Ruprecht of the Palatinate (archbishop of Cologne)

Last updated • 3 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Ruprecht of the Palatinate
Archbishop of Cologne
Ruprecht von der Pfalz, Bischof von Koln.jpg
Archbishop Ruprecht of the Palatinate, 1475
Church Roman Catholic Church
ArchdioceseCologne
SeeCologne
Appointed1463
Term ended1480
PredecessorDietrich II von Moers
Successor Hermann IV of Hesse
Orders
Consecration1468
Personal details
Born27 February 1427
Died16 or 26 July 1480(1480-07-26) (aged 53)
Burg Blankenstein, Gladenbach, Landgraviate of Hesse

Ruprecht of the Palatinate (27 February 1427 – 16 or 26 July 1480) [1] was the Archbishop and Prince Elector of Cologne from 1463 to 1480.

Contents

Ruprecht's grave in the Bonn Minster. Bomue03.jpg
Ruprecht's grave in the Bonn Minster.

Biography

Ruprecht was the third son of Louis III, Count Palatine of the Rhine, by his second wife, Matilda of Savoy. [2] He renounced his claim to lands of the Palatinate [3] and studied for holy orders at the universities of Heidelberg and Cologne. He was a canon in the Mainz Cathedral and then became subdeacon of the cathedral chapter at Cologne [2] and cathedral provost at Würzburg. [4]

Ruprecht was elected Archbishop of Cologne on 30 March 1463, but not confirmed by the Pope until August 1464 and not consecrated until Palm Sunday 1468. He only received the episcopal regalia from the Holy Roman Emperor in August 1471. [4] Chosen for his family connections, [4] he faced the challenge of guarding the Electorate of Cologne against diminution of its powers [5] while solving its internal problems, in particular the shortage of income from being denied the toll income from the most important Rhine trading towns, which had been mortgaged by his predecessor, Dietrich II von Moers, to raise money for war. He was required to agree to 23 articles presented by the cathedral chapter limiting his financial options which the chapter and the Estates had agreed upon four days before his election, [2] [4] [6] and to the chapter holding the important trading town of Zons as a pledge of his good behaviour. [2]

Ruprecht quarrelled with his advisors and became involved in external politics. In 1467, he entered into an alliance with Adolf, Duke of Guelders against the Duke of Cleves, [4] with the aim of regaining control over Soest, Xanten and Rees. After finally receiving his regalia, by autumn 1471 he was repudiating the agreement he himself had had a hand in drafting as a chapter member and demanding higher taxes, [7] and to obtain them, he occupied Zons. [4]

Ruprecht persisted in trying to reduce the privileges of cities within the archbishopric. With military and financial assistance from his brother Frederick I, Elector Palatine, [8] he began the Cologne Ecclesiastical Conflict (German : Kölner Stiftsfehde), which grew into the Burgundian Wars. The majority of Ruprecht's vassals, including the citizens of Cologne, renounced their allegiance to him and asked both the Pope and Emperor Frederick III to intervene. In open rebellion, they proclaimed Landgrave Hermann of Hesse administrator and protector of the archbishopric. [6] Only a few minor lords remained loyal to Ruprecht. [4] Ruprecht appealed for help to Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, who announced himself the protector of Cologne. [9] [10] The Emperor attempted in December 1473 to mediate the conflict, but failed. In 1474, Charles besieged Neuss, a stronghold of the rebels in which Hermann had taken refuge; the Reichstag decided at Augsburg to go to war against Charles, [2] and a general call to arms was issued in the German Empire. [11] The Siege of Neuss lasted almost a year and ended in Charles accepting the Pope's mediation, including concerning Ruprecht's position as archbishop. [12] Ruprecht had been excommunicated by the Pope in 1472 for not paying required contributions from his see to Rome. [4] His position continued to weaken; his brother did not support him against the Emperor [13] and died on 12 December 1476, [4] and he lost the support of all but Kempen and Altenahr and in March 1478 was taken captive by the Hessians. Imprisoned in Burg Blankenstein near Gladenbach and with the Duke of Jülich-Berg acting as mediator, he was forced to renounce his position as archbishop in exchange for an income of 4,000 gold guilders. [2] He died before the Pope granted acceptance of his resignation, [14] and was buried in the Bonn Minster. His successor as Archbishop of Cologne was Hermann of Hesse, who had successfully defended Neuss against him and his allies and became Hermann IV; he gave Ruprecht an imposing tomb. [2]

