Heinrich von Spiegel zum Desenberg

Heinrich von Spiegel zum Desenberg († March 21, 1380 ; also Heindrichus Spiegel or Henrekus Spegelius ) was a Benedictine monk and as Heinrich III. Prince-Bishop of Paderborn , as Heinrich IV. Prince Abbot of Corvey 1361-1380. He comes from the family von Spiegel zum Desenberg .

Grave slab of Bishop Heinrich III. from Paderborn (1361-1380) in the Paderborn Cathedral

Life

Little is known about the youth of the later Abbot of Corvey and Bishop of Paderborn Heinrich von Spiegel. Heinrich came from a respected noble family from Paderborn . His father was Ludolf von Spiegel zum Desenberg , from near the south-eastern Paderborn town of Warburg . Heinrich was determined to become a monk by his parents at an early age. He followed the teaching of St. Benedict , present in the diocese through the influential Corvey Abbey.

Not much is known from the time of the monk. Heinrich quickly made a career, however. The Benedictines were also the determining spiritual factor in the Paderborn diocese, with great secular influence. The monk Heinrich became the head of the Provost Tom Roden in Hoexter . In 1359 he was elected 37th abbot by the monks of the mother abbey of Corvey, despite some opposition from Pope Innocent VI. As the abbot of the powerful Corvey monastery, Heinrich obviously enjoyed great trust from Bishop Baldwin von Steinfurt .

For many years the bishop suffered from gout, terminally ill and decrepit . As early as 1357 he erected his burial place in the cathedral . As early as 1358, the country's cities were preparing for a bishopric. In 1361 Baldwin appointed the Abbot of Corvey as coadjutor . Balduin's resignation followed in the spring. Immediately afterwards, Pope Innocent VI appointed regardless of the chapter the coadjutor to the new bishop Heinrich III. He swore allegiance to the Avignon Pope, who in turn informed the Emperor Charles IV of the appointment. Spiritual ordinations and homage by the estates of the territory followed . So Henry became bishop in the spirit of papal Avignon, regardless of the cathedral chapter .

What followed were the most decisive years for the state of Paderborn up to that point. The monk Heinrich became the secular sovereign, with 19 years of office that were formative for the prince-bishopric. Under this monk, the spiritual and secular tasks of a bishop of Paderborn were separated for the first time, which corresponded to an emerging late medieval practice. An expression of this secularization of the episcopal office was also the relocation of the episcopal residence to Neuhaus, north of Paderborn . The oldest part of the castle still preserved today , the Spiegelsche House, was built by Heinrich III.

Heinrich's person is described as brash, agile and brusque (Brandt / Hengst: 1984). His contemporary, the Paderborn priest Gobelin Person , attested to the prince-bishop that he preferred to appear in armor than in a gown . Diverse armed forces became necessary due to the robber barons in Westphalia . Through a clever alliance policy, but also toughness, Heinrich III succeeded. after a personal meeting with Emperor Charles IV in Bautzen on November 25, 1371 the Westphalian Peace of Nations . From his relative, Archbishop Kuno von Trier , who was also the curator of the Cologne archbishopric, he received the office of marshal in the Duchy of Westphalia in Cologne . Heinrich's power thus expanded militarily and legally to the south of Westphalia. In November 1377, Emperor Charles IV visited Westphalia, accompanied by Heinrich, also to Widukind's tomb in Enger and Paderborn itself.

Nonetheless, belonging to the Benedictine order was important to Heinrich all his life and he promoted the monasteries of his order. An expression of this was also the early construction of his grave chapel in Paderborn Cathedral. He dedicated it to the patron saint of his home abbey Corvey, St. Vitus .

Bishop Heinrich III died at the name festival of its founder Benedict (March 21, 1380). in the unknown place. He himself determined his grave in Paderborn Cathedral at the entrance to his chapel. The chapel still exists today, in contrast to the grave of his predecessor, which Heinrich had leveled.

literature

• Hans J. Brandt, Karl Hengst: The bishops and archbishops of Paderborn. Paderborn 1984 , pp. 148-150, ISBN 3-87088-381-2 .

predecessor	Office	successor
Dietrich I. von Dalwigk	Abbot of Corvey 1359-1365	Reinhard I. von Dalwigk
Baldwin of Steinfurt	Prince-Bishop of Paderborn 1361–1380	Simon II of Sternberg
Gottfried IV of Arnsberg	Marshal of Westphalia 1370–1377	Gotthard from Wevelinghoven