Henning Scharpenberg

Henning Scharpenberg OT (* probably in Greifswald ; † April 5, 1448 ) was Archbishop of Riga from 1424 until his death in 1448 .

Life

The Teutonic Knight Henning Scharpenberg came from Greifswald . By 1419 at the latest he was Provost of Riga and thus the most important employee of Archbishop Johannes Ambundi , whom he supported in his policy against the Teutonic Order , to which he himself belonged. In 1423 he stayed in Rome, where he successfully sought the repeal of Pope Boniface IX on behalf of his archbishop . enacted bulls with whom the Riga Cathedral Chapter had been incorporated into the Teutonic Order.

After the death of Archbishop Ambundi, the cathedral chapter elected Henning Scharpenberg as his successor on June 27, 1424. Although the administration of the order tried to prevent the papal confirmation, it was issued on October 13, 1424. Since the Teutonic Order was weakened after the peace of Lake Melno , Scharpenberg used this opportunity together with the Öseler Bishop Christian Kobant, who came from Mecklenburg and was related to him, as well as the Bishop of Dorpat , to achieve greater independence for their monasteries and churches . In 1428 he organized a provincial synod , which included sermons in the native language for non-Germans. In closed negotiations, secret resolutions were passed with which Pope Martin V should be asked to take action against the repression by the Teutonic Order. A delegation was sent to Rome for this purpose. As the order's leadership became aware of her departure, Landmeister Cisse von dem Rutenberg issued orders to prevent her from leaving. Thereupon the travelers were attacked by Vogt von Grobin , robbed of their documents and they themselves were drowned under the ice of a lake. In the outrage over this action, Archbishop Scharpenberg now openly showed his hostility towards the order and published a bull that he had received from the Pope on November 13, 1426. With this, the Pope allowed the Archbishop and his cathedral chapter to take off their vestments. At the same time, the city of Riga was released from its oath to the order.

Further disputes between Archbishop Scharpenberg and the order were negotiated with the estates at state parliaments. Since the majority of the vassals of the archbishopric were on the side of the order, a settlement was concluded in Walk in 1431 . The agreement stipulated that the archbishop and the canons of the time were allowed to live according to the Augustinian rule for life , while the future archbishops and canons should be members of the order again. After the order had suffered a defeat against Poland - Lithuania at the Swienta in September 1435 , Henning Scharpenberg took the opportunity by capturing dispersed knights and having them killed. Finally, the landmaster Heinrich von Böckenförde had to give in completely to the canons' dress question at the state parliament in Walk in December 1435 and promise the Augustinian rule for an indefinite period. In return, Archbishop Scharpenberg promised to let his claims on the city of Riga rest for twelve years. The decision of a six-year national agreement was also significant, in which it was determined that internal disputes are to be settled by an arbitration tribunal and that foreign wars can only be fought amicably. In the event of attacks from abroad, all estates committed themselves to national defense.

Henning Scharpenberg died on April 5, 1448 outside of Riga. His body was buried in the Riga Cathedral .

literature

• Bernhart Jähnig: Henning Scharpenberg (OT) († 1448) . In: Erwin Gatz : The Bishops of the Holy Roman Empire 1198–1448 . ISBN 3-428-10303-3 , p. 657.

Web links

• Literature about Henning Scharpenberg in the state bibliography MV

Individual evidence

1. ↑ = Abbreviation for Ordo Teutonicus

predecessor	Office	successor
John VI Ambundi	Archbishop of Riga 1424–1448	New Year's Eve Stodewescher