Ruprecht had some success in monastic reform, [4] extending even to institutions outside his area of control, in Cleves and Jülich-Berg. [15] He was passionate about hunting and hawking. [16]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anno II</span> Archbishop of Cologne from 1056 to 1075

Anno II was Archbishop of Cologne from 1056 until his death. From 1063 to 1065 he acted as regent of the Holy Roman Empire for the minor Emperor Henry IV. Anno is venerated as a saint of the Catholic Church.

Adolf of Altena, Adolf of Berg or Adolf of Cologne, was Archbishop of Cologne from 1193 to 1205.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louis VI, Elector Palatine</span> Elector Palatine from 1576 to 1583

Louis VI, Elector Palatine, was an Elector from the Palatinate-Simmern branch of the house of Wittelsbach. He was the first-born son of Frederick III, Elector Palatine and Marie of Brandenburg-Kulmbach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gero (archbishop of Cologne)</span>

Gero was Archbishop of Cologne from 969 until his death.

Folmar of Karden, also occurring in the variant forms Fulmar, Vollmar, Volcmar, Formal, or Formator, was the Archbishop of Trier from 1183 and the last not also to be a prince elector. He opposed the emperor in the late twelfth-century phase of the Investiture Controversy. The historian Bernhard von Simson characterized Folmar as "that restless, ambitious, and hard-hearted man."

Frederick of Saxe-Lauenburg (1554–1586), was a cathedral canon at Strasbourg Minster, chorbishop at Cologne Cathedral and cathedral provost (Dompropst), a function including the presidency of the chapter, at Bremen Cathedral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heinrich II of Virneburg</span>

Count Heinrich II of Virneburg was Archbishop of Cologne from 1304 to his death in 1332.

Wigbold von Holte was Archbishop of Cologne from 1297 to 1304.

Adolf III of Schauenburg (1511-1556) was the Archbishop-Elector of Cologne from 1547 to 1556.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John II of Baden</span>

John II of Baden was a titular Margrave of Baden and was Archbishop and Elector of Trier as John II of Baden from 1456 until his death in 1503.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernst II of Saxony</span> Archbishop of Magdeburg and Administrator of Halberstadt

Ernest II of Saxony held two episcopal titles: Archbishop of Magdeburg ; Administrator of the Diocese of Halberstadt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cologne Diocesan Feud</span>

The Cologne Diocesan Feud, also called the Neuss War or Burgundian War, was a conflict, which began in 1473, between the Archbishop of Cologne, Ruprecht of the Palatinate and the Landstände of his archbishopric. As a result of the involvement of Charles the Bold of Burgundy and, eventually, the Holy Roman Empire the matter at times assumed a European dimension. It finally ended when Ruprecht died in 1480.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arnold I of Vaucourt</span>

Arnold I of Vaucourt, was the Archbishop of Trier from 1169 to 1183. He took a pro-Imperial position in the Investiture Controversy of the twelfth century. As archbishop, Arnold was accounted a capable ruler, by turns thrifty and generous, with a genuine concern for his church and his domain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rudolf of Wied</span> Anti-Archbishop of Trier

Rudolf of Wied was anti-Archbishop of Trier from 1183–1189. He was a supporter of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa in the late twelfth century phase of the Investiture Controversy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernhard Boll</span> German Roman Catholic priest and monk

Bernhard Boll was a German Roman Catholic priest, Cistercian monk and the first Archbishop of Freiburg.

The text of this article is based on a translation of the German language article, Johannes I

Theodor Kroyer was a German musicologist.

Johannes Kunisch was a German historian. He held chairs of early modern history at the Goethe University Frankfurt. (1972-1976) and the University of Cologne (1976–2002). Through his publications Kunisch became one of the leading German early modern historians. His biography Frederick the Great, published in 2004 and widely acclaimed, gave lasting impulses to Prussian research.

