Hilger Quattermart from the Stesse

Hilger Quattermart von der Stesse , also von der Stessen (* around 1340 ; † January 26, 1398 in Cologne ) was a Cologne politician , mayor and diplomat . In the 14th century he was a leader of the patrician party of the Griffins .

Life

Gürzenich Cologne, main entrance, right wing. The coats of arms of old Cologne families are shown. At the bottom left is the Quattermarts Wapper. Artist: Ewald Mataré .

Hilger Quattermart von der Stesse was born around 1340 as Hilger Cleingedank from the family of Kleingedank from the Cologne patrician family of Quattermart . In 1360 he married Richmod vom Kusin. After he inherited the legacy of his great-uncle Hilgers von der Stesse and took over his court, he took the nickname von der Stessen from 1372. In the same year, von der Stesse first became politically active in the “ narrow ” of the Cologne patrician council. He was a member of this assembly several times until 1395. As early as 1374 he was entrusted with the mayor's office for the first time. From 1370/71 Hilger undertook several diplomatic missions on behalf of the Cologne Council.

During his tenure, Hilger became the leader of the patrician party of the Griffins and carried out decisive reforms, some with violence. In 1376 he took action against the archbishop's lay judges of the high court with the help of the griffins in the so-called Cologne jury war. An important assignment took him to the Curia in Rome in 1377/78 , where he campaigned for the repeal of the interdict that Pope Gregory XI. had imposed on Cologne during the lay judges' war. Hilger used another diplomatic mission in 1393 to the royal court in Prague self-interested in order to secure the privileges of a free count. King Wenzel allowed Hilger to hold court on the island of Osterwerth . Under pressure from the council, he had to return the title and privileges in 1394.

The attempt to enable his exiled uncle Heinrich von Stave , who also belonged to the Griffin, to return failed. Hilger and the party of the "Griffins" were ousted by the party of the "Friends" led by Konstantin von Lyskirchen . Hilger, in turn, had to flee and was given refuge with Count Johann I von Nassau-Dillenburg . Hilger was given an imperial ban by King Wenzel . The assumption of power by the Cologne Gaffeln did nothing to change his status as an exile. In 1396 Hilger participated again in a conspiracy against the Cologne council by joining Hermann von Goch . However, upon entering the city, he was recognized, captured and later sentenced to death. On January 26, 1398, Hilger was led to the scaffold in Cologne and beheaded. His body was buried outside the city wall in Weiher Monastery.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Bernd Dreher 1996, p. 454.

literature

• Bernd Dreher: Hilger Quattermart von der Stesse (around 1340–1398). In: Hiltrud Kier : Cologne: The town hall tower. His story and his program of characters. Stadtspuren - Monuments in Cologne Volume 21. Bachem Verlag, Cologne 1996, ISBN 3-7616-1156-0 , p. 454ff.
• Kasimir Hayn: Knight Hilger Quattermart von der Stessen. A contribution to the family and city history of Cologne in the 14th century. Paderborn 1888.
• Wolfgang Herborn, Klaus Militzer: Hilger Quattermart from the Stesse. In: Rheinische Lebensbilder. Volume 8. Cologne 1980. pp. 41ff.