Gottfried Hagen

Gottfried Hagen (* 1230, † July 4, 1299 ) was town clerk of Cologne, a specialist in German records and also worked as a pastor. He is best known, however, as the author of the rhymed chronicle of Cologne from 1270.

Life

Gottfried Hagen was born in 1230 in Xanten. His father Gerhard, canons of Viktor pen, and his mother were among the Blanza Vetscholdern. However, the patrician family encouraged him not in the course of his life, so he had to take care of themselves. He studied at the Faculty of Arts in Paris. There he worked on probably not ( following the example of his father ) with theological studies. Instead, he studied according to the basic studies of the liberal arts jurisprudence. Due to his master's title called him "Master ".

From 1262 on, he evolved into one of the famous Cologne specialists in German documents. According to the current state of research, you can assign Gottfried Hagen 21 autographs. His first legal document he wrote on June 9, 1262 for an alliance between the city of Cologne and the Count of Berg. A week later he documented the atonement with Bishop Engelbert II of Falkenburg 16 June. The following year he developed bourgeois annuity contracts in the Italian style. Such a contract closed the town also with the Count of Jülich. On August 25, 1263 a new atonement with Engelbert had to be negotiated. Half a year later, Gottfried Hagen was obviously experiencing significant financial difficulty, because on February 27, he wrote a deed for the bishop, though the patricians of the city their bishop actually were hostile.

To earn money, he then worked as a schoolmaster might of St. Maria im Kapitol. During this time he met his life companion Petrissa, with whom he had an illegitimate son named Gobelinus. The influential family Gernegrois his mistress helped him to get a job as a clerk cry of St. Peter and St. Apostles.

On August 2, 1268 the papal nuncio Bernhard de Castañeto threatened the city of Cologne with a curse, because the citizens had captured the bishop Engelbert. Gottfried protested on behalf of the city as procurator against the designs of the nuncio, where he benefited from his extensive knowledge in canon law. In October 1268 he accepted an assignment of the cathedral chapter and completed an errand to Neuss. As the nuncio announced tougher penalties in 1270 and the city of Cologne thus plunged into a crisis, Gottfried Hagen was forced to exhort citizens to concord and wrote on this occasion his rhyming chronicle.

He was predestined by his culture. In particular, the statements by Ernst Dorn field there was a controversy surrounding the question of whether the town clerk and the author would be the same person, but the identity is today regarded as safe. His extensive legal knowledge gave Gottfried Hagen also the necessary authority for the description of the legal dispute, which forms an integral part of the plot in the rhyming chronicle.

His exemplary action against the aggressive clergy and his literary work helped Gottfried Hagen great prestige. In the spring of 1271 he was therefore able to take over the office of the city clerk. 1275, he also became pastor of St. Martin Klein. Following intensive discussions, he sat down against the author of Alexander Leysberg (also known as Alexander von Roes ) by. He held until the end of 1287, the two offices. No later than 1291, he joined as dean of St. George in appearance. Gottfried Hagen died on July 4, 1299 in Cologne.