Konrad von Bussnang (died December 20, 1239) was
abbot of the
Abbey of Saint Gall from 1226 to 1239. He descended from the barons von Bussnang from the
Canton of Thurgau
Thurgau (; french: Thurgovie; it, Turgovia), anglicized as Thurgovia, more formally the Canton of Thurgau, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of five districts and its capital is Frauenfeld.
Thurgau is part ...
. He is first mentioned in records as
provost in 1221.
Works
Konrad was elected the new abbot by the
conventuals of Saint Gall immediately after they had received the news of Abbot Rudolf von Güttingen's death (1226 in Rome). The rapid electoral procedure should prevent the interference of the ministeriales. Abbot Konrad had his election confirmed by King
Henry VII in
Ãœberlingen
Überlingen is a German city on the northern shore of Lake Constance (Bodensee) in Baden-Württemberg near the border with Switzerland. After the city of Friedrichshafen, it is the second largest city in the Bodenseekreis (district), and a cent ...
. He purchased the lien for the monastery's bailiwick for 600 mark, whereby he wanted to prevent Count Hartmann von Kyburg's buying parts of it. He concentrated his duties on reducing the debt from his predecessor's, Rudolf von Güttingen's, reign. By means of an enforced additional tax, he was able to satisfy the
creditor
A creditor or lender is a party (e.g., person, organization, company, or government) that has a claim on the services of a second party. It is a person or institution to whom money is owed. The first party, in general, has provided some property ...
s, a
consortium
A consortium (plural: consortia) is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations or governments (or any combination of these entities) with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for ...
of Italian merchants.
Being a loyal supporter of the
Staufer family, Konrad became one of the most important advisers to King
Henry VII after 1228, who, in thanks, gave him a farm near Kriessern. The bonds of loyalty were broken when Henry VII challenged Emperor
Frederick II. Henceforth, Abbot Konrad belonged to the party that was loyal to the emperor. As a reward, the emperor supported Konrad's
ambitions as heir of Friedrich von Toggenburg. Since the latter had been killed by his brother Diethelm II von Toggenburg, his parents transferred the property of Toggenburg and the city of
Wil to the Abbot of Saint Gall. A conflict ensued about the heritage of Toggenburg that lasted for years and was finally, in 1236, decided by Emperor Frederick II in favour of the abbot .
Konrad von Bussnang maintained a costly household that, together with his war against Count Diethelm II von Toggenburg, devoured a considerable amount of money. He collected the necessary means from his subjects. When a number of Saint Gall's discontented citizens wanted to unite with the people from Appenzell, he had the houses of fifteen citizens torn down. Due to this uncompromising tax policy and his skilful acquisition policy, which was legally secured by a papal document on 5 May 1234, the abbey was free from debt at the end of his reign. Abbot Konrad died on 20 December 1239 and was entombed in
Salem Abbey
Salem Abbey (german: Kloster Salem) was a very prominent Cistercian monastery in Salem in the district of Bodensee about ten miles from Konstanz, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The buildings are now owned by the State of Baden-Württemberg and a ...
.
Notes and references
External links
Konrad von Bussnangon the website of the Stiftsarchiv St. Gallen.
Konrad von Bussnangin the Stadtlexikon Wil. Quoted after Duft, Johannes: ''Die Abtei St. Gallen''.
* Bless-Grabher, Magdalen. 2003: "Konrad von Bussnang"
Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Konrad von Bussnang
1239 deaths
Year of birth unknown
Abbots of Saint Gall