Heinrich von Bovenden

Heinrich von Bovenden (von Boventin) (* around 1300 at Bovenden Castle ; † spring 1359 in Prussia) was a knight of the Teutonic Order who served the order from 1325. From 1334 to the end of 1341 he headed various commanderies of the order, before he was from January 1342 to September 1346 for the first time and from September 1351 to March 1359 again grand commander and thus deputy of the master of the order.

Life

Heinrich von Bovenden was born around 1300 as the son of the knight Heinrich von und zu Bovenden. Together with his younger brother Johann von Bovenden, Heinrich wrote documents in Nörten on March 19, 1322 and April 16, 1323 . With the consent of their relatives from the Albert line of Bovenden, the brothers, whose father Heinrich had already died, sold six Hufen and two farms at their headquarters in Bovenden; in the second document two more hooves in Bovenden. Heinrich von Bovenden needed the 108 marks they redeemed in order to finance his equipment for entry into the Teutonic Order. He followed the call of his relative, Count Otto von Lutterberg, who was Landkomtur zu Kulm between December 1320 and April 1331 . Count Otto the Elder von Lutterberg was married to Jutta von Rosdorf, daughter of Ludwig II von Rosdorf . Heinrich von Bovenden was his nephew, his late father his cousin. Both Heinrich senior and his sons Heinrich and Johann von Bovenden carried the coat of arms of the parent company of Rosdorf with the two keys as a sideline, as the seals on the cited documents prove.

Heinrich von Bovenden exercised his first leading position in the order from the beginning of 1334 to May 1338 as Commander of Holland ( Prussian Holland district ). The documents refer to him as Henricus de Boventin. The next stop was the Commandery at Rehden Castle in the Kulmer Land, which Heinrich was in charge of between June 20, 1338 and September 1340. In a document from 1340, his name is written as Heinrich von Bobenczene.

The next stop on the way to the head of the order was the Commandery of Thorn . He resided here from September 29, 1340 to December 1341. During this time, the important negotiations between the Grand Master at that time, Dietrich von Altenburg and King Casimir III, take place. from Poland. Negotiations stalled due to Dietrich von Altenburg's death in Thorn in October 1341. In January 1342, the chapter of the order elected Ludolf König von Wattzau as the new Grand Master and appointed Heinrich von Bovenden as Grand Commander and Arealord of the Order; thus to the deputy of the Grand Master. He exercised this function from January 1342 to September 29, 1346. ("Fratre nostri in deo dilecti Henricus de Boventin magnus commendator")

As Grand Commander Heinrich von Bovenden was Minister of the Interior and the House of Marienburg (Ordensburg) . He lived permanently in the Grand Master's Hofburg, stayed in the immediate vicinity of the Grand Master, was initiated into all matters of the order and entrusted with official business. In the event of the Grand Master's death or absence, he acted as his deputy and governor, even until the master's election. As Grand Commander Hermann von Bovenden shared the administration and supervision of the order's treasure with the Order Stressler. As overseer of the grain stores and stores, he was in charge of trade and was chief administrator of shipping in the Order. With the Order Marshal , he was in charge of all the Order castles. If the Order Marshal was prevented or his office was not occupied, the Grand Commander also directed the war system and personally led the army to war. In addition to the nominal, he was the actual commander of the Marienburg and as such was responsible for all the business and duties of the administration of the high master's seat.

Together with the new Grand Master, Heinrich von Bovenden prepared in persistent negotiations in which Pope Clemens VI. as well as the bishops of Cracow, Meißen and Kulm were involved, the peace treaty of Kalisch , whose solemn signing took place on July 8, 1343, and which brought the order in relation to Poland 66 long years of peace.

The armed conflicts with Lithuania, in which Grand Master Ludolf König von Wattzau led the order, triggered armed countermeasures by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1345. The Order of Prussia was heavily devastated by the Lithuanian army. Thereupon the Grand Master resigned. Heinrich von Bovenden, who was also responsible as deputy, resigned and took over the Commandery of Graudenz from October 1346 to September 10, 1351, as a waiting position in the second row. His successor in the office of Grand Commander was Winrich von Kniprode .

Heinrich Dusemer was elected the new Grand Master in 1346 . When he abdicated in 1351 due to illness, his deputy, Grand Commander Winrich von Kniprode , succeeded him as Grand Master. Heinrich von Bovenden, who was in office again from September 15, 1351 to March 1359, was appointed to his deputy, thus again to the Grand Commander. Together with the new Grand Master, he modernized the administration of the order state, promoted the economy of the order with investments in the infrastructure that were partially copied from King Casimir and built up his own trade organization in direct competition with the successful Hanseatic League . Together with the Grand Master, Hermann von Bovenden organized the so-called Prussian trips . He died in the spring of 1359. His body was buried in the Marienburg. His successor as Grand Commander, Wolfram von Baldersheim, took office a few months later, in 1360.

annotation

The spelling of the von Bovenden family name differed over time. From the middle of the 14th to the beginning of the 15th century it was written “von Boventin”, as documents of the time prove: In a document 1344 “Guntherus. Henricus et Erenfridus fratres, filii Alberti de boventin militis ", (HStA Marburg, Lippoldsberg Monastery of July 22, 1344 (A); and 1355 in a document from the Archbishop of Mainz:" We her albrecht von Boventin ridder, Hannes Reme, Gunther and Henrik von Boventin, brodere ". (HStA Hannover, Cal.Or.16 Schr.31 Caps.8 Nr.4 (A). Heinrich von Bovenden was written in the Nörten documents" von Boventhen ", in the Prussian consistently" von Boventin " , except for the one-time prescription for “Bobenczene”.

literature

• Fritz Boldt: The German Order and Lithuania. 1873
• Codex Diplomaticus Prussicus. Vol. 2, 1842
• History of the Prussian coins and seals. 1842
• Robert Krumbholtz: Samaiten and the German order. 1890
• Liv-, Est- and Curland document book together with regesta. Vol. 2, 1853
• Name-Codex of the Teutonic Order Officials. 1843
• Brigitte Poschmann : Dioceses and German orders in Prussia. 1960
• Caspar Schütz: Historia Rerum Prussicarum. 1599
• Scriptores Rerum Livonicarum Vol. 2, 1853
• UB on the history of the Lords of Boventen. 1992
• Birte Wachtel: The German order in Prussia. 2007 *
• Hartmut Gauß: Grand Commander Heinrich von Bovenden. A knight of the von Boventen in the Teutonic Order. Plesse-Archv issue 3.1968 *

Individual evidence

1. ^ HStA Hanover