Alexander of Roes

Alexander von Roes (* 1225 in Cologne, † shortly before 1300) was a medieval German scholar and canons.

Life

Is relatively little is known about Alexander's life. He was a canon of the monastery of St. Maria im Kapitol in Cologne ( a noble Kanonissenstift ) operates and may be there with the documented occupied by Alexander Leysberg (or Leysburg ) identical. 1280/81 he stayed at the Curia in Rome and was there apparently in the vicinity of cardinal deacon Giacomo Colonna, who came from one of the city 's most influential Roman families and was politically minded pro- imperial. Alexander seems to have died before 1300.

Works

This is a 1281 written and Giacomo Colonna dedicated political memoir. The main theme is the political primacy of the Holy Roman Empire in Latin Christendom, which is also healing for historical reasons. Alexander draws on several sources, including the memoir of Jordan of Osnabrück. This Alexander was possibly friends, at least he praised his writing, which he completely took over (Chapter 4-9 ).

The Memoriale state is theoretically significant because Alexander reiterated in the form of a pamphlet, understood as the importance of universal medieval empire after the Hohenstaufen. This was done in a conscious confrontation and dismissal competing French claims after the Empire had lost as a result of the political interregnum in importance, while France rose to become the new hegemony in Latin Europe. Likewise, Alexander emphasized as opposed to universal kurialistischen claims (as in the writings of Ptolemy of Lucca) the independence of the Empire of the Papacy.

Alexander was obviously seriously concerned about the situation of the kingdom which he perceived as a crisis. Jordanus and Alexander, a little later Engelbert of Admont and Dante, were still one of the imperial universal idea. A role is also played the idea of ​​an " end of the world ", but that'll happen after a common prophecy only with the fall of the Roman Empire. Since the Western medieval empire was conceived in the sense of translatio imperii as a continuation of the ancient Roman Empire, the end could not enter, as long as the Empire and the Emperor remained. Alexander also developed a ranking of nations ( " world office " ), according to which in Europe the Germans the dominion ( imperium or regnum ), the Italians, the spiritual area ( Sacerdotium ) and the French, entitled the science ( study). This idea was based on the idea that the world must follow a certain order.

In the further course of the late Middle Ages, the memorials found some distribution; an abridged German translation from the 15th century. The writing is thus one of the oldest German political prose treatises.

It is in the Noticia to a 1288 written record of time and place of Christianity, which is dedicated to an unknown urban Roman nobles. Alexander takes here also with respect to the " end of the world " and also refers to the theory of the three " world office ". The document deals with mainly the questions on the next sign of the end times and when the Anti-Christ will appear.

In contrast to the previous two prose writings, the third known work of Alexander is around 1285 penned in allegorical form papst critical poem. It takes shape in mocking reference to the Council of Lyons in 1245, plays in this context, but clearly on the contemporary circumstances to. Pope Martin IV, the Alexander looked very critically, appears as a pompous peacock ( Pavo Latin ), which is at the " bird council " against the " German Eagle" agitated together with the cock (France) and wants to sell it. The stylistic point to an original and unconventional poet.

Expenditure

  • Herbert Grundmann, Hermann Heimpel (ed.): Alexander von Roes. Writings. MGH State writings of later generations Middle Ages. Volume 1 Hiersemann, Stuttgart 1958 ( digitized; offers extensive introduction to the life and works ).
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