Nicholas of Újezd

Nikolaus von Újezd (also: Nikolaus von Aujezd and Riesenburg ; Czech: Mikuláš z Újezda a Riesenburka ; † January 17, 1258 probably in Prague ) was Bishop of Prague .

Life

Nikolaus came from the village of Újezd ​​under the Laurenziberg, which was later incorporated into Prague. It is said to have been of simple origin and is also referred to as "von Riesenburg" in older literature.

As a canon of Prague, he was after the death of Bishop Bernhard elected in 1240 to his successor and in the May 25, 1241 Lateran Basilica in Rome dedicated . The Mainz bishop Siegried von Eppstein , to whose church province Bohemia and Moravia belonged, carried out a visitation in 1244, about which reports have been received. In 1245 Nicholas took part in the Council of Lyon . As a supporter ( Ghibelline ) of Emperor Friedrich II , he did not take part in the Frankfurt day of the anti-king Heinrich Raspe and was therefore banned on August 13, 1245 by the papal legate Philipp Fontana, Bishop of Ferrara .

After Nikolaus refused to impose the interdict during the dispute between the elector Wilhelm and Konrad von Friedberg over the Olomouc bishop's seat over Bohemia and Moravia , he was suspended by the Bremen archbishop Gebhard zur Lippe and at the same time he announced the interdict, which, however, was ignored found.

In the dispute between King Wenceslaus I and his son Ottokar II. Přemysl , Nicholas sided with Ottokar in 1249 and was therefore summoned to the Curia . To prevent this from happening, King Nicholas was imprisoned in Zvíkov Castle . Nicholas retaliated with a partial interdict over all the churches of the diocese, but switched to the king's party as a prisoner. After his release, he welcomed the king in Prague on August 5, 1249, who occupied the city with his army.

As bishop, Nicholas initiated extensive construction work on Prague Castle from 1249–1252 , some of which had become necessary due to the fighting during the occupation. Between 1252 and 1257 the St. Vitus Cathedral was restored and the liturgical chants reformed. In 1251 Nikolaus consecrated the St. Christophorus Church in Thein an der Moldau ( Týn nad Vltavou ), in which he also ordained deacon, priest and bishop to Passau Bishop Berthold von Pietengau .

During his tenure, the Order of the Knights of the Cross with the Red Star was founded, which was sponsored by the royal family and spread to Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia . In addition, Johanniterkommenden in Strakonice , Horaschdowitz and Jungbunzlau , the commendants of the Teutonic Order in Polná , Pitschkowitz , Miletín , Řepin , Neuhaus , Komotau and Deutschbrod , the Cistercian monastery Saar and several Dominican and Minorite monasteries were founded.

literature

• Zdeňka Hledíková : Art. Nikolaus von Ujezd († 1258). 1240–1258 Bishop of Prague , in Erwin Gatz (ed.), Clemens Brodkorb (collaborator): The Bishops of the Holy Roman Empire 1198 to 1448. A biographical lexicon. Volume I, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-428-08422-5 , pp. 582-583.

predecessor	Office	successor
Bernhard	Bishop of Prague 1240–1258	Johann III.