Hartwig of Uthlede
Encyclopedia
Hartwig of Uthlede was - as Hartwig II - Prince-Archbishop of Bremen (1185–1190 and de facto again 1192-1207) and one of the originators of the Livonian Crusade
. Coming from a family of the Bremian Ministerialis
at Uthlede
, he was a canon
of Bremen Cathedral
and a clerk of Duke Henry the Lion
of Saxony
, House of Guelph, before becoming prince-archbishop in 1185. When the Bremian cathedral chapter
elected him for prince-archbishop, due to the competitive politics within Germany
at the time, this was regarded a Guelphic triumph.
A canon named Meinhard, originally from the Augustinian monastery at Segeberg
(in Hartwig's diocese), was active at Üxküll among the pagan Livonian
s, apparently attempting to gain converts through preaching. In 1186, one year into Hartwig's episcopate, the prince-archbishop intervened and gave him the status of a bishop, in effect seizing control of missionary efforts there. The historian Eric Christiansen judged this to be part of Hartwig's attempt to resurrect his see's former glory, when it "had exercised authority over the entire Northern world". Papal records of 1188 indicate that the bishopric which had been established "in Russia" by Meinhard was recognised by the papacy as subordinate to the prince-archbishopric of Bremen. In Livonia
, despite a further decade of activity, Bishop Meinhard had made little progress and died in 1196.
In 1186 Hartwig and his bailiff in Bremen confirmed the Gelnhausen Privilege, by which Frederick I Barbarossa
granted the city of Bremen
considerable privileges. The city was recognised as political entity of its own law. Property within the municipal boundaries could not be subjected to feudal overlordship, this was true also for serfs acquiring property, if they managed to live in the city for a year and a day, after which they were to be regarded as free persons. Property was to be freely inherited without feudal claims to reversion. This privilege laid the foundation for Bremen's later status of imperial immediacy.
Hartwig prepared the subjection of the trans-Elbian free peasants republic of Ditmarsh, religiously belonging to the Archdiocese of Bremen but rejecting Bremian secular princely overlordship. He persuaded Adolf III of Schauenburg
, Count of Holstein, to waive his claim to Ditmarsh in return for regular dues levied from the to be subjected Ditmarsians. In 1187 and 1188 Hartwig and his ally Maurice I, Count of Oldenburg heading their troops invaded Ditmarsh. The free peasants promised to pay him dues, only to mock about him, once he and his soldiers had left. The Ditmarsians gained support by Valdemar
, steward of the Duchy of Schleswig and Bishop of Schleswig. Hartwig, owing dues to Adolf III and the soldiers' pay to Maurice I, was trapped. He had to cede the dues of three years, levied from Bremian Ministerialis
families, to Maurice I and Adolf III. Hartwig now tried to impose an extra tax of 200 Bremian Marks onto the burghers of the city of Bremen
, but the city refused and gained support by Frederick I Barbarossa, whom the city helped with fully equipped cogs
and remittances of funds in the Third Crusade
to the Holy Land
. Between April and June 1189 the dispute between the city and the prince-archbishop escalated to uproar so that Hartwig had to leave the city.
While Frederick I together with King Richard Plantagenêt the Lionheart
and - among others - Adolf III left for the Third Crusade, Frederick's defeated rival, Henry the Lion, Richard's brother-in-law, promised to stay calm in English exile. But instead Henry returned in September 1189 and Hartwig warmly welcomed him in Stade
and ceded him the Bremian County of Stade with the pertaining revenues. Henry the Lion invaded the County of Holstein, whose absent ruler Adolf III, a former vassal of Henry, he blamed for felony
. Meanwile Frederick I's son Henry VI
, holding the imperial stake, and his troops seized most of Henry the Lion's allodially owned Guelphic possessions around the city of Brunswick
, but not the city itself. Arriving at Bremen in 1190, Henry VI withdrew Hartwig's princely competences (regalia
) and forced him to England and then Lüneburg
in exile, returning after a few years. Henry VI and Henry the Lion reached a peace settlement. Adolf III regained Holstein, an imperial fief, and took the County of Stade, a Bremian fief. Henry VI granted the city of Bremen all prince-episcopal revenues levied in the city, such as fines payable to the prince-archiepiscopal bailiff in Bremen, tolls and the seigniorage
s of the mint.
