Metz Court Day (1356/57)

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The Metzer Hoftag 1356/1357 was a central event in the course of the formulation and proclamation of the Golden Bull by Emperor Charles IV.

prehistory

Through Charles IV, the Holy Roman Empire had a legitimate Roman Emperor for the first time in a hundred years. While Charles' predecessor, Ludwig the Bavarian , had previously been crowned emperor against the will of the Pope and thus provoked a constant dispute with the Curia , Charles IV was crowned emperor in Rome in 1355 with the consent of the Pope. Influenced by the disputes between Ludwig IV, Karl’s predecessor, and Frederick the Handsome about kingship, Karl’s concern was to establish a uniform regulation of the election of a king and a binding succession law. The first part of the Golden Bull, known as the Nuremberg Law Book , was promulgated at the Nuremberg Court Day on January 10, 1356. Metz was already specified as the next meeting place for the princes in the Nuremberg text . The term “Hoftag” derives from the original Latin text in which curia is mentioned.

Metz in the 14th century

Although Frankfurt , Aachen and Nuremberg are considered to be the central political cities of the late medieval Holy Roman Empire, Charles IV chose Metz as the place of deliberation and proclamation of the second part of the Golden Bull. The contemporary witness and Prague chronicler Benesch von Weitmühl described the choice of location as unusual due to the geographical peripheral location and lack of tradition as a royal place. In the early 14th century, however, Metz played an important role in Charles IV's imperial policy.

Metz was not only one of the most populous cities in the northern Alpine empire, but also the leading regional trading center in the central Moselle area. The existing infrastructure created the prerequisite for holding a farm day with a large number of participants. In addition, Metz had been a free city since the 13th century and Charles IV was therefore not accountable to any bishop. In addition, Metz was at the center of Luxembourg's territorial policy, which was of great importance for the emperor, who was descended from the Luxembourg family. The connection between Charles IV and the city of Metz becomes clear in the prose texts by Jacques d`Esch; his Metzer Chronicle is considered an important source of the emperor's relationship with the city.

procedure

Due to foreign policy conflicts, the court day, which was supposed to take place four weeks after Easter, could not be opened until December 1356. An official opening or closing of the court day is not known. Hergemöller assumes that due to the lack of constitutional and administrative structures, a fixed schedule was not possible and the course of the court day was largely dependent on the presence of the advisors. With the Adventus , the reception of Charles IV by the city representatives, the court day on November 17th was initiated at least imperially. After moving into the cathedral , the emperor was shown to his emblematic accommodation, the episcopal palace. Gabriele Annas describes the renewal of the covenant between Charles IV and King John II of France, the deliberations on the Italian disputes, the enfeoffment of Duke Rudolf II , the disputes over the execution of the sword-carrying office, the uprising of Margrave Wilhelm I. von Jülich zum Herzog, the regulation of various affairs of the cathedral chapter of Verdun and the granting of chapter 16 (stake citizenship law) as a privilege to Abbot Heinrich von Fulda.

Not all electors were present at the beginning, which is why no resolutions could be passed in the first three weeks, and questions of foreign policy were not discussed due to the late arrival of the Dauphin during this time. That is why the privileges of Ruprecht the Elder were treated in the first few weeks. Ä. von der Pfalz, created letters of will in favor of the crown of Bohemia and confirmed the great Aachen privilege of Emperor Charlemagne. From December 12 to 22, one could concentrate on internal negotiations in the presence of all the electors. This included the confirmation of the electoral rights of the King of Bohemia by all electors, as well as the negotiation of the peace and imperial law issues in the area of ​​the duchies of Lorraine and Bar . The arrival of the Dauphin and the Cardinal Legates on 21./22. December allowed the discussion on Franco-German issues to begin. According to Hergemöller, the central points were the situation in France after the Battle of Poitiers , the conflicts between the emperor and the curia, the organization and fixation of the electoral honorary services and the completion, promulgation and execution of the supplementary chapters of the Golden Bull.

