A truly insidious murder of absolute brutality took place long ago in the bishopric city of Speyer. The year was 1277 when, on Good Friday of all days, cathedral dean Albrecht von Mußbach was lynched in an inconceivably cruel manner by unknown assailants. The assassins intercepted the cathedral dean of Speyer in the early morning of March 26 on his way from Schlegelhof, where he lived, to the cathedral, where he wanted to prepare for his Good Friday mass. A sword blade pierced his back from behind, striking him right in the heart. Then his throat was cut with a dagger. But that was not enough. He was struck down with a blow and his skull hit the cobblestones, causing it to crack open. After the perpetrators had cut off the dead cathedral dean’s left hand and kicked his body, they disappeared into the morning mist. When the cathedral dean was found, a pig was gleefully feasting on his leaking brain fluid. Although the church excommunicated the brutal murderers, they could not be caught. But why was Dean Albrecht von Mußbach executed in such a brutal manner? Since the 12th century, the people of Speyer had been rebelling against the rule of the prince-bishop, as they were required to pay a tax, a kind of sales tax, to the church. Cathedral dean Albrecht Mußbach, who had taken over not only the interests of the Speyer cathedral chapter but also the duties of the Bishop of Speyer von Bolanden from 1276 onwards, as the latter was imprisoned by the knight Wolfram von Fleckenstein in his castle Fleckenstein, had to rigorously enforce the tax privileges of the church. This led to him becoming the target of the population’s naked hatred, which culminated in his murder. The bitter disputes did not end until 1294, when Speyer was granted the rights of a free imperial city by the emperor as one of seven cities. This ended the bishop’s rule over Speyer, as the citizens were now obliged to the emperor. At this time, the cathedral bowl was erected in front of the Imperial Cathedral in Speyer, marking the border between the Free Imperial City of Speyer and the bishopric. If someone had violated city law and was able to flee to the cathedral bowl, they could escape city jurisdiction, as episcopal law applied there and the penalties were significantly milder.
The brutally lynched cathedral dean
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