Siegfried I, Archbishop of Mainz
Encyclopedia
Siegfried I was the Abbot of Fulda from 25 December 1058 until he became Archbishop of Mainz in 6 January 1060.
Siegfried was a member of the Frankish
Reginbodonen family of the Rhineland
. His family furnished counts in the Königssondergau
and burgraves and vogt
s of Mainz
. Siegfried was educated in the monastery of Fulda and became a monk there. On 25 December 1058, he was appointed abbot and 6 January 1060, the Empress Agnes appointed him Archbishop of Mainz. In Spring 1062, he entered the political realm as a prominent member of the faction surrounding Anno II of Cologne. Nevertheless, he never had the political influence of Anno or Adalbert of Bremen, called dritt Kraft. Siegfried himself sided first with the emperor in the Investiture Controversy
.
In Winter 1064 – 1065, he undertook a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. In 1070, he took a pilgrimage to Rome
to seek the permission of Pope Alexander II
to lay down his title and abdicate, but the pope refused him. Together with Anno II of Cologne, in 1071, he founded a Benedictine
monastery at Saalfeld.
In 1072, under the pretext of a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela
, he sojourned at Cluny
, where he met the Abbot Hugh the Great
. The Mainzers, however, demanded his return before he made it to Spain. Upon his return, he ardenly undertook the Cluniac reform in his diocese. In 1074, in that vein, he established the monasteries of Ravengiersburg
and Hasungen
.
When, in 1076, during the Investiture Controversy
between the Holy Roman Emperor
and the Roman Catholic Pope
, Pope Gregory VII
excommunicated Emperor-elect Henry IV
, Siegfried did an about-face and, at a general assembly of German Aristocrats
in Tribur in October 1076, participated in the election of an anti-king, supporting the nobility opposing the Emperor in the civil war that became known as the Great Saxon revolt
. Subsequently, Siegfried was driven from his diocese by the outraged royalist citizenry revolting against his rule. Nonetheless, on 25 March 1077, he crowned the Emperor's brother-in-law, duke Rudolf of Rheinfelden as Antiking
, since the allied rebels of which he was a part needed the military prestige and might of a king to offset the power of the established monarch given his rapprochement with the Pope. On 26 December 1081, he crowned Herman of Salm as the second anti-king in Goslar
. After 1081, he ceased to involve himself in public affairs until his death at Hasungen, where he was buried.
Siegfried was a member of the Frankish
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
Reginbodonen family of the Rhineland
Rhineland
Historically, the Rhinelands refers to a loosely-defined region embracing the land on either bank of the River Rhine in central Europe....
. His family furnished counts in the Königssondergau
Königssondergau
The Königssondergau was a Frankish gau which existed in the area north of the confluence of the Rhine and Main rivers in Germany, from Frankish times until the end of the 12th century. Often mistakenly equated with the Rheingau, the Gau was based around the former Roman administrative district...
and burgraves and vogt
Vogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
s of Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
. Siegfried was educated in the monastery of Fulda and became a monk there. On 25 December 1058, he was appointed abbot and 6 January 1060, the Empress Agnes appointed him Archbishop of Mainz. In Spring 1062, he entered the political realm as a prominent member of the faction surrounding Anno II of Cologne. Nevertheless, he never had the political influence of Anno or Adalbert of Bremen, called dritt Kraft. Siegfried himself sided first with the emperor in the Investiture Controversy
Investiture Controversy
The Investiture Controversy or Investiture Contest was the most significant conflict between Church and state in medieval Europe. In the 11th and 12th centuries, a series of Popes challenged the authority of European monarchies over control of appointments, or investitures, of church officials such...
.
In Winter 1064 – 1065, he undertook a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. In 1070, he took a pilgrimage to 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...
to seek the permission of Pope Alexander II
Pope Alexander II
Pope Alexander II , born Anselmo da Baggio, was Pope from 1061 to 1073.He was born in Milan. As bishop of Lucca he had been an energetic coadjutor with Hildebrand of Sovana in endeavouring to suppress simony, and to enforce the celibacy of the clergy...
to lay down his title and abdicate, but the pope refused him. Together with Anno II of Cologne, in 1071, he founded a Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monastery at Saalfeld.
