Konrad Probus

Konrad Probus (more rarely Konrad von Tübingen ) was Provincial of the Minorite Order in Upper Germany , a diplomat on behalf of Rudolf von Habsburg and from 1272 to 1296 Bishop of Toul .

Early years

Little is known about its origins and early years. Maybe he came from Tübingen . But other places of birth such as Isny were also mentioned. His father was a blacksmith or practiced another trade. The Archbishop of Mainz seems to have noticed his inclination towards science and to have accepted him into the clergy. According to tradition, Konrad left Mainz and went to Siena , where he obtained the degree of doctor of theology. He entered the Order of the Minorites in 1245. In this he rose from the novice master to the lecturer in Constance to the provincial of the order in the Upper German order province .

Royal envoy

He maintained close relationships with Rudolf von Habsburg even before his accession to the throne. As king he entrusted him with important diplomatic missions. In 1274 he traveled to Gregory X. , among other things, to arrange a meeting between the king and the pope. The aim was to achieve recognition of the king's election. Gregor did not commit himself, however, but issued the bull Grata nec immerito . In October 1274 Konrad was sent on a second legation trip to the Pope. Finally, the recognition and willingness to be crowned emperor arrived. To remove the problems associated with the coronation, the king again sent Conrad to Italy. It is unclear whether he found the Pope alive.

He was still in Rome in May 1276 when the order general, who later became Pope Nicholas IV , asked a member of the order about the miracles of St. Francis. There are no references to Konrad from the years up to 1278. The rapid succession of several popes prevented the issue of the coronation from moving forward.

At the time of Nicholas III. Konrad was again one of the negotiators and returned to Rudolf with further demands from the Pope. He apparently traveled to Rome again with messages from the king.

Bishop of Toul

During further negotiations, the Pope appointed Konrad Bishop of Toul in 1279. Then he will have traveled to Toul to take over his office. He is said to have been ordained bishop in 1280. In 1281 he received the regalia from King Rudolf in Colmar . In Toul he was confronted with uprisings by the citizens and had to suppress them by force. The disputes went on for a long time without a decision before Konrad received the support of the bishops of Basel , Strasbourg , Metz and Verdun . In 1285, the city of Toul was forced into submission. During this time, Konrad began building the cathedral .

His relationship with the popes was not easy. When Martin IV. Philip of France awarded tithes to the dioceses of Liège , Metz, Toul, Verdun and Basel, he, like King Rudolf, protested against it. In 1287 he took part in a council in Würzburg . There the papal legate expressed demands for a taxation of the clergy to finance Rudolf von Habsburg's move to Rome . Archbishop Siegfried von Westerburg and Bishop Konrad in particular rejected this. Other participants in the synod agreed. Ultimately, after the tumult, the meeting had to be overturned.

According to various reports, Konrad is said to have been excommunicated and deposed. After that he should have returned to his order. The excommunication probably existed for a time, but Konrad denied the legate any legitimation. He continued his bishopric and consecrated the church of the Benedictine monastery of Isny ​​around 1288. For some time he stayed near Constance and traveled to Rome to justify himself to Pope Nicholas IV.

In Rome in 1289 he signed letters of indulgence with other bishops in favor of the monasteries in Upper Germany. So he seems to have had a tolerable relationship with the Pope. After his return from Rome, Konrad spent most of his time in Alsace . He consecrated a chapel in Strasbourg in 1290. In Colmar in 1292 he made a foundation to enable the purchase of houses for beguines, and he made a similar foundation in Basel. In 1294 he consecrated a church in Rheinau . In the same year he was one of the mediators between the clergy and citizens of the city of Speyer . At least temporarily he was back in his diocese. In 1295 he issued a deed in favor of Duke Ferry of Lorraine . In the same year, King Adolf von Nassau also turned to Konrad and asked for support against the French king.

A short time later he was back in Rome to prepare for his resignation as bishop. This was granted to him by Boniface VIII and his successor was obliged to pay Konrad a pension of 200 pounds until his death. It is unclear how long Konrad lived afterwards. According to some information, he died as early as 1296, according to others in 1302 or 1303

Individual evidence

1. ↑ as an example of other sources on the legation: Rudolf (RI VI) n. 97
2. ↑ For example: Rudolf (RI VI) n.919
3. ^ Adolf (RI VI) n.586

literature

• Conrad Eubel: The Minorites Knoderer and Konrad Probus . In: Historisches Jahrbuch 9/1888 pp. 650–673