Adam Adami
Encyclopedia
Adam Adami, O.S.B. was a German
monk
, diplomat
and priest
.
Born in Mülheim am Rhein
, Adami seems to have made his first studies in Cologne
. At the age of 19, he entered the Benedictine abbey of Brauweiler
and occupied himself with theology
and law
studies. In 1633, he received the ordination to priesthood, one year later he became rector of the Benedictine seminary in Cologne, where he also acquired a doctorate in theology. In 1637 he followed a call to the abbey of St. Jacob
in Mainz
, where he served as prior
and acquired a good reputation as a diplomat.
In the following year, Adami was elected to become prior
of the monastery of Murhart. Murhart, like many surrounding abbeys, was subject of an administrative dispute between the Diocese of Würzburg and the dukes of Württemberg
. Adami was chosen because he was expected to be able to best defend the rights of the abbeys in the years to come, during and following the Peace of Westphalia
. Therefore he was sent in 1643 as the envoy of the restituted monasteries and chapels of Swabia
to the peace negotiations.
During the negotiations, his legitimation as envoy was disputed, but he could obtain a second authorisation from the prince-abbot of Korvei. Adami's records of the proceedings of the negotiations are today the primary source of information on the Peace of Westphalia. From his point of view, the negotiations failed, though.
Later he was sent to Rome by the Prince-elector
and archbishop of Cologne
, Maximilian Henry of Bavaria
. With a recommendation from the former papal legate Fabio Chigi, Pope Innocent X
appointed Adami as titular bishop
of Hierapolis
. Maximilian Henry also offered him the post as suffragan bishop
of Hildesheim
out of gratitude. Adami served in Hildesheim until his death there, while publishing several tracts on national law.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
, diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
.
Born in Mülheim am Rhein
Mülheim am Rhein
Mülheim is a city district of Cologne in Germany and a formerly independent town . Mülheim is located on the right bank of the Rhine opposite the old town of Cologne....
, Adami seems to have made his first studies in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
. At the age of 19, he entered the Benedictine abbey of Brauweiler
Brauweiler
Brauweiler is a part of Pulheim, west of Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany.The former Benedictine abbey, Brauweiler Abbey, founded 1024, is used today by the Rhein Department for the Care of Historic Monuments....
and occupied himself with theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
studies. In 1633, he received the ordination to priesthood, one year later he became rector of the Benedictine seminary in Cologne, where he also acquired a doctorate in theology. In 1637 he followed a call to the abbey of St. Jacob
Zitadelle Mainz
The Mainzer Zitadelle is situated at the fringe of the Old Town near Mainz Römisches Theater station. The fortress was constructed in 1660 and was an important part of the Fortress Mainz.-History:...
in Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
, where he served as prior
Priory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
and acquired a good reputation as a diplomat.
In the following year, Adami was elected to become prior
Prior
Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St...
of the monastery of Murhart. Murhart, like many surrounding abbeys, was subject of an administrative dispute between the Diocese of Würzburg and the dukes of Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
. Adami was chosen because he was expected to be able to best defend the rights of the abbeys in the years to come, during and following the Peace of Westphalia
Peace of Westphalia
The Peace of Westphalia was a series of peace treaties signed between May and October of 1648 in Osnabrück and Münster. These treaties ended the Thirty Years' War in the Holy Roman Empire, and the Eighty Years' War between Spain and the Dutch Republic, with Spain formally recognizing the...
. Therefore he was sent in 1643 as the envoy of the restituted monasteries and chapels of Swabia
Swabia
Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.-Geography:Like many cultural regions of Europe, Swabia's borders are not clearly defined...
to the peace negotiations.
During the negotiations, his legitimation as envoy was disputed, but he could obtain a second authorisation from the prince-abbot of Korvei. Adami's records of the proceedings of the negotiations are today the primary source of information on the Peace of Westphalia. From his point of view, the negotiations failed, though.
Later he was sent to Rome by the Prince-elector
Prince-elector
The Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Roman king or, from the middle of the 16th century onwards, directly the Holy Roman Emperor.The heir-apparent to a prince-elector was known as an...
and archbishop of Cologne
Archbishopric of Cologne
The Electorate of Cologne was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire and existed from the 10th to the early 19th century. It consisted of the temporal possessions of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne . It was ruled by the Archbishop in his function as prince-elector of...
, Maximilian Henry of Bavaria
Maximilian Henry of Bavaria
thumb|154 px|Maximilian Heinrich of BavariaMaximilian Henry of Bavaria was the third son and fourth child of Albert VI, landgrave of Leuchtenberg and his wife, Mechthilde von Leuchtenberg. In 1650, he was named Archbishop of Cologne, Bishop of Hildesheim and Bishop of Liège succeeding his uncle,...
. With a recommendation from the former papal legate Fabio Chigi, Pope Innocent X
Pope Innocent X
Pope Innocent X , born Giovanni Battista Pamphilj , was Pope from 1644 to 1655. Born in Rome of a family from Gubbio in Umbria who had come to Rome during the pontificate of Pope Innocent IX, he graduated from the Collegio Romano and followed a conventional cursus honorum, following his uncle...
appointed Adami as titular bishop
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Hierapolis
Hierapolis
Hierapolis was the ancient Greco-Roman city which sat on top of hot springs located in south western Turkey near Denizli....
. Maximilian Henry also offered him the post as suffragan bishop
Suffragan bishop
A suffragan bishop is a bishop subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop. He or she may be assigned to an area which does not have a cathedral of its own.-Anglican Communion:...
of Hildesheim
Bishopric of Hildesheim
The Diocese of Hildesheim is a diocese or ecclesiastical territory of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in Germany. Founded in 815 as a missionary diocese by King Louis the Pious, his son Louis the German appointed the famous former archbishop of Rheims, Ebbo, as bishop...
out of gratitude. Adami served in Hildesheim until his death there, while publishing several tracts on national law.
Publications
- Arcana pacis Westphaliae, FrankfurtFrankfurtFrankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, 1698, anonymousAnonymous workAnonymous works are works, such as art or literature, that have an anonymous, undisclosed, or unknown creator or author. In the United States it is legally defined as "a work on the copies or phonorecords of which no natural person is identified as author."...
publication. Published under his name in 1707, later as Relatio historica de pacificatione Osnabrugo-Monasteriensi. Accurante Jo. God. de Meiern, Leipzig 1738, 672 pages 4°.
Sources
- Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie - online version at WikisourceWikisourceWikisource is an online digital library of free content textual sources on a wiki, operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Its aims are to host all forms of free text, in many languages, and translations. Originally conceived as an archive to store useful or important historical texts, it has...
; image version - Zedlers Universal-Lexicon, vol. 1, p. 225-226