Martin Antonenko
A Fixture
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2008
- Messages
- 8,997
Two princes of the church cannot agree
who of them is the more important one...
On June 7, 1063, the Saturday before Pentecost, in the Goslar Cathedral ...
... the Vespers service is about to begin.
All sorts of celebrities have announced themselves - King Heinrich IV is also present at this most important event before Pentecost ...
... because at the same time in the Palatinate next door ...
... held a "Court Day" with many political meetings and audiences..
The abbot Widerad von Fulda was also among the high-born participants ...
... as well as Bishop Herzilo von Hildesheim ...:
And that means trouble!
For the two brothers in Christ are heartily hostile to each other!
They absolutely cannot agree on which of them is the higher in rank and consequently is entitled to the better seats in the church, where "better" means who is allowed to sit closer to the altar and the king.
The Hildesheimer insists that because of his position as bishop nobody should be preferred to him, especially not within his diocese (although that is only half the truth, because the Goslarer Stift does not belong to the Hildesheim diocese, but is directly subordinate to the Pope ).
The Fulda prince argued against it: "His" monastery Fulda was founded by the Archbishop of Mainz Bonifatius, and numerous imperial and papal privileges give the monastery Fulda and its abbot a special position. The abbot has a so-called primacy and is entitled to episcopal pontificals.
The jealousies had already led to a real fight between the two church princes and their respective followers at the Christmas Vespers service in 1062 at the same place in Goslar!
The Duke of Bavaria, Otto von Northeim ...
... had ended the fight at the time by vigorously intervening and decided the seat dispute in favor of the abbot of Fulda.
Now - before Pentecost - Herzilo von Hildesheim and Widerad von Fulda are determined to decide the matter once and for all!
Giving in is not an option for either of them - because that would decide the argument in favor of the other ...
Herzilo von Hildesheim is the first to arrive - in his wake are a number of men with concealed weapons who take up positions inconspicuously behind the altar. Their leader is Eckbert I. von Braunschweig and Margrave von Meißen ...:
Shortly afterwards Widerad von Fulda arrives with a large entourage - determined to take full advantage of the "stage victory" achieved at Christmas.
The group does not even get to the altar - on the way there, in the nave, tangible arguments begin between the supporters of both opponents.
Eckbert von Braunschweig gives his men the order to intervene, they draw their weapons and beat the people of Fulda out of the cathedral.
That is by no means the end of the matter!
The furious Widerad von Fulda orders his followers to arm themselves as well and storms with them back into the cathedral, where the service has meanwhile started.
The abbot of Hasungen Monastery, Lampert von Hersfeld, who was there, describes what happens then very vividly - there are deaths ...:
“In the midst of the choir and the psalmodying monks, there is a scuffle: one no longer only fights with clubs, but with swords.
A heated battle breaks out, and instead of hymns and spiritual chants, cheers and laments of the dying echo through the whole church. Horrible sacrifices are slaughtered on God's altars, rivers of blood run through the church, not shed as before through prescribed religious practice, but through hostile cruelty."
"The Bishop of Hildesheim had gained an elevated position and encouraged his people to fight bravely as if by a military trumpet signal, and so that they would not be deterred from using weapons by the sanctity of the place, he held up to them the sign of his authority and his permission .
Many were wounded and many killed on both sides, among them primarily Reginbodo, the Fulda standard-bearer, and Bero, a particularly loyal follower to Count Ekbert. "
"In the meantime the king raised his voice loudly and implored the people with reference to the royal majesty, but he seemed to preach to deaf ears.
When his followers were reminded to think about safeguarding his life and to leave the battlefield, he finally made his way through the crowded crowd and withdrew to the (Imperial) Palatinate. "
The following day an investigation into the incident takes place under the chairmanship of the king. Abbot Widerad was found guilty in full and threatened with impeachment. The abbot later bought himself free from this charge.
The Goslar Cathedral, where the whole thing happened ...
... unfortunately no longer exists today - only the vestibule is preserved (can be seen on the drawing above the stairs) ...
