Conrad IV of Bussnang

Coat of arms of the bishops of Strasbourg

Konrad IV von Bussnang (* 14th century or 15th century; † March 12, 1471 in Rufach ) was Prince-Bishop of Strasbourg in 1439 under the rule of the Roman-German King Albrecht II , the pontificate of Eugene IV and the Patronage of the Mainz Metropolitan Dietrich Schenk von Erbach .

Origin and family

Coat of arms of the barons of Bussnang

Thurgau and Alsace in the Duchy of Swabia

Konrad von Bussnang or Bußlingen came from the Thurgau barons von Bussnang . This family included Konrad von Bussnang († December 20, 1239), abbot of Sankt Gallen , buried in the Salem monastery , or Berthold I von Bussnang , who was Bishop of Constance from 1174 to 1183 . The sex could be proven since the middle of the 12th century and died out in 1471.

His origins became a disadvantage when he was elected because the Alsatian nobility and local capitulars viewed him as a "Schwob". Despite his piety and peacefulness, for some he remained a foreigner who was allowed to work as chamberlain of the bishopric without any problems, but not for the highest office of prince-bishop. At present, the name Schwob, which is still used in Alsace today, albeit derogatory, can be misunderstood. It is well known that Thurgauers are not Swabians, just like Badeners or Allgäuers. But in Alsace the word has become natural for all people who live across the Rhine. The Alsatian sub-rulers were then in the territory of the Duchy of Swabia and the following Swabian territories. So the rulers were in the spirits of those on the left bank of the Rhine, Swabians, in the Alsatian dialect Schwowe. Despite the High Alemannic dialect and culture, Konrad came, for better or worse, from the area on the right bank of the Rhine. The reaction of the dissatisfied proves indirectly that the cultural differences between Lower Alsace and Thurgau should have been noticeable to everyone for the conditions at the time.

Live and act

The majority of his colleagues elected him bishop because of his piety, wisdom, and generosity. No sooner had they paid homage to the newly elected man in the cathedral than the counts and gentlemen, along with the canons who had not voted for Konrad, broke into the chapter house to reverse the election because Konrad was a stranger. The stunned canons agreed and appointed the old provost Johann von Ochsenstein, paralyzed by gout and half deaf .

Konrad von Bussnang did not persist and submitted his resignation on the condition that he was allowed to choose his successor. When the chapter granted him this, he named the Count Palatine Ruprecht , grandson of the Emperor Ruprecht. He kept the lifelong enjoyment of the Upper Mundat to himself . The antipope Felix V confirmed this settlement in 1440 and added income from the villages of Blienschweiler, Mittelbergheim and Bernstein Castle to the Mundat.

Konrad was allowed to keep the title of bishop and chose the Isenburg above Rufach as a permanent residence . He ruled the upper Mundat for 31 years with such justice that Strasbourg had regretted having driven him away.

During his administration he came into conflict with the Rufach Franciscans in particular, because they no longer lived according to their strict rules and their monastery had come to ruin. In 1444, Bishop Konrad forced the mendicant monks to make a clear choice: either they changed their minds and began to live more strictly again or they had to emigrate. Because the Rufach Friars Minor rejected the stricter observance of the original rule, i.e. that of the observants , they drove Konrad out of the monastery as announced and handed it over to Reformed Franciscan Sisters, who later organized the nearby pilgrimage of Our Lady in Schauenburg.

Bishop Konrad von Bussnang died on March 12, 1471 and was buried in the Johanneskapelle in Strasbourg. The following inscription was written in Latin on his grave:

In the year of the Lord 1471
On March 12th, the magnanimous
Konrad von Bussnang, canon,
custodian and porter of the Church of
Strasbourg, died. Pray for him.

References and footnotes

1. ^ Gschwind-Gisiger, Charlotte, "Konrad von Bussnang" in: Neue Deutsche Biographie 12 (1979), p. 526, online version: [1]
2. ↑ ^{a b c d} Glöckler, p. 320
3. ↑ Today in the Alsatian dialect a "Schwob" is a German par excellence. One does not differentiate between Germans of Swabian origin and the rest.
4. ↑ Glöckler, p. 319
5. ↑ Code Historique et diplomatique de la ville de Strasbourg, notice sur Berler, p. 8: The lower and the upper Mundat belonged to the diocese of Strasbourg since the 7th century through a gift from King Dagobert to the then bishop of Strasbourg
6. ↑ Glöckler, p. 321

literature

• Ludwig Gabriel Glöckler: History of the diocese of Strasbourg. Printed by Le Roux, Strasbourg 1879, pp. 319-321 online .

predecessor	Office	successor
Wilhelm II of Diest	Bishop of Strasbourg 1439–1440	Ruprecht von Pfalz-Simmern