Conrad I of Wittelsbach

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Modern fantasy representation of Konrad von Wittelsbach

Konrad von Wittelsbach (* around 1120/1125; † October 25, 1200 near Riedfeld, today part of Neustadt an der Aisch ) was Archbishop of Mainz ( Konrad I. von Scheyern-Wittelsbach , also called Konrad von Mainz ) and Salzburg (Konrad III .) and Cardinal Bishop of Sabina and Imperial Arch Chancellor .

Vita

The son of Count Palatine Otto V. von Scheyern - Wittelsbach studied in Salzburg and Paris . At the Council of Lodi in 1161, Frederick I Barbarossa appointed him Archbishop of Mainz and Arch Chancellor of the Empire. Before that, the emperor had dismissed the Archbishops Christian I von Buch and Rudolf von Zähringen , elected in 1160, from Pope Viktor IV . Under the emperor the struggle between empire and sacerdotium had taken on sharper features again. Konrad's terms of office were also shaped by this conflict. Because Viktor IV was by no means the undisputed holder of the papal office, but acted as an antipope to Alexander III. While this schism was tolerable during Viktor's lifetime, it intensified after his death. Against Konrad's warning, the Archbishop of Cologne , Rainald von Dassel , voted for Paschal III. to the renewed antipope to Alexander III. This in turn was supported by Archbishop Konrad. In 1165 he swore the oath of allegiance to him , broke with Barbarossa and then fled to France, a step that was then received with confusion. Barbarossa then declared the archbishop deposed and had Christian von Buch re-elected as archbishop. This was also recognized by the imperial princes.

Pope Alexander III however, did not recognize the election and continued to regard Konrad as the rightful Archbishop of Mainz. On December 18, he consecrated him bishop and then made him cardinal priest with the titular church of San Marcello and finally cardinal bishop of Sabina . The Pope later made him Bishop of Sora in Latium . In 1165 the imperial troops, including Christian I von Buch , reached the city of Rome and took it. However, Konrad had fled the city beforehand.

In 1176, Emperor Barbarossa suffered a heavy defeat against the army of Milan and Alexander III, whereupon the parties were reconciled at the Peace of Venice in 1177 . Alexander III then recognized Christian von Buch as the rightful Archbishop of Mainz. Konrad was resigned to the Archdiocese of Salzburg . However, he continued to regard himself as the Archbishop of Mainz. During his time as Archbishop of Salzburg, he had a five-aisled basilica built on the remains of the previous cathedral, which had been destroyed in 1167. At 5,200 square meters, it was the largest basilica north of the Alps.

According to legend, Konrad received the title of legate over all of Germany from the Pope in 1179 for life to his successors . The dignity of a “born”, i.e. permanent papal legate ( legatus natus ) has been granted to every Salzburg archbishop without a separate award. Since then, the archbishops have worn legate purple on special solemn occasions in their diocese, a solemn purple garment that is much older than the cardinals' purple robes. The Salzburg archbishops are the only ones who have even been allowed to appear in legate purple at the Roman Curia since the 19th century.

After the death of Christian von Buch, Konrad, cardinal dean since 1181 , took up his second term as Archbishop of Mainz in 1183. He renewed the cathedral and the city ​​wall (which Friedrich Barbarossa had razed in 1160 after Archbishop Arnold von Selenhofen was murdered ). His aegis also included the festival in 1184 on the Maaraue , known as the “greatest of the Middle Ages” , and the so-called Court Day of Jesus Christ in Mainz in 1188, when the start of the Third Crusade was announced.

In 1197 Konrad broke himself at the head of the vanguard of Henry VI's crusade. on. In the same year, Emperor Heinrich VI died. Konrad and the princes elected his two-year-old son Friedrich to be king in 1196. The early death of the emperor made it impossible for the heir to the throne to take office directly, which is why wars over the succession broke out. These ushered in the end of the universal imperial power and ultimately also the empire. Instead of a hereditary central power as in France and England, the dominance of the princes developed.

In the dispute over the succession to the throne in Antioch , Konrad, like the Latin patriarchs of the city, sided with Raimund Ruben against Bohemond the One-Eyed and got the barons to solemnly recognize Raimund Ruben as the successor of Bohemond II .

While Konrad was staying in Palestine , Philip of Swabia and Otto of Braunschweig were elected twice in 1198 . It was not until 1199 that Pope Innocent III. Archbishop endowed with a mediating role returned to the Reich. In this capacity he brought about a temporary armistice in April 1200. In the same year the archbishop died on the way back from the crusade in Hungary on the way to the royal court in Riedfeld between Nuremberg and Würzburg. After the exequies carried out by Bishop Wolfgang von Erla in the oppidum Riedfeld (today part of Neustadt an der Aisch), he was transferred to Mainz and buried in Mainz Cathedral .

literature

Web links

Commons : Konrad I. von Wittelsbach  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Max Döllner : History of the development of the city of Neustadt an der Aisch until 1933. Ph. CW Schmidt, Neustadt ad Aisch 1950, p. 23 ("aput Rietfelt").
  2. ↑ Brief history of the city of Kelheim . P. 201.
  3. ↑ Max Döllner (1950), pp. 23, 294 and 479.
predecessor Office successor
Christian I. of book Archbishop of Mainz
1161–1165 		Christian I. of book
Adalbert III. of Bohemia Archbishop of Salzburg
1177–1183 		Adalbert III. of Bohemia
Christian I. of book Archbishop of Mainz
1183–1200 		Siegfried II of Eppstein
- Cardinal Bishop of Sabina
1166–1200 		Giovanni I. Colonna
Landolfo Bishop of Sora
1167–1174 		Bernhard
personal data
SURNAME Conrad I of Wittelsbach
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Konrad von Wittelsbach
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Archbishop of Mainz and Salzburg, Cardinal Bishop of the Roman Church
DATE OF BIRTH around 1120
DATE OF DEATH October 25, 1200
Place of death Riedfeld near Neustadt an der Aisch