Charles-Nicolas d'Oultremont
Encyclopedia
Charles-Nicolas-Alexandre d'Oultremont (26 June 1716 – 22 October 1771) was prince-bishop of Liège from 20 April 1763 to his death in 1771. He was the eighth child of Jean-François-Paul-Emile
Jean-François-Paul-Emile d'Oultremont
Jean-François-Paul-Emile d'Oultremont , Count of Oultremont and of the Holy Roman Empire, Baron of Han-sur-Lesse, lord of Chevetogne, pair of the Duchy of Luxembourg, Great Bailiff of Moha, etc., was the son of Jean-Baptiste d'Oultremont and Marie-Jacqueline de Berlaymont.In 1731, he became the...

, Count of Oultremont and of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...

, and Marie-Isabelle of Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...

, Countess of Warfusée
Castle of Warfusée
-See also:*List of castles in Belgium...

 and Druynen and Baroness of Schagen
Schagen
Schagen is a town and municipality in the northwestern Netherlands. It is located between Alkmaar and Den Helder, in and region of West Friesland and the province of North Holland. In 2007, Schagen had 19.078 residents. It received city rights in 1415....

. He was born, lived and died in the castle of Warfusée
Castle of Warfusée
-See also:*List of castles in Belgium...

 (now within the municipality of Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse
Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse
Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse is a municipality of Belgium. It lies in the country's Walloon Region and Province of Liege. On January 1, 2006 Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse had a total population of 6,613. The total area is 20.90 km² which gives a population density of 316 inhabitants per km²....

).

Charles of Oultremont studied at the College of Reims
Reims
Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....

 and at Louis-le-Grand in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

. He was nominated Canon of the Cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...

 of Liège by the Pope
Pope Clement XII
Pope Clement XII , born Lorenzo Corsini, was Pope from 12 July 1730 to 6 February 1740.Born in Florence, the son of Bartolomeo Corsini, Marquis of Casigliano and his wife Isabella Strozzi, sister of the Duke of Bagnuolo, Corsini had been an aristocratic lawyer and financial manager under preceding...

 in 1733. He was ordained Deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...

 on 22 April 1764, and priest two days later.

Upon the death of Prince-Bishop Jean-Théodore of Bavaria in January 1763, Prince Clemens of Saxony, only son of the King of Poland, Frederick Augustus III
Augustus III of Poland
Augustus III, known as the Saxon ; ; also Prince-elector Friedrich August II was the Elector of Saxony in 1733-1763, as Frederick Augustus II , King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1734-1763.-Biography:Augustus was the only legitimate son of Augustus II the Strong, Imperial Prince-Elector...

, applied to become the next prince-bishop. His young age (only 24), however, disqualified him. In addition, he was not yet a priest and did not belong to the chapter of the cathedral. He wrote to Pope Clement XIII
Pope Clement XIII
Pope Clement XIII , born Carlo della Torre di Rezzonico, was Pope from 16 July 1758 to 2 February 1769....

, who grant him eligibility. Clemens received the support from France and Austria, but not from canon priests of Liège, who preferred a local, namely Count Charles of Oultremont. The latter was elected on 20 April 1763, with 30 votes to 19.

Prince Clemens protested and appealed to the Pope and the Emperor. Emperor Francis I intervened in favour of his protégé, but the Pope confirmed the election, and Charles took his office as prince-bishop on 8 April 1764. He was consecrated at the Cathedral of Saint Lambert of Liège
St. Lambert's Cathedral, Liège
St. Lambert's Cathedral, Liège was the cathedral of Liège, Belgium, until 1794, when its destruction began...

 on May 30. The new prince vowed to protect the authority and independence of the territory against the government of the Netherlands, the Abbot of Sint-Truiden
Sint-Truiden
Sint-Truiden is a city and municipality located in the province of Limburg, Flemish Region, Belgium, near the towns of Hasselt and Tongeren. The municipality includes the old communes of Aalst, Brustem, Duras, Engelmanshoven, Gelinden, Gorsem, Groot-Gelmen, Halmaal, Kerkom-bij-Sint-Truiden,...

 and the Abbess-Princess of Munsterbilzen.

The reign of Charles of Oultremont was marked more by his ecclesiastical achievements than his political ones. He fought against Jansenism
Jansenism
Jansenism was a Christian theological movement, primarily in France, that emphasized original sin, human depravity, the necessity of divine grace, and predestination. The movement originated from the posthumously published work of the Dutch theologian Cornelius Otto Jansen, who died in 1638...

, against Febronianism
Febronianism
Febronianism was a powerful movement within the Roman Catholic Church in Germany, in the latter part of the 18th century, directed towards the nationalizing of Catholicism, the restriction of the power of the papacy in favor of that of the episcopate, and the reunion of the dissident churches with...

, and against immoral writings which came flooding from France. He created new charitable institutions and enhanced the level of theological studies.

Politically, he was frequently in dispute with the Austrian Netherlands, who had supported Prince Clemens. He executed numerous works to improve trade, industry and agriculture, and ordered the paving of roads towards France, other German states and the United Provinces
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...

.

Charles of Oultremont also encountered problems with the Teutonic Order, who claimed to be exempt of taxation in virtue of their privileges.

Influenced by his brother, he also raised the quarters of nobility
Quarters of nobility
Quarters of nobility is an expression used in the bestowal of hereditary titles and refers to the number of generations in which noble status has been held by a family regardless of whether a title was actually in use by each person in the ancestral line in question.For example, a person having...

from eight to sixteen to be admitted into the council of the nobility. This effectively reduced the total number of noble families to around 15.
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