Goslar Precedence Dispute
Encyclopedia
The Goslar Precedence Dispute escalated at Pentecost
in 1063 in the Goslar
Collegiate Church
of St. Simon and St. Jude
from a dispute over the order of seating into an armed confrontation which resulted in several deaths. The background is the early mediæval legal system, based mainly on personal loyalty
and privilege
s that could be conferred or withdrawn at any time.
or other high-ranking person, had greater rights than other people at the ceremony. As a result, when it was unclear where the delineation was in terms of responsibilities and areas of jurisdiction, so-called "armchair disputes" often arose over the seating order. These rarely resulted in an agreement, because "conceding or giving in would have decided the dispute in favour of one or the other and ... so was out of the question " according to historian, Gerd Althoff. None of these disputes ended in such a confrontation, however, as that of the Goslar Precedence Dispute between Abbot
Widerad of Fulda
and Bishop Hezel of Hildesheim
which resulted in several deaths and a subsequent rebellion by monk
s.
of Mainz in Goslar's Collegiate Church of St. Simon and Jude.
at Christmas
in 1062 the dispute broke out for the first time. The actually quite low-ranking abbot claimed this right probably due to the traditional, special relationship between the monastery at Fulda and Archbishop of Mainz: Fulda Abbey had been founded by the Archbishop of Mainz, Boniface. Many imperial and papal privileges had been granted to Fulda Abbey and also to the abbot who thereby held a special position. For example, the monastery was "exempt
", the abbot had a primate and had a right to episcopal pontificalia.
The Bishop of Hildesheim insisted, however, that no one should be preferred over him due to his position as bishop, certainly not within his diocese where Goslar Cathedral was also exempt and thus did not belong to the Diocese of Hildesheim, but directly to the Pope.
The dispute escalated into a scuffle, which the Duke of Bavaria, Otto of Northeim, stopped by vigorously stepping in between them. He decided the seating dispute in favour of the Abbot of Fulda.
King Henry IV was not present at this encounter; he spent Christmas in Freising
. Tuomas Heikkilä (see bibliography) suspects, therefore, that it was a synod of the Archdiocese of Mainz, possibly in opposition to the transitional government of Anno II.
Hezel had therefore placed armed men in position behind the altar
under the leadership of Ekbert of Brunswick. When they heard that the dispute had escalated again in the nave, they drove the Abbot of Fulda from the church using their clubs. These armed men took it upon themselves to turn around and go back to church. Lambert of Hersfeld
describes the developing carnage, witnessed by the king, in his annals:
Hildesheim's men finally managed to eject the Fulda contingent from the church. They in turn now besieged those barricaded inside. Only when darkness fell did the fight come to an end.
According to the account given by Lambert that decision seems surprising, but Lambert's report was not objective. At the time of the dispute, there was great tension between the monasteries of the Empire and the episcopate.
As a member of the monastery at Hersfeld, Lambert was on Widerad's side. His account of Hezel is therefore probably somewhat exaggerated.
The abbot was accused of having appeared in Goslar with an unduly large and armed group of followers and to have planned the deed long beforehand. Also the Fulda side were accused of have taken up swords and unleashed the carnage during the service. The Hildesheim men had "only" used sticks "before" the beginning of the service. Not insignificant was that Ekbert, on the Hildesheim side, had excellent relations with the king: Henry and he shared a common grandmother, the Empress Gisela
, and their fathers were half brothers. Moreover Ekbert had saved Henry's life in the Coup of Kaiserswerth. As far as the blame laid on the abbot is concerned it is worth mentioning, that he make no use of a papal privilege whereby the Pope had subordinated the abbots of Fulda to himself in 999 so that only the Pope could decide to removing the abbot.
To free himself from the accusation, Widerad made payments to the king and probably also to Hezel and Goslar Cathedral
. To do this he drew on the monastic estate. This propelled the monastery into a deep financial crisis and sparked a rebellion against the Abbot of Fulda by the monks. Although Widerad was able to appease the majority of the monks, sixteen of them made representations to the king, to complain about Widerad's control of the monastery. This time King Henry ruled in favour of Widerad. The uprising was perceived as an attack on the spiritual and secular order, and the rebels were condemned to harsh punishments. They were flogged, shaved and their leaders banished from the monastery; the rest were sent to other monasteries.