Christmas Day served for the solemn announcement of the resolutions by Charles IV. Here the written ceremonial processes were carried out for the first time and thus legally confirmed. Following the feast, Karl awarded Reichslehen and publicly proclaimed the Golden Bull. After this climax, the court day slowly broke up with the departure of the foreign delegation. With the emperor's departure on January 7, 1357, the court day had come to an unofficial end. In addition to numerous ecclesiastical and secular princes and city officials, the court day was enriched by the cardinal legate Talleyrand von Pèrigord, the Bishop of Albano and the Dauphin Karl von Vienne , Duke of Normandy. Gabriele Annas provides a detailed list of the visitors and envoys present.

Metz law book

Chapters 24–31 of the Metz law book form the second part of the Golden Bull. Only chapters 27 and 30 were given a heading in the original text, the separation was made by paragraphs. The division into numbered chapters is a modern way of counting. The content of the individual chapters can nevertheless be summarized as follows by a kind of heading:

  • 24. (Right of Majesty of the Electors)
  • 25. (Succession in the Electorate)
  • 26. (bearer of the insignia and imperial regalia )
  • 27.On the offices of the electors on solemn court days (De officiis principum electorum in solempnibus curiis imperatorum vel regum Romanorum)
  • 28. (Table arrangement for Emperor, Empress and Elector)
  • 29. (Election and coronation places of the German king)
  • 30.On the reception of the fiefdoms of the electors (De iuribus officialium, dum principes feuda sua ab imperatore vel rege Romanorum recipiunt)
  • 31. (Education of the elector's sons and language lessons in German, Latin, Italian and Slavic)

Chapter 24 forms a protection law against the king and electors of the empire. According to this, connections against the king or the electors of the empire are punished with death. The model of this law is the Lex Quisquis, which was only slightly modified so that the electors take the place of the senators. The second chapter of the Metz Code, Chapter 25, is seen as a supplement and extension of Chapters 7 and 20 of the Nuremberg Code and deals with the integrity of the spa territories. Chapters 26–29, which deal with the formalities of court days, formed a unit of content. This initially served as the basis for the ceremonial design of the Metzer Hoftag. Chapter 26 deals with the procession of the imperial couple and confirms the electoral bearers of the imperial regalia. The festive implementation of the electoral honorary offices is recorded in Chapter 27. Chapter 28 lists the seating arrangements for a ceremonial court day. In this way, not only is the height of the individual tables determined, but also the equality of the electors, in which they can only sit down at the same time. One of the most important is Chapter 29, in which the electoral and coronation places of the German king are determined:

“[…] Daz one Romischin konigis kure zů Frankinfurd in the stat Geschehin sal, zů Ache gecronit werdin, sin irsten hof zů Nurmberg haltin. […] Ut regis Romanorum futuri imperatoris in civitate Frankenfordie celebraretur electio et prima coronacio Aquisgrani et in opido Nuremberg prima sua regalis curia haberetur. "

- Wolfgang D. Fritz (ed.): The Golden Bull of Emperor Charles IV from 1356, text . (Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Fontes iuris Germanici in usum scholarum separatim editi, 11), Weimar 1972. pp. 628-629.

The penultimate chapter deals with the fiefdom tax and the fief renewals that the princes had to pay. In the final chapter 31, the king determines the linguistic education of the electoral heirs and successors, who are to be taught in Latin, German, Italian and Czech from the age of seven to fourteen, as these were the most widely spoken languages ​​in the empire. Hergemöller outlines the Metz chapters as an extension and addition to the Nuremberg texts, due to parallels in content and language.

meaning

For a long time, the Metzer Hoftag was regarded as a minor event in research literature. Hergemöller attaches great importance to the event, however, by emphasizing the political weight of the assembly. Margue and Pauly emphasize the importance of the city of Metz as the intersection between Karl's territorial and imperial politics. They also point out the importance of the Court Day as the first Electoral Day to be held according to the regulations of the Golden Bull.

