Heinrich von Mansdorf (born before 1419; died 13 September 1426 in
Freiburg im Breisgau) was
abbot
Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The ...
of the
Abbey of Saint Gall
The Abbey of Saint Gall (german: Abtei St. Gallen) is a dissolved abbey (747–1805) in a Catholic religious complex in the city of St. Gallen in Switzerland. The Carolingian-era monastery existed from 719, founded by Saint Othmar on the spot ...
from 1419 to 1426.
Life
Heinrich became Abbot of Saint Gall after Konrad von Pegau had abdicated. He was appointed by Pope
Martin V
Pope Martin V ( la, Martinus V; it, Martino V; January/February 1369 – 20 February 1431), born Otto (or Oddone) Colonna, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 November 1417 to his death in February 1431. Hi ...
. Before that, he had been
provost of the Abbey of Schkölen in the
Bishopric of Naumburg-Zeitz
The Prince-Bishopric of Naumburg-Zeitz (german: Bistum Naumburg-Zeitz; la, Citizensis, then ' or ') was a medieval diocese in the central German area between Leipzig in the east and Erfurt in the west. The seat of the bishop was Zeitz Cathedral in ...
.
Works
As was the custom, Heinrich soon after his inauguration, on 9 July 1419, confirmed the rights and liberties of the city of Saint Gall. On 10 und 11 August 1419, he confirmed those of the city of
Wil
Wil () is the capital of the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of Wil in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.
Wil is the third largest city in the Canton of St. Gallen, after the city of St. Gallen and Rapperswil-Jona, a twin city that merged in ...
and on 27 August those of the city of
Wangen. Abbot Heinrich tried to enhance the economic foundation of the abbey. To this end, he wanted to resolve the dispute with
Appenzell, which had begun during the reign of Kuno von Stoffeln and had culminated in the
Appenzell Wars
The Appenzell Wars (german: Appenzeller Kriege) were a series of conflicts that lasted from 1401 until 1429 in the Appenzell region of modern-day Switzerland. The wars consisted of uprisings of cooperative groups, such as the farmers of Appenzell ...
in which Saint Gall had been defeated. For 11 years, the Appenzeller had been refusing to pay interest. The seven villages held several fruitless law conferences and finally, on 6 May 1421, made an award that was accepted by Abbot Heinrich, but ignored by the Appenzeller. Heinrich's request for King Sigismund's support was also unsuccessful: the king confirmed all fiefs, rights and liberties of the monastery on 10 August 1422 and admonished the surrounding forces to attend to the Abbey of Saint Gall's business, but nobody acted on this admonition. Eventually, the church authorities supported Heinrich. On 10 December 1425, the Domscholasticus of Speyer, Berchtold von Wildungen, assumed the regularisation of Appenzell. On 4 February 1426, he called on the Appenzeller to subject to the abbey's rule within 30 days. The Appenzeller thereupon agreed to negotiations, but they were too late: on 10 April 1426, they were excommunicated. Abbot Heinrich died on the journey back from
Speyer
Speyer (, older spelling ''Speier'', French: ''Spire,'' historical English: ''Spires''; pfl, Schbaija) is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located on the left bank of the river Rhine, Speyer li ...
, where he had pursued the aggravation of the Appenzeller banishment, in Freiburg im Breisgau. He was buried in St. Blasien.
References
Further reading
* Gössi, Anton: ''Kurzbiographien der Äbte''. in: Johannes Duft, Anton Gössi, and Werner Vogler (eds.): ''Die Abtei St. Gallen''. St. Gallen 1986, p. 145-46.
External links
* Vogler, Werner. 2008: "Heinrich von Mansdorf"
Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heinrich von Mansdorf
1426 deaths
Year of birth unknown
Abbots of Saint Gall