Münster collegiate feud

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The Münster collegiate feud between 1450 and 1457 was a dispute about the occupation of the bishop's seat in Münster and thus also about the rule in the bishopric of Münster . Initially, Walram von Moers and Erich II von Hoya faced each other as candidates. They were supported by their families headed by Count Johann von Hoya and Archbishop Dietrich II von Moers . In addition, there were their respective foreign allies. Inside the monastery, the stalls, namely the cathedral chapter and the city of Münster, played an independent role at times. Ultimately, neither side could prevail.

The Münster Hochstift (excerpt from a map of the Westphalian Empire from the 18th century)

prehistory

Coat of arms of the Counts of Moers
Coat of arms of the Counts of Hoya

The bishopric of Münster was one of the most important and largest spiritual territories in north-west Germany. In the late Middle Ages, the episcopal seats in the region were mainly occupied by members of some count families or families of noblemen . The respective families tried, like the Counts von der Mark , to secure the bishopric for their later sons. Less powerful families in particular took advantage of the opportunity to increase their power, at least temporarily, through a spiritual territory. This group included the noble lords of the Lippe , who occupied the bishopric in Paderborn several times . The Counts of Hoya were successful in the Diocese of Osnabrück . In the diocese of Minden this applies to the Diepholz and Schaumburg families . In the middle of the 15th century, however, the Counts of Moers were leaders in this regard. Especially after Dietrich von Moers became Archbishop of Cologne, the family managed to occupy a large part of the episcopal seats in north-west Germany. Their main competitor in the diocese of Münster was the Hoya family.

Inside, some prince-bishops, most recently Otto IV von Hoya in particular , expanded the territory and eliminated smaller lordships inside. On the other hand it was said that the bishops already in the 13./14. Century had largely lost control of their capital Münster. This acted almost as independently as an imperial city. Overall, too, the estates from the cathedral chapters, knights and cities had gained influence and severely restricted the bishops' scope.

After the death of Bishop Otto IV. Dietrich von Moers managed to get his brother Heinrich II. Von Moers against the will of the city of Munster the bishopric in Munster. After the Archbishop had taken the Diocese of Osnabrück from Erich von Hoya because of internal disputes, he installed Heinrich there as administrator. This aligned his policy strongly to the interests of the brother and supported him strongly in the Soest feud, for example . The von Hoya family, who also occupied the dioceses of Verden and Minden, saw the Counts of Moers as intruders into their own area of ​​interest. In addition to the archbishopric of Cologne , Münster and Osnabrück, the von Moers family also ruled Paderborn and parts of the diocese of Utrecht . The warlike policy of Heinrich in support of his brother brought the bishopric no profit, rather it meant a sharp increase in debts and a decrease in prosperity.

Beginning of the conflict

Inside, the stalls were in open turmoil at Heinrich's death. The efforts of the House of Moers from then on met with reservations. On the other hand, Dietrich did everything to continue to occupy Münster with a member of his family. He had planned his brother Walram von Moers as his successor. With this he came into conflict with the house of Hoya. Johann von Hoya had not forgotten that Dietrich von Moers had taken action against members of his family. In particular, he had not forgotten his own six years imprisonment in connection with the fighting around Osnabrück. He wanted to make his brother Erich von Hoya his successor.

In addition to the two main competitors for the episcopal dignity, there were other applicants. The city of Osnabrück campaigned for Konrad von Diepholz . He was provost in Osnabrück and a nephew of the Utrecht bishop Rudolf von Diepholz . He supported the application, but came too late to advertise his nephew.

Dietrich von Moers used large bribes to win a majority in the cathedral chapter for his brother. Until recently he had been a supporter of the Basel Council before he sided with the Roman Curia . Dietrich managed to get the majority of the cathedral chapter on his side at a meeting in Hausdülmen on July 15, 1450. But Johann von Hoya for his part created the mood for his brother Erich. He won over the citizens of Münster and the nobility in particular. In the city he was mainly supported by the guilds and the vulgarity, while the patrician heirs of the council wanted no confrontation.

