The Context of Monastic Foundations in the German Empire
Charlemagne and his successors ruled their empire with the help of feudal lords. During the 11th century, they realized that the creation of large-scale fiefdoms—feudalization—was eroding their power. As a result, they lost direct control over their territories to the feudal lords.
"This effort led, among other things, to the creation of landlord territories"
Whereas fiefdoms initially reverted to the emperor as feudal lord upon the death of the feudal official, the desire of feudal officials to make fiefdoms hereditary within their families eroded imperial power. This striving led, among other things, to the creation of lordly territories, such as the manor of Valkenburg, where the emperor had less and less say. This is where the lordships of the later Middle Ages originated, such as the duchies of Brabant, Gelre, Gulik, and Limburg.
The German emperor Otto III (983–1002) believed he had found a solution to this problem by granting bishops and abbots secular power, since celibacy—which prevented the production of offspring—seemed to hinder the establishment of dynasties.
Since then, however, he and his successors paid more attention to the administrative abilities than to the spiritual leadership of bishops and abbots. This imperial appointment policy led to the so-called Investiture War, a conflict with Pope Gregory VII (1073–1085) over the appointment rights of senior clergy, who exercised secular power in addition to ecclesiastical power, which continued until the Treaty of Worms (1122).
In 985, Emperor Otto III was the first to appoint the Bishop of Liège, Notgerus (972–1008), to the position of imperial lord. He thus laid the foundations of the Principality of Liège. For the clergy in the area between the Meuse and Rhine rivers, imperial patronage meant that in the Investiture Conflict they were more likely to side with the emperor than with the pope.
This model was later imitated by feudal lords loyal to the emperor, who also sought to secure parts of their territorial power by granting seigniorial rights to abbots and monasteries, such as the lords of Heinsberg and Valkenburg, who went on to found the monastery of Houthem-St. Gerlach (1201). By founding such monasteries, local nobles expressed their awareness that they were able to exercise power autonomously. Thus, the monasteries and chapters they founded in the first decades of the 12th century helped to define and perpetuate their territorial power.
By founding such monasteries, the regional rulers sought to serve a dual purpose. On the one hand, they wanted to secure a portion of their worldly power, and on the other hand, they sought to secure their place in the afterlife by making the celebration of Masses and similar acts for their salvation a condition of their donation. They themselves acted as advocatus—protectors—of the convent. They also oversaw the daily management of the monastery by appointing a provost, who ensured that the worldly rights with which the founders had endowed the monastery were respected. They left the spiritual leadership to the prior or abbot.
Over time, monasteries, such as the Norbertine Abbey of Houthem-St.-Gerlach, acquired all kinds of additional rights, usually in the form of donations of money and goods, through which the donors sought to secure their salvation. These were recorded in charters that detailed the conditions of the donation.
"Over time, monasteries, such as the Norbertine Abbey of Houthem-St. Gerlach, acquired all sorts of additional rights"
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