Simon III to the lip

Tomb slab of Simon III. drawn by Emil Zeiß

Simon zur Lippe (* before May 1430; † March 7, 1498 in Dringenberg ) was from 1463 to 1498 as Simon III. Prince-Bishop of the Principality of Paderborn .

Life

family

Together with his brother Bernhard (later Count Bernhard VII. Zur Lippe ), Simon was the only descendant of Simon IV. Zur Lippe and the daughter of Duke Erich von Braunschweig-Grubenhagen . His uncle Otto zur Lippe was curator in the cathedral chapter of the Archdiocese of Cologne . His maternal grandmother came from the von Moers house . After the early death of the father in 1429/30, the great uncle and Archbishop of Cologne Dietrich II. Von Moers (Prince-Bishop Dietrich III. Von Paderborn) became the guardian of the brothers Simon and Bernhard.

Church career

After visiting the University of Cologne in 1445 and Erfurt in 1446, Simon became a canon at Cologne Cathedral and a canon in Paderborn, where he later took care of the administration of the cathedral chapter with the help of the office of a thesaurus .

On February 21, 1463 it the Paderborn cathedral chapter chose the postulation as the new bishop of Paderborn. The confirmation by Pope Pius II took place on May 18, 1463. The regalia by Emperor Friedrich III. received Simon on July 16, 1473.

His 35-year pontificate as sovereign of Paderborn was beneficial for the existence of the prince-bishopric. In contrast to his great-uncle Dietrich, who was aiming for Cologne interests, Simon concentrated entirely on the Principality of Paderborn.

Political Impact

In terms of foreign policy, with the help of his brother Bernhard, he passed the Hesse-Paderborn feud (1464–1471) against the Landgraves of Hesse and the Counts of Waldeck.

While Simon reined in the self-interests of the sovereign nobility, he was able to use the pacification of the country and promote the economic recovery and the reconstruction of the towns and villages of the territory.

During his tenure, Simon laid down a new statute for the appointment of the cathedral chapter. As already decided in 1435, from 1480 onwards only nobles were to be included in the chapter. Pope Sixtus IV confirmed this statute. This clause was apparently intended to ensure that only economically independent men were admitted to the cathedral chapter.

Bishop Simon also took his spiritual duties very seriously. In 1465, at a diocesan synod, he tightened the canonical regulations for religious and moral life and introduced regulations for dignified administration. Simon supported the founding of the Franciscans in Lemgo (1463), Korbach (1481) and Bielefeld (1498). Augustinians founded a monastery in Blomberg (1468). In addition to other foundations, he promoted the wretched brotherhood in Paderborn u. a. through its membership.

On August 10, 1492, Bishop Simon III. his will. After suffering a stroke , he appointed Cologne Archbishop Hermann IV of Hesse as his coadjutor on March 19, 1495 with the approval of the cathedral chapter .

Long after his stroke, Bishop Simon III died. on March 7, 1498 at the prince-bishop's castle Dringenberg. Simon is buried in the central nave of Paderborn Cathedral .

literature

• Hans Jürgen Brandt, Karl Hengst: The bishops and archbishops of Paderborn. Verlag Bonifatius-Druckerei, Paderborn 1984, ISBN 3-87088-381-2 , pp. 184-187.
• Ulrich Meier: Among Brothers - Simon III. zur Lippe and Bernhard VII. Lippische Mitteilungen 81 (2012), pp. 123-139 ( PDF ).

predecessor	Office	successor
Dietrich III. from Moers	Bishop of Paderborn 1463–1498	Hermann I of Hesse