir .

Wladislaw von Schlesien († 1270) was initially elected as his successor . Political reasons in connection with the dispute over the succession of the Andechs-Meranians were decisive. With Otto von Andechs-Meranien , the Andechs-Meranians died out in the male line during Heinrich's reign in 1248. Wladislaw resigned from office shortly after his appointment. Under Berthold von Leiningen it was then possible to settle the disputes.

literature

• Oskar Krenzer: Heinrich I. von Bilversheim, Bishop of Bamberg 1242–1257 (= program of the K. New High School in Bamberg for the school year. 1906 / 07–1908 / 09, ZDB ID 2013529-4 ). 3 parts. Nagengast, Bamberg 1907-1909, ( digitized version ).
• Hans Martin Schaller :  Heinrich I. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 8, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1969, ISBN 3-428-00189-3 , p. 338 ( digitized version ).
• Janis Witowski: The ransom of the Bamberg bishop Heinrich I of Bilversheim. In: Journal for Bavarian State History (ZBLG). Issue 77,2, CH Beck, Munich 2014, ISSN  0044-2364 , pp. 487-501.

Web links

• Heinrich I. von Bilversheim in the history of Bamberg
• Bishop portrait at 1000 years of the Bamberg diocese

Individual evidence

1. ^ History of Vorra in Upper Franconia ( Memento of the original from December 9, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
2. ^ History of Strullendorf

predecessor	Office	successor
Poppo from Andechs-Meranien	Bishop of Bamberg 1242–1257	Vladislav of Silesia
Albert Suerbeer	Administrator of Chiemsee 1247–1252	Heinrich (Chiemsee)