Herford Abbey (german:
Frauenstift
The term (; nl, sticht) is derived from the verb (to donate) and originally meant 'a donation'. Such donations usually comprised earning assets, originally landed estates with serfs defraying dues (originally often in kind) or with vassal tenan ...
Herford) was the oldest women's religious house in the
Duchy of Saxony
The Duchy of Saxony ( nds, Hartogdom Sassen, german: Herzogtum Sachsen) was originally the area settled by the Saxons in the late Early Middle Ages, when they were subdued by Charlemagne during the Saxon Wars from 772 and incorporated into the C ...
. It was founded as a house of secular canonesses in 789, initially in Müdehorst (near the modern
Bielefeld) by a nobleman called
Waltger, who moved it in about 800 onto the lands of his estate ''Herivurth'' (later ''Oldenhervorde'') which stood at the crossing of a number of important roads and fords over the
Aa and the
Werre. The present city of
Herford grew up on this site around the abbey.
History
9th–12th centuries
The abbey was dedicated in 832 and was elevated to the status of a ''
Reichsabtei
Princely abbeys (german: Fürstabtei, ''Fürststift'') and Imperial abbeys (german: Reichsabtei, ''Reichskloster'', ''Reichsstift'', ''Reichsgotthaus'') were religious establishments within the Holy Roman Empire which enjoyed the status of impe ...
'' ("Imperial abbey") under Emperor
Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious (german: Ludwig der Fromme; french: Louis le Pieux; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aqu ...
(d. 840). In ecclesiastical matters it was answerable directly to the
Pope
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
and was endowed with a third of the estates originally intended for
Corvey Abbey
The Princely Abbey of Corvey (german: link=no, Fürststift Corvey or Fürstabtei Corvey) is a former Benedictine abbey and ecclesiastical principality now in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was one of the half-dozen self-ruling '' princel ...
.
In 860, at the instigation of the abbess Haduwy (Hedwig), the bones of Saint
Pusinna, later the patron saint of Herford, were brought from her hermitage at
Binson ("vicus bausionensis" near
Châlons-en-Champagne,
Corbie
Corbie (; nl, Korbei) is a commune of the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.
Geography
The small town is situated up river from Amiens, in the département of Somme and is the main town of the canton of Corbie. It lies ...
). The presence of these relics in the abbey increased its importance and its dedication was changed in due course to Saints Mary and Pusinna.
In the time of the abbess Matilda I her granddaughter
Matilda
Matilda or Mathilda may refer to:
Animals
* Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder
* Matilda (horse) (1824–1846), British Thoroughbred racehorse
* Matilda, a dog of the professional wrestling tag-team The ...
, later Saint Matilda, was brought up here. In 909, through the negotiations of her grandmother, she was married to
Henry, Duke of Saxony and later King Henry I of Germany.
[In 936, in memory of her late husband, Matilda founded another house of secular canonesses, the famous Quedlinburg Abbey.]
Between 919 and 924 Herford was destroyed by
Hungarians
Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the ...
but was rebuilt by 927.
''Reichsunmittelbarkeit''
In 1147 the abbey, which by this time had almost 850 estates and farms, was granted
Imperial immediacy
Imperial immediacy (german: Reichsfreiheit or ') was a privileged constitutional and political status rooted in German feudal law under which the Imperial estates of the Holy Roman Empire such as Imperial cities, prince-bishoprics and secular pri ...
(german: Reichsunmittelbarkeit). This made it an independent territory within the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 unt ...
(although admittedly a very small one, comprising part of the area of the present city of Herford) which lasted until 1803. The abbesses became Imperial princesses (german:
Reichsfürst
Prince of the Holy Roman Empire ( la, princeps imperii, german: Reichsfürst, cf. ''Fürst'') was a title attributed to a hereditary ruler, nobleman or prelate recognised as such by the Holy Roman Emperor.
Definition
Originally, possessors o ...
innen) and sat in the
Reichstag in the College of Prelates of the Rhine. The territory belonged to the
Lower Rhenish-Westphalian Circle.
