Hermann Wesel

Last updated

Hermann Wesel (died June 1563) was a German ecclesiastic in Livonia, and the last Roman Catholic Bishop of Dorpat (Tartu).

Life

Hermann Wesel is presumed to have originated from Wesel on the Lower Rhine. His father is supposed to have been a shoemaker.

In 1544 he was elected abbot of the Cistercian Kärkna Abbey, then known as Falkenau Abbey, in Livonia (now Estonia). On 17 October 1552 the cathedral chapter of the Bishopric of Dorpat elected him Prince-Bishop of Dorpat, as Hermann II. On 25 June 1554 the appointment was confirmed by the Pope. Wesel remained simultaneously abbot of Kärkna.

In 1558 the Livonian War broke out, and the region was overrun. The Bishopric of Dorpat was almost entirely destroyed by the Russians right at the beginning of the war, as were the small states of Livonia shortly afterwards. Dorpat capitulated on 18 July 1558.

The new Russian rulers spared Bishop Hermann's life and he was at first allowed to retire to his monastery at Kärkna. However, on 23 August 1558 Russian troops deported him into the interior of Russia where he died in 1563, the last Roman Catholic bishop of Dorpat.

Sources


Related Research Articles

Livonia Historical region on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea

Livonia is a historical region on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the Livonians, who lived on the shores of present-day Latvia.

Livonian War 16th century war in Eastern Europe

The Livonian War (1558–1583) was fought for control of Old Livonia, when the Tsardom of Russia faced a varying coalition of the Dano-Norwegian Realm, the Kingdom of Sweden, and the Union of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland.

Bishopric of Ösel–Wiek Semi-independent Roman Catholic prince-bishopric

The Bishopric of Ösel–Wiek was a Roman Catholic diocese and semi-independent prince-bishopric in the Holy Roman Empire, covering what are now Saare, Hiiu and Lääne counties of Estonia.

Bishopric of Dorpat Medieval prince-bishopric in Livonia

The Bishopric of Dorpat was a medieval prince-bishopric, i.e. both a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church and a temporal principality ruled by the bishop of the diocese. It existed from 1224 to 1558, generally encompassing the area that now comprises Tartu County, Põlva County, Võru County, and Jõgeva County in Estonia. The prince-bishopric was a sovereign member of the Holy Roman Empire and part of the Livonian Confederation until its dissolution in 1561.

Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg State of the Holy Roman Empire (1168–1803)

The Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire located in Lower Franconia, west of the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg. Würzburg had been a diocese since 743. As established by the Concordat of 1448, bishops in Germany were chosen by the canons of the cathedral chapter and their election was later confirmed by the pope. Following a common practice in Germany, the prince-bishops of Würzburg were frequently elected to other ecclesiastical principalities as well. The last few prince-bishops resided at the Würzburg Residence, which is one of the grandest Baroque palaces in Europe.

Wolter von Plettenberg Master of the Livonian Order

Woltervon Plettenberg was the Master (Landmeister) of the Livonian Order from 1494 to 1535 and one of the greatest leaders of the Teutonic knights. He was an important early Baltic German.

Diocesan administrator

A diocesan administrator is a provisional ordinary of a Roman Catholic particular church.

The Battle of Ērģeme (also Battle of Ermes) was fought on 2 August 1560 in present-day Latvia as part of the Livonian War between the forces of Ivan IV of Russia and the Livonian Confederation. It was the last battle fought by the German knights in Livonia and an important Russian victory. The knights were defeated so thoroughly that the order had to be dissolved.

Bishopric of Courland

The Bishopric of Courland was the second smallest (4500 km2) ecclesiastical state in the Livonian Confederation founded in the aftermath of the Livonian Crusade. During the Livonian War in 1559 the bishopric became a possession of Denmark, and in 1585 sold by Denmark to Poland–Lithuania.

Livonian Crusade German and Danish conquest of medieval Livonia during the 13th century

The Livonian crusade refers to the various military Christianisation campaigns in medieval Livonia – in what is now Latvia and Estonia – during the Papal-sanctioned Northern Crusades in the 12-13th century. The Livonian crusade was conducted mostly by the Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdom of Denmark. It ended with the creation of Terra Mariana and the Danish duchy of Estonia. The lands on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea were one of the last parts of Europe to be Christianised.

Donald Campbell was a 16th-century Scottish noble and churchman. He was the son of Archibald Campbell, 2nd Earl of Argyll and Elizabeth Stewart, daughter of John Stewart, 1st Earl of Lennox. From 1522, he was a student of St Salvator's College, at the University of St Andrews. After graduation, he became a cleric in his home diocese, the diocese of Argyll.

Bishopric of Cammin

The Bishopric of Cammin was both a former Roman Catholic diocese in the Duchy of Pomerania from 1140 to 1544, and a secular territory of the Holy Roman Empire (Prince-Bishopric) in the Kolberg (Kołobrzeg) area from 1248 to 1650.

Kärkna Abbey Former monastery in Estonia

Kärkna Abbey, now ruined, was a former Cistercian monastery in Estonia.

Philipp Schall von Bell was the commander-in-chief (Landmarschall) of the Livonian Confederation forces during the first two years of the Livonian War (1558–1583). Von Bell was taken prisoner after the disastrous Battle of Ergeme and executed by tsar Ivan IV of Russia.

Tartu Cathedral Church building in Tartu, Estonia

Tartu Cathedral, earlier also known as Dorpat Cathedral, is a former Catholic church in Tartu (Dorpat), Estonia. The building is now an imposing ruin overlooking the lower town. In the small part of it that has been renovated is now located the museum of the University of Tartu, which the university also uses for major receptions.

Treaty of Vilnius (1561) 1561 transfer of territory from the Livonian Confederation to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania

The Treaty of Vilnius or Vilna was concluded on 28 November 1561, during the Livonian War, between the Livonian Confederation and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in Vilnius. With the treaty, the non-Danish and non-Swedish part of Livonia, with the exception of the Free imperial city of Riga, subjected itself to the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Sigismund II Augustus with the Pacta subiectionis . In turn, Sigismund granted protection from the Tsardom of Russia and confirmed the Livonian estates' traditional privileges, laid out in the Privilegium Sigismundi Augusti.

Terra Mariana Principality in the Holy Roman Empire

Terra Mariana was the official name for Medieval Livonia or Old Livonia. It was formed in the aftermath of the Livonian Crusade, and its territories were composed of present-day Estonia and Latvia. It was established on 2 February 1207, as a principality of the Holy Roman Empire, but lost this status in 1215 when Pope Innocent III proclaimed it as directly subject to the Holy See.

Wesel is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Dorpat is the old name of Tartu, the second largest city in Estonia. Derived from that, it may refer to: