Konrad von Hochstaden or
Conrad of Hochstadt (1198/1205 – September 18, 1261) was Archbishop of Cologne from 1238 to 1261.
Konrad was a son of Count Lothar of Hochstadt, canon of
St. Maria ad GradusSt. Maria ad Gradus is the name of a former church located East of the Cathedral of Cologne, Germany, situated between the cathedral and the Rhine....
and of the old
Cologne CathedralCologne Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Cologne, Germany. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne , and is under the administration of the archdiocese of Cologne...
, and Mathilde of Vianden, date of birth unknown. Nothing is known of his early youth. In 1216 he became beneficiary of the parish of Wevelinghoven near
DüsseldorfDüsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the second most international and economically important centre of Germany, after Frankfurt, and is located in the center of the Rhein-Ruhr area, Europe's most populated metropolitan area...
; in 1226 he was canon and, some years later, provost of the cathedral of Cologne.
Konrad von Hochstaden or
Conrad of Hochstadt (1198/1205 – September 18, 1261) was Archbishop of Cologne from 1238 to 1261.
Life
Konrad was a son of Count Lothar of Hochstadt, canon of
St. Maria ad GradusSt. Maria ad Gradus is the name of a former church located East of the Cathedral of Cologne, Germany, situated between the cathedral and the Rhine....
and of the old
Cologne CathedralCologne Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Cologne, Germany. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne , and is under the administration of the archdiocese of Cologne...
, and Mathilde of Vianden, date of birth unknown. Nothing is known of his early youth. In 1216 he became beneficiary of the parish of Wevelinghoven near
DüsseldorfDüsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the second most international and economically important centre of Germany, after Frankfurt, and is located in the center of the Rhein-Ruhr area, Europe's most populated metropolitan area...
; in 1226 he was canon and, some years later, provost of the cathedral of Cologne. After the death of Henry of Molenark (26 March, 1238) the cathedral chapter elected Konrad Archbishop of Cologne. He received the archiepiscopal insignia from the
Emperor Frederick IIFrederick II of Hohenstaufen was Holy Roman Emperor from his papal coronation in 1220 until his death; he was also a pretender to the title of King of the Romans from 1212 and unopposed holder of that monarchy from 1215. As such, he was King of Germany, of Italy, and of Burgundy...
at
BresciaBrescia is a city in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, between the Mella and the Naviglio, with a population of around 191,000. It is the second largest city in Lombardy, after the capital, Milan...
in August of the same year. The following year, 28 October, he was ordained priest and consecrated archbishop by Ludolf of Munster.
During the first few months of his reign the new archbishop was on the side of the emperor in his conflict with
Pope Gregory IXPope Gregory IX, born Ugolino di Conti, was pope from March 19, 1227 to August 22, 1241.The successor of Pope Honorius III , he fully inherited the traditions of Pope Gregory VII and of his uncle Pope Innocent III , and zealously continued their policy of Papal supremacy.-Early life:Ugolino was...
, but for unknown reasons went over to the papal party shortly after the emperor's excommunication (12 March, 1239). The whole temporal administration of Konrad was a series of struggles with some neighbouring princes and with the citizens of Cologne, who refused to acknowledge the temporal sovereignty of the archbishop over their city. Konrad was generally victorious, but his often treacherous manner of warfare has left many dark spots on his reputation. When
Pope Innocent IVPope Innocent IV, born Sinibaldo Fieschi, was pope from June 28, 1243, to December 7, 1254.-Early life:Born in Genoa in an unknown year the boy, Sinibaldo, belonged to the noble family of Liguria, the Fieschi, Counts of Lavagna...
deposed Frederick II (17 July, 1245), it was chiefly due to the influence of Konrad that the pope's candidate, Henry Raspe,
LandgraveLandgrave was a title only used in the Holy Roman Empire and later on by its former territories. The title refers to a count who had feudal duty directly to the Holy Roman Emperor...
of
ThuringiaThe Free State of Thuringia is located in central Germany. It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen
Bundesländer...
, was elected king; when Henry died after a short reign of seven months (17 February, 1247), it was again the influence of Konrad that placed the crown on the head of the youthful
William of HollandWilliam of Holland may refer to:*William I, Count of Holland , Count of Holland from 1203 to 1222*William II, Count of Holland , count of Holland and Zeeland, elected German anti-king in 1247...
.
In recognition of these services, Pope Innocent made him Apostolic legate in Germany (14 March, 1249), an office which had become vacant by the death of Archbishop Sifrit of Mainz, five days previously. The clergy and laity of Mainz desired to have the powerful Konrad of Cologne as their new archbishop. Konrad seems to have secretly encouraged them, but for diplomatic reasons referred them to the pope, who kindly but firmly refused to place the two most important ecclesiastical provinces of Germany under the power of one man.
Shortly after this decision the hitherto friendly relations between
Pope Innocent IVPope Innocent IV, born Sinibaldo Fieschi, was pope from June 28, 1243, to December 7, 1254.-Early life:Born in Genoa in an unknown year the boy, Sinibaldo, belonged to the noble family of Liguria, the Fieschi, Counts of Lavagna...
and the archbishop ceased, and in April 1250, the Apostolic legation in Germany was committed to Pierre de Colmieu, Bishop of Albano. At the same time began Konrad's estrangement from King William, which finally led to open rebellion. With all the means of a powerful and unscrupulous prince, Konrad attempted to dethrone William and would probably have been successful had not the king's premature death made the intrigues of the archbishop unnecessary. After the death of King William (28 January, 1256), Konrad played an important but despicable role in the election of the new king. For a large sum he sold his vote to
Richard of CornwallRichard of Cornwall may refer to:*Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall, *Richard Rufus of Cornwall, , philosopher and theologian...
, brother of
Henry III of EnglandHenry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for fifty-six years from 1216 to his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
, and crowned him at
AachenAachen is a historic spa city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the medieval Kings of Germany...
on 17 May, 1257. This was the last important act of Konrad. He died on 28 September, 1261 and is buried in the cathedral of Cologne, of which he laid the corner-stone on 15 August, 1248.