Privileges for Clerical Estates

The recurring crises since the double election of 1314 forced Ludwig the Bavarian (born 1282/86, ruled 1314-1347) to constantly tie as many parties as possible to himself and to reward them for the loyalty they had shown. This was done, for example, by granting privileges, which were an important instrument of rule. Dealings with the clergy, especially the bishops, were no exception. The conflict that broke out with Pope John XXII (born 1245/49, ruled 1316-1334) in Avignon (France) endangered Ludwig’s rule on a theological level: the Pope excommunicated the Wittelsbach in 1324, stripped him of his royal dignity and imposed the interdict on his supporters, drastically restricting ecclesiastical activities. In this way, Ludwig was to be caused problems in terms of religious legitimacy and the number of his followers was to be decreased due to fear for their salvation. Securing the loyalty of the clergy to construct a counter-image became much more important as a result.

Ludwig tried to secure the approval of the Imperial Church by promoting the clergy. In addition to harsh repression against disloyalty, he also used the bestowal of various privileges here. They secured the institutions’ earnings potential and guaranteed their legal status. Bishops who had turned away from Ludwig because of the papal sanctions profited from this strategy and allowed themselves to be appeased. Privileges could be withdrawn as punishment for resistance against the ruler.

Although intensified here, Ludwig’s policy of privileges extended far beyond his ancestral lands. Through acts of kindness, the Emperor was able to retain loyal clergymen during the interdict who, despite an explicit papal prohibition, remembered him and prayed for him even after the Wittelsbacher’s death – some of them apparently out of a sense of duty for the privileges they had received.

Roman Walch