Conrad of Wittelsbach
Encyclopedia
Conrad of Wittelsbach was the Archbishop of Mainz (as Conrad I) and Archchancellor of Germany from 20 June 1161 to 1165 and again from 1183 to his death. He was also a cardinal
of the Roman Catholic Church
.
The son of Otto IV, Count of Wittelsbach
, and brother of Otto I of Bavaria
, he studied in Salzburg
and Paris
. At the Council of Lodi in 1161, Frederick Barbarossa appointed him archbishop of Mainz to end a schism between Rudolf of Zähringen
and Christian von Buch
in that see. At that same council, Barbarossa appointed Victor IV
antipope
in opposition to Pope Alexander III
. After Victor's death in 1164, Rainald of Dassel
, the archbishop of Cologne, chose as antipope Paschal III
at Lucca
. Conrad refused to support the new antipope and consequently fell out with Barbarossa. He fled to France
and then Rome
in 1165 and his see was bestowed on Christian von Buch, though Alexander III still recognised him as legal archbishop. On 18 December, the pope made him cardinal priest of San Marcello al Corso
and then cardinal bishop of Sabina. The pope later created him bishop of Sora in Campania
. Conrad fled before Christian took Rome with an imperial army.
By the Treaty of Venice
of 1177, the pope was constrained to recognised Christian as the legitimate archbishop of Mainz, but Conrad was compensated with the archdiocese of Salzburg (as Conrad III). Conrad never, however, ceased to regard himself as anything but the rightful archbishop of Mainz. When Christian died in 1183, Conrad could again assume his archiepiscopal responsibilities in that city, which, in 1160, had been deprived by the emperor of its charter for the murder of the archbishop Arnold of Selenhofen
. The fortifications had then been levelled, but Conrad rebuilt them and renovated Mainz Cathedral
.
In April or May 1187, at the Diet of Gelnhausen, Conrad convinced his fellow bishops to support the emperor's cause against Rome. In the Fall of 1188, the council was held at Mainz which announced the Third Crusade
. Conrad led an army on Crusade in 1197
, the same year the Emperor Henry VI died. Conrad, with the other imperial princes, had elected his infant son Frederick king in 1196. While Conrad was in the Holy Land acting as legate
for Pope Celestine III
, he intervened in the princely succession of Antioch
. He tried to get Raymond-Roupen
recognised as the successor of Bohemond III instead of Bohemond IV. On 6 January 1199, with papal permission, Conrad crowned Leo II, Lord of the Mountains
, King of Armenia as a vassal of the Holy Roman Empire
. Later that year, he returned equipped with new legatine power by Pope Innocent III
. He succeeded in establishing an armistice in April 1200 between the competing factions in Germany, namely the Hohenstaufen
and the Welf.
As Cardinal-Bishop of Sabina, he signed the papal bulls issued between March 18, 1166 and November 6, 1199. After the election to the papacy of Cardinal Ubaldo Allucingoli (Pope Lucius III) in 1181 he became new dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals.
He was returning to Outremer
when he died in Riedfeld near Neustadt
on the Aisch
, in what was then Hungary
. He was buried in the cathedral he had expanded.
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
.
The son of Otto IV, Count of Wittelsbach
Otto IV, Count of Wittelsbach
Otto IV, Count of Wittelsbach was a descendant of Count Otto II of Scheyern and Richgard of Weimar-Istrien. Otto entitled himself after Wittelsbach Castle near Aichach from 1116 onwards, served Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor and was Count palatine of Bavaria since 1120.Otto was married with Heilika...
, and brother of Otto I of Bavaria
Otto I Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria
Otto I , called the Redhead , was Duke of Bavaria from 1180 until his death. He was the first Bavarian ruler from the House of Wittelsbach, a dynasty which reigned until the abdication of King Ludwig III of Bavaria in the German Revolution of 1918.-Biography:Duke Otto I was probably born at...
, he studied in Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. At the Council of Lodi in 1161, Frederick Barbarossa appointed him archbishop of Mainz to end a schism between Rudolf of Zähringen
Rudolf of Zähringen
Rudolf of Zähringen was the archbishop of Mainz from 1160 to 1161 and prince-bishop of Liège...
and Christian von Buch
Christian I, Archbishop of Mainz
Christian I was a German nobleman and diplomat. He was count of Buch, archbishop of Mainz , and archchancellor of Germany .-Biography:Christian was of the family of Beichlingen....
in that see. At that same council, Barbarossa appointed Victor IV
Antipope Victor IV (1159-1164)
Victor IV , born Octavian or Octavianus: Ottaviano dei Crescenzi Ottaviani di Monticelli, was the cardinal priest of Santa Cecilia before he was elected as a Ghibelline antipope in 1159, following the death of Pope Adrian IV and the election of Alexander III...
antipope
Antipope
An antipope is a person who opposes a legitimately elected or sitting Pope and makes a significantly accepted competing claim to be the Pope, the Bishop of Rome and leader of the Roman Catholic Church. At times between the 3rd and mid-15th century, antipopes were typically those supported by a...
in opposition to Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III , born Rolando of Siena, was Pope from 1159 to 1181. He is noted in history for laying the foundation stone for the Notre Dame de Paris.-Church career:...
. After Victor's death in 1164, Rainald of Dassel
Rainald of Dassel
Rainald of Dassel was archbishop of Cologne from 1159 to 1167 and archchancellor of Italy. He was preceded as archbishop by Friedrich II of Berg and succeeded by Philip I von Heinsberg....
