This week in Christian history: ‘The Philadelphia Eleven,’ inquisitor murdered

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, July 28, 2024

Konrad of Marburg murdered – July 30, 1233

This week marks the anniversary of when Konrad of Marburg, an infamous German inquisitor of the Roman Catholic Church, was murdered, likely because of his prosecution efforts.  

Also spelled Conrad, the inquisitor had been commissioned in 1214 by Pope Innocent III to help stamp out a heretical Christian group known as the Albigenses, and later served as confessor to St. Elizabeth of Hungary, a royal whom he reportedly physically abused.

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“His method was so severe that a plea for his removal was made to Gregory by the German bishops. In 1233 he accused Count Henry II of Sayn (Bendorf-Sayn) of heresy,” explained Britannica.

“An assembly of bishops and princes at Mainz declared Henry innocent, but Konrad demanded a reversal of this sentence. As he rode from Mainz [in modern Germany], he was murdered.”