Hermann von Salza

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Hermann von Salza
Hermann von Salza as Grand Master. Engraving published by Christoph Hartknoch in 1684.

Hermann von Salza (* around 1162 probably in Langensalza , Thuringia ; † March 20, 1239 in Salerno ) was the 4th Grand Master of the Teutonic Order from 1210 to 1239 . Hermann von Salza played an important role as mediator between the Roman-German Emperor Friedrich II and the papacy.

Life

Possibly born around 1162, Hermann von Salza came from a Landgrave Thuringian ministerial family. The time of his entry into the order is unknown, probably around 1204, since he was first mentioned in writing as Grand Master, i.e. 1210. As such, he was likely to have resided mostly in the Mediterranean region during his first years in power. But during his time the order also expanded its activities from Spain to Livonia .

Hermann von Salza was considered a special confidante of Emperor Frederick II, for whom he repeatedly played a special role as a mediator to the papal curia from 1222 onwards . But the respective popes particularly valued this capable man, so that he achieved an equality of the Teutonic Order with the older connections of the Johanniter and Templer . The Grand Master's diplomacy was always honored in the interests of the Order. Each time Hermann stays with the Pope or Emperor, the religious order has new privileges and gifts. If he obtained from the Pope above all equality with the above-mentioned older orders of knights and the incorporation in 1237 of the Order of the Brothers of the Sword , the favor of the emperor brought him above all the gift of Prussia .

In the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem , Hermann von Salza gave the laudation on the occasion of the self-coronation of Emperor Frederick II as King of Jerusalem . Salza later mediated the reconciliation between Frederick II and the papacy in the Convention of Ceprano (1230) , in which the emperor was removed from the church ban in 1230. This compromise was diplomatically particularly demanding, since mercenary troops of the Pope previously devastated the Apulian possessions of the emperor, who was still on the crusade. Thus the dispute between church and empire had escalated into a military conflict.

Within the order, however, the distances between brothers and grandmasters grew, so that the order tried to recapture Hermann and withdraw from political dealings. But it came to a scandal, as the strength of the Grand Master slackened over the years and he withdrew to Salerno in August 1238. He died there on March 20, 1239. He was buried in Barletta (Apulia).

How important Hermann's role must have been in mediating between Emperor and Pope can be seen from the fact that with his death all understanding between Pope Gregory IX. and Kaiser Friedrich II. demolished.

Order state

Grand Master's coat of arms of Hermann von Salza

It seems that Hermann von Salza always endeavored to secure territorial rule for the Teutonic Order. At the beginning of the 13th century, Hermann von Salza sent a contingent of orders at the invitation of King Andreas II of Hungary . His Komtur ( Landmeister ) Theodoric was supposed to help there from 1211 along with some knights in the defense against nomadic Cumans . The attempt to establish an independent state in the area controlled by the order was a disaster. After the nomads had been repulsed, they set about establishing their own sovereignty, which the Hungarian court had been suspicious of since 1220 at the latest. The final break occurred in 1225. The knights of the order were formally expelled from the Hungarian Imperial Union. Skirmishes and sieges followed. Since then, Salza has done nothing with regard to the Teutonic Order without taking legal protection from his patrons, Regnum and Curia. This is the only way to explain his initial hesitation when Conrad of Masovia first suggested it in 1225. In addition, there was the logistical overload of the Teutonic Order as a result of the planned crusade of Frederick II.

Hermann von Salza can be named as the ancestor of the historical state of Prussia , as the expansion of the Teutonic Order into the area north of the Vistula is primarily due to his personality. The Landmaster of the Teutonic Order in Prussia, Hermann Balk , carried out both the union with the Brethren Sword Order of Livonia (see Viterber Union ) negotiated by von Salza with the Curia and the invasion of the pagan Pruzzenland. With the Bull of Rieti of August 3, 1234, Pope Gregory IX confirmed. the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order ruled over the Kulmer Land east of the lower Vistula, as well as over all other lands conquered by the Teutonic Order in Prussia ("for eternal and free possession"). The bull of Rieti corresponds to the gold bull of Rimini of the German emperor and the Treaty of Kruschwitz of the Polish duke Konrad of Mazovia .

memory

Monument to Hermann von Salza in the Marienburg order castle

A marble bust of Hermann stood as a minor figure at the side of the Brandenburg Margrave Albrecht II ( monument group 4 by the sculptor Johannes Boese ) in the former Berlin Siegesallee . It has been in the Spandau Citadel since May 2009 . Albrecht had taken part in the founding meeting of the order in Acre in 1198 and had already met the Grand Master on the Third Crusade (1189–1192).

A memorial plaque for Hermann von Salza was included in the Walhalla near Regensburg .

During the Second World War , Panzer Division 11 of the 11th SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division “Nordland” was named Hermann von Salza .

literature

Web links

Commons : Hermann von Salza  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Wolfgang Stürner: 13th century. 1198-1273. (Gebhardt: Handbuch der deutschen Geschichte 6) 10th, completely revised edition, Stuttgart 2007, p. 50.
personal data
SURNAME Hermann von Salza
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hermannus de Salza
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Grand Master of the Teutonic Order and politician
DATE OF BIRTH around 1162
PLACE OF BIRTH Langensalza
DATE OF DEATH March 20, 1239
Place of death Salerno