Rudolf I. (Schwerin)

Rudolf I (* before 1204, † 1262 ) was canon from February 15, 1228 , 1229–1245 scholastic, 1243–1249 provost in the cathedral chapter of Schwerin and from 1249 to 1262 bishop in the diocese of Schwerin . Shortly before Rudolf's term of office, Bützow became the main residence of the Schwerin diocese in 1239 . Bishop Wilhelm founded the Cathedral Collegiate Foundation in 1248.

Life

Various assumptions have been made about Rudolf's origin. For example, as a son of Prince Wizlaw I of Rügen, a Herr von Kossebade, a member of the von Bülow family or perhaps a member of one of the Saxon dynasty families with reference to the dignity of provost of St. Blasien and Braunschweig. The question remains unanswered. This also applies to his study visit to Paris.

Rudolf I belonged to the Schwerin cathedral chapter, was scientifically educated on October 18, 1230 with the title of master, held the dignity of a scholastic canon and held the office from January 24, 1229 to April 2, 1245. From September 11, 1248 to August 21, 1249 he was still provost in Schwerin. In addition to the benefices of Schwerin, he also owned the provost office of the collegiate chapter of St. Blasius in Braunschweig from 1237 to 1249 . His time as a canon at Goslar is not documented .

At the time of the bishops' election, Rudolf I was promoted to the position of provost of the cathedral in 1248. His election should have taken place before November 5, 1249, because on that day Pope Innocent IV in the papal deed from Lyon appointed the Archbishop of Bremen and the elected Bishop Rudolf von Schwerin with the settlement of the disputes between King Erich of Denmark and the city Lübeck commissioned. When and by whom Bishop Rudolf received the episcopal ordination can no longer be proven with certainty, even according to the documents. His tenure as bishop lasts until 1262.

Because of his excellent disposition, Bishop Rudolf had great favor with the Counts of Schwerin, Lords of Werle and Rostock, and also with the surrounding bishops and abbots, and thereby improved the monastery not a little in terms of villages, lakes, tithes and other incomes . But there were also concerns about the diocesan border with the diocese of Havelberg bishop Heinrich, which led to a comparison and with Kammin, which only improved after the intervention of Pope Alexander IV .

Bishop Rudolf I had to vehemently defend himself against territorial claims from outside. He became known through his disputes with the Mecklenburg prince Pribislaw I. In order to secure his official seat in Bützow, Rudolf built a border castle on the border with the Parchim-Richenberg rule . Pribislaw as the competent sovereign was directly threatened by this castle. He had the castle burned down and locked Rudolf in a dungeon in Richenberg. The bishop was soon released for a small ransom. Rudolf then tried by all means to overthrow Pribislaw, so he had Pribislaw put under imperial ban and obtained a papal ban against the prince. After a brief compensation in 1255, Pribislaw was captured and Rudolf was extradited. Pribislaw was disempowered and the land was divided between his brothers and his brother-in-law, the Count of Schwerin. When Bishop Rudolf died in 1262, Pribislaw hoped for the return of his property, but his brothers refused.

Another interesting fact is the donation of a thorn from Christ's crown of thorns by King Louis the Saint of France two years before the death of Bishop Rudolf I in Paris in 1260 for the Schwerin Cathedral. Liturgical peculiarities on Bishop Rudolf's earlier activity as provost in Braunschweig are also known.

Tombstone

Rudolf's grave slab in Schwerin Cathedral

Bishop Rudolf died on November 18, 1262. He was buried in the high choir of Schwerin Cathedral. The large Gotland tombstone, almost two meters high and one and a half meters wide, stands erect on the north wall of the ambulatory next to the exit door to the cloister. The tombstone donated by his successors is therefore the oldest of the known grave monuments of the Schwerin bishops. The picture shows the slightly larger than life standing figure of the blessing bishop with open eyes. He wears the bishop's robes with elaborate folds and manipulas, miter and pontifical gloves. In his left hand he holds a bishop's staff with an inward curvature. Feet and miter extend into the surrounding tape.

The Latin inscription in a recessed Gothic minuscule reads (translated): Here is buried Rudolf, who is the sixth bishop (antistes) of this city, the injustice (tristes occursus) is not supposed to happen. At the expense of Gottfried, the faithful eighth bishop (presul) of Schwerin († 1314), the grave was prepared for the predecessor. Rudolf died in the year of the Lord 1262 on the 14th calendar of December (November 18th).