The first ''
Vögte'' seem to have been the Billunger, and after they died out,
Henry the Lion
Henry the Lion (german: Heinrich der Löwe; 1129/1131 – 6 August 1195) was a member of the Welf dynasty who ruled as the duke of Saxony and Bavaria from 1142 and 1156, respectively, until 1180.
Henry was one of the most powerful German p ...
, who appointed the Counts of Schwalenberg as under-''Vögte''. From 1180, after the fall of Henry the Lion, they exercised the same function for the
Archbishopric 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 Colo ...
and the
Duchy of Westphalia
The Duchy of Westphalia (german: Herzogtum Westfalen) was a historic territory in the Holy Roman Empire, which existed from 1102 to 1803. It was located in the greater region of Westphalia, originally one of the three main regions in the Germ ...
. By 1261 the office seems to have passed to the Counts of Sternberg and in 1382 to the
Counts of Jülich-Berg.
In the vicinity of the abbey there grew up the town of Herford, which had acquired municipal rights by 1170/1180 and later, as the Reichsstadt Herford, acquired ''Reichsunmittelbarkeit'' in its own right.
By the end of the 15th century, "Sancta Herfordia" ("Holy Herford"), as it became known, had some 37 churches, chapels, monasteries and other religious houses, and hospitals. Its spiritual life was thus comparable to that of a great centre such as Cologne.
Reformation
In 1533, during the
Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
, Herford Abbey became
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...
, under the
Electors of Brandenburg
This article lists the Margraves and Electors of Brandenburg during the period of time that Brandenburg was a constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire.
The Mark, or ''March'', of Brandenburg was one of the primary constituent states of the Hol ...
. From 1649 for over a century the abbesses were all
Calvinist
Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John C ...
but that did not alter the Lutheran character of the principality.
Dissolution
In 1802 the abbey was dissolved in the course of
secularisation under the terms of the ''
Reichsdeputationshauptschluss'' and on 25 February 1803 was annexed to the
County of Ravensberg, which belonged to the
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. ...
. In 1804 it was turned into a collegiate foundation for men, and in 1810 finally suppressed.
The former abbey church remains in use as Herford Minster (''Herforder Münster'').
Abbesses
* Theodrada, Tetta (838 – after 840)
* Addila (before 844 – after 853)
* Hedwig (before 858 – after 888)
* Matilda I (before 908 – after 911;
Immedinger)
* Imma (before 973 – after 995; Billunger)
* Godesdiu (before 1002 – after 1040; Billunger)
* Swanhild (before 1051–1076)
* Gertrud I (before 1138 – after 1139)
* Jutta (Jutta of
Arnsberg
Arnsberg (; wep, Arensperg) is a town in the Hochsauerland county, in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the location of the Regierungsbezirk Arnsberg administration and one of the three local administration offices of the Hochs ...
; before 1146 – after 1162)
* Ludgard I (before 1163 – after 1170)
* Eilika (c. 1212)
* Gertrud II (Gertrud of
Lippe
Lippe () is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Herford, Minden-Lübbecke, Höxter, Paderborn, Gütersloh, and district-free Bielefeld, which forms the region Ostwestfalen-Lippe.
...
; before 1217 – after 1233)
* Ida (before 1238 – after 1264)
* Pinnosa (before 1265 – after 1276)
* Mechthild II (Mechtild of
Waldeck; before 1277 – after 1288)
* Irmgard (Irmgard of
Wittgenstein
Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein ( ; ; 26 April 1889 – 29 April 1951) was an Austrian-British philosopher who worked primarily in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of language. He is consi ...