Adolf I von Nassau was Bishop of Speyer 1371–1388 and Archbishop of Mainz 1381–1390.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Friedrich III. von Saarwerden</span> Frederick of Saarwerden was Archbishop of Cologne

Frederick von Saarwerden was archbishop-elector of Cologne as Frederick III from 1370 to 1414. Through the promotion of his great-uncle, Archbishop Kuno II of Falkenstein of Trier, Frederick von Saarwerden was elected archbishop of Cologne at the age of 20, which the Pope in Avignon also confirmed two years later after some misgivings. Frederick found the archbishopric completely plundered by his two predecessors of the County of Mark, Adolf and Engelbert, and had himself promised high payments to the Curia on the occasion of his election. Nevertheless, with the help of his very rich great-uncle Kuno, he succeeded in paying off the debts of the archbishopric within a few years.

References

  1. ↑ Groten, Manfred (2005), "Ruprecht von der Pfalz", Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 22, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 286–287; ( full text online )
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Adolf Ulrich, "Ruprecht von der Pfalz (Erzbischof von Köln)", Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie , ed. Historical Commission, Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Volume 29 Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot, 1889, pp. 729–30 (in German), online at de.wikisource; online at GoogleBooks.
  3. ↑ in exchange for his brother's promise to pay him an annuity until he obtained a bishopric: Henry J. Cohn, The Government of the Rhine Palatinate in the Fifteenth Century, Oxford: Oxford University, 1965, p. 31.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Manfred Groten, "Ruprecht von der Pfalz, Erzbischof von Köln", Neue Deutsche Biographie , ed. Historical Commission, Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Volume 22 2nd ed. Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, 2005, ISBN   978-3-428-11203-6, pp. 286–87 (in German), online at Digitale Bibliothek.
  5. ↑ For a summary of the encroachment on the territories of Cologne by secular rulers, see Benjamin Arnold, Princes and Territories in Medieval Germany, Cambridge: Cambridge University, 1991, ISBN   0-521-39085-0, pp. 236–37, who speaks of a "stranglehold".
  6. 1 2 Hans Prutz, The Age of the Renaissance, A History of All Nations 10, Philadelphia/New York: Lea, 1905, p. 310.
  7. ↑ Jahresberichte der Geschichtswissenschaft 12 (1889) p. 617 (in German)
  8. ↑ Cohn, p. 77 mentions substantial loans of money and provisions.
  9. ↑ Nicholas Michael, Armies of Medieval Burgundy 1364–1477, Men-at-arms series 144, London: Osprey, 1983, ISBN   978-0-85045-518-2, p. 25.
  10. ↑ John Bagnell Bury, The Cambridge Medieval History Volume 8, The Close of the Middle Ages, Cambridge: University Press, 1936, ISBN   978-0-521-04540-7, p. 152.
  11. ↑ Prutz, p. 313.
  12. ↑ Prutz, pp. 314, 315.
  13. ↑ Cohn, p. 13.
  14. ↑ K. Lyncker, "Die Belagerung von Neuß in den Jahren 1474 und 1475: Eine Episode zur Hessischen Geschichte", Zeitschrift des Vereins für hessische Geschichte und Landeskunde 6 (1854) 1–63, p. 56 (in German): giving the date as 26 July. Both the Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie and the Neue Deutsche Biographie give 16 July.
  15. ↑ Elke-Ursel Hammer, Monastische Reform zwischen Person und Institution: zum Wirken des Abtes Adam Meyer von Gross St. Martin in Köln (1454–1499), Veröffentlichungen des Max-Planck-Instituts für Geschichte 165; Veröffentlichungen des Max-Planck-Instituts für Geschichte, Studien zur Germania sacra 22, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2001, ISBN   978-3-525-35300-4, pp. 390–91 (in German)
  16. ↑ Friedrich Christoph Schlosser, rev. Oskar Jäger, Franz Wolff, Friedrich Christoph Schlosser's Weltgeschichte für das deutsche Volk, 4th ed. Berlin: Seehagen, 1885, p. 297 describes him as "einen wüsten Trinker und Jäger" — "a dissolute drinker and hunter".

Sources

Catholic Church titles
Regnal titles
Preceded by Prince-Archbishop-Elector of Cologne
1463–80		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.