The inward curvature of the bishop's staff identifies the bearer as an abbot. The direction of the crook can be interpreted here as the fact that Bishop Rudolf I wanted to work inwardly in the church in his spiritual function as abbot or that he can be represented in this way.

seal

Two seals are known from Bishop Rudolf.

From pre-episcopal times as Domcholasticus, a round seal with an upward-flying eagle with a halo and symbol of the Evangelist Johannes, the patron of the Schwerin Cathedral, who is holding a book (?) In his claws.

The inscription reads: + RODOLFUS SCOLSTICVS ZWERINENS '.

As Bishop of Schwerin. An elliptical seal with a seated bishop blessing with his right hand, holding the bishop's staff in the left, the curvature outward.

The inscription reads: + RODOLFI DEI GRA ZWERINENSIS EPI.

literature

• Karl Ernst Hermann Krause :  Rudolf I, Bishop of Schwerin . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 29, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1889, p. 561 f.
• Alfred Rische: Directory of the bishops and canons of Schwerin with biographical remarks. Ludwigslust 1900 p. 14.
• Oliver Auge:  Rudolf I .. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 22, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-428-11203-2 , p. 188 ( digitized version ).
• Josef Traeger : Rudolf I. In: The bishops of the medieval diocese of Schwerin. St. Benno Verlag Leipzig 1984, pp. 49-52.
• Josef Traeger: The Stiftsland of the Schwerin bishops around Bützow and Warin . St. -Benno-Verlag Leipzig 1984.
• Margit Kaluza-Baumruker: The Schwerin Cathedral Chapter (1171–1400). Cologne, Vienna 1987 pp. 263-264.
• Dorotheus Graf Rothkirch: Witnesses of power and intercession - The grave slabs of Bishops Rudolf I and von Bülow in the Schwerin Cathedral. In: KulturERBE ​​in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern , Volume 3, Schwerin 2008, ISBN 978-3-935770-22-4 , pp. 25-38.
• Grete Grewolls: In: Who was who in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania . 2011.
• Andreas Röpcke : In: Biographical Lexicon for Mecklenburg. 2011, pp. 264-265.

Web links

• Rudolf I. (Schwerin) in the personal register of the Germania Sacra online

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Martin Schoebel : About the life and work of the Schwerin bishop Rudolf I. Lecture on November 14, 2014 in the LHAS , Association for Mecklenburg History and Archeology. V.
2. ^ Alfred Rische: Directory of the bishops and canons of Schwerin. 1900 p. 7.
3. ↑ Margit Kaluza-Baumruker: List of Scholars loads . In: The Schwerin Cathedral Chapter (1171–1400). 1987 pp. 62, 263-264.
4. ↑ Mecklenburgisches Urkundenbuch MUB I. (1863) No. 609, 631.
5. ^ FW Ebeling: The German Bishops up to the End of the 16th Century, Volume II, Leipzig 1858, p. 429.
6. ^ Julius Wiggers: Church history Mecklenburgs . Parchim 1848, p. 232.
7. ^ Alfred Rische: Directory of the bishops and canons of Schwerin . Ludwigslust 1900 p. 14.
8. ↑ MUB I. (1863) No. 380.
9. ↑ MUB I. (1863) No. 365, 380.
10. ↑ Document book of the Hochstift Hildesheim 2 No. 521.
11. ↑ MUB I. (1863) No. 639.
12. ↑ Bernhard Hederich: Directory of the bishops of Schwerin with additions. In: Gerde's useful collection . 1737, pp. 418-419.
13. ↑ MUB II. (1864) No. 710.
14. ↑ MUB II. (1864) No. 820.
15. ↑ MUB II. (1864) No. 880
16. ↑ MUB II. (1864) No. 968.
17. ^ Klaus Krüger: Grave slabs in Mecklenburg churches. In the catalog I am a guest on earth. Hamburg 1995. ISBN 3-910179-54-1 .
18. ↑ MUB IV. (1867) No. 2665. Seal booklet No. 21.
19. ↑ MUB II. (1864) No. 746. Seal booklet No. 20.

predecessor	Office	successor
Wilhelm	Bishop of Schwerin 1249–1262	Hermann I of Schladen