Pentecost
Pentecost is a prominent feast in the calendar of Ancient Israel celebrating the giving of the Law on Sinai, and also later in the Christian liturgical year commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ after the Resurrection of Jesus...
in 1063 in the 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...
Collegiate Church
Collegiate church
In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons; a non-monastic, or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a dean or provost...
of St. Simon and St. Jude
Goslar Cathedral
The church known as Goslar Cathedral was the Collegiate Church of St. Simon and St. Jude in the town of Goslar in central Germany. It was built between 1040 and 1050 and stood in the district of the Imperial Palace of Goslar. It was demolished in 1819–1822. Today only the porch of the north portal...
from a dispute over the order of seating into an armed confrontation which resulted in several deaths. The background is the early mediæval legal system, based mainly on personal loyalty
Loyalty
Loyalty is faithfulness or a devotion to a person, country, group, or cause There are many aspects to...
and privilege
Privilege
A privilege is a special entitlement to immunity granted by the state or another authority to a restricted group, either by birth or on a conditional basis. It can be revoked in certain circumstances. In modern democratic states, a privilege is conditional and granted only after birth...
s that could be conferred or withdrawn at any time.
Requirements
In mediæval social order, the symbols and rituals of rank were associated with real power and income. One of these rituals was the order of precedence in the seating at ceremonial occasions. Whoever sat closer to the kingKing
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
or other high-ranking person, had greater rights than other people at the ceremony. As a result, when it was unclear where the delineation was in terms of responsibilities and areas of jurisdiction, so-called "armchair disputes" often arose over the seating order. These rarely resulted in an agreement, because "conceding or giving in would have decided the dispute in favour of one or the other and ... so was out of the question " according to historian, Gerd Althoff. None of these disputes ended in such a confrontation, however, as that of the Goslar Precedence Dispute between Abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
Widerad of Fulda
Fulda
Fulda is a city in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district .- Early Middle Ages :...
and Bishop Hezel of Hildesheim
Hezel of Hildesheim
Hezel of Hildesheim, also known as Hezilo, Hezelo, Hettilo or Ethilo , was Bishop of Hildesheim from 1054 to 1079.- Life :...
which resulted in several deaths and a subsequent rebellion by monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
s.
The course of the precedence dispute
The Abbot of Fulda Abbey, Widerad, and the Bishop of Hildesheim, Hezel, twice ended up arguing over who had the right to sit next to the ArchbishopArchbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of Mainz in Goslar's Collegiate Church of St. Simon and Jude.
Christmas 1062
During vespersVespers
Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Western Catholic, Eastern Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran liturgies of the canonical hours...
at Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
in 1062 the dispute broke out for the first time. The actually quite low-ranking abbot claimed this right probably due to the traditional, special relationship between the monastery at Fulda and Archbishop of Mainz: Fulda Abbey had been founded by the Archbishop of Mainz, Boniface. Many imperial and papal privileges had been granted to Fulda Abbey and also to the abbot who thereby held a special position. For example, the monastery was "exempt
Exemption (church)
In the Roman Catholic Church, exemption is the whole or partial release of an ecclesiastical person, corporation, or institution from the authority of the ecclesiastical superior next higher in rank....
", the abbot had a primate and had a right to episcopal pontificalia.
The Bishop of Hildesheim insisted, however, that no one should be preferred over him due to his position as bishop, certainly not within his diocese where Goslar Cathedral was also exempt and thus did not belong to the Diocese of Hildesheim, but directly to the Pope.
The dispute escalated into a scuffle, which the Duke of Bavaria, Otto of Northeim, stopped by vigorously stepping in between them. He decided the seating dispute in favour of the Abbot of Fulda.
