Henry II of Liege

Henry II of Liège († 1164 in Pavia ) was Bishop of Liège from 1145 to 1164 . He also played an important role in Frederick I's Italian policy . Among other things, he was governor in Milan .

Life

He probably came from the family of the Lords of Leez . The origin from the von der Leyen / Lejanus family or from the house of the Counts of Limburg is also mentioned.

He entered the clergy. He was canon of St. Lambert in Liège. There he became archdeacon in 1142 and later rose to become provost. As such, he lamented the abuse of church offices for secular purposes. Because Bishop Albero II of Liège evidently did not pursue this vigorously, Heinrich sued him with the Pope. The bishop had to travel to Rome to defend himself, but died on the return journey. In 1145 he was elected bishop. In the same year he was ordained bishop by Archbishop Arnold I of Cologne . A short time later he was by Konrad III. invested.

With the aim of improving discipline in the clergy, he asked Bernhard von Clairvaux in vain to come to his diocese for a while. However, Bernhard sent some students.

He was several times at the court of King Konrad III. present. He was there on the Frankfurt Court Day in 1147. There was advice on crusades and Heinrich VI. elected king. He was also present at his coronation in Aachen . A really close relationship with Konrad III. he didn't. This became evident when the bishop became involved in a feud with Count Heinrich von Laroche, Vogt of the Stablo monastery , in 1150 . In this context, the bishop and his ally Gottfried von Montaigu devastated the holdings of Stablo. Abbot Wibald von Stablo protested at Konrad III. He issued a judgment in 1150. He criticized the attacks on Liège territory and announced a judgment by the court on this matter. At the same time he condemned the destruction of monastic property. Even in further conflicts between abbot and bishop, the king tended to be on Wibald's side.

The bishop had another quarrel with the Count of Namur since 1153 , about debts that Albero of Liège had made in his war against the Count of Bar . The Count of Namur captured two citizens of Liege. The bishop then devastated areas of the count. This in turn replied with attacks on the Liege County of Huy . After the count was defeated by the episcopal troops in 1153, he renounced his demands. Overall, he managed to increase the holdings of the Liège church. Various fiefs were drawn in and small estates were acquired.

The bishop was absent from his diocese for a long time, especially on military expeditions to Italy under Frederick I. He was clearly on the imperial side. For the first time he took part in an Italian train in 1154 . He was also present at his coronation in Rome. In gratitude for his excellent service on the Rome train, Frederick I confirmed the possessions of the Liège Church and the peace proclaimed by Henry I of Liège . After his return, he started extensive construction work, including building a castle in Franchimont .

In 1158 he followed Frederick I again to Italy. At the church assembly of Pavia , Pope Viktor V , installed by the emperor, was confirmed and Alexander III. sentenced. After the emperor had defeated Milan in 1162 , Bishop Heinrich was appointed governor. He left the Milan area a few months later and appointed Petrus de Cumino, who made himself unpopular through his harsh approach, as agent. Bishop Heinrich dismissed Petrus de Cumino in 1163 and appointed the cleric Friedrich as his successor. However, this took even tougher measures against the Milanese. After the death of Viktor V in 1164, he was temporarily under discussion as his successor, but refused this post. He was in the election of Paschal III. present. He also consecrated the (anti-) Pope. Older literature falsely claims that Frederick I promised him the relics of the Three Kings in 1164 and not promised Rainald von Dassel . At the coronation of Bareso of Arborea as King of Sardinia, Henry performed the consecration.

Individual evidence

1. ^ RI IV, 1,2 n.710, in: Regesta Imperii Online (accessed May 7, 2013).
2. ^ RI IV, 2.1 n.357, in: Regesta Imperii Online (accessed May 7, 2013)
3. ^ RI IV, 2.2 n.1075, in: Regesta Imperii Online (accessed May 7, 2013)
4. ^ RI IV, 2.2 n. 1124, in: Regesta Imperii Online (accessed May 7, 2013)
5. ^ RI IV, 2.2 n.1229, in: Regesta Imperii Online (accessed May 7, 2013).
6. ^ RI IV, 2.2 n.1350, in: Regesta Imperii Online (accessed on May 7, 2013)
7. ^ RI IV, 2.2 n.1351, in: Regesta Imperii Online (accessed May 7, 2013)
8. ↑ RI IV, 2.2 n.1369, in: Regesta Imperii Online (accessed May 7, 2013)
9. ^ RI IV, 2.2 n. 1388, in: Regesta Imperii Online (accessed May 7, 2013).

literature

• Wolfram Ziegler: King Konrad III. (1138-1152). Vienna u. a., 2008, p. 244f.
• General Encyclopedia of Sciences and Arts 2 Section, Part 4 Leipzig, 1828 p. 328

predecessor	Office	successor
Albero II.	Bishop of Liège 1145–1164	Alexander II