Baldwin of Luxembourg (c. 1285 – 21 January 1354) was the
archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
and
elector of Trier
The elector of Trier was one of the prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire and, in his capacity as archbishop, administered the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trier, archdiocese of Trier. The territories of the Electorate of Trier, electorate and t ...
and
archchancellor
An archchancellor (, ) or chief chancellor was a title given to the highest dignitary of the Holy Roman Empire, and also used occasionally during the Middle Ages to denote an official who supervised the work of chancellors or notaries.
The Car ...
of
Burgundy
Burgundy ( ; ; Burgundian: ''Bregogne'') is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. ...
from 1307 to his death. From 1328 to 1336, he was the
administrator
Administrator or admin may refer to:
Job roles Computing and internet
* Database administrator, a person who is responsible for the environmental aspects of a database
* Forum administrator, one who oversees discussions on an Internet forum
* N ...
of the
archdiocese of Mainz
The Electorate of Mainz ( or '; ), 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 hierarchy of the Catholic Church, the Archbishop-Elec ...
and from 1331 to 1337 (with interruptions) of the dioceses of
Worms
The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive catalogue and list of names of marine organisms.
Content
The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scien ...
and
Speyer
Speyer (, older spelling ; ; ), historically known in English as Spires, is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate in the western part of the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located on the left bank of the r ...
. He was one of the most prominent German prelates and statesmen of his age, and the most effective ruler of Trier during the late Middle Ages.
Life
Baldwin was born in
Luxembourg
Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
to Count
Henry VI and his wife,
Beatrice of Avesnes, Henry died at the
Battle of Worringen
The Battle of Worringen was fought on 5 June 1288 near the town of Worringen (also spelled Woeringen), which is now part of Chorweiler, the northernmost borough (Stadtbezirk) of Cologne. It was the decisive battle of the War of the Limburg Succe ...
in 1288.
Baldwin was intended for an ecclesiastic career at an early age. He studied
theology
Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...
and
canon law
Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...
at the
University of Paris
The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...
, for his family was on good terms with the
Capetian court of
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. He was only twenty-two years of age when elected Archbishop of Trier in 1307. In 1308, he was consecrated bishop by
Pope Clement V
Pope Clement V (; – 20 April 1314), born Raymond Bertrand de Got (also occasionally spelled ''de Guoth'' and ''de Goth''), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 5 June 1305 to his death, in April 1314. He is reme ...
in
Poitiers
Poitiers is a city on the river Clain in west-central France. It is a commune in France, commune, the capital of the Vienne (department), Vienne department and the historical center of Poitou, Poitou Province. In 2021, it had a population of 9 ...
. He quickly became one of the most influential princes in Germany, influencing the election that year of his brother
Henry VII as
King
King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
and
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...
. From 1310 to 1313, Baldwin accompanied Henry in
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, where he was crowned emperor in
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, ...
on 29 June 1312.
In the election which followed Henry's early death the next year, Baldwin lent his support to
Louis the Bavarian
Louis IV (; 1 April 1282 – 11 October 1347), called the Bavarian (, ), was King of the Romans from 1314, King of Italy from 1327, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1328 until his death in 1347.
Louis' election as king of Germany in 1314 was cont ...
. He later repudiated the Bavarian, however, and moved to support his great-nephew
Charles IV in 1346. He was Charles's greatest supporter in the west of the realm.
From 1324 to 1326, he was one of the four lords in the
Four Lords' War
The War of MetzPeter Fraser Purton, ''A History of the Late Medieval Siege, 1200-1500'', (The Boydell Press, 2010), 143–144 or War of Four LordsZdeněk Žalud, "Financiers to the Blind King: Funding the Court of John the Blind (1310–1346)", in ...
against
Metz
Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...
. In 1328, he was captured on the
Moselle
The Moselle ( , ; ; ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a bank (geography), left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it joins at Koblenz. A sm ...
by troops of
Loretta of Sponheim
Loretta of Sponheim (born ''ca''. 1300; died 1346) was a German noblewoman. She was regent of the German County of Sponheim on behalf of her son, count John III, during his minority from 1324 to 1331.
Biography
Loretta was born in the Vosges ...
, regent for her son,
Johann III, Count of Sponheim-Starkenburg
Johann III, Count of Sponheim-Starkenburg, the Older (ca. 1315 – 30 December 1398), reigned over the County of Sponheim for 67 years. He also received many epithets such as "the Noble" and, because of his declining vision, "the Blind".
Life and ...
, and held at
Starkenburg
Starkenburg is an historical region in the States of Germany, State of Hesse, Germany, comprising the area south of the Main (river), Main River and east of the Rhine, around the regional capital Darmstadt.
Geography
The region is named after ...
castle. He was only released after a ransom was paid and concessions made.
[John Murray III, ''Murray's Guides, Handbook to Belgium and the Rhine'', London, John Murray (1852), pp. 318-319.] Likewise in that year, he was put forward by his own cathedral chapter as a candidate for the vacant Mainz archdiocese, but the Pope appointed . Baldwin did govern the archbishopric until the so-called "Mainz Schism" was terminated by the
Avignon
Avignon (, , ; or , ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the Communes of France, commune had a ...
''
curia
Curia (: curiae) in ancient Rome referred to one of the original groupings of the citizenry, eventually numbering 30, and later every Roman citizen was presumed to belong to one. While they originally probably had wider powers, they came to meet ...
'' in 1336. During that time period, from 1331 to 1337, Baldwin had as well endeavoured to control the dioceses of Worms and Speyer.
Baldwin, like most medieval bishops, was a patron of his
see. He built the Balduinbrücke (Baldwin's Bridge) in
Koblenz
Koblenz ( , , ; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz'') is a German city on the banks of the Rhine (Middle Rhine) and the Moselle, a multinational tributary.
Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman military p ...
and repaired the old Roman bridge in Trier. He reformed the administration of the archdiocese and preserved official documents. He had many copies made and four manuscript copies of the archives of the diocese survive in the main national archives in Koblenz. Baldwin also strove to connect the various regions of his diocese (Trier and Koblenz). He did not shy away from military methods.
He died in a monastic cell in the local
Charterhouse
Charterhouse may refer to:
* Charterhouse (monastery), of the Carthusian religious order
Charterhouse may also refer to:
Places
* The Charterhouse, Coventry, a former monastery
* Charterhouse School, an English public school in Surrey
London ...
and was buried in the west choir of
Trier Cathedral
The High Cathedral of Saint Peter in Trier (), or Trier Cathedral (), is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the oldest cathedral in Germany and the largest religious structure in Trier, notable for its long l ...
.
See also
*''
Codex Balduini Trevirensis''
References
Sources
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baldwin of Luxembourg
Archbishop-electors of Trier
14th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the Holy Roman Empire
House of Luxembourg
1280s births
1354 deaths
Year of birth uncertain
Medieval Luxembourgian nobility
14th-century Luxembourgian people
Sons of counts