swell

  • Wolfgang D. Fritz (Ed.): The Golden Bull of Emperor Charles IV from 1356, text . (Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Fontes iuris Germanici in usum scholarum separatim editi, 11), Weimar 1972.

literature

  • Gabriele Annas: Hoftag, Gemeiner Tag, Reichstag / 2: Directory of German imperial assemblies of the late Middle Ages: (1349 to 1471) . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2004, ISBN 3525360614 .
  • Bernd-Ulrich Hergemöller : The conclusion of the Golden Bull of Metz 1365/57 . In: Friedrich Bernward Fahlbusch and Peter Johanek: Studia Luxemburgensia. Festschrift for Heinz Stoob on the occasion of his 70th birthday (studies on the Luxembourgers and their time 3) . Verlag Fahlbusch / Hölscher / Rieger, Warendorf 1989, pp. 123-232.
  • Ulrike Hohensee: The Golden Bull: Politics-Perception-Reception . Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 2009, ISBN 9783050042923 .

Remarks

  1. ↑ Michael Menzel: Ludwig the Bavarian (1314-1347) . In: Bernd Schneidmüller and Stefan Weinfurter: The German rulers of the Middle Ages. Historical portraits from Heinrich I to Maximilian I (919-1519) . CH Beck, Munich, 2003. pp. 398-399.
  2. ↑ Peter Moraw: Karl IV. In: Lexikon des Mittelalters Bd 5 . Sp. 973.
  3. ↑ Bernd-Ulrich Hergemöller: The origin of the "Golden Bull" at Nuremberg and Metz 1355-1357 . In: The Emperor Makers . Frankfurt am Main and the Golden Bull; 1356-1806; [an exhibition by the Institute for City History, the Historical Museum, the Dommuseum and the Museum Judengasse (branch of the Jewish Museum), Frankfurt am Main, September 30, 2006 to January 14, 2007]. Essays, Volume 2. Societäts-Verlag, Frankfurt, p. 31.
  4. ↑ Wolfgang D. Fritz (Ed.): The Golden Bull of Emperor Charles IV from 1356, text . (Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Fontes iuris Germanici in usum scholarum separatim editi, 11), Weimar 1972. p. 537.
  5. ↑ Chronicon Benessii de Weitmil, ed. Josef Emler. Pp. 526,2-6. Quoted from Michel Margue and Michel Pauly. Luxembourg, Metz and the Reich. The imperial city of Metz in the field of vision of Charles IV . In: Ulrike Hohensee u. a. (Ed.) Reports and treatises: The Golden Bull: Politics - Perception - Reception . Academy publishing house. Berlin 2009. pp. 869-916.
  6. ^ Michel Margue / Michel Pauly: Luxemburg, Metz and the Empire. The imperial city in the visual field of Charles IV. In: Ulrike Hohensee (Hg.): The Golden Bull: Politics - Perception - Reception . Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 2009. pp. 873-884.
  7. ↑ Georg Wolfram (ed.): The Metzer Chronicle of Jaique Dex (Jacques D'Esch) about the emperors and kings from the Luxembourg house . Scriba, Metz 1906.
  8. ↑ Bernd-Ulrich Hergemöller: The conclusion of the Golden Bull of Metz 1365/57 . In: Friedrich Bernward Fahlbusch and Peter Johanek : Studia Luxemburgensia. Festschrift for Heinz Stoob on his 70th birthday . Publisher Fahlbusch / Hölscher / Rieger. Warendorf 1989. p. 151.
  9. ^ Michel Margue / Michel Pauly: Luxemburg, Metz and the Empire. The imperial city in the visual field of Charles IV. In: Ulrike Hohensee (Hg.): The Golden Bull: Politics - Perception - Reception . Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 2009. pp. 911-912.
  10. ^ Gabriele Annas: Hoftag, Gemeiner Tag, Reichstag / 2: Directory of German imperial assemblies of the late Middle Ages: (1349 to 1471) . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2004. pp. 58–59.
