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Adolf I von Nassau (born Adolf von Nassau-Wiesbaden-Idstein, –6 February 1390) was
Bishop of Speyer The Bishop of Speyer is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Speyer, which is a suffragan see of the Archdiocese of Bamberg.
1371–1388 and
Archbishop of Mainz The Elector of Mainz was one of the seven Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire. As both the Archbishop of Mainz and the ruling prince of the Electorate of Mainz, the Elector of Mainz held a powerful position during the Middle Ages. The Archb ...
1381–1390.


Life

Adolf was born as son of Count Adolf I, the Count of
Nassau-Wiesbaden-Idstein The House of Nassau is a diversified aristocratic dynasty in Europe. It is named after the lordship associated with Nassau Castle, located in present-day Nassau, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The lords of Nassau were originally titled "Count o ...
. His grandfather was
Adolf, King of the Romans Adolf (c. 1255 – 2 July 1298) was the count of Nassau from about 1276 and the elected king of Germany from 1292 until his deposition by the prince-electors in 1298. He was never crowned by the pope, which would have secured him the imperi ...
. When his uncle,
Archbishop of Mainz The Elector of Mainz was one of the seven Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire. As both the Archbishop of Mainz and the ruling prince of the Electorate of Mainz, the Elector of Mainz held a powerful position during the Middle Ages. The Archb ...
died in 1371, he was chosen by the Cathedral chapter as his successor against Kuno II von Falkenstein; however, he had to yield to , the preferred candidate of Emperor Charles IV, who was appointed by Pope
Gregory XI Pope Gregory XI ( la, Gregorius, born Pierre Roger de Beaufort; c. 1329 – 27 March 1378) was head of the Catholic Church from 30 December 1370 to his death in March 1378. He was the seventh and last Avignon pope and the most recent French po ...
. Adolf was made
Bishop of Speyer The Bishop of Speyer is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Speyer, which is a suffragan see of the Archdiocese of Bamberg.
instead, a position freed up because moved from Speyer to the previous position of Johann and became
Bishop of Strasbourg {{Unreferenced, date=December 2009 These persons were bishop, archbishop or prince-bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Strasbourg (including historically Prince-Bishopric of Strasbourg): Bishops and prince-bishops * Amandus *Justinu ...
. When Johann died in 1373, the Mainz Cathedral chapter again supported Adolf, but on the request of Emperor Charles IV, Gregory XI appointed Louis of Meissen. However, Adolf had actual control over most of the
Electorate of Mainz The Electorate of Mainz (german: Kurfürstentum Mainz or ', la, Electoratus Moguntinus), previously known in English as Mentz and by its French name Mayence, was one of the most prestigious and influential states of the Holy Roman Empire. In the ...
. After the death of Gregory XI, Adolf used the
Western Schism The Western Schism, also known as the Papal Schism, the Vatican Standoff, the Great Occidental Schism, or the Schism of 1378 (), was a split within the Catholic Church lasting from 1378 to 1417 in which bishops residing in Rome and Avignon bo ...
and had himself confirmed by the Avignon pope
Clement VII Pope Clement VII ( la, Clemens VII; it, Clemente VII; born Giulio de' Medici; 26 May 1478 – 25 September 1534) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 November 1523 to his death on 25 September 1534. Deemed "the ...
. In 1381, Adolf was accepted as archbishop of Mainz also by the Roman pope
Urban VI Pope Urban VI ( la, Urbanus VI; it, Urbano VI; c. 1318 – 15 October 1389), born Bartolomeo Prignano (), was head of the Catholic Church from 8 April 1378 to his death in October 1389. He was the most recent pope to be elected from outside the ...
and by Charles IV's successor as King of the Germans, Wenceslaus IV. During his reign, Adolf was in conflict with
Rupert I, Elector Palatine Rupert I "the Red", Elector Palatine (; 9 June 1309, Wolfratshausen – 16 February 1390, Neustadt an der Weinstraße) was Count Palatine of the Rhine from 1353 to 1356, and Elector Palatine from 10 January 1356 to 16 February 1390. He was t ...
, a supporter of the Roman papacy. Adolf used his position to further his family's territorial interests and to enlarge its power. On Adolf's initiative, the creation of the
University of Erfurt The University of Erfurt (german: Universität Erfurt) is a public university located in Erfurt, the capital city of the German state of Thuringia. It was founded in 1379, and closed in 1816. It was re-established in 1994, three years after Germ ...
was confirmed by Pope Urban VI in 1389. Adolf died on 6 February 1390 in Heiligenstadt. He is buried in
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.


References


Bibliography

* * * * * {{authority control 1350s births 1390 deaths Roman Catholic bishops of Speyer Archbishops of Mainz Sons of monarchs