Richard von Greiffenklau zu Vollrads
Richard von Greiffenklau zu Vollrads (1467–1531) was a German church leader who served as Archbishop-Elector of Trier from 1511 until his death in 1531. He was born at Schloss Vollrads, the fourth son of Johann von Greiffenklau and Klara von Ratsamhausen, and was prepared for a religious life from a young age. He became a Trier canon in 1487, studied in Paris in 1488, and was named cantor of Trier Cathedral in 1503 as well as a canon of Mainz Cathedral.
He was elected Archbishop of Trier on 15 May 1511. Pope Julius II confirmed the appointment in 1512, and he was consecrated as bishop on 30 May 1512 by Uriel von Gemmingen. Just after his installation, he opened the altar housing a relic believed to be the seamless robe of Jesus, in the emperor’s presence.
In 1515 he carried out judicial reforms and allowed Jews to return to the Electorate of Trier. In the 1519 imperial election he was bribed by Francis I of France and voted for Francis, who lost to Charles V. Nevertheless, Charles V invited him to the Diet of Worms in 1521, where Richard unsuccessfully urged Martin Luther to recant his views.
During the Knights’ War, Franz von Sickingen challenged Trier but failed to take the city. In 1523 Richard helped defeat the rebellion as part of a coalition of princes. He also expanded the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, adding the large cannon Kanone Greif, the era’s biggest siege gun.
He attended the Second Diet of Speyer in 1529 but did not go to the 1530 Diet of Augsburg, sending Johann von Metzenhausen instead. Richard von Greiffenklau zu Vollrads died on 13 March 1531 at Schloss Ottenstein in Wittlich and was buried in Trier Cathedral, where he has a large Renaissance monument.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 16:30 (CET).