Johann von Hoya was elected by the secular estates to the monastery administrator. He was to officiate until the Pope had appointed a bishop acceptable to the citizens and knights. In a letter to the Pope, they cited the reasons for this unusual practice that Walram was allegedly responsible for two murders and other crimes in the past. In contrast, they emphasized the allegedly impeccable life and scientific education of Erich von Hoya. A minority of thirteen canons and all of the city's clergy accepted this position. In Osnabrück, Johann von Hoya managed to make his brother Albert von Hoya an administrator. This strengthened the family's position in the battle for the Münster bishopric.

As administrator, Johann von Hoya brought most of Münster's state castles under his control. In order to keep his own costs as low as possible, he confiscated the bishop's goods and income from the canons. He also introduced an excise duty on commodities. Against this background, Walram's supporters in the cathedral chapter were ready to negotiate. A comparison was made that suited the Hoyas well. Then it was agreed that at the next state parliament all estates should appeal to the Pope to transfer the office of bishop to Erich von Hoya. In return for the canons to accommodate them, they were guaranteed their old rights and income. The state parliament approved this convention.

Johann von Kleve was one of the most important supporters of the Hoya party

Johann von Hoya conquered the opposing castle Dülmen in January 1451 . In ignorance of the meanwhile unanimous position of the estates for Hoya, Pope Nicholas V had appointed Walram von Moers bishop. The city of Münster responded by requesting an expert report from the University of Erfurt . This came to the remarkable result that the estates did not need to accept the decision of the Pope because the Pope had no idea of ​​Walram von Moers' lack of competencies.

The Hoyas party was also supported by the Duchy of Kleve . Duke Johann von Kleve hoped that this would weaken the Archbishop of Cologne. On June 11, 1451, with the contract of House Dülmen, an alliance between Kleve and Johann von Hoya came about. Kleve received the offices of Dülmen and Stromberg as a prize for support in the fight against Walram von Moers . Kleve was not only a valuable ally in military terms. The intercession of Philip of Burgundy , an uncle of the Duke, in Rome was also important. After the contract, Kleve delivered the declaration of war to Walram von Moers.

On the same day the news arrived in Münster that Emperor Friedrich III. Walram would have given the regalia . After Walram had also received papal confirmation, he deposed some of his opponents in high church offices and had an interdict imposed on the supporters of the opposite side through a papal representative . Those disciplined in this way turned again to the University of Erfurt. This declared all measures of Walram and the Archbishop of Cologne in his cause invalid. Philip of Burgundy intervened on behalf of the Hoyas party in a letter to Rome. Before taking any further steps, they wanted to wait and see what position Nikolaus von Kues would take on this matter.

Outbreak of fighting

Nikolaus von Kues failed in his attempt to prevent the fighting from breaking out on behalf of the Pope

In the meantime the feud had broken out in the form of small undertakings. Most of the upper monastery was subsequently ruled by the Hoyas party, Walram only owned the area around Ahaus , Vreden and Ottenstein .

Nikolaus von Kues was probably instructed by the Pope to replace both previous bishopric candidates with Konrad von Diepholz. Nikolaus von Kues, however, expressed himself above all against the Hoyas. With the fall of Vredens, Walram von Moers also lost the last town in the bishopric. On January 21, 1452, he declared to Nikolaus von Kues that he was ready to renounce the bishopric, provided that the Hoyas could be expelled from the bishopric and Konrad von Diepholz made bishop.

The latter was supported by his uncle, Bishop Rudolf von Utrecht, among others. Now the Hoyas encountered stronger military resistance, for example during the siege of Ahaus. At the beginning of 1452 a mercenary army defeated Hoya and the Munster troops and took numerous prisoners. On February 2, Diepholz's supporters openly declared the feud to their opponents. Walram pledged the last remaining places Ahaus and Ottenstein to Rudolf von Utrecht. In the monastery itself, the sympathy for Konrad von Diepholz grew, whose candidacy seemed to be an alternative to the previous aspirants. The estates therefore looked for a compromise on October 6, 1452 in Coesfeld to get rid of both Walram von Moers and Erich von Hoya. All official acts of the bishop since the death of Bishop Heinrich were declared null and void. However, these peace efforts failed. One reason was probably that Johann von Kleve continued to cling to Erich von Hoya.

