Wege Zur Pfründe

In the late Middle Ages, the post of canon of Magdeburg cathedral assured its incumbents material security, political influence, and prestige. Accordingly, it was one of the most attractive church appointments in all central Germany. On the basis of the Papal registers in the Vatican and documents preserved in Magdeburg itself, the study inquires into the methods employed by clerics to thwart their rivals in the bid for appointment to the chapter. Comparative analysis reveals the legal parameters and the social relations operative in the allocation of these stipends in the 14th and 15th centuries.