In 1192 the Bremian Chapter didn't wait any longer for a papal dismissal of Hartwig and unauthorisedly elected Bishop Valdemar as its new prince-archbishop - encouraged by Henry VI. Valdemar welcomed his election, hoping his new position could be helpful in his dispute with Duke Valdemar of Schleswig
and his elder brother Canute VI of Denmark
. Before entering the prince-archbishopric he won the support of Ditmarsh. Duke Valdemar and Canute VI realised the threat Prince-Archbishop Valdemar presented and caught him in 1193, keeping him in captivity until 1206.
In 1193 Henry the Lion's son Henry the Younger
married a cousin of Henry VI and in March 1194 the two Henrys reconciled. Thus Hartwig could consider to regain the Bremian see. In July 1194 Ulrich, Prince-Bishop of Minden
, and Rudolph I, Prince-Bishop of Verden negotiated with the Bremian Chapter an agreement under which conditions Hartwig could return to the see. Hartwig obliged himself not to pledge or enfeoff the revenues from his prince-archiepiscopal estates
, any reverted Bremian vassal fief (like Ditmarsh or the County of Stade) or the tax revenues levied in the cities of Bremen and Stade without the consent of the Chapter.
The burghers of Bremen refused to pay Hartwig the prince-archiepiscopal revenues, arguing Henry VI would first have to re-enfeoff Hartwig with his princely power. Also Adolf III refused to provide dues from the Bremian County of Stade. Hartwig therefore excommunicated Adolf III and imposed the interdict
upon the city of Bremen and the entire Bremian diocese.
In October 1195 at the Diet
in Gelnhausen
Adolf III and Hartwig reached an agreement, which Henry VI confirmed. Adolf III would further administer the County of Stade and keep a third of all its revenues for himself. In the same year Hartwig had convinced Pope Celestine III
to confer the same spiritual benefits gained by Levant
ine crusaders also to Catholics visiting the valley of the Western Dvina.
In 1196 Hartwig appointed the Cistercian Berthold, abbot of Loccum, to fill the vacancy at Üxküll. In 1197 Hartwig - together with Henry VI, Adolf III and many others - headed for the Crusade to the Holy Land
, which ended prematurely when Henry VI died of malaria. In 1198, Pope Innocent III
repeated Celestine's privileges, while an expedition to Livonia was being prepared. Prince-Archbishop Hartwig recruited an army of Saxon
crusaders which were sent to Livonia under Bishop Berthold of Hanover
in 1198. Unfortunately for the Saxons, however, their army was defeated and the bishop martyred in the same year.
Not being discouraged, Hartwig appointed another canon of Bremen, his nephew Albert von Buxhövden, as the new Bishop of Üxküll. Together they recruited another large army of Saxon knights, eventually sending an expedition of 500 armed "pilgrims" in 13 naval vessels. Bishop Albert's campaigns were more successful, removing his see to a new site at Riga
and founding a viable crusader state. Prince-Archbishop Hartwig died on November 3, 1207, while this was ongoing. Hartwig was buried in the old St. Angar's church in Bremen.
Livonian Crusade
The Livonian Crusade refers to the German and Danish conquest and colonization of medieval Livonia, the territory constituting modern Latvia and Estonia, during the Northern Crusades...
. Coming from a family of the Bremian Ministerialis
Ministerialis
Ministerialis ; a post-classical Latin word, used in English, meaning originally servitor, agent, in a broad range of senses...
at Uthlede
Uthlede
Uthlede is a municipality in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany.Uthlede belonged to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen, established in 1180 AD. In 1648 the Prince-Archbishopric was transformed into the Duchy of Bremen, which was first ruled in personal union by the Swedish Crown -...