Johann von Hoya, who had previously left the city, returned to Münster. Based on the lower classes of the city of Münster, Johann von Hoya transferred the monastery reign in 1453 de jure to his brother Erich, so that he could prove himself as regent. Although the mayors of the cities resisted, they eventually had to accept it under pressure from the streets. Erich von Hoya was then honored in all cities.

Expansion of the conflict

The dispute entered a new round. Rudolf von Utrecht declared the feud on the city of Münster and its allies on July 7, 1453. He succeeded in taking the town of Vreden, which Johann von Hoya was able to regain shortly afterwards. Rudolf of Utrecht took advantage of disputes in the opposing camp and took a number of cities.

Against the background of the victory march of the opposing party in 1454, Johann von Hoya forced a new election of one of his party's well-meaning city councils in Münster. The majority came from guilds and meanness, only a few hereditary men were represented. In Munster, resistance against the tough regime of the Hoyas began to stir. The Hanseatic League also demanded the restoration of the old council constitution in October 1454.

The side around Walram von Moers and the Bishop of Utrecht managed to get an assurance from the Pope that all complaints directed by the opposing side to the Pope about spiritual penalties imposed by Walram were declared ineffective. Those who would side with Walram were given an assurance of absolution. Coesfeld was the first city to take advantage of the offer. This became the Walrams residence.

Because Johann von Kleve was temporarily unavailable as a supporter due to his wedding, Johann von Hoya turned to Duke Friedrich von Braunschweig-Lüneburg for help . With his help, Johann von Hoya attacked the Coesfeld area and the county of Bentheim , which supported the opposing side, plundering and destroying . Walram, but also Dietrich von Moers, initially lacked the means to defend themselves against it. In July a troop from the archbishop arrived at Dülmen. Due to a tactical mistake by Count Johann von Hoya, Duke Friedrich's troops were alone when the army of the allies with Dietrich von Moers, Walram von Moers, Rudolf von Utrecht, Bernhard von Bentheim , Bernhard zur Lippe and Konrad von Diepholz attacked and the opponents inflicted a crushing defeat in the battle of Varlar . The duke was taken prisoner. A further vigorous push could have succeeded, but the allies were hampered by internal disputes.

Guerrilla warfare and negotiations

Johann von Hoya noticed that the mood in Münster was turning against him. He offered Kleve the transfer of all cities and castles. But Johann von Kleve had other plans in the meantime. He wanted to get the diocese of Simon zur Lippe , while Erich von Hoya should get the diocese of Osnabrück. He had also helped to drive Bishop Rudolf out of Utrecht. A short time later he died after he had ceded his rights to Ahaus and Ottenstein to Konrad von Diepholz. With his death, the party around the House of Moers and Konrad von Diepholz lost its strongest supporter. The latter became bishop of Osnabrück, but did not give up his goal of becoming bishop in Münster.

In the diocese of Münster, Walram von Moers and the party around Johann von Hoya continued to face each other. However, Dietrich von Moers ran the matter with little energy. Therefore, the clashes continued in the form of a small war. In addition, negotiations took place that did not lead to any result. A great success was the conquest of Coesfeld by Johann von Hoya at the beginning of 1456. In October 1456 Walram von Moers died in Arnhem . Johann von Hoya now counted on the support of the Duke of Burgundy. This spoke for Erich von Hoya opposite the Pope Calixt III. who hoped to win the Burgundians for the Turkish war . The clear support of Philip of Burgundy for the cause of the Hoyas led the cities to take the side of John of Hoyas more clearly than in recent years. Erich von Hoya was postulated as bishop by two canons. The majority of the canons, however, opted for Konrad von Diepholz. Both sides asked Rome for a decision.

Johann von Hoya tried to strengthen his position in Münster by acquiring citizenship at the beginning of 1457 and joining the blacksmiths' guild. A short time later he was elected to the council. However, the Pope chose Johann von Pfalz-Simmern , who had been completely uninvolved in the previous disputes. Johann von Hoya searched in vain for the support of Kleve and Burgundy. Konrad von Diepholz's hopes of maintaining his position also failed.

