Berengar II, Count Of Sulzbach
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Count Berengar II of Sulzbach (c. 1080–83 – 3 December 1125), sometimes known as Berengar I of Sulzbach, was Count of Sulzbach in Bavaria. Berengar was a leader of the reform party. He sided with
Pope Gregory VII Pope Gregory VII (; 1015 – 25 May 1085), born Hildebrand of Sovana (), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 April 1073 to his death in 1085. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church. One of the great ...
during the
Investiture Controversy The Investiture Controversy or Investiture Contest (, , ) was a conflict between church and state in medieval Europe, the Church and the state in medieval Europe over the ability to choose and install bishops (investiture), abbots of monasteri ...
in opposition to
Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV (; 11 November 1050 – 7 August 1106) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 to 1105, King of Germany from 1054 to 1105, King of Italy and List of kings of Burgundy, Burgundy from 1056 to 1105, and Duke of Bavaria from 1052 to 1054. He was t ...
, and supported
Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1216–1281 ...
in his successful rebellion against his father. He is known as the founder of several abbeys.


Family

Berengar was the son of Count Gebhard II of Sulzbach (died 1085) and Irmgard of Rott (died 14 June 1101). His sister Adelaide may have married Count Siboto II of Weyarn-Falkenstein, who was later the advocate of Baumburg Abbey. The Weyarns at first supported Henry IV in his conflict with
Pope Gregory VII Pope Gregory VII (; 1015 – 25 May 1085), born Hildebrand of Sovana (), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 April 1073 to his death in 1085. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church. One of the great ...
during the
Investiture Controversy The Investiture Controversy or Investiture Contest (, , ) was a conflict between church and state in medieval Europe, the Church and the state in medieval Europe over the ability to choose and install bishops (investiture), abbots of monasteri ...
. Later Siboto II was associated with the pro-papal side that included the Sulzbachs. Around 1099 Berengar married Adelaide, widow and heiress of Count Udalric of Passau, nicknamed "the very rich". Count Udalric's cousin, the Count palatine Rapoto of Bavaria, had died around the same time as Udalric and had been succeeded by Berengar's relative Diepold III, margrave of the Nordgau in Bavaria, who inherited the titles of Count of Cham and Margrave of Vuhburg. Berengar was married to Adelheid von Lechsgemünd for over six years until her death in 1105. This marriage seems to have been childless. Berengar's second wife was Adelheid von Dießen-Wolfratshausen, with whom he had six children, Four of these children married into the highest circles. His son, Count Gebhard III of Sulzbach, married Matilda, daughter of
Henry IX, Duke of Bavaria Henry IX (107513 December 1126), was a member of the House of Welf, a powerful dynasty in medieval Germany. He was born around 1075 and died in 1126. Henry IX is often referred to as “Henry the Black” (Heinrich der Schwarze) and ruled as Duk ...
. His daughter Gertrude was the wife of King
Conrad III of Germany Conrad III (; ; 1093 or 1094 – 15 February 1152) of the Hohenstaufen dynasty was from 1116 to 1120 Duke of Franconia, from 1127 to 1135 anti-king of his predecessor Lothair III, and from 1138 until his death in 1152 King of the Romans in t ...
. And Luitgarde was the wife of
Godfrey II, Count of Louvain Godfrey II (; 1110 – 13 June 1142) was the count of Louvain, Duke of Brabant, landgrave of Brabant by inheritance from 23 January 1139. He was the son of Godfrey I of Louvain, Godfrey I and Ida of Chiny. He was also the duke of Lower Lorraine ( ...
and Duke of Lower Lorraine. In 1143 his daughter Bertha, later known as Irene, married the Emperor
Manuel I Komnenos Manuel I Komnenos (; 28 November 1118 – 24 September 1180), Latinized as Comnenus, also called Porphyrogenitus (; " born in the purple"), was a Byzantine emperor of the 12th century who reigned over a crucial turning point in the history o ...
of Byzantium (c. 1120–1180).