, the archbishop of Cologne, chose as antipope Paschal III
Antipope Paschal III
Antipope Paschal III was Antipope from 1164 to 20 September 1168.His real name was Guido of Crema. Paschal III was the second of the antipopes to challenge the reign of Pope Alexander III. In 1164, a small number of cardinals who had elected Victor IV met again to vote Paschal III as his successor...
at Lucca
Lucca
Lucca is a city and comune in Tuscany, central Italy, situated on the river Serchio in a fertile plainnear the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Lucca...
. Conrad refused to support the new antipope and consequently fell out with Barbarossa. He fled to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and then Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in 1165 and his see was bestowed on Christian von Buch, though Alexander III still recognised him as legal archbishop. On 18 December, the pope made him cardinal priest of San Marcello al Corso
San Marcello al Corso
San Marcello al Corso is a church in Rome, Italy, devoted to Pope Marcellus I. It is located in via del Corso, the ancient via Lata, connecting Piazza Venezia to Piazza del Popolo....
and then cardinal bishop of Sabina. The pope later created him bishop of Sora in Campania
Campania
Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
. Conrad fled before Christian took Rome with an imperial army.
By the Treaty of Venice
Treaty of Venice
The Treaty or Peace of Venice, 1177, was an important peace treaty between the papacy and its allies, the north Italian city-states of the Lombard League, and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor...
of 1177, the pope was constrained to recognised Christian as the legitimate archbishop of Mainz, but Conrad was compensated with the archdiocese of Salzburg (as Conrad III). Conrad never, however, ceased to regard himself as anything but the rightful archbishop of Mainz. When Christian died in 1183, Conrad could again assume his archiepiscopal responsibilities in that city, which, in 1160, had been deprived by the emperor of its charter for the murder of the archbishop Arnold of Selenhofen
Arnold of Selenhofen
Arnold of Selenhofen was the archbishop of Mainz from 1153 to his assassination in the benedictine abbey St. Jakob, where he took shelter from the raging crowd....
. The fortifications had then been levelled, but Conrad rebuilt them and renovated Mainz Cathedral
Mainz Cathedral
Mainz Cathedral or St. Martin's Cathedral is located near the historical center and pedestrianized market square of the city of Mainz, Germany...
.
In April or May 1187, at the Diet of Gelnhausen, Conrad convinced his fellow bishops to support the emperor's cause against Rome. In the Fall of 1188, the council was held at Mainz which announced the Third Crusade
Third Crusade
The Third Crusade , also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin...
. Conrad led an army on Crusade in 1197
Crusade of 1197
The Crusade of 1197 was a crusade launched by the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI in response to the failure of Frederick I Barbarossa's crusade in 1190, and thus is also known as the "Emperor's Crusade." The Crusade ended in utter failure...
, the same year the Emperor Henry VI died. Conrad, with the other imperial princes, had elected his infant son Frederick king in 1196. While Conrad was in the Holy Land acting as legate
Papal legate
A papal legate – from the Latin, authentic Roman title Legatus – is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic Church. He is empowered on matters of Catholic Faith and for the settlement of ecclesiastical matters....
for Pope Celestine III
Pope Celestine III
Pope Celestine III , born Giacinto Bobone, was elected Pope on March 21, 1191, and reigned until his death. He was born into the noble Orsini family in Rome, though he was only a cardinal deacon before becoming Pope...
, he intervened in the princely succession of Antioch
Principality of Antioch
The Principality of Antioch, including parts of modern-day Turkey and Syria, was one of the crusader states created during the First Crusade.-Foundation:...
. He tried to get Raymond-Roupen
Raymond-Roupen of Antioch
Raymond-Roupen of Antioch or Raimond Rupen de Poitiers was Prince of Antioch between 1205 and 1208 and between 1216 and 1219/1221 and "Rex Iunior" of Armenia between 1199 and 1221/1222....
recognised as the successor of Bohemond III instead of Bohemond IV. On 6 January 1199, with papal permission, Conrad crowned Leo II, Lord of the Mountains
Leo I of Armenia
Leo I, also Levon I or Leon I, was the fifth lord of Armenian Cilicia or “Lord of the Mountains” ....
, King of Armenia as a vassal of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
. Later that year, he returned equipped with new legatine power by Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III was Pope from 8 January 1198 until his death. His birth name was Lotario dei Conti di Segni, sometimes anglicised to Lothar of Segni....
. He succeeded in establishing an armistice in April 1200 between the competing factions in Germany, namely the Hohenstaufen
Hohenstaufen
The House of Hohenstaufen was a dynasty of German kings in the High Middle Ages, lasting from 1138 to 1254. Three of these kings were also crowned Holy Roman Emperor. In 1194 the Hohenstaufens also became Kings of Sicily...
and the Welf.
As Cardinal-Bishop of Sabina, he signed the papal bulls issued between March 18, 1166 and November 6, 1199. After the election to the papacy of Cardinal Ubaldo Allucingoli (Pope Lucius III) in 1181 he became new dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals.
He was returning to Outremer
Outremer
Outremer, French for "overseas", was a general name given to the Crusader states established after the First Crusade: the County of Edessa, the Principality of Antioch, the County of Tripoli and especially the Kingdom of Jerusalem...
when he died in Riedfeld near Neustadt
Neustadt an der Aisch
Neustadt an der Aisch is a small town in the northern part of Bavaria , within the Franconian administrative region Middle Franconia,...
on the Aisch
Aisch
The Aisch is a nearly 68 km long tributary of the Regnitz in Middle- and Upper Franconia, in the state of Bavaria in southern Germany....
, in what was then Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. He was buried in the cathedral he had expanded.