Rudolf of Zähringen (also ''Rudolph'', ''Ralph'' or ''Raoul'') (c. 1135 – 5 August 1191) was the archbishop of Mainz from 1160 to 1161 and prince-bishop of Liège. He was the son of Conrad I of Zähringen and Clemence of Luxembourg-Namur. After the death of

Arnold of Selenhofen Arnold of Selenhofen (c. 1095/1100 – 24 June 1160) was the archbishop of Mainz from 1153 to his assassination in the Benedictine abbey St. Jakob, where he took shelter from the raging crowd. He was born to a wealthy Mainz family. He studied a ...

, the citizens of

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Ma ...

elected him archbishop, but the city had been placed under the interdict and the aristocracy and clergy had fled to

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

, where they elected Christian of Buch instead. Neither election was recognised by the emperor, Frederick Barbarossa. At the Synod of Lodi, both archbishops-elect were deposed and Rudolf was excommunicated. In 1167, already released from his excommunication, he became bishop of Liège, a position almost as secularly important as that of Mainz. As bishop, he supported his brother,

Berthold IV, Duke of Zähringen Berthold IV, Duke of Zähringen ( – 8 December 1186) was a Duke of Zähringen and Rector of Burgundy. He was the son of Conrad I, Duke of Zähringen and Clementia of Luxembourg-Namur. He founded numerous cities, including Fribourg. Life ...

. On 11 May 1188, he arrived at the

Siege of Acre Siege of Acre may refer to: * Siege of Acre (1104), following the First Crusade *Siege of Acre (1189–1191), during the Third Crusade * Siege of Acre (1263), Baibars laid siege to the Crusader city, but abandoned it to attack Nazareth. *Siege of A ...

with an army. He died on the way back from the Crusade, at Herdern. He was buried in the monastery of Saint Peter's there.

Ancestry

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rudolf Of Zahringen 1130s births 1191 deaths Year of birth uncertain Rudolf Christians of the Third Crusade 12th-century Prince-Bishops of Liège Archbishops of Mainz People temporarily excommunicated by the Catholic Church Prince-Bishops of Liège Armed priests