Henry II of Verden

Heinrich II. Von Hoya († February 15, 1441 ) was Prince-Bishop of Verden , elected on February 21, 1407 and resigned on August 14, 1426.

Heinrich managed to put the gloomy times of his predecessor, Konrad von Soltau , in the shade for his monastery. He was a son of Count Gerhard von Hoya , father of Count Otto von Hoya , who subsequently ruled and often fought him ; as early as 1384 cathedral cantor and 1387 cathedral dean of Verden. The family influence, especially his brothers-in-law, the dukes Bernhard and Heinrich von Lüneburg, pushed through his election; But King Ruprecht had used the delay of the cathedral chapter , his spiritual diplomat, Mr. Ulrich von Albach (Albek in lower form), who was closely connected with the interests of the Electoral Palatinate family, to the Verden bishop of the schismatic Pope Gregory XII. to be appointed. An intrigue of the cathedral chapter to oust both opponents by the powerful knight family von Behr failed, and now Ulrich had the Lüneburgische, since the dukes and the city of Lüneburg fell to him, Heinrich had the prince-bishop's area himself.

Both opposing bishops visited the Council of Pisa in 1409, Ulrich as Ruprecht's agent, which is why the new Pope Alexander V confirmed Heinrich. In spite of this, the city of Lüneburg and Duke Heinrich held on to Ulrich, and King Sigismund maintained this relationship on July 26, 1414, until a council had also decided on the episcopal schism; thus the papal was also reflected in the north; the order of the antipope John XXIII. to the city, dated 7th February 1415 from Constance, remained fruitless.

The battles in the monastery belong to the special story; Heinrich showed himself completely powerless and lacking in character, so he soon became enmity and friendship again with his brother-in-law, now with his brother, his city Verden, with his cousins, the Counts of Oberhoya . From 1415 this quarrel threw him into the arms of Archbishop Johann II (von Slamstorf) , later his successor, feuding land damage Nikolaus (von Oldenburg-Delmenhorst since 1422), which led to the most devastating raids in the Weser region between Verden and Bremen . His own residence in Rotenburg was snatched from him by the dukes in 1416. His evil spirit seems to have been his trusted advisor, the clergyman Johannes Veleber (Low German for a lot of beer), because the cathedral chapter hated the city and the dukes of Lüneburg alike, and who was held captive in shackles at Rotenburg for the last 7 years. In 1417 the council removed Ulrich von Verden, and Archbishop Eberhard von Salzburg granted him the diocese of Seckau (in Graz).

At the same time Heinrich recognized it, ordered the city of Lüneburg to obey him on September 19, 1417, and a royal order of October 9, 1418 demanded the previously retained gradients for Ulrich. Further three royal edicts of September 23 and December 23, 1418, obtained by the Canonicus Hermann Dwergh, tried to force the cathedral chapter to force Lüneburg and Duke Wilhelm in favor of Heinrich; but the confusion could not be controlled. Heinrich therefore resigned on August 14, 1426 in favor of the papal secretary Johann von Atzel or Assel in return for a pension of 400 gold guilders, which was also reduced for him because of the reintroduction of squanderings.

He died in Verden on February 15, 1441 and was buried in the cathedral. He had given his successor a completely bankrupt pen, but hardly any Verden bishop set emperors, popes and councils in motion more than this inept man, under whom there was hardly any peace in the country.

literature

• Pfannkuche: Older history of the former. Diocese Verden , p. 216 ff. With the supplements in Th. II. About the feuds also from Ompteda in Zeitschr of the historical association f. Lower Saxony 1865 p. 288 f.
• Karl Ernst Hermann Krause:  Heinrich II., Bishop of Verden . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 11, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1880, p. 626.

predecessor	Office	successor
Ulrich von Albeck	Bishop of Verden 1407–1426	John III from Asel