When Mainz threw a Party for the Ages -- the Middle Ages

In the middle of the marketplace stands a column called the "Heunensäule." Erected there in 1975 to mark the 1,000th anniversary of the building of Mainz Cathedral, it was a column that had been quarried but never used by the original builders.

Around the base of the column are four bronze headpieces, each a symbol of Mainz's history: a bishop's mitre, for the Archbishop of Mainz's role as head of the German Church and one of seven electors of the Holy Roman Emperor; a gladiator's helmet, representing Mainz's Roman history; a jester's hat, to show Mainz's place as a carnival city; and, finally, an imperial crown (pictured, right).

The crown is recognizable to students of German history as the Rheichskrone, an octagonal crown studded with jewels and topped by a cross. The crown was created in the early years of the Holy Roman Empire (HRE), probaby the 10th or 11th century. It has been passed down, emperor to emperor ever since, and it can still be found today in Vienna's Hofburg Palace, home of the last of the emperors in that 1000-year line (see image below).

What is an imperial crown doing among the four hats in the Heunensäule? As far as I know, no emperors came from Mainz--although the Archbishop was always the 7th and deciding vote in the election of a new emperor. Elections were rare events: only one or two were held every 100 years, usually in rare cases when an emperor died without an heir--or without an heir old enough to take over his duties.

On one of my last days in Mainz in 2022, I finally understood the imperial crown, thanks to the Podcast, History of the Germans. 

It's a reference to one of Germany's most famous kings: Frederick Barbarossa (1122-1190) and one of the greatest festivals thrown anywhere in Europe in the High Middle Ages.

Frederick was one emperor who was elected. His uncle, Conrad III, had died in 1152, leaving a son (also named Frederick) aged 6. Claiming that Conrad had willed the empire to him (with one witness), Frederick called for an election and was named emperor, giving his former title, Duke of Swabia, to his nephew.

Frederick spent much of his reign in Italy, which is where he was given the nickname, "Barbarossa," or red beard (the name would have been Rotbart in the German langage). His campaigns there were waged against two intractable enemies. 

The first was Pope Alexander III. Here's the thing about imperial elections. When the seven electors met in Mainz to select a king, the authority they granted was over a broad array of German principalities, dutchies, and bishoprics. The title of Holy Roman Emperor could only be granted by the Pope. And the Pope didn't grant the crown without conditions and concessions from the candidate. In an age defined by Lord and Vassal, Alexander wanted independence at best. In return, Barbarossa named his own anti-pope, Viktor, and Alexander escaped to France, excommunicating the Holy Emperor (crowned by Alexander's predecessor) in the process.

The second enemy was the city of Milan, a thorn in the side to Barbarossa's Italian policy (the emperors also ruled over most of Italy, from the Alps to Rome for much of the 1000-year empire). He fought a series of wars against the Milanese, winning some, losing others until the decisive Battle of Legnano (1176). His Italian troubles wouldn't end until 1183, when he recognized the autonomy of the Lombard League in the Treaty of Constance.

While Barbarossa had been distracted in Italy, his cousin, Henry the Lion, had amassed great power back in Germany. The duke of two of Germany's largest provinces, Saxony and Bavaria, Henry hadn't supported Barbarossa in his Italian campaigns (one excuse he used was a pilgrimage to Jerusalem) and amassed so much power that the cousins finally came into conflict in 1180. Barbarossa won, and Henry was exilted to the court of his father-in-law, Henry II of England.

In 1184, therefore, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa had taken his share of hits. His sons, Henry and Frederick were growing older, and the aging emperor called for a celebration where they would be knighted. He chose Mainz as the locale.

What transpired from 20-22 May 1184 was one of the greatest and most heralded festivals of the high Middle Ages. Known in German as the Mainzer Hoffest, and in English as the Diet of Mainz.

Held across the Rhine from the city proper, on the bank next to where the Main merges, nobles and prelates from across the empire came to erect a temporary city on the riverbank and stage a series of games and entertainments that would endure ever after in the songs of the Minnesaenger and court poets of Europe.

A great wooden church was built on the far riverbank. Surrounding it were the tents and banners of the many princes, as well as stables and chicken coops for the numerous animals they brought with them.

Seventy-one of 97 imperial princes showed up, along with representatives from Italy, France and even England. 

Podcaster Dirk Hoffman-Becking described the array of attendants, lords and ladies:

"An incredible multitude of men from different regions and diverse tongues were present for the festivities that took three days. Allegedly 70,000 men and women of rank had shown, which must be an exaggeration. But we do hear about the duke of Bohemia coming with 2,000 knights, Archbishop Philip of Cologne with 1,700, Conrad Count palatinate, Louis III of Thuringia and the new archbishop of Mainz, Conrad bringing 1,000 and even the abbot of Fulda showing up with an entourage of 500."

Author Yvonne Kafka provides the specifics in her article, "Fest und Politik auf der Mainzer Hoffest" (translated.)

The first day, Pentecost Sunday, began with mass, which was quickly followed by a grand parade led by Barbarossa, Queen Beatrice, and the two princes Henry (known as Henry VI after he replaced his father on the throne) and Frederick. Following the imperial family were the princes, archbishops and their retinues. That afternoon there was a great feast followed by a threefold coronation: Barbarossa and Beatrice were again crowned, and for the first time, Henry was named emperor-elect. In the presence of such a vast array of the empire, this guaranteed him a smooth succession on the death of his father.

On day two, a sword procession led to a different ceremony: the knighting of the two, teenage princes by their father. There followed a grant tournament in which 20,000 knights took part (see illustration, right). More feasting followed, and entertainment provided by the finest singers of the day. One of Europe's finest story-singers, Guillot of Provence claimed to have performed. And the festival would feature in songs for the next 100 years.

Day three a storm came up, and the floodplain where the wooden city had been build was inundated and damaged. There was great loss of life. Still, Barbarossa and his princes attended to the business of empire (granting duchies, establishing free cities, etc.) before pulling up stakes and returning home.

The Mainzer Court Festival would remain a high point of the Middle Ages. Three years later, Barbarossa went on crusade and died, drowning in a river in Turkey en route to the Holy Land. The remaining crusaders, led by King Richard the Lionhearted of England, failed to retake Jerusalem from the Arab armies that had conquered it a few years previously. Just over 100 years later, the Renaissance would begin in Italy.

Mainz's archbishop was a political powerplayer. It's so cool to realize that the city served as the heart of empire as well.

Photo sources: 

• TripAdvisor (Heunensäule)
• Holy Roman Empire Association (Kaiserkrone)
• History of the Germans (contemporaneous artworks)