Johann von Varendorff

Johann von Varendorf (f) (approx. * Before 1400 at Sutthausen Castle; † after 1449) was a spiritual dignitary of the Osnabrück diocese . He was canon and cathedral senior of Osnabrück and provost of St. Johann and led numerous feuds and raids in the Osnabrück region , including the bitterest against the Osnabrück bishop Erich I of Münster .

"... [the] Cato of his time and his country ..."

- JGJ Friderici, EW Stüve, JCB Stüve : History of the city of Osnabrück from documents

Life

Johann von Varendorff was born in the 14th century at Sutthausen Castle near Osnabrück . He came from the Osnabrück noble family of the Lords of Varendorff , who had sat at Sutthausen Castle near Osnabrück since the 13th century. His father was the knight and Osnabrück Ministeriale Eberhard V. von Varendorff, who in 1400 bequeathed Sutthausen Castle, built around 1280, to his sons Johann and Amelung as a paternal inheritance . As a member of the Osnabrück nobility , Johann von Varendorff chose a spiritual career and was first canon , later cathedral senior of Osnabrück and finally provost of St. Johann . Born into a troubled time for the Principality of Osnabrück , he undertook many feuds and raids in the Westphalian area from his father's castle . So in 1428 he marched with his loyal people, pillaging and robbing the city of Herford , was arrested there after fighting and had to free himself with a ransom. A little later he got into a feud with the city ​​of Osnabrück . In 1437 he headed the bishopric, which led to further tensions in the bishopric . The many campaigns put a strain on the Sutthausen fiefdoms , which were only able to consolidate slowly but never completely again after the victory in the Osnabrück feud. On July 15, 1449, Johann transferred his Sutthausener property to his nephew Goedecke von Varendorff. He died a few years later.

The Osnabrück (collegiate) feud of 1440–1442

The 15th century was an extremely turbulent time for the Diocese of Osnabrück, which was marked by violent feuds. In 1437 Bishop Johann von Diepholz was violently killed. Thereupon Erich I of Münster was elected by the cathedral chapter as the new bishop. However, shortly after the investiture, a violent dispute broke out over the distribution of benefices . Shortly after the election, the chosen one let himself be released from his concessions to the cathedral chapter by Pope Eugene IV and asked for church property that had already been granted to be returned. Many of the lords of the chapters refused to do so, and Domsenior Johann von Varendorff retained the portion that had accrued to him as indemnity for the feudal services rendered to the predecessor. In addition, in 1440, after allegations against the cathedral senior, there was another dispute with a faithful of the bishop , the cathedral dean Hugo von Schagen, who split the cathedral chapter. The canons to the Domsenior John of Varendorff accused in turn of Hugo Schagen and his followers of alienation of church property and finally talked about this the excommunication from. When Hugo von Schagen finally appeared for the choir on Ash Wednesday in 1440 , Johann von Varendorff was waiting for him well-armed and armed with his faithful and servants. A skirmish broke out in which the dean himself and some of his followers were seized. The defeated party now turned to the bishop, who assured her of his support and then assaulted the domsenior's property. An attempt to settle the dispute in court before the cathedral chapter failed. Rather, Bishop Erich sought support from his brothers, Bishop Albrecht von Minden and Count Johann von Hoya . The latter used the opportunity to attack the city and citizens of Osnabrück with 600 riders and rob them. Thereupon the city allied itself with Johann von Varendorff and his followers against the bishop and his brother. In addition, the Provost Konrad von Diepholz , who in turn was not recognized by the bishop and was therefore in a dispute with him, and Count Moritz von Spiegelberg joined the alliance. On the side of the bishop and his brother, u. a. the dukes Friedrich and Wilhelm of Braunschweig join the feud. The raids continued and a bitter struggle ensued between the warring camps. Finally, the town's mercenaries and the troops of the provost and the cathedral seniors marched against the Hoya Castle of Fürstenau with several artillery pieces and large war equipment . After an interruption, the castle was besieged and then taken by storm. Johann von Hoya was shackled and taken to Osnabrück, where he was stuck for six years. A similar fate befell the bishop's castle Hunteburg and the bishop's castle Iburg . The monastery was now conquered and the bishop deposed. The winners, Stadt, Domdechant Konrad von Diepholz and Domsenior Johann von Varendorff, were now the de facto rulers. They took the opportunity and entrusted the administration of the Diocese of Osnabrück to the Münster bishop Heinrich von Moers and had their action confirmed by the assembled fathers of Basel . With that, the Osnabrück collegiate feud ended happily for Johann von Varendorff and his colleagues in 1442. Only a few years later, however, another extensive regional conflict was to ignite in the Münster collegiate feud .

literature

• Rudolf v. Bruch: Knight seats of the Principality of Osnabrück, Osnabrück 1930
• Johann Georg Justus Friderici, EW Stüve, JCB Stüve : History of the City of Osnabrück from Documents, Part Two, Osnabrück 1817.
• Genealogical Handbook of the Nobility, Volume 15, Limburg (Lahn) 1957
• J. Stüve, J. Jaeger: History of the bishopric Osnabrück. Volume 1, Jena 1853.
• Wilhelm Havemann : History of the states of Braunschweig and Lüneburg, Lüneburg 1838
• Georg Victor Schmid: The secularized bishoprics of Germany, second volume, Gotha 1858
• Friedrich Lucae : Of salvation. Roman Empire Clock Age Graffen-Saal, Frankfurt am Main 1702
• Zacharias Goeze : De Antiquissima Urbis Onsabr. Turri. dem Buck., Osnabrück 1727

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Rudolf v. Bruch: Knight Seats of the Principality of Osnabrück, p. 81.
2. ↑ JKB Stüve , Julius Jaeger: History of the Hochstift Osnabrück, Volume 1, p. 326.
3. ↑ ^{a b} J. GJ Friderici, EW Stüeve, JCB Stueve : History of the city of Osnabrück from documents, second part, p. 79 ff.
4. ^ ^{A b} Wilhelm Havemann : History of the Lands of Braunschweig and Lüneburg, p. 112 ff.