Advisor to Henry V

On 5 February 1104 Count Sigehard of Burghausen was murdered, and
Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV (; 11 November 1050 – 7 August 1106) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 to 1105, King of Germany from 1054 to 1105, King of Italy and List of kings of Burgundy, Burgundy from 1056 to 1105, and Duke of Bavaria from 1052 to 1054. He was t ...
, was blamed for the crime. Berengar was one of the Bavarian Nordgau princes who held the emperor responsible for the murder. They encouraged
Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1216–1281 ...
to rebel against his father. The noble reform party thought that the Henry IV was leading the people to destruction and only the true church, the church of the Gregorian and Monastic Reform, could point the way to salvation. On 12 December 1104 King Henry V with a small retinue left his father's camp in
Fritzlar Fritzlar () is a small town (pop. 15,000) in the Schwalm-Eder-Kreis, Schwalm-Eder district in northern Hesse, Germany, north of Frankfurt, with a storied history. The town has a medieval center ringed by a wall with numerous watch towers. high ...
and took refuge in Bavaria, the start of the rebellion. During the struggle from 1104 to 1106 Berengar was often with Henry V and one of his key advisers in affairs of the kingdom. In 1106 Henry IV took refuge from his son in
Regensburg Regensburg (historically known in English as Ratisbon) is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the rivers Danube, Naab and Regen (river), Regen, Danube's northernmost point. It is the capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the ...
, calling for assistance from the Czech Duke Bořivoj. The Czech army came up, but when they saw that Henry V was supported by Margrave Diepold III and Count Berengar they retreated. The emperor continued his flight, and died at Liège on 8 August 1106. Between 1108 and 1111 Berengar took part in the campaigns in
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
and
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
and on Henry's expedition to
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
. From January 1116 to autumn 1119 there is no sign of his presence at the royal court of Henry V. It is believed that during this time Count Berengar dedicated his absence from the royal court to increasing his monasteries. Henry V died on 23 May 1125. Berengar was present at the emperor's funeral, and was one of the signatories to a letter inviting the leading men of the kingdom to attend a diet on 25 August 1125 to elect a successor. The first signatory was Adalbert I, Archbishop of Mainz, the archchancellor of Germany. The other secular signatories were
Henry IX, Duke of Bavaria Henry IX (107513 December 1126), was a member of the House of Welf, a powerful dynasty in medieval Germany. He was born around 1075 and died in 1126. Henry IX is often referred to as “Henry the Black” (Heinrich der Schwarze) and ruled as Duk ...
,
Frederick II, Duke of Swabia Frederick II (, 1090 – 6 April 1147), called the One-Eyed (), was Duke of Swabia from 1105 until his death, the second from the Hohenstaufen dynasty. His younger brother Conrad was elected King of the Romans in 1138. Life Early career Fr ...
and Godfrey, Count Palatine. Berengar died on 3 December 1125 and was succeeded by his son Gebhard III.


Religious foundations

As one of the leaders of the ecclesiastical reform circle in
Upper Bavaria Upper Bavaria (, ; ) is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany. Geography Upper Bavaria is located in the southern portion of Bavaria, and is centered on the city of Munich, both state capital and seat of the district gove ...
,
Swabia Swabia ; , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of Swabia, one of ...
and
Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...
Berengar was one of the founders of the Abbeys of
Berchtesgaden Berchtesgaden () is a municipality in the district Berchtesgadener Land, Bavaria, in southeastern Germany, near the border with Austria, south of Salzburg and southeast of Munich. It lies in the Berchtesgaden Alps. South of the town, the Be ...
, Kastl, and Baumberg.


