Rudolf von Diepholz

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rudolf von Diepholz (* around 1400 in Diepholz ; † March 24, 1455 in Vollenhove ) was Bishop of Utrecht from 1423 to 1455 and Bishop of Osnabrück from 1454 to 1455.

family

He came from the family of the Counts of Diepholz . His father was Count Johann von Diepholz. The mother was Kunigunde from the house of the Counts of Oldenburg . His brother was Count Konrad. Another brother was called Johann. His sister Irmgard was married to Count Konrad von Rietberg . The sister Jutta married Count Julius von Wunstorf.

Life

As a later son, Rudolf entered the clergy. Between 1412 and 1436 he was guaranteed as provost in the Osnabrück cathedral chapter .

At the urging of the knighthood and the cities of the bishopric of Utrecht , he was elected bishop by the local general chapter in 1423. This election was not recognized by Pope Martin V. Instead, he appointed the Bishop of Speyer Raban von Helmstatt as Bishop of Utrecht in 1424 . When the latter renounced the post, the Pope gave the diocese to the Provost of Utrecht Zweder von Culemborg in 1425 . Rudolf did not accept the intervention of the Pope and a schism broke out in the Church of Utrecht. Rudolf was able to assert himself in the Oberstift. In Niederstift he was regent with an estate mandate. After Philip of Burgundy and the Duke of Geldern took Rudolf's side in 1428 , his rival had no real chance of asserting himself.

Pope Eugene IV granted Zweder von Culemborg the titular diocese of Caesarea and confirmed Rudolf as bishop. Zweder did not accept the decision and turned to the Council of Basel . This declared Rudolf's appointment as bishop to be invalid. His opponents in the cathedral chapter then elected Walram von Moers as bishop in 1434 . This was a brother of the Archbishop of Cologne Dietrich II von Moers . Walram's election was recognized by the council, but even he could not prevail against Rudolf.

Rudolf was recognized and supported by Eugene IV as well as the secular classes of the bishopric but also by the majority of the general chapter. Walram renounced in 1449 and instead became Bishop of Münster . With the help of Philip of Burgundy, who was also Count of Holland and Zealand, Rudolf was able to improve his income through taxes and thus strengthen his position overall.

A dispute arose with the diocese of Münster about the spiritual power over the Duchy of Kleve . Duke Adolf I had previously asked the Pope to transfer these rights from Münster to Utrecht. There was a costly war between Bishop Heinrich II. Von Moers and Rudolf. He could only finance the struggle by raising taxes. The estates and especially the city of Utrecht turned against it and temporarily expelled Rudolf from his territory in 1448/49.

This managed to come to an agreement with Heinrich von Munster. After Heinrich's death, Rudolf got involved in the Munster collegiate feud with the aim of his nephew Konrad III. to make Diepholz bishop in Münster. But he was also connected to his old competitor Walram von Moers. He achieved various military successes such as the capture of Vreden . His troops were also involved in the victorious Battle of Varlar. This war was also costly. Again there was a dispute with the city of Utrecht and the clergy.

Before that, he had been appointed administrator of Osnabrück in 1454 because he had spoken out for the Pope and against the Council. Because he died shortly afterwards, there was little he could do there. His successor in Osnabrück was his nephew Konrad III. from Diepholz.

literature

predecessor Office successor
Albrecht von Hoya Bishop of Osnabrück
1454–1455 		Conrad III. from Diepholz
Zweder van Culemborg Bishop of Utrecht
1423–1455 		Gijsbrecht van Brederode
personal data
SURNAME Rudolf von Diepholz
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German Roman Catholic bishop
DATE OF BIRTH 14th Century
PLACE OF BIRTH Diepholz
DATE OF DEATH March 24, 1455
Place of death Osnabrück