Johann II of Elben

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Johann II von Elben († 1367 ), from the north Hessian family of the Lords of Elben , was abbot of the Imperial Abbey of Hersfeld from 1343 to 1367 .

His tenure was marked by financial difficulties inherited from his predecessors. So he stopped the construction of the Eichhof Palace in the Fuldaaue, which Abbot Ludwig II of Mansbach (1324-1343) had begun in 1328 , and had to pledge or even sell a lot of property. As early as 1344 he was forced to sell the Hospital am Johannestor, founded by Abbot Ludwig I in 1239, along with the Hospital Church and all properties to the city of Hersfeld .

Abbot Johann, like his predecessors, was confronted with the dwindling influence of the abbey, and thus the abbots as sovereigns, vis-à-vis the emerging bourgeoisie in the city and the landed gentry. He, too, tried again and again to obtain property rights and rights of rule. Even in his first year in office there was an opportunity to restore lost sovereign influence in the city. In the dispute between the linen weavers and wool weavers, Abbot Johann decided in favor of the wealthier wool weavers, who were the more important part of the citizenry for him. The linen weavers received permission from him in 1343 to produce white cloth, thistle seeds (for dyeing) and Beiderwand (coarse stuff made of linen and wool), but the particularly profitable dyeing was only allowed to wool weavers.

The assignment of the so-called “Judenregal” by King Charles IV to the abbey in 1347 proved to be helpful in the abbey's financial predicament . This allowed the abbey to allow Jews to stay on its territory for its own benefit and as an imperial fief should be under the joint protection of the future emperor and abbot. But just two years later, when Jews were persecuted all over Europe because of the great plague of 1348/49, the abbot denied them protection. Instead, on July 15, 1350, he confiscated the property of all Jews who were killed or expelled from the city. By 1362 at the latest, Jewish people resettled in the city, although they had to pay protection money to the abbot.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The castle was not completed until 1372, under Abbot Berthold II of Völkershausen (1367–1387).
  2. ^ Foundation Hospital Bad Hersfeld
  3. ^ Konrad Lipphardt, Die Handwerker in Hersfeld: 6th guild master against patricians.
  4. ^ Konrad Lipphardt: Contributions to the history of Bad Hersfeld and the surrounding area: Stations and waymarks . BoD - Books on Demand, Norderstedt 2000, ISBN 3-8311-0555-3 , p. 29 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  5. ^ Louis Demme: News and documents for the Chronicle of Hersfeld, Volumes 1-3 . Hans Schmidt, Hersfeld 1891, OCLC 457619929 , p. 18 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  6. ↑ Early evidence of Jewish life in the Hersfeld - Rotenburg area ( Memento from March 22, 2005 in the Internet Archive )
predecessor Office successor
Ludwig II of Mansbach Abbot of Hersfeld
1343-1367 		Berthold II of Völkershausen
personal data
SURNAME Johann II of Elben
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Abbot of Hersfeld
DATE OF BIRTH 13th century or 14th century
DATE OF DEATH 1367