Nikolaus von Oldenburg-Delmenhorst

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Nikolaus von Oldenburg-Delmenhorst (* unknown; † December 8, 1447 in Delmenhorst ) was Archbishop of Bremen from 1421 to 1434 . He was a son and successor of Count Otto IV (VII.) Von Delmenhorst (1367–1447) from his marriage to Richarda von Tecklenburg .

During the time of Johannes II von Schlamstorf's term of office , Count Otto IV pledged his county Delmenhorst to the Bremen monastery in 1414. He even held out the prospect of incorporation into the monastery if his son Nicholas, who had entered the clergy, would be elected archbishop. After he had promised not to pledge any monastery property, Nikolaus transferred the castle and rule of Delmenhorst to the archbishopric on December 20, 1420, then received them back as a fief and was consequently elected archbishop on January 16, 1421. What was planned as a lucrative expansion of the Archbishopric, however, turned out to be a failure.

Nikolaus turned out to be very contentious and repeatedly allowed himself to be drawn into costly war campaigns and feuds . In 1425 he was in dispute with the dukes of Braunschweig-Lüneburg , attacked Verden , which was allied with the dukes, at Christmas and thus triggered the Horneburg feud , which led to mutual raids for over 18 years. Only after the Horneburg castle team had to swear the Urfehde in 1443 , the raids could be stopped.

In 1426 he moved with Bremen and princely allies such as Dietrich von Oldenburg against the Frisians . This campaign ended in a debacle, after a heavy defeat at Detern , Nikolaus was taken prisoner. However, the Bremen council managed to get Nicholas free again without paying a ransom.

In order to cover the costs of the campaigns, Nikolaus was forced, contrary to his promise, to pledge more and more monastery property. Due to the desperate financial situation, the cathedral chapter and the Bremen council forced Nikolaus in 1432 to accept Count Otto von Hoya as administrator. He promised himself to take over the debts of the monastery with the aim of succeeding Nikolaus as archbishop. He received Langwedel Castle as a deposit. However, the Bremen council had made an agreement with the dukes of Lüneburg , to which the Verden bishop Johannes III. von Asel and the Counts of Hoya joined. They planned to appoint the Lüneburg abbot Baldwin II von Wenden as archbishop. In the winter of 1432/33 there was a feud between this coalition and Otto von Hoya, which was resolved in the spring of 1433. Nikolaus resigned in 1435 in favor of Baldwin, but got Delmenhorst back together with Hagen and some other lands to provide for his retirement. These lands were to be returned after Nicholas' death.

In 1436, Nikolaus revoked the contracts agreed upon in the course of abdication and transferred Delmenhorst to the County of Oldenburg . The archbishopric could not assert his rights after the death of Nikolaus, as this overwriting was covered by the Bremen council. Dietrich von Oldenburg had paid him 2000 guilders for it.

Nikolaus is considered to be the last legitimate representative of the so-called Elder Line Delmenhorst , whose members, as an independent branch line of the Oldenburg Count's House, had headed the county of Delmenhorst since 1278 and which ended with him. His illegitimate sons became clergymen.

literature

predecessor Office successor
Otto IV. Blason Comtes de Delmenhorst.svg
Count of Delmenhorst
1418–1420
1420–1436 as a fief of the Archbishopric of Bremen 		Transfer to the County of Oldenburg
John II, from Schlamstorf Coat of arms of the Archdiocese of Bremen.png
Archbishop of Bremen
1421–1434 		Baldwin II, from Wenden
personal data
SURNAME Nikolaus von Oldenburg-Delmenhorst
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Nicolaus von Delmenhorst
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Archbishop of Bremen
DATE OF BIRTH 14th Century
DATE OF DEATH December 8, 1447
Place of death Delmenhorst