24 Facts About Henrik Kalteisen

The exact date of birth and parents of Heinrich Kalteisen are not known but he was probably from Koblenz in the Electorate of Trier.

Henrik Kalteisen studied at the Universities of Vienna and Cologne, where he earned a Magister's degree and a doctorate.

Henrik Kalteisen was a counselor for Pope Eugene IV on the matters of theology and law and was Master of the Sacred Palace from 1439 to 1452.

Henrik Kalteisen was a learned man with broad knowledge of theology and canon law as well as of Roman law, philosophy and history.

Henrik Kalteisen filled his copy-books with copies of incoming letters and with drafts and copies of outgoing letters, many of which he himself composed and sent.

Henrik Kalteisen is known to have written at least 50 works in Latin and several of his sermons have been preserved.

Henrik Kalteisen wanted his follower Marcellus of Skalholt as the archbishop.

Henrik Kalteisen paid for this appointment 800 florins and a few other smaller amounts to the Papal Chamber.

But, as soon as Henrik Kalteisen was gone, Christian I declared in his letters that he would not accept him as the Archbishop of Nidaros.

Meanwhile, in Bergen, Henrik Kalteisen spent the winter of 1452 and 1453 administrating his new archbisphoric.

Henrik Kalteisen was well received by the Cathedral Chapter there but a couple of Norwegian monasteries did not wish to be under his jurisdiction.

Therefore, after the consecration, Henrik Kalteisen moved to Bergen for safety.

Nevertheless, Henrik Kalteisen tried to take the initiative with plans to inspect not just the Cathedral Chapter but the whole Archdiocese.

Henrik Kalteisen's copybooks showed that he invested a lot of effort in familiarizing himself with the circumstances of his Archdiocese.

Henrik Kalteisen made a number of decisions in ecclesiastical law but he found the time to write a little history of the diocese of the Faroe Islands.

Henrik Kalteisen was planning to build the new cathedral in Nidaros.

Henrik Kalteisen invoked the authority of the Pope, while Marcellus took for the decrees of the Council of Basel and the privileges of the Norwegian Church for his own claim.

Henrik Kalteisen wrote that the Archbishop could not connect with the people and could not speak their language and threatened to close down the Norwegian Church, adding that the Archbishop's accusations against Marcellus were unfounded.

Henrik Kalteisen did not convert but, in the end, he was able to turn the Norwegian Riksrad and most of the Cathedral Chapter against the Archbishop.

The Cathedral Chapter itself wrote to the Pope that Henrik Kalteisen had become so unpopular in Trondheim that he had to be rescued from physical abuse by the King's officers.

Henrik Kalteisen did agree to go to Rome and ask the Pope but he did not leave immediately.

Henrik Kalteisen was put under enormous pressure to resign not only his office but to propose to the Pope that he should return to Norway as the Papal legate and negotiate on his behalf the compensation for Marcellus.

Henrik Kalteisen told him that he had not been useful to the Church in Norway.

Henrik Kalteisen was buried in the monastery church in front of the altar of St Olav, which he himself had installed.