  11. ↑ Bernd-Ulrich Hergemöller: The conclusion of the Golden Bull of Metz 1365/57 . In: Friedrich Bernward Fahlbusch and Peter Johanek: Studia Luxemburgensia. Festschrift for Heinz Stoob on his 70th birthday . Publisher Fahlbusch / Hölscher / Rieger. Warendorf 1989, pp. 150-89.
  12. ^ Martin Kintzinger: Karl IV. (1346-1378) . In: Bernd Schneidmüller and Stefan Weinfurter: The German rulers of the Middle Ages. Historical portraits from Heinrich I to Maximilian I (919-1519) . CH Beck, Munich 2003, p. 427.
  13. ^ Michel Margue / Michel Pauly: Luxemburg, Metz and the Empire. The imperial city in the visual field of Charles IV. In: Ulrike Hohensee (Hg.): The Golden Bull: Politics - Perception - Reception. Akademie-Verlag, Berlin, 2009. pp. 911-913.
  14. ↑ Bernd-Ulrich Hergemöller: The origin of the "Golden Bull" at Nuremberg and Metz 1355 to 1357. In: The Kaisermacher. Frankfurt am Main and the Golden Bull; 1356-1806 ; [an exhibition by the Institute for City History, the Historical Museum, the Dommuseum and the Museum Judengasse (branch of the Jewish Museum), Frankfurt am Main, September 30, 2006 to January 14, 2007]. Essays, Volume 2. Societäts-Verlag, Frankfurt, p. 35 .; MGH Volume 11. pp. 623-631.
  15. ↑ Wolfgang D. Fritz (Ed.): The Golden Bull of Emperor Charles IV from 1356, text . (Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Fontes iuris Germanici in usum scholarum separatim editi, 11), Weimar 1972. p. 537.
  16. ^ Gabriele Annas: Hoftag, Gemeiner Tag, Reichstag / 2: Directory of German imperial assemblies of the late Middle Ages: (1349 to 1471) . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2004, pp. 59–66.
  17. ↑ Wolfgang D. Fritz (Ed.): The Golden Bull of Emperor Charles IV from 1356, text . (Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Fontes iuris Germanici in usum scholarum separatim editi, 11), Weimar 1972. p. 542.
  18. ↑ Bernd-Ulrich Hergemöller: The origin of the "Golden Bull" at Nuremberg and Metz 1355 to 1357. In: The Kaisermacher. Frankfurt am Main and the Golden Bull; 1356-1806 ; [an exhibition by the Institute for City History, the Historical Museum, the Dommuseum and the Museum Judengasse (branch of the Jewish Museum), Frankfurt am Main, September 30, 2006 to January 14, 2007]. Essays, Volume 2. Societäts-Verlag, Frankfurt, p. 35 .; Wolfgang D. Fritz (Ed.): The Golden Bull of Emperor Charles IV from 1356, text . (Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Fontes iuris Germanici in usum scholarum separatim editi, 11), Weimar 1972. pp. 623-631.
  19. ↑ Bernd-Ulrich Hergemöller: The conclusion of the Golden Bull of Metz 1365/57 . In: Friedrich Bernward Fahlbusch and Peter Johanek: Studia Luxemburgensia. Festschrift for Heinz Stoob on his 70th birthday . Publisher Fahlbusch / Hölscher / Rieger. Warendorf 1989. pp. 202-227.
  20. ↑ Bernd-Ulrich Hergemöller: The conclusion of the Golden Bull of Metz 1365/57 . In: Friedrich Bernward Fahlbusch and Peter Johanek: Studia Luxemburgensia. Festschrift for Heinz Stoob on his 70th birthday . Publisher Fahlbusch / Hölscher / Rieger. Warendorf 1989. pp. 151-152.
  21. ^ Michel Margue / Michel Pauly: Luxemburg, Metz and the Empire. The imperial city in the field of vision of Charles IV. In: Ulrike Hohensee (ed.): The Golden Bull: Politics - Perception - Reception . Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 2009. pp. 914–915.