Siegfried I of Lichtenberg

Siegfried as the 28th Bishop of Hildesheim on a painting with medallions depicting all Hildesheim bishops up to the end of the 18th century; Latin inscription: "He saved the church from devastation by fire and sword".

Siegfried I von Lichtenberg († November 12, 1227 ) was Bishop of Hildesheim from 1216 to 1221 .

Life

He came from the noble lords of Lichtenberg . One brother was the nobleman Werner von Lichtenberg. He himself entered the clergy and was probably first a canon in Magdeburg before he also became a member of the Hildesheim cathedral chapter . In 1198 he was one of those Hildesheim canons who brought a lawsuit against Pope Urban II against the withdrawal of tithes in Hohenhameln by supporters of the Staufer . He stood with the cathedral chapter on the Guelph side in contrast to the Hildesheim pen nobility , which was still attached to the disempowered Bishop Konrad I. Siegfried was mentioned as a witness in several documents.

As the successor to the excommunicated Bishop Hartbert, Siegfried was elected Bishop of Hildesheim in 1216. The episcopal ordination took place in June 1217. The investiture is likely to Otto IV. 'Ve made. After his election he had to sign an election surrender in favor of the cathedral chapter. Thus a development towards the disempowerment of the bishops had been further advanced. Direct contacts between the bishop and the Curia are not recorded. He has issued various documents in favor of various monasteries and other religious institutions.

Siegfried remained on Otto's side even after Otto IV was largely ousted by Friedrich II . He is named as the first witness under Otto's will. Then the imperial regalia were to be handed over to Friedrich II as the elected king. Siegfried was also the first witness in another document in which Otto renounced all possessions and rights of the Hildesheim Church claimed by the Welfs. Thereupon Siegfried gave absolution to the dying Otto . Subsequently he was transferred to the camp of Frederick II, and he served as a witness at a court day in Fulda in 1218. In 1220 he took part in the consecration of the newly built cathedral in Halberstadt .

In the same year, Siegfried Pope Honorius III. asked to dismiss him for reasons of age. In fact, there were probably parts of the cathedral chapter behind it that were dissatisfied with the bishop and urged Siegfried to do so. The de facto resignation took place in 1221. In an accountability report he asserted that he had adhered to the election surrender as a whole, but had to admit some misconduct. The Pope cut Siegfried's pension because of various allegations. Siegfried continued to live in Hildesheim and also carried out orders from his successor. It therefore still appears in various documents. Siegfried died in 1227 and was buried in Hildesheim Cathedral .

literature

• Hans Goetting: The Hildesheim bishops from 815 to 1221 (1227). Berlin, New York, 1984 (Germania Sacra NF 20) pp. 509-526

predecessor	Office	successor
Hartbert	Bishop of Hildesheim 1216–1221	Konrad II.