Rudolf of Zähringen

Rudolf of Zähringen
Archbishop of Mainz
Rudolf of Zähringen (relief by Franz Xaver Hauser 1793/5)
Church	Catholic Church
Diocese	Electorate of Mainz
In office	1160–1161
Personal details
Born	c. 1135
Died	5 August 1191

Rudolf of Zähringen (also Rudolph, Ralph or Raoul) (c. 1135 – 5 August 1191) was the archbishop of Mainz from 1160 to 1161 and prince-bishop of Liège. He was the son of Conrad I of Zähringen and Clemence of Luxembourg-Namur.

After the death of Arnold of Selenhofen, the citizens of Mainz elected him archbishop, but the city had been placed under the interdict and the aristocracy and clergy had fled to Frankfurt am Main, where they elected Christian of Buch instead. Neither election was recognised by the emperor, Frederick Barbarossa. At the Synod of Lodi, both archbishops-elect were deposed and Rudolf was excommunicated.

In 1167, already released from his excommunication, he became bishop of Liège, a position almost as secularly important as that of Mainz. As bishop, he supported his brother, Berthold IV, Duke of Zähringen. On 11 May 1188, he arrived at the Siege of Acre with an army. He died on the way back from the Crusade, at Herdern. He was buried in the monastery of Saint Peter's there.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Rudolf of Zähringen

16. Bezzelin von Villingen 8. Berthold II, Duke of Carinthia 17. Luitgard 4. Berthold II, Duke of Swabia 9. Richwara 2. Conrad I, Duke of Zähringen 20. Kuno of Rheinfelden 10. Rudolf of Rheinfelden 5. Agnes of Rheinfelden 22. Otto I, Count of Savoy 11. Adelaide of Savoy 23. Adelaide of Susa 1. Rudolf of Zähringen 24. Albert II, Count of Namur 12. Albert III, Count of Namur 25. Regilinda of Lower Lorraine 6. Godfrey I, Count of Namur 26. Bernard II, Duke of Saxony 13. Ida of Saxony 27. Eilika of Schweinfurt 3. Clementia of Namur 28. Giselbert of Luxembourg 14. Conrad I, Count of Luxembourg 7. Ermesinde of Luxembourg 30. William VII, Duke of Aquitaine 15. Clementia of Aquitaine 31. Ermesinde

Sources

• Alexander Cartellieri (1907), "Rudolf (Bischof von Lüttich)", Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 53, Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 584–585
• Thomas Zotz (2005), "Rudolf", Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 22, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 176–177; (full text online)