End of the dispute and consequences

On October 23, 1457, the Kranenburg Treaty was concluded, which ended the conflict. This provided that Erich von Hoya should receive lifelong income in the amount of the Cologne Dompropstei. The city of Munster undertook to recognize the new bishop, to let him into the city and to pay homage to him. On the other hand, the new bishop promised to recognize the city's previous privileges. The new bishop also recognized the pledging of the offices of Dülmen and Stromberg to the Duke of Kleve. He also received compensation of 11,000 Rhenish guilders. At the beginning of November the new bishop moved into Munster, swore the oath of office a short time later and swore to surrender .

Johann von Hoya had previously secretly left the city. Erich von Hoya died in 1458. Bevergern Castle , which had been pledged to him, reverted to the bishopric. After the peace agreement, life in the Hochstift quickly returned to normal. In Munster the dominant position of the hereditary men in the city council was broken, the guilds retained the right to appoint members there. The heirs were only entitled to half of the council. In the end it turned out that the bishopric was only an object in the power play of the great sexes. Emperor and Pope had lost all influence. In the era of Heinrich and Walrams von Moers, the bishops gave almost no more spiritual impulses.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Wilhelm Kohl: The Diocese of Münster 7.1: The Diocese. Berlin 1999, pp. 170-171.
  2. ^ Wilhelm Kohl: The Diocese of Münster 7.1: The Diocese. Berlin 1999, pp. 171-175.
  3. ^ Wilhelm Kohl: The Diocese of Münster 7.1: The Diocese. Berlin 1999, pp. 175-176.
  4. ^ Wilhelm Kohl: The Diocese of Münster 7.1: The Diocese. Berlin 1999, p. 176.
  5. ^ Wilhelm Kohl: The Diocese of Münster 7.1: The Diocese. Berlin 1999, pp. 176-177.
  6. ↑ a b Wilhelm Kohl: The Diocese of Münster 7.1: The Diocese. Berlin 1999, p. 177.
  7. ↑ On the role of Burgundy: Petra Ehm-Schmocks: Burgundy and the Empire. Late medieval foreign policy using the example of the government of Charles the Bold (1465–1477) . Munich 2002, pp. 43-46 online .
  8. ^ Wilhelm Kohl: The Diocese of Münster 7.1: The Diocese. Berlin 1999, pp. 177-178.
  9. ^ Wilhelm Kohl: The Diocese of Münster 7.1: The Diocese. Berlin 1999, pp. 178-179.
  10. ^ Wilhelm Kohl: The Diocese of Münster 7.1: The Diocese. Berlin 1999, p. 179.
  11. ^ Wilhelm Kohl: The Diocese of Münster 7.1: The Diocese. Berlin 1999, p. 180.
  12. ^ Wilhelm Kohl: The Diocese of Münster 7.1: The Diocese. Berlin 1999, p. 181.
  13. ^ Wilhelm Kohl: The Diocese of Münster 7.1: The Diocese. Berlin 1999, pp. 181-182.
  14. ^ Wilhelm Kohl: The Diocese of Münster 7.1: The Diocese. Berlin 1999, p. 182.
  15. ^ Wilhelm Kohl: The Diocese of Münster 7.1: The Diocese. Berlin 1999, pp. 182-183.
  16. ^ Wilhelm Kohl: The Diocese of Münster 7.1: The Diocese. Berlin 1999, pp. 183-184.

literature

  • Wilhelm Kohl : The dioceses of the church province Cologne. The diocese of Münster 7.1: The diocese. Berlin, 1999. Germania Sacra , New Series Vol. 37.1; ISBN 978-3-11-016470-1 online .
  • Wilhelm Kohl: The dioceses of the church province Cologne. The diocese of Münster 7.3: The diocese. Berlin, 2003. Germania Sacra, New Series Vol. 37,3; ISBN 978-3-11-017592-9 online pp. 485-490.
  • Joseph Hansen: Westphalia and Rhineland in the 15th Century , Volume 2: Die Münsterische Stiftsfehde , Leipzig 1890 (= publications from the K. Prussian State Archives 42) online .

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