, he was a 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 ....
of Bremen Cathedral
Bremen Cathedral
Bremen Cathedral , dedicated to St. Peter, is a church situated in the market square in the center of Bremen, in northern Germany. The cathedral belongs to the Bremian Evangelical Church, a member of the Protestant umbrella organisation named Evangelical Church in Germany...
and a clerk of Duke Henry the Lion
Henry the Lion
Henry the Lion was a member of the Welf dynasty and Duke of Saxony, as Henry III, from 1142, and Duke of Bavaria, as Henry XII, from 1156, which duchies he held until 1180....
of Saxony
Duchy of Saxony
The medieval Duchy of Saxony was a late Early Middle Ages "Carolingian stem duchy" covering the greater part of Northern Germany. It covered the area of the modern German states of Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saxony-Anhalt and most of Schleswig-Holstein...
, House of Guelph, before becoming prince-archbishop in 1185. When the Bremian 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...
elected him for prince-archbishop, due to the competitive politics within Germany
Kingdom of Germany
The Kingdom of Germany developed out of the eastern half of the former Carolingian Empire....
at the time, this was regarded a Guelphic triumph.
A canon named Meinhard, originally from the Augustinian monastery at Segeberg
Segeberg
Segeberg is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Pinneberg, Steinburg and Rendsburg-Eckernförde, the city of Neumünster, the districts of Plön, Ostholstein and Stormarn, and the city state of Hamburg.-History:The history of the district is connected with the...
(in Hartwig's diocese), was active at Üxküll among the pagan Livonian
Livonian
Livonian can refer to one of the following.*Livonian people*Livonian language*Anything else pertaining to Livonia...
s, apparently attempting to gain converts through preaching. In 1186, one year into Hartwig's episcopate, the prince-archbishop intervened and gave him the status of a bishop, in effect seizing control of missionary efforts there. The historian Eric Christiansen judged this to be part of Hartwig's attempt to resurrect his see's former glory, when it "had exercised authority over the entire Northern world". Papal records of 1188 indicate that the bishopric which had been established "in Russia" by Meinhard was recognised by the papacy as subordinate to the prince-archbishopric of Bremen. In Livonia
Livonia
Livonia is a historic region along the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It was once the land of the Finnic Livonians inhabiting the principal ancient Livonian County Metsepole with its center at Turaida...
, despite a further decade of activity, Bishop Meinhard had made little progress and died in 1196.
In 1186 Hartwig and his bailiff in Bremen confirmed the Gelnhausen Privilege, by which Frederick I Barbarossa
Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick I Barbarossa was a German Holy Roman Emperor. He was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March, crowned King of Italy in Pavia in 1155, and finally crowned Roman Emperor by Pope Adrian IV, on 18 June 1155, and two years later in 1157 the term...
granted the city of Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
considerable privileges. The city was recognised as political entity of its own law. Property within the municipal boundaries could not be subjected to feudal overlordship, this was true also for serfs acquiring property, if they managed to live in the city for a year and a day, after which they were to be regarded as free persons. Property was to be freely inherited without feudal claims to reversion. This privilege laid the foundation for Bremen's later status of imperial immediacy.
Hartwig prepared the subjection of the trans-Elbian free peasants republic of Ditmarsh, religiously belonging to the Archdiocese of Bremen but rejecting Bremian secular princely overlordship. He persuaded Adolf III of Schauenburg
Adolf III of Holstein
Adolf III, Count of Schauenburg and Holstein was the ruler of the Counties of Schauenburg and Holstein. He is particularly remembered for his establishment of a new settlement for traders on the banks of the Alster near the Neue Burg in Hamburg.- Descent :Adolf III was the only son of Count Adolf...
, Count of Holstein, to waive his claim to Ditmarsh in return for regular dues levied from the to be subjected Ditmarsians. In 1187 and 1188 Hartwig and his ally Maurice I, Count of Oldenburg heading their troops invaded Ditmarsh. The free peasants promised to pay him dues, only to mock about him, once he and his soldiers had left. The Ditmarsians gained support by Valdemar
Valdemar of Denmark (bishop)
Valdemar Knudsen was a Danish clergyman and statesman. His mother gave birth to him as the posthumous illegitimate son of Canute V of Denmark...