King Henry IV was not present at this encounter; he spent Christmas in Freising
Freising
Freising is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and capital of the district Freising. Total population 48,500.The city is located north of Munich at the Isar river, near the Munich International Airport...
. Tuomas Heikkilä (see bibliography) suspects, therefore, that it was a synod of the Archdiocese of Mainz, possibly in opposition to the transitional government of Anno II.
The bloodbath at Pentecost 1063
On 7 June 1063, the Saturday before Pentecost, the same issue arose during vespers again. The auspices were different this time: the king was present and it was the occasion of an imperial council (Hoftag). As a result Hezel believed that, because of his status as a bishop, he had precedence, although he was prepared for a fight, well knowing that Widerad would insist on the status he had been granted at Christmas.Hezel had therefore placed armed men in position behind the altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
under the leadership of Ekbert of Brunswick. When they heard that the dispute had escalated again in the nave, they drove the Abbot of Fulda from the church using their clubs. These armed men took it upon themselves to turn around and go back to church. Lambert of Hersfeld
Lambert of Hersfeld
Lambert of Hersfeld was a medieval chronicler, probably a Thuringian by birth. His work represents a major source for the history of Germany and the Holy Roman Empire in the eleventh century....
describes the developing carnage, witnessed by the king, in his annals:
Hildesheim's men finally managed to eject the Fulda contingent from the church. They in turn now besieged those barricaded inside. Only when darkness fell did the fight come to an end.
Consequences of the precedence dispute
The next day an investigation into the incident took place under the chairmanship of the king. He pronounced Abbot Widerad completely guilty and threatened him with impeachment. The abbot bought himself free from this charge.According to the account given by Lambert that decision seems surprising, but Lambert's report was not objective. At the time of the dispute, there was great tension between the monasteries of the Empire and the episcopate.
Episcopal Conference
In the Roman Catholic Church, an Episcopal Conference, Conference of Bishops, or National Conference of Bishops is an official assembly of all the bishops of a given territory...
As a member of the monastery at Hersfeld, Lambert was on Widerad's side. His account of Hezel is therefore probably somewhat exaggerated.
The abbot was accused of having appeared in Goslar with an unduly large and armed group of followers and to have planned the deed long beforehand. Also the Fulda side were accused of have taken up swords and unleashed the carnage during the service. The Hildesheim men had "only" used sticks "before" the beginning of the service. Not insignificant was that Ekbert, on the Hildesheim side, had excellent relations with the king: Henry and he shared a common grandmother, the Empress Gisela
Gisela of Swabia
Gisela of Swabia was the daughter of Herman II of Swabia and Gerberga of Burgundy. Both her parents were descendents of Charlemagne.-Life:...
, and their fathers were half brothers. Moreover Ekbert had saved Henry's life in the Coup of Kaiserswerth. As far as the blame laid on the abbot is concerned it is worth mentioning, that he make no use of a papal privilege whereby the Pope had subordinated the abbots of Fulda to himself in 999 so that only the Pope could decide to removing the abbot.
To free himself from the accusation, Widerad made payments to the king and probably also to Hezel and Goslar Cathedral
Goslar Cathedral
The church known as Goslar Cathedral was the Collegiate Church of St. Simon and St. Jude in the town of Goslar in central Germany. It was built between 1040 and 1050 and stood in the district of the Imperial Palace of Goslar. It was demolished in 1819–1822. Today only the porch of the north portal...
. To do this he drew on the monastic estate. This propelled the monastery into a deep financial crisis and sparked a rebellion against the Abbot of Fulda by the monks. Although Widerad was able to appease the majority of the monks, sixteen of them made representations to the king, to complain about Widerad's control of the monastery. This time King Henry ruled in favour of Widerad. The uprising was perceived as an attack on the spiritual and secular order, and the rebels were condemned to harsh punishments. They were flogged, shaved and their leaders banished from the monastery; the rest were sent to other monasteries.
Sources
- Lambert of Hersfeld: Annalen. Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt 1957. (Ausgewählte Quellen zur deutschen Geschichte des Mittelalters. Freiherr vom Stein-Gedächtnisausgabe, 13)