Here you can see the vestibule at the top left ...:
The rest is now a parking lot - after all, the outline of the cathedral has been set into the pavement ...:
who of them is the more important one...
On June 7, 1063, the Saturday before Pentecost, in the Goslar Cathedral ...
... the Vespers service is about to begin.
All sorts of celebrities have announced themselves - King Heinrich IV is also present at this most important event before Pentecost ...
... because at the same time in the Palatinate next door ...
... held a "Court Day" with many political meetings and audiences..
The abbot Widerad von Fulda was also among the high-born participants ...
... as well as Bishop Herzilo von Hildesheim ...:
And that means trouble!
For the two brothers in Christ are heartily hostile to each other!
They absolutely cannot agree on which of them is the higher in rank and consequently is entitled to the better seats in the church, where "better" means who is allowed to sit closer to the altar and the king.
The Hildesheimer insists that because of his position as bishop nobody should be preferred to him, especially not within his diocese (although that is only half the truth, because the Goslarer Stift does not belong to the Hildesheim diocese, but is directly subordinate to the Pope ).
The Fulda prince argued against it: "His" monastery Fulda was founded by the Archbishop of Mainz Bonifatius, and numerous imperial and papal privileges give the monastery Fulda and its abbot a special position. The abbot has a so-called primacy and is entitled to episcopal pontificals.
The jealousies had already led to a real fight between the two church princes and their respective followers at the Christmas Vespers service in 1062 at the same place in Goslar!
The Duke of Bavaria, Otto von Northeim ...
... had ended the fight at the time by vigorously intervening and decided the seat dispute in favor of the abbot of Fulda.
Now - before Pentecost - Herzilo von Hildesheim and Widerad von Fulda are determined to decide the matter once and for all!
Giving in is not an option for either of them - because that would decide the argument in favor of the other ...
Herzilo von Hildesheim is the first to arrive - in his wake are a number of men with concealed weapons who take up positions inconspicuously behind the altar. Their leader is Eckbert I. von Braunschweig and Margrave von Meißen ...:
Shortly afterwards Widerad von Fulda arrives with a large entourage - determined to take full advantage of the "stage victory" achieved at Christmas.
The group does not even get to the altar - on the way there, in the nave, tangible arguments begin between the supporters of both opponents.
Eckbert von Braunschweig gives his men the order to intervene, they draw their weapons and beat the people of Fulda out of the cathedral.
That is by no means the end of the matter!
The furious Widerad von Fulda orders his followers to arm themselves as well and storms with them back into the cathedral, where the service has meanwhile started.
The abbot of Hasungen Monastery, Lampert von Hersfeld, who was there, describes what happens then very vividly - there are deaths ...:
“In the midst of the choir and the psalmodying monks, there is a scuffle: one no longer only fights with clubs, but with swords.
A heated battle breaks out, and instead of hymns and spiritual chants, cheers and laments of the dying echo through the whole church. Horrible sacrifices are slaughtered on God's altars, rivers of blood run through the church, not shed as before through prescribed religious practice, but through hostile cruelty."
"The Bishop of Hildesheim had gained an elevated position and encouraged his people to fight bravely as if by a military trumpet signal, and so that they would not be deterred from using weapons by the sanctity of the place, he held up to them the sign of his authority and his permission .
Many were wounded and many killed on both sides, among them primarily Reginbodo, the Fulda standard-bearer, and Bero, a particularly loyal follower to Count Ekbert. "
"In the meantime the king raised his voice loudly and implored the people with reference to the royal majesty, but he seemed to preach to deaf ears.
When his followers were reminded to think about safeguarding his life and to leave the battlefield, he finally made his way through the crowded crowd and withdrew to the (Imperial) Palatinate. "
The following day an investigation into the incident takes place under the chairmanship of the king. Abbot Widerad was found guilty in full and threatened with impeachment. The abbot later bought himself free from this charge.
The Goslar Cathedral, where the whole thing happened ...
... unfortunately no longer exists today - only the vestibule is preserved (can be seen on the drawing above the stairs) ...
Here you can see the vestibule at the top left ...:
The rest is now a parking lot - after all, the outline of the cathedral has been set into the pavement ...:
