Erhard of Queis
Encyclopedia
Erhard of Queis was Bishop
of Pomesania
. He is considered one of the pioneers of the Reformation
in Prussia
.
He enrolled at the University of Frankfurt (Oder)
in 1506. In 1515, he went to Bologna
to read law. It is not clear whether he acquired the degree of Doctor
during either of these studies. By 1523, he was Chancellor of the Duchy of Legnica
, serving Duke Frederick II
. In this position, he met Grand Master Albert, who persuaded him to join the Teutonic Order and take over the vacant second Prussian Bishopric of Pomesania
. Queis was elected bishop by the Pomesanian cathedral chapter
of Marienwerder
on 10 September 1523. His election was never confirmed by the Pope. He took up residence in Riesenburg
Castle anyway.
Grand Master Albert had great confidence in Queis legal and administrative expertise. He sent Erhard to negotiations in Bratislava
and Krakow
about the secularisation of the Teutonic State of Prussia on the Baltic coast. Queis paid homage to the King of Poland on Albert's behalf. He carried out similar missions later. When he accompanied the Duke to Danzig in 1526, he was already wearing secular clothing.
Queis also travelled to Kiel
, to conclude a marriage contract for Duke Albert, who coveted the hand of the Danish king's daughter Dorothea
. This kind of diplomatic services for the young Duchy kept him from fulfilling his ecclesiastical duties for a long time. Quies sided wholly with the Reformation, just like his predecessor, bishop George of Polentz
.
At the end of 1524, Queis published his reform program . In this program he posits out that Christ instituted only two sacraments, and that laws of mortals in the Church should be abolished. He demanded that church services should be in German and forbade the worship of the Eucharist and the Corpus Christi procession. His 19th thesis was: "The daily Mass is an abomination to God: therefore it shall henceforth not be held in any church nor anywhere else". Based in his biblical conviction, he allowed priest and members of religious orders to marry. The Duchy of Prussia adopted in 1525 a new Church Order written by the two bishops Polentz and Queis, who had turned Lutherans
.
Queis and Polentz had ceded temporal power over their bishoprics to the Duke, and only retained the Lordships of Marienwerder und Schönberg
. Queis married Duchess Apollonia, a daughter of Victor of Poděbrady, Duke of Münsterberg and Opava, who had been a nun
in the Poor Clares monastery at Strzelin
.
Erhard of Queis died in 1529, on his return from a convention of the Prussian Landtag
in Königsberg
. His widow died in 1534.
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 Pomesania
Pomesania
Pomesanians were one of the Prussian clans. They lived in Pomesania , a historical region in modern northern Poland, located between the Nogat and Vistula Rivers to the west and the Elbląg River to the east. It is located around the modern towns of Elbląg and Malbork...
. He is considered one of the pioneers of the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
in Prussia
Ducal Prussia
The Duchy of Prussia or Ducal Prussia was a duchy in the eastern part of Prussia from 1525–1701. It was the first Protestant duchy with a dominant German-speaking population, as well as Polish and Lithuanian minorities...
.
Life
Details of Queis's youth are not available.He enrolled at the University of Frankfurt (Oder)
Frankfurt (Oder)
Frankfurt is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, located on the Oder River, on the German-Polish border directly opposite the town of Słubice which was a part of Frankfurt until 1945. At the end of the 1980s it reached a population peak with more than 87,000 inhabitants...
in 1506. In 1515, he went to Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
to read law. It is not clear whether he acquired the degree of Doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
during either of these studies. By 1523, he was Chancellor of the Duchy of Legnica
Duchy of Legnica
The Duchy of Legnica or Duchy of Liegnitz was one of the Duchies of Silesia. Its capital was Legnica in Lower Silesia....
, serving Duke Frederick II
Frederick II of Legnica
Frederick II of Legnica , also known as the Great of Legnica , was a Duke of Legnica from 1488 , of Brzeg from 1521...
. In this position, he met Grand Master Albert, who persuaded him to join the Teutonic Order and take over the vacant second Prussian Bishopric of Pomesania
Bishopric of Pomesania
The Bishopric of Pomesania was a diocese in the Prussian regions of Pomesania and Pogesania. It was founded as a Roman Catholic diocese in 1243 by the papal legate William of Modena. The bishops, whose seat was Riesenburg , possessed one-third of the bishopric's territory...
. Queis was elected bishop by the Pomesanian cathedral chapter
Cathedral chapter
In accordance with canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese in his stead. These councils are made up of canons and dignitaries; in the Roman Catholic church their...
of Marienwerder
Kwidzyn
Kwidzyn is a town in northern Poland on the Liwa river, with 40,008 inhabitants . It has been a part of the Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999, and was previously in the Elbląg Voivodeship . It is the capital of Kwidzyn County.-History:...
on 10 September 1523. His election was never confirmed by the Pope. He took up residence in Riesenburg
Prabuty
Prabuty is a town in Kwidzyn County within the Pomeranian Voivodeship of northern Poland. In the period between 1975–98 Prabuty were part of the Elbląg Voivodeship.Prabuty is an important rail junction on the Warszawa–Gdynia railway.-Early history:...
Castle anyway.
Grand Master Albert had great confidence in Queis legal and administrative expertise. He sent Erhard to negotiations in Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
and Krakow
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
about the secularisation of the Teutonic State of Prussia on the Baltic coast. Queis paid homage to the King of Poland on Albert's behalf. He carried out similar missions later. When he accompanied the Duke to Danzig in 1526, he was already wearing secular clothing.
Queis also travelled to Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
, to conclude a marriage contract for Duke Albert, who coveted the hand of the Danish king's daughter Dorothea
Dorothea of Denmark, Duchess of Prussia
Dorothea of Denmark , was a Danish princess and Duchess of Prussia. She was the daughter of King Frederick I of Denmark and Anna of Brandenburg...
. This kind of diplomatic services for the young Duchy kept him from fulfilling his ecclesiastical duties for a long time. Quies sided wholly with the Reformation, just like his predecessor, bishop George of Polentz
George of Polentz
George of Polentz was bishop of Samland and Pomesania and a lawyer. He was the first Lutheran bishop.Polentz was a member of an old Saxon noble family. He studied law in Bologna and was private secretary to the papal Curia, then stood as a soldier in the service of Emperor Maximilian I...
.
At the end of 1524, Queis published his reform program . In this program he posits out that Christ instituted only two sacraments, and that laws of mortals in the Church should be abolished. He demanded that church services should be in German and forbade the worship of the Eucharist and the Corpus Christi procession. His 19th thesis was: "The daily Mass is an abomination to God: therefore it shall henceforth not be held in any church nor anywhere else". Based in his biblical conviction, he allowed priest and members of religious orders to marry. The Duchy of Prussia adopted in 1525 a new Church Order written by the two bishops Polentz and Queis, who had turned Lutherans
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
.
Queis and Polentz had ceded temporal power over their bishoprics to the Duke, and only retained the Lordships of Marienwerder und Schönberg
Szymbark, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship
Szymbark is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Iława, within Iława County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It lies approximately north-west of Iława and west of the regional capital Olsztyn. The village has a population of 395.- The castle :The construction of...
. Queis married Duchess Apollonia, a daughter of Victor of Poděbrady, Duke of Münsterberg and Opava, who had been a nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
in the Poor Clares monastery at Strzelin
Strzelin
Strzelin is a town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in south-western Poland. It is located on the Oława river, a tributary of the Oder, about south of the region's capital Wrocław. The town is the seat of Strzelin County and also of the smaller municipality of Strzelin...
.
Erhard of Queis died in 1529, on his return from a convention of the Prussian Landtag
Prussian estates
The Prussian estates were representative bodies of Prussia, first created by the Monastic state of Teutonic Prussia in the 14th century but later becoming a devolved legislature for Royal Prussia within the Kingdom of Poland...
in Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
. His widow died in 1534.