In 1072, under the pretext of a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain.The city's Cathedral is the destination today, as it has been throughout history, of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James...
, he sojourned at Cluny
Cluny
Cluny or Clungy is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France. It is 20 km northwest of Mâcon.The town grew up around the Benedictine Cluny Abbey, founded by Duke William I of Aquitaine in 910...
, where he met the Abbot Hugh the Great
Hugh of Cluny
Hugh of Cluny was an Abbot of Cluny. He is sometimes referred to as "Hugh the Great" or "Hugh of Semur" and was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church as Saint Hugh . He was one of the most influential leaders of one of the most influential monastic orders of the Middle Ages.Abbot Hugh built the...
. The Mainzers, however, demanded his return before he made it to Spain. Upon his return, he ardenly undertook the Cluniac reform in his diocese. In 1074, in that vein, he established the monasteries of Ravengiersburg
Ravengiersburg
Ravengiersburg is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Simmern, whose seat is in the like-named town...
and Hasungen
Hasungen Abbey
Hasungen Abbey was a monastery of the Benedictine Order located at Burghasungen, now a part of Zierenberg in Hesse in Germany....
.
When, in 1076, during the Investiture Controversy
Investiture Controversy
The Investiture Controversy or Investiture Contest was the most significant conflict between Church and state in medieval Europe. In the 11th and 12th centuries, a series of Popes challenged the authority of European monarchies over control of appointments, or investitures, of church officials such...
between the Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
and the Roman Catholic Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
, Pope Gregory VII
Pope Gregory VII
Pope St. Gregory VII , born Hildebrand of Sovana , was Pope from April 22, 1073, until his death. One of the great reforming popes, he is perhaps best known for the part he played in the Investiture Controversy, his dispute with Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor affirming the primacy of the papal...
excommunicated Emperor-elect Henry IV
Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry IV was King of the Romans from 1056 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 until his forced abdication in 1105. He was the third emperor of the Salian dynasty and one of the most powerful and important figures of the 11th century...
, Siegfried did an about-face and, at a general assembly of German Aristocrats
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
in Tribur in October 1076, participated in the election of an anti-king, supporting the nobility opposing the Emperor in the civil war that became known as the Great Saxon revolt
Great Saxon Revolt
The Great Saxon Revolt was a civil war between 1077 and 1088 early in the history of the Holy Roman Empire led by a group of opportunistic German princes who elected as their figurehead the duke of Swabia and anti-king Rudolf of Rheinfeld, a two-way brother-in-law of the young Henry IV, Holy Roman...
. Subsequently, Siegfried was driven from his diocese by the outraged royalist citizenry revolting against his rule. Nonetheless, on 25 March 1077, he crowned the Emperor's brother-in-law, duke Rudolf of Rheinfelden as Antiking
Antiking
An Antiking is a would-be king who, due to succession disputes or simple political opposition, declares himself king in opposition to a reigning monarch. Antikings are more often found in elected monarchies than in hereditary monarchies like those of England and France; such figures in hereditary...
, since the allied rebels of which he was a part needed the military prestige and might of a king to offset the power of the established monarch given his rapprochement with the Pope. On 26 December 1081, he crowned Herman of Salm as the second anti-king in Goslar
Goslar
Goslar is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Goslar and located on the northwestern slopes of the Harz mountain range. The Old Town of Goslar and the Mines of Rammelsberg are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.-Geography:Goslar is situated at the...
. After 1081, he ceased to involve himself in public affairs until his death at Hasungen, where he was buried.
Sources
- Lexikon des Mittelalters: Band VII Spalte 1865.
- Hannach, Eugen. Erzbischof Siegfried I. von Mainz als persönlicher und politischer Charakter. Rostock, 1900.
- Herrmann, Max. "Siegfried I., Erzbischof von Mainz. 1060-1084." Beitrag zur Geschichte König Heinrichs IV. Leipzig, 1889.
- Rudolph, Rainer. "Erzbischof Siegfried von Mainz (1060-1084)." Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der Mainzer Erzbischöfe im Investiturstreit. Frankfurt, 1973.