Wichmann of Seeburg

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Archbishop Wichmann of Magdeburg, grave slab in Magdeburg Cathedral
Seal of Archbishop Wichmann

Wichmann von Seeburg-Querfurt (* before 1116 probably at Gleiß Castle ; † August 25, 1192 in Könnern ) was Bishop of Naumburg from 1149 to 1154 and then, after being administrator of the Archdiocese of Magdeburg from 1152 to 1154, Archbishop from 1154 to 1192 from Magdeburg .

Life

origin

Wichmann was the second eldest son of Count Gero von Seeburg († September 19, 1122) and Mathilde, the daughter of Count Thimo von Brehna and thus a close relative of the Wettins . He received his education in the Paulskloster in Halberstadt, then became canon and provost in Magdeburg, appeared in 1136 as canon of Halberstadt, was elected bishop of Naumburg in 1149 and ordained for the office in 1150.

Bishop of Naumburg

During his time in Naumburg he developed immense energy and primarily chose Zeitz as his official seat. In Zeitz he had settled a tithe dispute with the chapter in 1150 and acquired Würchwitz. He granted the Naumburg Cathedral Monastery the market tariff in 1152 and granted Zeitz tax exemption. He also exempted the Georgskloster from customs on the Elsterbrücke near Zeitz, supported the Dutch settlers in their rural legal relationships and gave the Schulpforte monastery a vineyard in Tribun. In 1151 he confirmed his ownership to the Bosau monastery , consecrated a baptismal church in Naumburg in the forecourt of the Georgen monastery of St. Margaret, donated hereditary property to the Gernrode church in 1152, transferred the St. Michael's Church in Zeitz to the St. Stephen's monastery in Zeitz and confirmed various possessions. During his activity as bishop he often stayed close to Konrad III. on, had found a relationship of trust with Friedrich I and was represented by him as a candidate of the Archdiocese of Magdeburg to the cathedral chapter of Magdeburg . Thereupon Pope Eugene III failed him . support. His successor Anastasius IV continued this at first, only after Wichmann had traveled to Rome in 1154 and made a personal presentation to the Pope, did Wichmann become Archbishop of Magdeburg.

Archbishop of Magdeburg

In his time as archbishop Wichmann became one of the most important church princes of his time. At the side of Frederick I, he took an active part in the Ostpolitik against the Wends, participated in the clashes against Henry the Lion from 1166 and also ensured that trade and industry in the cities under his influence were increased. On January 23, 1157, Wichmann organized the Merseburg Synod to resolve the Corvey-Osnabrück tithe dispute. In the same year he conquered Brandenburg and Jüterbog with Albrecht the Bear , and populated their surroundings with Flemings and Dutch. Since this wave of settlement this east German ridge has been called Fläming . In 1160 he attended the Council of Pavia , at which Victor IV was confirmed as an antipope.

In 1164 he went on a pilgrimage to Palestine , but got there for some time in Saracen captivity and lost an ear. On his return he gave the monastery the grace of God in Calbe relics of Saints Victor and Pontianus . Although he voted for antipope Paschal III at the Würzburg Council in 1165 . had used, he retained against Pope Alexander III. initially a mediating position. However, when Alexander approached Heinrich the Lion, Wichmann led auxiliary troops to Italy in 1175. He took on a role that should not be underestimated in 1177 in the peace negotiations in Venice. After Wichmann had renounced the antipope, he was by Alexander III. freed from the spell.

After he brokered a peace between Heinrich the Lion and Philip I of Heinsberg in 1178 , he gave essential impetus to the development of Magdeburg law in 1180 . Wichmann founded the Zinna Cistercian monastery in 1170, the Seeburg monastery around 1175, the St. Moritz Augustinian monastery in Halle (Saale) in 1180 (or 1184) and the St. Georg Cistercian monastery in Glaucha, and in 1191 the Marienborn hospital . He transferred his private property around Gleiß , Zell an der Ybbs to Lunz am See to the Seitenstetten Abbey in 1180 and to the Passau Abbey in 1185 .

When Heinrich the Lion was banned in 1180, Wichmann conquered Haldensleben after a three-month siege in May 1181 and incorporated it with Sommerschenburg into the ore monastery of Magdeburg. He died on August 25, 1192 on the farm in Könnern and was buried by Dietrich von Halberstadt after his transfer to Magdeburg . Around 1153, entrance gates were cast for the cathedral in Plock in Magdeburg , which have been in the St. Sophia cathedral in Novgorod since the 14th century and on which Wichmann is referred to as Megideburgensis episcopus . In Magdeburg Cathedral there is a bronze tombstone on a southern pillar of the ambulatory, which is often assigned to Wichmann, but more likely to represent Archbishop Ludolf (d. August 1205). However, this is pure speculation and cannot be proven.

At the beginning of 2010, a grave was opened by the Foundation Dome und Schlösser Sachsen-Anhalt in Magdeburg Cathedral, which, according to the excavator Rainer Kuhn MA, contains the well-preserved remains of Wichmann and numerous high-ranking grave goods.

literature

predecessor Office successor
Udo I of Thuringia Bishop of Naumburg
1150–1154 		Berthold I of Boblas
Friedrich I of Wettin Archbishop of Magdeburg
1152–1192 		Ludolf von Kroppenstedt
personal data
SURNAME Wichmann of Seeburg
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Wichmann of Seeburg-Querfurt
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Bishop of Naumburg, Archbishop of Magdeburg
DATE OF BIRTH before 1116
PLACE OF BIRTH Glory
DATE OF DEATH August 25, 1192
Place of death Skills