Hermann IV of Hesse (german: Hermann von Hessen; "the Peaceful", german: der Friedsame,

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: ''Pacificus'') (1442 – 27 September 1508) was the

Archbishop-Elector of Cologne The Archbishop of Cologne is an archbishop governing the Archdiocese of Cologne of the Catholic Church in western North Rhine-Westphalia and is also a historical state in the Rhine holding the birthplace of Beethoven and northern Rhineland-Palati ...

from 1480 to 1508 and the Prince-Bishop of Paderborn from 1498 to 1508.

Biography

Early years, 1450–1473

Hermann IV of

Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Dar ...

was born in

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ru ...

in 1442, the son of

Louis I, Landgrave of Hesse Louis I of Hesse (german: Ludwig) (6 February 1402 - 17 January 1458), called "the Peaceful", was Landgrave of Lower Hesse (Hesse) from 1413 to 1458. He was born at Spangenberg, the son of Hermann II, Landgrave of Hesse and Margaret, the dau ...

and his wife

Anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century) * Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 12 ...

, daughter of Frederick I, Elector of Saxony. As a younger son, Hermann was groomed for the church and received a number of

benefices A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

at a young age, including the provost of Aachen Cathedral and Fritzlar Cathedral;

Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

of St. Gereon's Basilica; and

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

Cologne Cathedral Cologne Cathedral (german: Kölner Dom, officially ', English: Cathedral Church of Saint Peter) is a Catholic cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archdiocese o ...

(in 1461) and

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 ...

(in 1463). He is listed on the register of

University of Cologne The University of Cologne (german: Universität zu Köln) is a university in Cologne, Germany. It was established in the year 1388 and is one of the most prestigious and research intensive universities in Germany. It was the sixth university to ...

for 1462 and later studied at the

Charles University in Prague ) , image_name = Carolinum_Logo.svg , image_size = 200px , established = , type = Public, Ancient , budget = 8.9 billion CZK , rector = Milena Králíčková , faculty = 4,057 , administrative_staff = 4,026 , students = 51,438 , undergr ...

. In 1472, Hermann made a bid to become

Bishop of Hildesheim This list records the incumbents of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hildesheim (german: link=no, Bistum Hildesheim). Between 1235 and 1803 the bishops simultaneously officiating as rulers of princely rank (prince-bishop) in the Prince-Bishopric of ...

, but was forced to withdraw from the episcopal election after he failed to secure papal recognition. He became

diocesan administrator :''See: Catholic Church hierarchy#Equivalents of diocesan bishops in law'' A diocesan administrator is a provisional ordinary of a Roman Catholic particular church. Diocesan administrators in canon law The college of consultors elects an admin ...

of the

Archdiocese of Cologne The Archdiocese of Cologne ( la, Archidioecesis Coloniensis; german: Erzbistum Köln) is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in western North Rhine-Westphalia and northern Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. History The Electorate of Cologn ...

in 1473.

Role in the Siege of Neuss, 1474–1475

As diocesan administrator of the Archdiocese of Cologne, Hermann was involved in the

Cologne Ecclesiastical Conflict Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 million ...

(german: Kölner Stiftsfehde) at the time that

Charles the Bold Charles I (Charles Martin; german: Karl Martin; nl, Karel Maarten; 10 November 1433 – 5 January 1477), nicknamed the Bold (German: ''der Kühne''; Dutch: ''de Stoute''; french: le Téméraire), was Duke of Burgundy from 1467 to 1477. ...

launched the

Siege of Neuss The siege of Neuss, from 1474–75, was linked to the Cologne Diocesan Feud and part of the Burgundian Wars. The siege, led by Charles the Bold against the Imperial City of Neuss, was unsuccessful. Charles was compelled by the approach of a power ...

. In November 1475, Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor appointed Hermann ''Stiftsgubernator''.

Archbishop of Cologne, 1480–1508

Hermann assumed control of the administration of the Archdiocese of Cologne following the arrest of Archbishop Ruprecht of the Palatinate in 1478. After Ruprecht's death on 26 July 1480, Hermann was elected as his successor on 11 August 1480. Pope Innocent VIII confirmed his appointment in November 1480. After many turbulent years, Hermann devoted himself to the administrative and financial recovery of the archdiocese. For the 28 years of peace and stability, Hermann earned himself the moniker of "the Peaceful".

Prince-Bishop of Paderborn, 1498–1508

In 1495, Hermann became coadjutor bishop of the

Prince-Bishopric of Paderborn The Prince-Bishopric of Paderborn (german: Fürstbistum Paderborn; Hochstift Paderborn) was an ecclesiastical principality ( Hochstift) of the Holy Roman Empire from 1281 to 1802. History The Diocese of Paderborn was founded in 799 by Pop ...

. He was elected Prince-Bishop of Paderborn on 7 March 1498. He set himself against Philip of Cleves, Dean of

Strasbourg Cathedral Strasbourg Cathedral or the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg (french: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg, or ''Cathédrale de Strasbourg'', german: Liebfrauenmünster zu Straßburg or ''Straßburger Münster''), also known as Strasbourg ...

and his brother

John II, Duke of Cleves John II, "The Babymaker", Duke of Cleves, Count of Mark, (German: Johann II. "der Kindermacher", Herzog von Kleve, Graf von Mark) (13 April 1458 – 15 March 1521) was a son of John I, Duke of Cleves and Elizabeth of Nevers. He ruled Cleves f ...

but could not ultimately prevail. Hermann was allied with

Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I (22 March 1459 – 12 January 1519) was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1508 until his death. He was never crowned by the pope, as the journey to Rome was blocked by the Venetians. He proclaimed himself E ...

and Pope Alexander VI. The ''

Reichskammergericht 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 ...

'' upheld Hermann's jurisdiction over the eastern part of Paderborn. He held a ''Lehenstag'' in Paderborn on 1 October 1500 to allow the nobles of Paderborn to pay homage to him. The ''Reichskammergericht'' also restored Helmarshausen and

Delbrück Delbrück () is a town in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the district Paderborn. History The first document mentioning the town dates to 1219. In 1410, the town was destroyed by fire during a conflict between the bisho ...

to the bishop. Hermann took his role as a spiritual pastor seriously and intensified episcopal oversight of the monasteries. He read

mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different eleme ...

and prayed the breviary regularly, and performed other episcopal liturgical acts. He arranged for the financing to build the church in Bevern in 1501, and consecrated the church in 1506.

Death

Hermann died on 27 September 1508. He was buried in

and his heart was buried in the castle church in Brühl, North Rhine-Westphalia.

Ancestors

References

* This page is based on this page on German Wikipedia. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hermann 04 of Hesse 1450 births 1508 deaths Archbishop-Electors of Cologne Burials at Cologne Cathedral Prince-Bishops of Paderborn Sons of monarchs