, steward of the Duchy of Schleswig and Bishop of Schleswig. Hartwig, owing dues to Adolf III and the soldiers' pay to Maurice I, was trapped. He had to cede the dues of three years, levied from Bremian Ministerialis
Ministerialis
Ministerialis ; a post-classical Latin word, used in English, meaning originally servitor, agent, in a broad range of senses...
families, to Maurice I and Adolf III. Hartwig now tried to impose an extra tax of 200 Bremian Marks onto the burghers of the city of Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
, but the city refused and gained support by Frederick I Barbarossa, whom the city helped with fully equipped cogs
Cog (ship)
A cog is a type of ship that first appeared in the 10th century, and was widely used from around the 12th century on. Cogs were generally built of oak, which was an abundant timber in the Baltic region of Prussia. This vessel was fitted with a single mast and a square-rigged single sail...
and remittances of funds in 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...
to the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
. Between April and June 1189 the dispute between the city and the prince-archbishop escalated to uproar so that Hartwig had to leave the city.
While Frederick I together with King Richard Plantagenêt the Lionheart
Richard I of England
Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period...
and - among others - Adolf III left for the Third Crusade, Frederick's defeated rival, Henry the Lion, Richard's brother-in-law, promised to stay calm in English exile. But instead Henry returned in September 1189 and Hartwig warmly welcomed him in Stade
Stade
Stade is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany and part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region . It is the seat of the district named after it...
and ceded him the Bremian County of Stade with the pertaining revenues. Henry the Lion invaded the County of Holstein, whose absent ruler Adolf III, a former vassal of Henry, he blamed for felony
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
. Meanwile Frederick I's son Henry VI
Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry VI was King of Germany from 1190 to 1197, Holy Roman Emperor from 1191 to 1197 and King of Sicily from 1194 to 1197.-Early years:Born in Nijmegen,...
, holding the imperial stake, and his troops seized most of Henry the Lion's allodially owned Guelphic possessions around the city of Brunswick
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
, but not the city itself. Arriving at Bremen in 1190, Henry VI withdrew Hartwig's princely competences (regalia
Regalia
Regalia is Latin plurale tantum for the privileges and the insignia characteristic of a Sovereign.The word stems from the Latin substantivation of the adjective regalis, 'regal', itself from Rex, 'king'...
) and forced him to England and then Lüneburg
Lüneburg
Lüneburg is a town in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is located about southeast of fellow Hanseatic city Hamburg. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, and one of Hamburg's inner suburbs...
in exile, returning after a few years. Henry VI and Henry the Lion reached a peace settlement. Adolf III regained Holstein, an imperial fief, and took the County of Stade, a Bremian fief. Henry VI granted the city of Bremen all prince-episcopal revenues levied in the city, such as fines payable to the prince-archiepiscopal bailiff in Bremen, tolls and the seigniorage
Seigniorage
Seigniorage can have the following two meanings:* Seigniorage derived from specie—metal coins, is a tax, added to the total price of a coin , that a customer of the mint had to pay to the mint, and that was sent to the sovereign of the political area.* Seigniorage derived from notes is more...
s of the mint.
In 1192 the Bremian Chapter didn't wait any longer for a papal dismissal of Hartwig and unauthorisedly elected Bishop Valdemar as its new prince-archbishop - encouraged by Henry VI. Valdemar welcomed his election, hoping his new position could be helpful in his dispute with Duke Valdemar of Schleswig
Valdemar II of Denmark
Valdemar II , called Valdemar the Victorious or Valdemar the Conqueror , was the King of Denmark from 1202 until his death in 1241. The nickname Sejr is a later invention and was not used during the King's own lifetime...
and his elder brother Canute VI of Denmark
Canute VI of Denmark
Canute VI was King of Denmark . Canute VI was the eldest son of King Valdemar I and Sophia of Polotsk.-Life:...
. Before entering the prince-archbishopric he won the support of Ditmarsh. Duke Valdemar and Canute VI realised the threat Prince-Archbishop Valdemar presented and caught him in 1193, keeping him in captivity until 1206.
