John IV of Saxe-Lauenburg (prince-bishop)
Encyclopedia
John IV of Saxe-Lauenburg (ca. 1483–1547) was a Prince-Bishop
of Hildesheim
.
and Duke John V
of Saxe-Lauenburg (who is also known, confusingly, as John IV) stood for election as prince-archbishop of Bremen
, however, the majority of the canons of the cathedral chapter
s of Bremen and Hamburg (with only three votes) elected Johann Rode
archbishop on 30 January 1497. In 1503 John was elected as Prince-Bishop of Hildesheim, after his brother and predecessor in office, Eric
, had resigned in his favour earlier the same year.
In 1504, following confirmation of his election by Pope Julius II
, John took up office in the bishopric. On 28 January 1506 the bishop received agreement from the noble assembly (Ständeversammlung) to his raising of the Landbede, a tax.
Through his attempts to expand the territory ruled by the bishopric, he repeatedly clashed with the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Internally, too, there were conflicts with the town of Hildesheim and the self-assured bishopric nobles (Stiftsadel). The diocese of Hildesheim ran increasingly into debt.
John IV tried to consolidate prince-episcopal sovereignty into the Prince-Bishopric of Hildesheim
again. Within a few years he was able to save enough to take back the castles and property pledged to the bishopric nobles. However, the latter refused to pay the redemption fees. Not until 1518 was John given the necessary regalia
(rights) by Emperor Maximilian
.
John IV was the central figure in the Hildesheim Diocesan Feud. Following his imperial ban, Bishop John of Hildesheim sought asylum with the Prince-Elector Joachim of Brandenburg and hoped in vain to be reinstated. In summer 1527 he resigned from office and went, freed from his ban, to become a canon at Ratzeburg
in the homonymous prince-bishopric
, where he died on 20 November 1547.
Prince-Bishop
A Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office...
of Hildesheim
Bishopric of Hildesheim
The Diocese of Hildesheim is a diocese or ecclesiastical territory of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in Germany. Founded in 815 as a missionary diocese by King Louis the Pious, his son Louis the German appointed the famous former archbishop of Rheims, Ebbo, as bishop...
.
Life
The son of Dorothea of BrandenburgDorothea of Brandenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Lauenburg
Dorothea of Brandenburg was a princess of Brandenburg by birth and by marriage Duchess of Saxe-Lauenburg.- Life :...
and Duke John V
John V, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg
John V of Saxe-Lauenburg was the eldest son of Duke Bernard II of Saxe-Lauenburg and Adelheid of Pomerania-Stolp , daughter of Duke Bogislaus VIII of Pomerania-Stolp...
of Saxe-Lauenburg (who is also known, confusingly, as John IV) stood for election as prince-archbishop of Bremen
Archbishopric of Bremen
The Archdiocese of Bremen was a historical Roman Catholic diocese and formed from 1180 to 1648 an ecclesiastical state , named Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen within the Holy Roman Empire...
, however, the majority of the canons of the 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...
s of Bremen and Hamburg (with only three votes) elected Johann Rode
Johann Rode von Wale
Johann Rode von Wale was a Catholic cleric, a Doctor of Canon and Civil Law, a chronicler, a long-serving government official and as John III Prince-archbishop of Bremen between 1497 and...
archbishop on 30 January 1497. In 1503 John was elected as Prince-Bishop of Hildesheim, after his brother and predecessor in office, Eric
Eric of Saxe-Lauenburg (prince-bishop)
Eric of Sachsen-Lauenburg was Bishop of Hildesheim as Eric II from 1502 to 1502 and Bishop of Münster as Eric I from 1508 to 1522.- Life :...
, had resigned in his favour earlier the same year.
In 1504, following confirmation of his election by Pope Julius II
Pope Julius II
Pope Julius II , nicknamed "The Fearsome Pope" and "The Warrior Pope" , born Giuliano della Rovere, was Pope from 1503 to 1513...
, John took up office in the bishopric. On 28 January 1506 the bishop received agreement from the noble assembly (Ständeversammlung) to his raising of the Landbede, a tax.
Through his attempts to expand the territory ruled by the bishopric, he repeatedly clashed with the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Internally, too, there were conflicts with the town of Hildesheim and the self-assured bishopric nobles (Stiftsadel). The diocese of Hildesheim ran increasingly into debt.
John IV tried to consolidate prince-episcopal sovereignty into the Prince-Bishopric of Hildesheim
Bishopric of Hildesheim
The Diocese of Hildesheim is a diocese or ecclesiastical territory of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in Germany. Founded in 815 as a missionary diocese by King Louis the Pious, his son Louis the German appointed the famous former archbishop of Rheims, Ebbo, as bishop...
again. Within a few years he was able to save enough to take back the castles and property pledged to the bishopric nobles. However, the latter refused to pay the redemption fees. Not until 1518 was John given the necessary 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'...
(rights) by Emperor Maximilian
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian I , the son of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor and Eleanor of Portugal, was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1493 until his death, though he was never in fact crowned by the Pope, the journey to Rome always being too risky...
.
John IV was the central figure in the Hildesheim Diocesan Feud. Following his imperial ban, Bishop John of Hildesheim sought asylum with the Prince-Elector Joachim of Brandenburg and hoped in vain to be reinstated. In summer 1527 he resigned from office and went, freed from his ban, to become a canon at Ratzeburg
Ratzeburg
Ratzeburg is a town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is surrounded by four lakes—the resulting isthmuses between the lakes form the access lanes to the town. Ratzeburg is the capital of the Kreis of Lauenburg.-History:...
in the homonymous prince-bishopric
Bishopric of Ratzeburg
The Bishopric of Ratzeburg , centered on Ratzeburg in Northern Germany, was originally a suffragan to the Archdiocese of Hamburg, which transformed into the Archdiocese of Bremen in 1072.- History :...
, where he died on 20 November 1547.