User:Eliane95/Johannes II. von Konstanz

'''Johannes II. von Konstanz''' († 9 February 782 in Konstanz) was abbot of the Abbeys St. Gallen and Reichenau and from 760 to 782 Bishop of Konstanz.

Initially, Johannes was a monk in the Abbey of Reichenau. When Othmar was taken prisoner by Bishop Sidonius in the year 759, he was appointed abbot of the Abbey of St. Gallen. After 4 July 760, he became abbot of the Abbey of Reichenau and Bishop of Konstanz. He held the offices in personal union. According to the Necrology of Reichenau (Reichenauer Necrologium), Johannes died on 9 Februar 782.

Works
As Abbot of St. Gallen, Johannes pursued a specific property and acquisition policy in southern Breisgau, eastern and southern Thurgau and across Lake Constance in Linzgau and Argengau. He established the connections to the properties south of Lake Constance through the acquisition of property in Romanshorn and Steinach near Arbon. Under Abbot Johannes, the contingent donations begin to take place where the donors keep the property assigned to the monastery, but commit themselves to an annual payment of interest. In this way, relationships between the monastery and the people developed which were fostered and checked by Abbot Johannes in line with Frankish politics. The result was the increasing delimitation of the areas of influence of St. Gallen and Konstanz leading to a contract between the abbey and the bishopric which was confirmed by Charles the Great in 780. During Johannes' reign as Abbot of St. Gallen, Winithar was head of the scriptorium and the school of St. Gallen. He is the first in this office who is known by name.

Reading list

 * Maurer, Helmut: Die Konstanzer Bischöfe vom Ende des 6. Jahrhunderts bis 1206. in: Germania sacra. 42.1: Die Bistümer der Kirchenprovinz Mainz. Das Bistum Konstanz. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/New York 2003, p. 49–53. (online)
 * Gössi, Anton: Kurzbiographien der Äbte. in: Johannes Duft, Anton Gössi, and Werner Vogler (eds.): Die Abtei St. Gallen, St. Gallen 1986, p. 98–99.