Henry of the Palatinate (bishop)
Encyclopedia
Henry of Bavaria or Henry of the Palatinate (Heidelberg
, 15 February 1487 – Ladenburg
, 3 January 1552) was bishop
of Utrecht from 1524 to 1529, bishop of Worms
from 1523 to 1552 and bishop of Freising from 1541 to 1552.
Hendrik descended from the house of Wittelsbach and was a son of Philip, Elector Palatine
. He was canon
in Cologne
before he was, at the recommendation of the Archbishop
of Cologne, elected by the chapters
and burghers
of Utrecht. But he lacked the support of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
and Charles, Duke of Guelders
, who made life difficult for him. In the bishopric, Henry faced a faction-struggle. He entertained the idea of building a fort inside the city of Utrecht to keep the citizens in check. This idea would later be realised by Charles V as the Vredenburg
.
When the resistance of the Utrecht citizens escalated to the point where they invited troops from Guelders to occupy the city, Henry had no choice but to ask the Habsburg
ers for help. The Habsburgers quickly restored order, but in return the bishop was forced to relinquish all the lands controlled by the bishopric. The relinquishment was secured in the tractaat van Schoonhoven
on 15 November 1527, and on 21 October 1528 the bishop swore fealty to Charles V. This was the end of the Bishopric of Utrecht as a territorial power. In August 1529, pope Clement VII finally empowered the transfer of the lands.
Henry resigned as bishop of Utrecht in 1529 to focus on the rule of the calm bishopric of Worms
, of which he had been bishop since 1523. He restored the bishop's summer-residence in Dirmstein
that had been dismantled during the peasantwar of 1525. Later Henry was also consecrated as bishop of Freising
, where his brother Ruprecht and Philip
had previously been bishops.
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
, 15 February 1487 – Ladenburg
Ladenburg
Ladenburg is a town in the district of Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Neckar, 10 km east of Mannheim, and 10 km northwest of Heidelberg.It has an old town from the Late Middle Ages...
, 3 January 1552) was bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Utrecht from 1524 to 1529, bishop of Worms
Bishopric of Worms
The Bishopric of Worms was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire. Located on both banks of the Rhine around Worms just north of the union of that river with the Neckar, it was largely surrounded by the Palatinate. Worms had been the seat of a bishop from Roman times...
from 1523 to 1552 and bishop of Freising from 1541 to 1552.
Hendrik descended from the house of Wittelsbach and was a son of Philip, Elector Palatine
Philip, Elector Palatine
Philip the Upright, Elector Palatine of the Rhine was an Elector Palatine of the Rhine from the house of Wittelsbach from 1476 to 1508....
. He was canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
before he was, at the recommendation of the Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of Cologne, elected by the chapters
Chapter (religion)
Chapter designates certain corporate ecclesiastical bodies in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Nordic Lutheran churches....
and burghers
Bourgeoisie
In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...
of Utrecht. But he lacked the support of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
and Charles, Duke of Guelders
Charles, Duke of Guelders
Charles of Egmond was Duke of Guelders, Count of Zutphen between 1492 and his death. He was the son of Adolf of Egmond and Catharine of Bourbon...
, who made life difficult for him. In the bishopric, Henry faced a faction-struggle. He entertained the idea of building a fort inside the city of Utrecht to keep the citizens in check. This idea would later be realised by Charles V as the Vredenburg
Vredenburg (castle)
Vredenburg or Vredeborch was a 16th-century castle built by Habsburg emperor Charles V in the city of Utrecht in the Netherlands. Some remains of the castle, which stood for only 50 years, are still visible on what is now Vredenburg square in Utrecht....
.
When the resistance of the Utrecht citizens escalated to the point where they invited troops from Guelders to occupy the city, Henry had no choice but to ask the Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
ers for help. The Habsburgers quickly restored order, but in return the bishop was forced to relinquish all the lands controlled by the bishopric. The relinquishment was secured in the tractaat van Schoonhoven
Schoonhoven
Schoonhoven is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality has a population of 12,195 , and covers an area of 6.96 km²...
on 15 November 1527, and on 21 October 1528 the bishop swore fealty to Charles V. This was the end of the Bishopric of Utrecht as a territorial power. In August 1529, pope Clement VII finally empowered the transfer of the lands.
Henry resigned as bishop of Utrecht in 1529 to focus on the rule of the calm bishopric of Worms
Bishopric of Worms
The Bishopric of Worms was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire. Located on both banks of the Rhine around Worms just north of the union of that river with the Neckar, it was largely surrounded by the Palatinate. Worms had been the seat of a bishop from Roman times...
, of which he had been bishop since 1523. He restored the bishop's summer-residence in Dirmstein
Dirmstein
Dirmstein is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
that had been dismantled during the peasantwar of 1525. Later Henry was also consecrated as bishop of Freising
Freising
Freising is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and capital of the district Freising. Total population 48,500.The city is located north of Munich at the Isar river, near the Munich International Airport...
, where his brother Ruprecht and Philip
Philip of the Palatinate
Philip of the Palatinate was Prince-Bishop of Freising and Naumburg . He was a member of the house of Wittelsbach, and the son of Elector Palatine Philip the Upright and Margaret of Bavaria. Among 14 children, he was the second oldest son...
had previously been bishops.