Johann Rode von Wale ( – 4 December 1511, Vörde; distinguished from his namesake uncle as Johann Rode the Younger; also Johann Roden Bok, or Rhode, Latinised: Iohannes Rufus de Wale) was a Catholic cleric, a Doctor of Canon and Civil Law, a chronicler, a long-serving government official (1468–1497) and as John III () Prince-archbishop of Bremen between 1497 and 1511.
Family and early life Rode was born in Bremen. He was a member of a patrician family of Bremen, recorded for holding political offices of the city since the 2nd half of the 13th century.Michael Schütz, "Die Konsolidierung des Erzstiftes unter Johann Rode", in: see references for bibliographical details, vol. II: pp. 263–278, here p. 263. . The family was said to be also related by marriage with ministerialis and noble families in the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen.Heinz-Joachim Schulze, "Johann III. Rode", in: see references for bibliographical details, vol. 10, pp. 480seq., here p. 480. Rode's father Heinrich Rode (died 1496) was city councillor in Bremen between 1484 and 1496, his mother Anna was a daughter of Bremen's burgomaster Borchard Vagedes (Vaget/Vagts; died 1512, burgomaster since 1482) and his wife Bartke Brede.
His namesake and paternal uncle Johann Rode the Elder (died 1477), like two further paternal uncles, Lüder Rode (Germanised: Lothar; died 1503) and Theodericus Rufus (Germanised: Dietrich Rode; died 1484, provost of the college in Ramelsloh), were also clerics, as cathedral provost, cathedral cantor (Domkantor), and ordinary cathedral canon (Domherr), respectively, with seats and votes in Bremen's cathedral chapter. Rode's brother Heinrich, son-in-law of Bremen's burgomaster Hermann von Groepelingen (officiating 1425–1435), served as city councillor of Bremen and their sister Margarethe (died 1513) was married to Bremen's burgomaster Heinrich Stenow, officiating between 1486 and 1506.
Being of successful bourgeois background the landed nobility in the prince-archbishopric considered Rode as a representative of urban commerce and economic interests and belittled him as a man of minor, shoemakers' descent.Karl Ernst Hermann Krause, "Johann III., Erzbischof von Bremen", in: see references for bibliographical details, vol. 14, pp. 183–185, here p. 184. His family was most likely also invested in urban real estate, Buden (literally booths), rented out to the non-propertied classes.
Career In 1463, Prince-Archbishop , a son of , Count of Hoya had died, the cathedral capitulars, with Rode's three uncles among them, preferred to elect him, however, Rode, with only 18 years too young, proposed instead of Schwarzburg, who was five years older and then elected.Konrad Elmshäuser, "Die Erzbischöfe als Landesherren", in: see references for bibliographical details, vol. II: pp. 159–194, here p. 187. . Rode finished school as baccalaureus in 1464.Karl Schleif, Regierung und Verwaltung des Erzstifts Bremen, Hamburg: no publ., 1972, (=Schriftenreihe des Landschaftsverbandes der ehemaligen Herzogtümer Bremen und Verden; vol. 1), p. 263, also Hamburg, Univ., Diss., 1968. In 1465, Rode started his studies at the University of Rostock, where he enrolled under Rector Johann Stammel. Due to his youth Pope Pius II confirmed Henry's election under the proviso that he would be only administrator until reaching the age of 27, which was in 1467. However, in 1466 Henry was elected Prince-Bishop of Münster, took residence in Münster in Westphalia and then never pursued his appointment as archbishop any more. Nevertheless, he is referred to as Henry II of Bremen, but Prince-Bishop Henry III of Münster.
Starting from Michael's day 1468 until 1485 Rode served as cathedral dean (Domdechant) of Bremen Cathedral. In 1468, already as dean, he enrolled at the University of Erfurt and was elected its rector on 2 May 1470. He had studied law and graduated as doctor of both laws from the University of Erfurt in 1474. He was also a scholar of the history of the prince-archbishopric. In 1485, the capitular canons elected Rode cathedral provost (Dompropst) of Bremen, a leading function including the presidency of the cathedral chapter (Domkapitel).
Rode's provostship fell into a difficult time since Henry II preferred to live in Münster. The Bremians considered him a bad administrator, too much a partisan of Münster interests and too involved in politics of the Holy Roman Empire.Michael Schütz, "Die Konsolidierung des Erzstiftes unter Johann Rode", in: see references for bibliographical details, vol. II: pp. 263–278, here p. 264. . Henry conveyed the administration of Bremen to vicegerents, among them Günther of Schwarzburg and another of his brothers. Henry successfully reclaimed the lordship of Lechterseite of Delmenhorst, alienated by Gerard of Hoya in favour of his sister Catharina and her husband , even waging war against the usurping Count Gerhard VI "the Quarrelsome" of Oldenburg.Konrad Elmshäuser, "Die Erzbischöfe als Landesherren", in: see references for bibliographical details, vol. II: pp. 159–194, here p. 188. . However, while the overlordship and all the effort, such as pawning other Bremian estates to finance it, was from the side of the prince-archbishopric, Henry then annexed Lechterseite, regained in 1481, to his preferred Münster. Rode and the other members of the Bremian chapter disapproved this as alienation of prince-archiepiscopal estates. However, they could not help it.
Henry had a warlike temperament and involved in the imperial wars against Duke Charles the Bold of Burgundy, participating in the relief of the beleaguered Neuss in 1473. This was of no interest for Bremen, but also financed by alienating prince-archiepiscopal estates. In 1481 John V, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg had redeemed the Saxon exclave Land of Hadeln, which had been previously pawned to Hamburg as security for a credit. John V had then made his son and heir apparent, Magnus, regent of Hadeln, situated at the Outer Elbe adjacent to the secular territory of the prince-archbishopric and underlying Bremen's archdiocesan competence.
