Gebhard (III) of Constance

Gebhard III. of Zahringen (* 1050, † November 12, 1110 ) was from 1084 to 1110 Bishop of Constance.

Origin

Gebhard was a son of Berthold I of Zahringen and his wife Richwara († 1092. He was a brother of Hermann I, the founder of the line of the Margrave of Baden and of Berthold II, Duke of Swabia and later of Zahringen. Your sister was the co-founder of the Monastery Kastl and founder of the monastery rain, Liutgard of Zahringen ∞ Diepoldsberg II of Vohburg.

Ecclesiastical career

To 1065 Gebhard was a member of the Cologne cathedral chapter and then provost of the canons of Xanten. To 1075 Gebhard joined the Hirsau. Already in 1079 he was called by Pope Gregory VII as one of the candidates for the election of the Bishop of Magdeburg.

On December 21, 1084, he was elected by the diocesan synod bishop of Constance - the Synod was led by the papal legate Odo of Ostia. On the same day Gebhard was ordained a priest and the following day the episcopal ordination. At the Synod of the abbot of the monastery Hirsau, William of Hirsau, Gebhard's brother Berthold and Welf, the outlaw Duke of Bavaria, were present. The loyal to the emperor Bishop of Constance, Otto I of Lierheim, had been excommunicated in 1080 by Pope Gregory VII, but was loyal to the emperor of the party continues as the true bishop of Constance. His immediate predecessor was bishop Bertolf, who was appointed after the deposition of Otto I, by the papal party a bishop. For health reasons, the consecration was not performed and Bertolf has probably never really noticed his office.

So then also took place in May 1085 deposition and excommunication Gebhard on one of Henry IV convened council in Mainz and the confirmation of Otto I in office.

The Henry IV used Abbot of St. Gallen, Ulrich von Eppenstein, was the regional counterpart of the house Zahringen. Gebhard's father Berthold I. 1077 IV was removed from the Duchy of Carinthia because of his support for Rudolf of Rheinfelden by Heinrich Ulrichs and brother, been Liutold of Eppenstein passed. In the context of a feud between the alliance with the Abbot of Reichenau Zähringers, Ekkehard II of Nellenburg and Ulrich of St. Gallen, 1085 Gebhard fled from Constance and did not return until 1086 back.

Also in 1086 reformed Gebhard with support from Hirsau the monastery Peter Hausen, where he first settled two abbots and then with Theodoric, the son of Count Kuno von Wülfelingen from a morganatic marriage, which took place right cast and the monastery enlarged greatly.

1089 Gebhard was able to complete and dedicate the new building begun by his predecessors of the Constance Cathedral.

Ulrich von Eppenstein sat in Henry IV, the occupation of the Bishop of Constance chair by a monk of St. Gallen, Arnold of Holy Mountain, by. From the perspective of the party loyal to the emperor of the bishopric had been vacant since the death of Bishop Otto 1086. Ulrich was now trying to bring his protege at gunpoint into the office, but was prevented by the opposition of the city of Konstanz in it. The Constance and Gebhard's brother Berthold II, then devastated possessions of the monastery of St. Gall.

1095 Gebhard took part in the synod of Piacenza. 1102 was Heinrich of the Holy Mountain, the brother of Arnold, the monastery Peterhausen and 1103 Arnold took over by force the bishop's seat - Gebhard fled to the monastery of St. Blaise. It was not until 1105 Arnold was expelled (although, Pope Paschal II had been excommunicated in 1103 ) and Gebhard returned with the help of Henry V back to Constance. Commissioned by Pope Paschal II Gebhard had freed as papal legate Henry V from the church spell. Gebhard accompanied Henry on his train through Bavaria and Saxony.

Position in the Investiture Controversy

Gebhard ( Gebehardus ) was in the Investiture Controversy, a prominent representative of the papal party against Emperor Henry IV in 1088 stayed the supported Gebhard anti-king Hermann of Salm in Konstanz. Gebhard was appointed in Germany in 1089 by Pope Urban II to the papal legate. Gebhard supported the sons of Henry IV against her father. He tried to win the Duchy of Swabia and Bavaria for Konrad in 1093 and brought Henry V the papal blessing. He was expelled by Henry IV of his episcopal chair, but sat, confirmed by Paschal II as legate, his resistance continued and exerted a strong influence on the Ingelheimer Reichstag in 1105, where Henry IV was forced to abdicate.

Monastic foundations

He promoted and initiated a series of monasteries, among others:

Monastery of St. Georgen in the Black Forest ( 1085 )
Monastery Reichenbach ( 1085 )
Monastery of St. Peter on the Black Forest; Monastery Church ( 1093 )
Ochsenhausen Monastery ( 1093 )
Alpirsbach Monastery ( 1095 )
Monastery of All Saints ( Switzerland ); (Münster inauguration 1103)
Kloster Kastl 1098/1103; ( sent the founding convention of the convent Peter Hausen )

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