In 1193 Henry the Lion's son Henry the Younger
Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine
Henry was count palatine of the Rhine from 6 August 1195 to 1213.Henry was the eldest son of Duke Henry the Lion, from his marriage to Matilda, eldest daughter of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. He grew up in England and became count palatine of the Rhine through his 1193...
married a cousin of Henry VI and in March 1194 the two Henrys reconciled. Thus Hartwig could consider to regain the Bremian see. In July 1194 Ulrich, Prince-Bishop of Minden
Bishopric of Minden
The Bishopric of Minden was a Roman Catholic diocese and a state, Prince-bishopric of Minden , of the Holy Roman Empire. Its capital was Minden which is in modern day Germany.-History:...
, and Rudolph I, Prince-Bishop of Verden negotiated with the Bremian Chapter an agreement under which conditions Hartwig could return to the see. Hartwig obliged himself not to pledge or enfeoff the revenues from his prince-archiepiscopal estates
Estate (law)
An estate is the net worth of a person at any point in time. It is the sum of a person's assets - legal rights, interests and entitlements to property of any kind - less all liabilities at that time. The issue is of special legal significance on a question of bankruptcy and death of the person...
, any reverted Bremian vassal fief (like Ditmarsh or the County of Stade) or the tax revenues levied in the cities of Bremen and Stade without the consent of the Chapter.
The burghers of Bremen refused to pay Hartwig the prince-archiepiscopal revenues, arguing Henry VI would first have to re-enfeoff Hartwig with his princely power. Also Adolf III refused to provide dues from the Bremian County of Stade. Hartwig therefore excommunicated Adolf III and imposed the interdict
Interdict (Roman Catholic Church)
In Roman Catholic canon law, an interdict is an ecclesiastical censure that excludes from certain rites of the Church individuals or groups, who nonetheless do not cease to be members of the Church.-Distinctions in canon law:...
upon the city of Bremen and the entire Bremian diocese.
In October 1195 at the Diet
Reichstag (Holy Roman Empire)
The Imperial Diet was the Diet, or general assembly, of the Imperial Estates of the Holy Roman Empire.During the period of the Empire, which lasted formally until 1806, the Diet was not a parliament in today's sense; instead, it was an assembly of the various estates of the realm...
in Gelnhausen
Gelnhausen
Gelnhausen is a town and the capital of the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is located approx. 40 kilometers east of Frankfurt am Main, between the Vogelsberg mountains and the Spessart range at the river Kinzig...
Adolf III and Hartwig reached an agreement, which Henry VI confirmed. Adolf III would further administer the County of Stade and keep a third of all its revenues for himself. In the same year Hartwig had convinced 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...
to confer the same spiritual benefits gained by Levant
Levant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
ine crusaders also to Catholics visiting the valley of the Western Dvina.
In 1196 Hartwig appointed the Cistercian Berthold, abbot of Loccum, to fill the vacancy at Üxküll. In 1197 Hartwig - together with Henry VI, Adolf III and many others - headed for the Crusade to the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
, which ended prematurely when Henry VI died of malaria. In 1198, 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....
repeated Celestine's privileges, while an expedition to Livonia was being prepared. Prince-Archbishop Hartwig recruited an army of Saxon
Lower Saxon Circle
The Lower Saxon Circle was an Imperial Circle of the Holy Roman Empire. Covering much of the territory of the mediæval Duchy of Saxony , firstly the circle used to be called the Saxon Circle , only to be later better differentiated from the Upper Saxon Circle the more specific name prevailed.An...
crusaders which were sent to Livonia under Bishop Berthold of Hanover
Berthold of Hanover
Berthold of Hanover was a German Cistercian and Bishop of Livonia, who met his death in a crusade against the pagan Livonians.-Life:...
in 1198. Unfortunately for the Saxons, however, their army was defeated and the bishop martyred in the same year.
Not being discouraged, Hartwig appointed another canon of Bremen, his nephew Albert von Buxhövden, as the new Bishop of Üxküll. Together they recruited another large army of Saxon knights, eventually sending an expedition of 500 armed "pilgrims" in 13 naval vessels. Bishop Albert's campaigns were more successful, removing his see to a new site at Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
and founding a viable crusader state. Prince-Archbishop Hartwig died on November 3, 1207, while this was ongoing. Hartwig was buried in the old St. Angar's church in Bremen.