Walram from Moers

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Walram von Moers (* around 1393; † October 3, 1456 in Arnhem ) was elected bishop of Utrecht from 1434 , but could not assert himself. His election as Bishop of Munster in 1450 triggered the Munster collegiate feud .

Life

Early years

He was the son of Count Friedrich III. von Moers and the Walburga von Saar Werden. He was also a nephew of Archbishop Friedrich III. from Saar Werden . One brother was Dietrich II , who had been Archbishop of Cologne since 1414 . Another brother was Heinrich II von Moers from 1424 Bishop of Osnabrück and Münster.

He studied in Heidelberg from 1400/01 and in Bologna from 1408 . There he was procurator in 1423 . He had been Domthesaurus in Cologne since 1408/1413, but gave up this office in 1426. He was also dean of St. Gereon and provost of St. Maria ad Gradus . He was also canon in Trier . There he resigned in 1445.

Dispute over the office of bishop in Utrecht

In 1423 he applied for the bishopric in Utrecht with the support of his brother Dietrich II. He was only barely defeated by Rudolf von Diepholz . This choice was not confirmed by Pope Martin V. The proposed by this bishop of Speyer Raban von Helmstatt refused. Zweder van Culemborg became bishop, but did not manage to move into Utrecht.

Rudolf von Diepholz became defensor of the diocese. After Sweder's death, the Pope proposed Rudolf von Diepholz. Twelve canons elected Walram von Moers in 1434, who was immediately confirmed by Archbishop Dietrich. Both of them then turned to the Council of Basel personally . Rudolf was supported by Philip the Good . Walram could rely on the parish clergy. The council voted for Walram in 1435. The Pope, however, recognized Rudolf. Emperor Sigismund recognized Walram and gave him the regalia . In fact, however, Rudolf ruled the diocese of Utrecht, he also received all of the income. Walram gave up and went back to Cologne. He may have been the anti-pope Felix V. to Cardinal appointed. In 1450 he officially renounced the diocese of Utrecht after admitting payments.

Elected bishop in Münster

After the death of Heinrich von Moers, there was a serious succession dispute in the diocese of Münster. Archbishop Dietrich tried to get Walram through. As with the Soest feud , which had just ended , the dukes of Cleves and Burgundy stood on the opposite side and supported Erich I von Hoya . With Adolf von Kleve and Konrad von Diepholz , there were initially other applicants.

A majority of the cathedral chapter voted for Walram on July 15, 1450. He also signed the election surrender .

The situation became even more complicated because the city of Munster had made Count Johann von Hoya, together with a minority of the cathedral chapter, a monastery administrator. This should remain in office until a papal decision for a bishop acceptable to the estates. They charged Walram with serious crimes, including murder. This group clearly spoke out in favor of Erich von Hoya. This party gained even more support after the Bishop of Minden Albrecht von Hoya had also become administrator of the Diocese of Osnabrück .

Penitential feud

Johann von Hoya managed to win the state castles and he had the income from the monastery. After negotiations, the supporters of Walram were forced to give up. A state parliament spoke out in favor of Erich von Hoya. At the same time, the administrator Johann continued the occupation of episcopal castles. The news that Pope Nicholas V had already spoken out in favor of Walram brought a setback . The City of Münster then sought a legal opinion from the University of Erfurt to support its position.

At the diplomatic level, Johann von Hoya and Duke Johann von Kleve formed an alliance against Walram. On July 9, 1451, the Duke of Kleve Walram declared war. This happened to be the same day that the news arrived that King Friedrich III. Walram would have given the regalia. After the papal confirmation had also arrived, Walram took decisive action against his opponents. Various officials were fired. Erich von Hoya was threatened with excommunication if he did not surrender episcopal castles. A papal representative finally excommunicated the city of Münster and the supporters of Hoyas. Walram also imposed the interdict on them. On the other hand, Philip of Burgundy began to campaign for Hoya with the Pope.

Supporters from both sides fought each other in the Münsterland. The area controlled by Johann von Hoya was significantly larger than that of Walram. This was based in the area around Ahaus , Vreden and Ottenstein in the west of the monastery. Vreden was soon lost.

Cardinal Nikolaus von Kues should negotiate with both sides. This recognized Walram again as bishop in the papal name. But Walram von Moers declared on January 21, 1452 that he would give up the bishopric if he paid an annual pension, even if the Hoyas party would give up in favor of Konrad von Diepholz.

The real opponent of the Hoya party was the Utrecht bishop Rudolf von Diepholz, who wanted to give his relatives the bishopric in Münster. With the help of a mercenary army, the position of Johann von Hoya was weakened.

As a result, the penal feud continued to expand. Although the Walrams party was able to defeat the opposing party in 1454, neither side prevailed. After Rudolf von Diepholz was expelled from Utrecht in 1455 and his early death, Walram lost his strongest supporter. The war went on anyway. Walram, who had lived in Arnhem for some time, died there in 1456. This did not end the feud between the colleges. He was buried in the Church of St. Martin.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Moers, Walram von (pseudocardinal). In: Salvador Miranda : The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church. ( Florida International University website ), accessed December 4, 2016.
predecessor Office successor
Zweder van Culemborg Counterbishop of Utrecht
1434–1448 		Rudolf von Diepholz
Heinrich II of Moers Bishop of Münster
1450–1456 		Erich I of Hoya
personal data
SURNAME Walram from Moers
BRIEF DESCRIPTION elected bishop of Utrecht and Munster
DATE OF BIRTH around 1393
DATE OF DEATH October 3, 1456
Place of death Arnhem