In 1484, Hadeln's ambitious Regent Magnus, who aimed at increasing his local revenues, had reached out to conquer the rich Land of Wursten, a de facto autonomous region of free Frisian peasants in a North Sea marsh at the Weser estuary, but he failed.Michael Schütz, "Die Konsolidierung des Erzstiftes unter Johann Rode", in: see references for bibliographical details, vol. II: pp. 263–278, here p. 266. . Magnus tried to justify his violent act with the pretence that Wursten used to be Saxon before the imperial deposition of Duke Henry the Lion and the carve-up of his Saxony in 1180, which only brought Magnus' Ascanian dynasty to take the belittled dukedom. The prince-archbishopric, claiming Wursten for itself, was alarmed. Wursteners so far little disputed Bremen's claim, as long as the prince-archiepiscopal rule had remained a light financial burden without major interference in their internal and external affairs usually decided in autonomy.
Through his work as cathedral provost Rode was experienced in government affairs and a proven diplomate. Johann Martin Lappenberg judged him as "one of the most excellent bishops of Bremen".In the German original: "einer der ausgezeichnetsten Bischöfe Bremens“, cf. Johann Martin Lappenberg, Geschichtsquellen des Erzstiftes und der Stadt Bremen (Bremen: Heyse, 11841); reprint Aalen: Scientia-Verlag, 21967.
Reign and archiepiscopate After Henry's death in 1496 the enfranchised capitulars wanted a successor rich and thus independent enough and void of any princely aspirations.Karl Ernst Hermann Krause, "Johann III., Erzbischof von Bremen", in: see references for bibliographical details, vol. 14, pp. 183–185, here p. 183. The majority of the canons of the cathedral chapters of Bremen and Hamburg (with only three votes) elected Rode archbishop on 30 January 1497, beating his election rivals John of Saxe-Lauenburg, brother of Magnus, and Otto of Oldenburg (a canon in Bremen and son of Gerhard VI). Family and friends among the capitulars helped Rode to gain the majority. On 28 April Pope Alexander VI confirmed Rode.Michael Schütz, "Die Konsolidierung des Erzstiftes unter Johann Rode", in: see references for bibliographical details, vol. II: pp. 263–278, here p. 265. . This was accompanied by the papal invoice, the so-called servitia minuta and servitium commune, the latter making up a third of the annual revenues of a see.
On 1 May 1497, Rode issued his election capitulation (Wahlkapitulation), a document indicating much of the gravamina against Henry, to be prevented during Rode's reign. The capitulation stipulated the participation of the cathedral chapter in government affairs, guaranteed the capitular privileges, and forbade the future alienation of prince-archiepiscopal estates. Furthermore, the prince-archbishop was not to allow knights of ministerialis or nobility to build new fortified castles or manors of their own, but even to destroy unauthorisedly erected "new fortresses or fortified residences" (Low Saxon: nige veste offt waninge).Quoted after Otto Merker, Die Ritterschaft des Erzstifts Bremen im Spätmittelalter: Herrschaft und politische Stellung als Landstand (1300–1500), Stade: Selbstverlag des Stader Geschichts- und Heimatvereins, 1962, (=Einzelschriften des Stader Geschichts- und Heimatvereins; vol. 16), first as Phil. Diss., Univ. Hamburg, 1961, p. 45. The capitulation had been formulated by the cathedral chapter during sede vacante, thus Rode was one of its co-authors. Accepting and issuing the capitulation was an obligatory self-commitment of the incumbent of Bremen's see since the investiture of Prince-Archbishop in 1274. The election capitulation formed part of the constitution of the prince-archbishopric, restraining the power of the ruler, organising the cooperation of the estates of the prince-archbishopric (Stiftsstände) and the ruling archbishop.
Rode's election capitulation committed him not to alienate further prince-archiepiscopal estates, to regain alienated and pawned estates, and privileges, to staff offices, such as the executive official of the prince-archbishopric, the landdrost, or the bailiffs (Vogt/Vögte, sg./pl.) on the castles with indigenous persons, who were not bound to foreign interests. Waging war would be only allowed to the prince-archbishop after consulting with the cathedral chapter and the estates of the prince-archbishopric.
The city of Bremen even demanded more, in a 1499 treaty between the city and the cathedral chapter the parties stipulated that the chapter must not introduce any future new archbishop, who did not commit himself by oath and a written deed (such as an election capitulation) not to pawn castles, not to wage war, and not to reduce anybody's privileges unless consented with chapter and city council. Rode's election rivals John and Otto were both sons of dynasties ruling neighbouring monarchies (Saxe-Lauenburgian exclave of Hadeln, Oldenburg), and had thus the smell of representing princely expansionism, entailing the weakening and belittlement of the prince-archbishopric.
On 6 June 1497, Rode received the pallium through the prince-bishops of Hildesheim and Verden, Bertold of Landsberg, and Minden, .Prince-Bishop Henry III was a son of Holstein-Pinneberg. On 14 September, Emperor Maximilian I invested Rode, the confirmed and consecrated archbishop, with the princely regalia, which made him the secular ruler of the prince-archbishopric, holding a vote in the imperial diet and that of the Lower Saxon Circle. Representatives of the subjects then rendered Rode homage and he was sworn in as ruler. Since Rode's predecessor Henry II never pursued his papal confirmation as archbishop, he was never invested princely regalia with the prince-archbishopric thus being banned from exercising its privilege of a vote in the imperial diet.