Bertold von Henneberg-Römhild (1442–1504) was Archbishop of Mainz and

Prince-elector The prince-electors (german: Kurfürst pl. , cz, Kurfiřt, la, Princeps Elector), or electors for short, were the members of the electoral college that elected the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. From the 13th century onwards, the prin ...

of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

from 1484, imperial chancellor from 1486, and leader of the reform faction within the Empire.

Biography

The son of George, Count of Henneberg and Johanna, daughter of Count

Philipp I of Nassau-Weilburg Count Philipp I of Nassau-Weilburg (1368 – 2 July 1429) was Count of Nassau in Weilburg, Count of Saarbrücken and Seigneur of Commercy ''Château bas'' in 1371–1429. Biography Philipp was a son of John I, Count of Nassau-Weilburg (1309 � ...

was educated at the University of Erfurt. He entered the ecclesiastical profession and, after passing through its lower stages, from 1472 on was a member of the Mainz cathedral chapter, dean from 1475. On May 20, 1484 he was elected archbishop, confirmed by Pope Innocent VIII on September 20, 1484. He was made imperial chancellor in 1486 in return for supporting the election of Maximilian I. As a follower of

Nicholas of Cusa Nicholas of Cusa (1401 – 11 August 1464), also referred to as Nicholas of Kues and Nicolaus Cusanus (), was a German Catholic cardinal, philosopher, theologian, jurist, mathematician, and astronomer. One of the first German proponents of Re ...

and the ideas of

Renaissance humanism Renaissance humanism was a revival in the study of classical antiquity, at first in Italy and then spreading across Western Europe in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. During the period, the term ''humanist'' ( it, umanista) referred to teache ...

, he appears to have been a firm supporter of law and order, an enemy of clerical abuses and a careful administrator of his diocese. Immediately after his election as archbishop he began to take a leading part in the business of the Empire, and in 1486 was very active in securing the election of

Maximilian of Habsburg Maximilian I (german: Ferdinand Maximilian Josef Maria von Habsburg-Lothringen, link=no, es, Fernando Maximiliano José María de Habsburgo-Lorena, link=no; 6 July 1832 – 19 June 1867) was an Austrian archduke who reigned as the only Emperor ...

as King of the Romans.

Imperial Reform

Henneberg is most remembered as an advocate of administrative reform in the Empire, including the implementation of the ''

Ewiger Landfriede The ''Ewiger Landfriede'' ("everlasting ''Landfriede''", variously translated as "Perpetual Peace", "Eternal Peace", "Perpetual Public Peace") of 1495, passed by Maximilian I, German king and emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, was the definitive a ...

'' (eternal public peace) to put an end to internal feuds, secured by the jurisdiction of an

Imperial Chamber Court The ''Reichskammergericht'' (; ; la, Iudicium imperii) was one of the two highest judicial institutions in the Holy Roman Empire, the other one being the Aulic Council in Vienna. It was founded in 1495 by the Imperial Diet in Worms. All legal ...

. As a member of the electoral college and

archchancellor An archchancellor ( la, archicancellarius, german: Erzkanzler) or chief chancellor was a title given to the highest dignitary of the Holy Roman Empire, and also used occasionally during the Middle Ages to denote an official who supervised the wo ...

he had brought this question before the '' Reichstag'' diet during the reign of Emperor Frederick III. At first his proposals came to nothing, but he continued the struggle at a series of diets and after Frederick's death, he was the leader of the party which pressed the necessity for reform upon Frederick's son Maximilian at the Diet of Worms in 1495, where the ''Ewiger Landfriede'' was declared. He also urged the Imperial States to emulate the courage and union of the

Swiss Confederacy The Old Swiss Confederacy or Swiss Confederacy ( Modern German: ; historically , after the Reformation also , "Confederation of the Swiss") was a loose confederation of independent small states (, German or In the charters of the 14th century ...

and gained a temporary victory when the 1500 ''Reichstag'' at

Augsburg Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ...

established a council of regency (''Reichsregiment'') under his guidance, making the Emperor "no more than an honorary figurehead" while the real power in the Empire was with Henneberg and the other prince-electors. Though he persuaded the electors to form a union to uphold the reforms of 1495 and 1500, the ''Reichsregiment'' was abolished by Maximilian in 1502, defeating Henneberg's Electoral League, which had not managed to gain the trust of the Empire's other princes. The following year, he returned the imperial seal, signifying his defeat. Henneberg died on December 21, 1504. He is buried at

Mainz Cathedral , native_name_lang = , image = Mainzer Dom nw.jpg , imagesize = , imagelink = , imagealt = , caption = , pushpin map = , pushpin label position = , pushpin map alt = , pushpin mapsize = , relief = , map caption = , iso regi ...

where a magnificent monument perpetuates his memory.

Notes

References

*J. Weiss, ''Berthold von Henneberg, Erzbischof von Mainz'' (Freiburg, 1889). {{DEFAULTSORT:Henneberg-Romhild, Bertold von 1442 births 1504 deaths

Bertold Bertold may refer to: Given name *Bertold Brühaven, Teutonic knight from the then Duchy of Austria, Komtur of Königsberg from 1289 to 1302 * Bertold Eisner (1875–1956), Croatian Jewish law professor at the University of Zagreb *Bertold Hummel ( ...

Archbishop-Electors of Mainz 15th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the Holy Roman Empire 16th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the Holy Roman Empire