Ludolf von Rostorf

Ludolf I. von Rostorf (also: von Rosdorf; * around 1240 at Hardenberg Castle ; † 1304 in Minden ) was bishop of Minden from 1295 to 1304 .

Life

Ludolf I was born around 1240 as the son of Dethard I von Rosdorf at Hardenberg Castle . His grandfather, Konrad III., Was Mainz Ministerialer at Hardenberg Castle from 1240 to 1248, his father Dethard I from 1250 to 1261. Together with his brother Bernhard I von Rosdorf, he was appointed to the ecclesiastical office at an early age. His uncle, Konrad IV von Rosdorf, was also a clergyman and worked as provost of the St. Alexander monastery in Einbeck. A great uncle, Count Günther I von Schwalenberg , was Archbishop of Magdeburg in 1277/78 and Bishop of Paderborn from 1307 to 1310. Another uncle, the brother of his brother-in-law, Count Volkwin V. von Schwalenberg , was Ludolf I's predecessor as Bishop of Minden from 1275 to 1293.

Since 1280 Ludolf I was canon of Minden, since 1284 he followed his deceased brother Bernhard I as archdeacon of Ohsen. From 1292 to 1295 Ludolf I also worked as provost of Hameln. After his uncle Volkwin V. died on May 4, 1293, Ludolf I was not yet able to assert himself as bishop in Minden. The fear of the members of other noble families in the circle of the canons that his election would create a kind of family dynasty was too strong. In fact, after the brief interlude by Konrad II von Wardenberg (1293–1295), Ludolf I von Rosdorf was elected, who was the second from the Schwalenberg / Rosdorf family and in turn in 1304 from his great-nephew, Gottfried von Waldeck from a sideline of the Schwalenberger, "inherited". This family determined the fortunes of the Principality of Minden for around 50 years.

Ludolf I.'s first official act was to redeem the pledged share of the monastery in Reineberg Castle near Lübbecke on September 27, 1295 . Then the conflict broke out again with the Bishop of Osnabrück and the Count of Hoya because of Steyerberg Castle near Nienburg. In this and three other legal questions, Ludolf I turned to King Adolf I of Nassau , who made positive decisions in favor of Ludolf I in autumn 1295 and November 1296. The latter then rejected a "lazy" compromise proposed by the Archbishop of Bremen. Ultimately, however, he could only avoid another war with Hoya by making certain concessions. But the conflict broke out again in 1302, and Ludolf I asked the Dukes of Saxony for military help against the Counts of Hoya.

He stabilized the western border of his small empire by having the city of Lübbecke provided with a city wall, the Andreasstift von Neustadt a.Rbg. moved to there and concluded a peace treaty with the bishop of Osnabrück and the city of Herford .

In connection with the occupation of the Archbishopric of Cologne after the death of Siegfried von Westerburg , Ludolf I received the order from Pope Boniface VIII on September 9, 1297 , in his capacity as Saxon suffragan of the Archdiocese of Cologne, Wikbold von Holte , the candidate for the office of Archbishop to hand over the pallium on behalf of the Pope after consecration. King Adolf I of Nassau also strongly advocated the election of Wikbold and, in return for his support, offered Ludolf I on October 19, 1297 to use himself for the interests of the diocese of Minden. King Adolf I kept his word, as later decisions in favor of Minden and Ludolf I show.

Ludolf founded the Egestorf monastery , today Friedrichsburg near Rinteln, built the Bokeloh castle and issued important statutes for his diocese, such as the discipline of the canons, the administration of benefices, etc.

Together with Duke Otto II of Braunschweig-Lüneburg, who was allied for three years , Ludolf I subjugated the Counts of Roden and Wunstorf in 1299/1300 . In the contract between the bishop and the duke, the leash is defined as the border between the two areas of influence. "Ultimately, this last major territorial-political attempt by a Minden bishop failed ... because of the will to assert themselves of the smaller powers led by the Counts of Schaumburg and located between the Weser and Leine."

In a coalition with the city of Minden (i.e. by bribing the Voigt von Minden, who was actually responsible for the military protection of the diocese, Gerhard von Berg , who flagrantly violated his official duties against his own employer), Ludolf I was forced to respect the status quo to accept. Otto II tried, contrary to the treaty, to capture parts of the Roden and Wunstorf counties that went beyond the Leine. Thereupon Ludolf I suspended the contract with Otto II and in turn reached an understanding with Count Johann I von Roden and Wunstorf. Between 1300 and 1303, Ludolf I reinstated Count Johann I in his old rights, in clear contradiction to his contract with the Duke of Braunschweig.

However, this was less of political weakness, as some historians suspect, than of dynastic considerations and calculations. During the peace negotiations, Ludolf I, Duke Otto II and Count Johann I had not only agreed on the peace treaty, but also Ludolf I in a secret agreement on the marriage between Count Johann II, the son of Johann I, and Ludolf I . Niece, Walpurgis II von Rosdorf, informed. After the marriage was completed in 1300, Ludolf I largely reversed the peace treaty that had destroyed the Counts of Roden and Wunstorf, even though this caused him the ongoing hostility of Duke Otto II of Braunschweig and the diocese of Minden.

The securing of the area of ​​the castle, town and monastery of Wunstorf as well as his dynastic considerations finally cost Ludolf I the jurisdiction over the town, as the town council forced him and the now allied Count Johann I to give the town to the town on May 1, 1303 To leave the Wichgrafenamt and thus the own jurisdiction in self-administration. In 1303, Ludolf I also lost out in the battle for the Gogericht zu Bogenstelle with the Counts of Hoya.

Bitter and worn down by the numerous wars and internal intrigues within the diocese and the Minden monastery, Ludolf I. von Rosdorf died in the spring of 1304. His successor in office, Gottfried von Waldeck, his great-nephew (Ludolf's sister Jutta I. von Rosdorf was with Albrecht I von Schwalenberg, married uncle of Gottfried's father; Adolf I von Schwalenberg was the first Count of Waldeck, father of Heinrich III. Von Waldeck and grandfather of Gottfried), took into account the changed political situation in the diocese by speaking with the Construction of a new episcopal residence (1305/06) in Petershagen began.

swell

• Codex diplomaticus Mindensis (documents from the archive of the city of Minden), in: Westfälische Provinzblätter , Vol. 1, Issues 2 and 4, 1828 and 1830
• Gudenus: Codex diplomaticus exhibens anecdota 881 - 1300 . Vol. 1, 1743
• GW Leibniz, L. Scheid (Ed.): Origines Guelficae , Part III and Part IV, Hanover, 1752/53
• HA Erhard (Ed.): Regesta historiae Westfaliae, Codex diplomaticus , 2 vols., 1847/51
• Regesta of the Counts of Roden , in: A. Ulrich: On the history of the Counts of Roden in the 12th and 13th centuries, magazine of the Historical Association for Lower Saxony-Lüneburg 1887

literature

• FW Ebeling: The German bishops up to the end of the 16th century . Vol. II., 1858
• Paul-Joachim Heinig:  Ludolf von Rosdorf. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 15, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1987, ISBN 3-428-00196-6 , p. 297 f. ( Digitized version ).

predecessor	Office	successor
Konrad II of Wardenberg	Bishop of Minden 1295–1304	Gottfried von Waldeck