Conrad IV of Maienfels

Konrad IV von Maienfels († June 7, 1377 ) was abbot of the Murrhardt monastery from 1365 to 1374 , before he became abbot of Münsterschwarzach in 1374 until his death in 1377 . He emerged from a schismatic abbot election and ultimately prevailed against Albert Truchseß .

The monasteries in front of Konrad

The entire 14th century in Murrhardt, Württemberg, was marked by an unprecedented economic decline of the monastery. The abbey had previously come under the rule of the von Löwenstein family , who could now appoint the abbots of the monastery. From 1348 the plague raged in the area around the abbey and did not spare the convent either. At the same time, the Löwensteiners lost power over their abbey in 1388. From then on, the bailiffs were appointed by the Counts of Württemberg.

In Münsterschwarzach the 14th century was only documented by a few sources. In 1317 the convent of the monastery split . The reason for this was the argument between two men about the abbot dignity. Finally, Konrad I. Zobel was able to prevail. His successors began to sell or pledge some monastery property, mainly to finance the construction of the new church of St. Maria de Rosario in Dimbach.

Life

In Murrhardt

Some information is available about the origin of Abbot Konrad IV. Von Maienfels. He was probably part of the noble family of Maienfels, who, as a branch of the Lords of Neudeck , had their ancestral seat in Maienfels, today a district of Wüstenrot . Konrad was first mentioned in 1346, when he and his brothers Götz, Bruno and Engelhard were named as a monastery conventual in Murrhardt.

When Konrad von Maienfels became Abbot of Murrhardt, probably in 1365, the convent was weakened by the plague. At the same time, Konrad forced the rejection of Löwenstein's claims to the abbey and brought the imperial immediacy of the monastery back to the fore. In 1365/1369 he tried to break the connection between Murrhardt and von Löwenstein and instead choose the lords of Württemberg as the new lords of the monastery.

In 1369 these attempts failed: Albrecht II von Löwenstein remained Vogt von Murrhardt. The monks had to submit to the count. However, Konrad von Maienfels still remained abbot. The disputes with the monastery lords in Württemberg may have led Konrad to leave the region and henceforth wanted to take over an office in Franconia . Perhaps this explains the lack of years in Konrad's biography.

In Münsterschwarzach

After the death of Abbot Walther III. In September 1374 a schismatic abbot election had taken place in Münsterschwarzach . Some of the monks had chosen Konrad, while the others preferred Albert Truchseß. Pope Gregory XI. then commissioned Archbishop Johann V of Prague to investigate the election and, if necessary, to choose another new candidate. However, Johann V opted for Konrad, who was then elected Konrad IV of Maienfels.

Due to the short term of office of Abbot Konrad, the sources flow rather sparsely. No official acts of the new abbot have been handed down and the so-called "Chronicon" also mentions a wrong term of office. For them, Konrad held the abbey for eleven years. Abbot Konrad IV von Maienfels died in 1377. Wagner mentions June 7th as the date of death.

literature

• Gerhard Fritz: City and monastery Murrhardt in the late Middle Ages and in the Reformation period . Sigmaringen 1990.
• Johannes Mahr: Münsterschwarzach. 1200 years of a Franconian abbey . Münsterschwarzach 2002.
• Leo Trunk: The Abbots of Münsterschwarzach. A comparative overview . In: Pirmin Hugger (Ed.): Magna Gratia. Festschrift for the 50th anniversary of the consecration of the Münsterschwarzach abbey church 1938–1988 . Münsterschwarzach 1992.
• Heinrich Wagner: The abbots of Megingaudshausen and Münsterschwarzach in the Middle Ages . In: Pirmin Hugger (Ed.): Magna Gratia. Festschrift for the 50th anniversary of the consecration of the Münsterschwarzach abbey church 1938–1988 . Münsterschwarzach 1992.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ While several representations mention this year, some sources assume the years 1374 and 1378 as the years of death. Compare: Trunk, Leo: The Abbots of Münsterschwarzach . P. 156 f.
2. ↑ While some representations mention the year 1381, because at this point in time the successor, Abbot Heinrich, was first mentioned in a document, Heinrich Wagner (p. 140 u.) Assumes this term of office. Gerhard Fritz (p. 330) names the years 1365 to 1371.
3. ↑ Cf.: Trunk, Leo: The Abbots of Münsterschwarzach . P. 156 f.
4. ↑ Mahr, Johannes: Münsterschwarzach. 1200 years of a Franconian abbey . P. 19.
5. ^ Fritz, Gerhard: City and monastery Murrhardt . P. 330 f.
6. ^ Wagner, Heinrich: The abbots of Münsterschwarzach in the Middle Ages . P. 140.

predecessor	Office	successor
Henry III.	Abbot of Murrhardt 1365-1374	Heinrich von Enslingen

predecessor	Office	successor
Walther III.	Abbot of Münsterschwarzach 1374–1377	Kraft von Buchheim named by Bieberehren Hildebrand Zollner