Adolf of Altena facts for kids

Adolf of Altena, also known as Adolf of Berg or Adolf of Cologne, was born around 1157. He was an important church leader who served as the Archbishop of Cologne from 1193 to 1205. He passed away on April 15, 1220, in Neuss.

Biography

Adolf was the second son of Count Eberhard of Berg-Altena and his wife, Adelheid von Arnsberg.

Around 1177, he became a church official in Cologne. Later, in 1183, he became the Dean of the Cathedral, and in 1191, he was named the Cathedral Provost. After his uncle, Bruno III of Berg, stepped down, Adolf became the Archbishop of Cologne in 1193. He was known as Adolf I or Adolf I von Altena.

In March 1194, Adolf was officially made a bishop by Hermann II of Katzenelnbogen, the Prince-Bishop of Münster. That same year, Adolf played a big part in helping to free King Richard I of England. He welcomed King Richard with great ceremony in Cologne in February 1194.

Adolf was against Emperor Henry VI's idea to make the empire's leadership passed down in his family. At Christmas in 1195, Adolf refused Henry's wish to elect his son, Frederick Roger, as the next king. He stopped opposing this idea in August 1197. However, after Henry VI died, Adolf said the election was not valid. He argued that the candidate was not baptized and the Emperor had pressured the important leaders who chose the king.

This led to a big fight for the German throne between two powerful families: the Hohenstaufen and the Welfs. On July 12, 1198, Adolf crowned Otto of Brunswick from the Welf family as the German king in Aachen. Soon after, Pope Innocent III agreed with Otto's election. The Pope wanted to weaken the Hohenstaufen family's power.

However, on January 6, 1205, Adolf changed his mind. He then crowned the Hohenstaufen competitor, Philip of Swabia, as the German king. Philip had already been crowned in 1198, but only in Mainz Cathedral. Still, he had been crowned with the real royal symbols, including the Imperial Crown.

The Pope was upset by this change. He had wanted to decide who would be king himself. He asked Adolf for a report, but Adolf did not reply. He thought his vote in the royal election was more important than it was.

On July 19, 1205, Pope Innocent III removed Adolf from his church position and declared him no longer the archbishop. A new archbishop was chosen in Cologne that July. But since many people in the Rhineland still supported the Hohenstaufen family, Adolf's successor had trouble taking over. This caused a split in the archbishopric of Cologne.

In 1207, Adolf von Altena went to Rome. He tried to get his position back as archbishop, but he was not successful. Only after Philip of Swabia was murdered on June 21, 1208, and the political situation changed, did Adolf agree to submit to the Pope. He also recognized his successor. For this, he received a yearly payment. From then until his death, Adolf worked as an assistant bishop in the archdiocese of Cologne. However, he never got his main bishop position back.

Dietrich I von Hengebach was removed from his position by the Pope's representative. In March 1212, Adolf was appointed to lead the diocese. He first thought this meant he would be fully reinstated. But he soon realized it was only a temporary role. The Archdiocese was split again. Adolf argued with Dietrich von Hengebach before the Pope to be reinstated. The decision came in 1216, and Cologne held another election for bishop. The new archbishop became Engelbert II of Berg, who was Adolf's relative. Engelbert had always supported Adolf during the time of the split.

Adolf continued to work as an assistant bishop in the archbishopric of Cologne until he died in 1220. He passed away on April 15, 1220, in Neuss.