Gandersheim Conflict

The Great Gandersheim Conflict was a conflict between the archbishops of Mainz and the bishops of Hildesheim concerning the jurisdiction of the Imperial free secular foundation of Gandersheim. It lasted from 1000 to 1030. During this period King Otto III., Heinrich II. and Konrad II. reigned in the Holy Roman Empire.

Background

The conflict broke out first in 987. The older sister of Otto III., Sophia, lived in Gandersheim since 979. In 987 she should become invested as a canoness, but she did not want to become invested by the local bishop of Hildesheim, Osdag of Hildesheim, but by the archbishop of Mainz, Willigis. Archbishop Willigis of Mainz made use of this situation and to file a claim to the jurisdiction of the Imperial free secular foundation of Gandersheim. The monastery was founded in Brunshausen, which belongs to the diocese of Mainz, in 852. In 856 the canonesses moved to Gandersheim, so the monastery crossed the diocese border of Mainz and Hildesheim. Mainz never accepted the new belonging of the monastery. Empress Theophanu, the mother of Sophia and Otto III. made it that both bishops, Willigis of Mainz and Osdag of Hildesheim, invested Sophia as a canoness. Consequently, the conflict was averted. One of Osdags successors, Bernward of Hildesheim, was a close friend to King Otto III. Between 995 and 997 Sophia stayed at court, which was very unusual for a canoness. Bernward sent Sophia back to Gandersheim, in consequence she got infuriated. Furthermore, Bernward arranged that Willigis was removed from the consultative group of king Otto III. because he tempted Sophia to leave the monastery.

History

After the Gandersheim Abbey had been destroyed by fire in 973 it was rebuilt and supposed to be consecrated in autumn 1000 again. Meanwhile, Sophia undertook the tasks of the abbess of Gandersheim. She wanted Willigis to consecrate the new abbey but Bernward was convinced, that the consecration of the abbey fell into his area of responsibility. Sophia only involved Willigis into the planning of the ceremony. She sent Bernward an invitation to the 14 September 1000 and Bernward accepted the date. Later Willigis rescheduled the date to the 21 September 1000, but Bernward had other commitments. He appeared in Gandersheim on the original date but the ceremony had not been prepared. So he hold a holy mass and lamented that Sophia denied him the right to consecrate the abbey. He left Gandersheim without consecrating. One week later Willigis appeared in Gandersheim. Bernward did not come due to his other commitments, so Willigis demanded for him being present the next day, otherwise he wanted to consecrate the abbey by himself. Eggehard of Schleswig, the representative of Bernward, prevented the consecration by Willigis. Willigis convened a synod in Gandersheim, where Bernward did also not appear. He was already on the way to Rome to tell the pope and king Otto III. about the happenings in Gandersheim. He reached Rome on the 4 January 1001, just two days later, a legate of Eggehard appeared and reported the arguments at the Gandersheim synod. Both, the pope and the king, were angry about the happenings and wrote a letter to Willigis in which they demanded him to hand off the rights about Gandersheim. Willigis did not react to the letter and still hindered Bernward from doing his official duties. Many more synods were necessary to solve the conflict. Unfortunately the king died a few days before the synod of Rome. Therefore, Otto III. was not able to solve the Gandersheim conflict.

His successor Heinrich II. did not solve the conflict either. The situation between the dioceses Mainz and Hildesheim was tensed. Because of this circumstance Heinrich invited both bishops on Christmas 1006 to Pöhlde. Both bishops appeared and deferred to the will of the king. The new date for the consecration of Gandersheim Abbey was the 5 January 1007. Bernward had the task to plan the ceremony. Heinrich II. participated in the consecration and during the mass he declared that the jurisdiction about Gandersheim was the task of the bishops of Hildesheim. Willigis had to agree to the compromise that he had the honor to consecrate the abbey.

After the death of Bernward Godehard of Hildesheim became the new bishop. He was invested by archbishop Aribo of Mainz, the successor of Willigis. Aribo forbade Godehard any official act or religious ceremony in Gandersheim. Godehard complained about it and Heinrich II. resolved the crisis again. He died in 1024. His successor was the first Salian King Konrad II. Aribo of Mainz was one of his closest friends and Aribo saw the opportunity to get the jurisdiction of Gandersheim again. Godehard became aware of his plan and invited Konrad II. to Hildesheim. During his stay in Hildesheim in January 1025 Aribo lamented that he and not Godehard was the authorized bishop of Gandersheim. Konrad II. gave Aribo his promise that he would solve the conflict at the diet of Goslar. Here both bishops were dispossessed. Temporary bishop Branthog of Halberstadt got the jurisdiction. Again many synods followed and no solution was found. Only in 1030 Konrad II. celebrated Pentecost in Merseburg. Here he celebrated the solution of the conflict which was found in Pöhlde some time before. Hildesheim was given the jurisdiction back. Conversely Mainz got some other villages around Gandersheim. The conflict did not arise again.

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