Berchtesgaden Provostry

Berengar's first monastery foundation, the
Berchtesgaden Provostry Berchtesgaden Provostry or the Prince-Provostry of Berchtesgaden () was an immediate (') principality of the Holy Roman Empire, held by a canonry (a collegiate foundation of Canons Regular) led by a Prince-Provost. Geography The territory co ...
, was commissioned by his mother Irmgard of Rott. According to legend, it was founded in fulfillment of a vow of thanksgiving for the salvation of his father, Gebhard II of Sulzbach, after a hunting accident at the rock on which the Berchtesgaden Collegiate Church stands today. His mother Irmgard owned Berchtesgaden from her first marriage with Count Engelbert V of Chiemgau, and as his widow had made a vow to have a house built for use by an "assembly of clergy of communal life" ("congregatio clericorum communis vite"). Due to various worldly affairs Irmgard did not have the time to found the congregation, so shortly before her death she commissioned Berengar with the task, to promote his and her salvation. In the year of his mother's death, 1101, Berengar appointed the canon Eberwin as the first provost. Under his guidance, he sent three Augustinian canons and four lay brothers to Berchtesgaden from
Rottenbuch Abbey Rottenbuch Abbey () in Rottenbuch was founded as an Augustinian monastery in 1073 on land granted by Duke Welf I of Bavaria and his wife Judith of Flanders (died 1095), Judith of Flanders. The Abbey church was constructed between 1085 and 1125 i ...
, the mother abbey of the Augustinians in
Altbayern Altbayern (; , also written Altbaiern, English: "Old Bavaria") is the territory and people of the three oldest parts of the present Free State of Bavaria, which were earlier known as Kurbayern (English: "Electoral Bavaria") after the former Elect ...
and a center of the canonical reform movement. Berengar and his half-brother Kuno von Horburg-Lechsgemünd then requested papal confirmation for the founding of the monastery. Probably in 1102 and no later than 1105 Kuno von Horburg and Eberwin traveled to Rome on behalf of Berengar.
Pope Paschal II Pope Paschal II (; 1050  1055 – 21 January 1118), born Raniero Raineri di Bleda, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 August 1099 to his death in 1118. A monk of the Abbey of Cluny, he was creat ...
had very likely on 7 April 1102 placed the Count's monastery under his protection. He confirmed this privilege in writing to Berengar and Kuno von Horburg. According to the ''Fundatio monasterii Berchtesgadensis'' the Augustinians at first found the lonely wilderness of Berchtesgaden, with its terrifying mountain forests, and permanent ice and snow a very inhospitable place, and sought somewhere more suitable.


Kastl Abbey

After the Lateran council of March/April 1102, on 12 May 1102 Berengar was granted the privilege of founding the St Peter monastery in Kastl according to the Hirsauer reform. Berengar co-founded the abbey with Count Friedrich of Kastl-Habsberg and his son Otto. Diepold III of Cham-Vohburg also assisted with the foundation.


Baumburg Abbey

In 1102 Paschal gave Berengar the privilege of founding Baumburg Abbey. In 1104–06 Berengar was deeply involved in the struggles of Henry V against his father Emperor Henry IV, and was unable to implement the wishes of his wife Adelheid von Lechsgemünd to spend the inheritance from her first two marriages to establish a Reform congregation. Adelheid therefore felt compelled before her death (1104/1105) to place her husband and a dozen selected ministers under oath to establish a regular canons monastery to the north of lake
Chiemsee Chiemsee () is a freshwater lake in Bavaria, Germany, near Rosenheim. It is often called "the Bavarian Sea". The rivers Tiroler Achen and Prien (river), Prien flow into the lake from the south, and the river Alz flows out towards the north. The ...
and to annex the existing church of St. Margaret in Baumburg. But to found two monasteries within three or four years and to participate in the reform of the Kastl Abbey at the same time gave him great difficulty. He therefore followed the urging of his church officials and expanded Baumburg with goods from Berchtesgaden so he would have at least one well-equipped monastery, and would meet the wishes of his mother and first wife. In 1107, or at the latest in 1109, Eberwin and his monks from Berchtesgaden founded Baumburg Abbey in the north of the present Traunstein district. Later, probably around 1116, Eberwin returned to Berchtesgaden where the first major land clearing was undertaken and the Augustinians settled permanently. The independence of Berchtesgaden was not secure, since Gottschalk (ca. 1120–1163), provost of Baumburg, was not willing to accept the loss of the Berchtesgaden assets. After Berengar died in 1125, Gottschalk challenged the legality of the separation and asked Archbishop
Conrad I of Salzburg Conrad I f Abenberg(, c. 1075 – 9 April 1147) was Archbishop of Salzburg, Austria, in the first half of the 12th century. Born into the Abenberg- Frensdorf nobility, Conrad was raised for a clerical career at the court of Emperor Henry IV, whe ...
for an injunction to re-merge the properties. Conrad finally confirmed the independence of both monasteries in 1136, which was confirmed by
Pope Innocent II Pope Innocent II (; died 24 September 1143), born Gregorio Papareschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 February 1130 to his death in 1143. His election as Pope was controversial, and the first eight years o ...
in 1142.


References


Sources

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