; before 1290–1323)
* Lutgard II (Lutgard of
Bicken; 1324–1360)
* Heilwig (Heilwig of
Bentheim; 1361)
* Elisabeth I (Elisabeth of
Berg; 1361–1374)
* Hillegund (Hillegund of
Oetgenbach; 1374–1409)
* Mechthild III (Mechtild of Waldeck; 1409–1442)
** Margaret of
Brunswick-Grubenhagen, rival abbess 1442–1443
* Margaret I (Margaret of
Gleichen; 1443–1475)
** Jakobe of
Neuenahr, rival abbess 1476–1479
* Anna I (Anna of
Hunolstein; 1476–1494)
* Bonizet (Bonizet of
Limburg-Stirum; 1494–1524)
* Anna II (Anna of
Limburg; 1524–1565)
* Margaret II (Margaret of Lippe; 1565–1578)
* Felicitas I (Felicitas of
Eberstein; 1578–1586)
* Magdalene I (Magdalene of Lippe; 1586–1604)
* Felicitas II (Felicitas of Eberstein; 1604–1621)
* Magdalene II (Magdalene of Lippe; 1621–1640)
* Sidonia (Sidonia of
Oldenburg; 1640–1649)
** Maria Clara Theresa of
Wartenberg, rival abbess 1629–1631
*
Elisabeth II (Elisabeth Luise Juliana of the
Palatinate-Zweibrücken; 1649–1667)
*
Elisabeth III (Elisabeth of the
Electorate of the Palatinate
The Electoral Palatinate (german: Kurpfalz) or the Palatinate (), officially the Electorate of the Palatinate (), was a state that was part of the Holy Roman Empire. The electorate had its origins under the rulership of the Counts Palatine o ...
; 1667–1680)
*
Elisabeth IV (Elisabeth Albertine of
Anhalt-Dessau
Anhalt-Dessau was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire and later a duchy of the German Confederation. Ruled by the House of Ascania, it was created in 1396 following the partition of the Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst, and finally merged into t ...
; 1680–1686)
*
Elisabeth V (Elisabeth of
Hesse-Cassel; 1686–1688)
*
Charlotte Sophia (Charlotte Sophia of
Courland
Courland (; lv, Kurzeme; liv, Kurāmō; German and Scandinavian languages: ''Kurland''; la, Curonia/; russian: Курляндия; Estonian: ''Kuramaa''; lt, Kuršas; pl, Kurlandia) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands in western Latvia ...
; 1688–1728)
*
Johanna Charlotte (Johanna Charlotte of Anhalt-Dessau; 1729–1750)
*
Sophia (Sophia of
Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp
Holstein-Gottorp or Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp () is the historiographical name, as well as contemporary shorthand name, for the parts of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, also known as Ducal Holstein, that were ruled by the dukes of Schl ...
; 1750–1764)
*
Frederica Charlotte (Frederica Charlotte of
Brandenburg-Schwedt
Brandenburg-Schwedt was a secundogeniture of the Hohenzollern margraves of Brandenburg, established by Prince Philip William who took his residence at Schwedt Castle in 1689. By appanage, they administered the manors of Schwedt and Vierraden on th ...
; 1764–1802; d. 1808)
**
Princess Christine Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel (1766–1779) as
coadjutor The term coadjutor (or coadiutor, literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence.
These include:
* Coadj ...
abbess
Notes
References
* R. Pape: ''Über die Anfänge Herfords''. Dissertation, 1955
* A. Cohausz: ''Ein Jahrtausend geistliches Damenstift Herford''. In: ''Herforder Jahrbuch I''. 1960
* ''Herforder Geschichtsquellen''. 1968
* R. Pape: ''Waltger und die Gründung Herfords''. 1988
* R. Pape: ''Herford zur Kaiserzeit''. 1989
* R. Pape: ''Sancta Herfordia. Geschichte Herfords von den Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart''. 1989
* T. Helmert-Corvey (Hg.): ''1200 Jahre Herford''. 1989
* H. Bei der Wieden: ''Die Äbtissinnen der Reichsabtei Herford in der Neuzeit''. In: ''Historisches Jahrbuch für den Kreis Herford 2000''. 1999
* H. Bei der Wieden: ''Die Herkunft der Äbtissinnen der Reichsabtei Herford vom Ende des 13. bis zur Mitte des 17. Jahrhunderts''. In: ''Historisches Jahrbuch für den Kreis Herford 2002/2003''. 2002
External links
*
{{Authority control
Monasteries in North Rhine-Westphalia
Imperial abbeys disestablished in 1802–03
Lutheran women's religious houses
Buildings and structures in Herford (district)
8th-century establishments in Germany
Churches completed in 789
8th-century churches in Germany