Nicholas of Bari

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Nicholas of Bari was an abbot and deacon of the Church of Bari who worked in the first half of the 13th century .

Very little is known about the life of Nicholas of Bari. However, he wrote a letter to Petrus de Vinea , the protonotary of the Roman-German Emperor and King of Sicily Frederick II .

It is possible that Nicholas of Bari is also identical with the one who gave a fiery eulogy for the emperor. In it he moved the Staufen house closer to God and represented it as the final emperor family. Nicholas praised Friedrich as a hero, the Staufen house was compared to the house of David . The rule of the Hohenstaufen is predestined until the return of Christ.

Inscription from the ambo of Bitonto Cathedral: Hoc opus fecit Nicolaus sacerdos et magister ...

According to older research, Nikolaus' hymnic speech should be understood against the background of Frederick's crusade , from which the emperor had only just returned. Frederick had placed the crown of the Kingdom of Jerusalem on himself in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem . The step towards the “messianic empire”, which came to light even more in the later debate with the papacy, was not far. In the summer of 1229 a relief was placed at the entrance to the pulpit of the cathedral in the city of Bitonto , which (possibly) symbolized the speech again: The Staufen house was represented there in the form of a jess tree. In any case, Nicholas's speech is a not unimportant aspect of Friedrich's idea of ​​the emperor.

The dating of this award speech is controversial in recent research. It was long dated to the summer of 1229 and interpreted in connection with the said relief. Due to allusions to the content, it is often dated to the year 1235 today, or at least 1235/37 is believed to be possible.

literature

  • Rudolf M. Kloos : Nikolaus von Bari, a new source for the development of the imperial idea under Friedrich II . In: Gunther G. Wolf (Ed.), Stupor Mundi. On the history of Frederick II of Hohenstaufen . 2. completely reworked. Darmstadt 1982, pp. 130-160. [Translation of the speech: ibid., Pp. 543–551.]
  • Hans Martin Schaller : The imperial idea of ​​Friedrich II . In: Gunther Wolf (ed.), Stupor mundi (op. Cit.), Pp. 494-526.
  • Hans Martin Schaller: The relief on the pulpit of the Cathedral of Bitonto. A monument to the imperial idea of ​​Frederick II . In: Gunther Wolf (ed.), Stupor Mundi (op. Cit.), Pp. 299-324.
  • Wolfgang Stürner : Friedrich II. (Figures of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance) . Vol. 2 (of 2). Darmstadt 2000, pp. 174-178.

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ However, this Nicholas is called sacerdos , priest , in the inscription , while Abbot Nicholas, the author of the letter to Petrus de Vinea, was a deacon .
  2. ^ Hubert Houben: Kaiser Friedrich II. (1194-1250). Ruler, man, myth. Stuttgart 2008, pp. 188f.
  3. ↑ So Wolfgang Stürner: Friedrich II. Vol. 2. Darmstadt 2000, p. 177.
personal data
SURNAME Nicholas of Bari
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Nicolaus Barensis
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Abbot and Deacon of the Church of Bari
DATE OF BIRTH 12th century or 13th century
DATE OF DEATH 13th Century