Franz von Hatzfeld
Encyclopedia
Franz von Hatzfeld was the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg
from 1631 to 1642 and the Prince-Bishop of Bamberg
from 1633 to 1642.
was born in Crottorf, near Friesenhagen
, on September 13, 1596, the third son of Freiherr
Sebastian von Hatzfeld-Wildenburg (1566-1631) and his wife Lucia von Sickingen (1569–1605), a granddaughter of Franz von Sickingen
. His father had been raised a Protestant, but converted to Roman Catholicism.
In 1615, he became a canon
of Würzburg Cathedral
and, two years later, of Bamberg Cathedral
. At age thirty, he became head cantor
of Bamberg Cathedral, and the next year, became diocesan administrator of Würzburg. He then served as provost
of the Gangolfskirche
in Bamberg
.
The cathedral chapter
of Würzburg Cathedral elected him Prince-Bishop of Würzburg
on August 7, 1631, with Pope Urban VIII
confirming his appointment on January 3, 1632.
With the Thirty Years' War
raging, Swedish
troops occupied the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg
and Franz von Hatzfeld fled to Cologne
as a protective measure. On June 20, 1633, Lord High Chancellor of Sweden
Axel Oxenstierna
declared that the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg and the Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg
would henceforth be combined as the "Duchy of Franconia" and enfeoffed
to Bernard of Saxe-Weimar.
On August 4, 1633, the cathedral chapter of Bamberg Cathedral (which had escaped to the Duchy of Carinthia
) elected Franz von Hatzfeld Prince-Bishop of Bamberg
, with Pope Urban VIII confirming this appointment on October 31, 1633. This created a personal union
between the Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg and the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg.
Following the Battle of Nördlingen
of September 5-6, 1634, Franz von Hatzfeld ended his Cologne exile, returning to Würzburg in November 1634, accompanied by the troops of Philipp von Mansfeld
.
He died of a stroke
in Würzburg on July 30, 1642.
Bishopric of Würzburg
The Bishopric of Würzburg was a prince-bishopric in the Holy Roman Empire, located in Lower Franconia, around the city of Würzburg, Germany. Würzburg was a diocese from 743. In the 18th century, its bishop was often also Bishop of Bamberg...
from 1631 to 1642 and the Prince-Bishop of Bamberg
Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg
The Bishopric of Bamberg was established in 1007, to further expand the spread of Christianity in Germany. The ecclesiastical state was a member of the Holy Roman Empire from about 1245 until it was subsumed to the Electorate of Bavaria in 1802...
from 1633 to 1642.
Biography
Franz von HatzfeldHouse of Hatzfeld
The House of Hatzfeld, also spelled Hatzfeldt, is a prominent German family of high nobility originally from Hesse. The family is first mentioned in 1138 and has its ancestral seat in Hatzfeld.- Members :...
was born in Crottorf, near Friesenhagen
Friesenhagen
Friesenhagen is a municipality in the district of Altenkirchen, in Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany....
, on September 13, 1596, the third son of Freiherr
Freiherr
The German titles Freiherr and Freifrau and Freiin are titles of nobility, used preceding a person's given name or, after 1919, before the surname...
Sebastian von Hatzfeld-Wildenburg (1566-1631) and his wife Lucia von Sickingen (1569–1605), a granddaughter of Franz von Sickingen
Franz von Sickingen
Franz von Sickingen was a German knight, one of the most notable figures of the first period of the Reformation.-Biography:He was born at Ebernburg near Bad Kreuznach...
. His father had been raised a Protestant, but converted to Roman Catholicism.
In 1615, he became a canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
of Würzburg Cathedral
Würzburg Cathedral
Würzburg Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Würzburg in Bavaria, Germany, dedicated to Saint Kilian. It is the seat of the Bishop of Würzburg...
and, two years later, of Bamberg Cathedral
Bamberg Cathedral
The Bamberg Cathedral is a church in Bamberg, Germany, completed in the 13th century. The cathedral is under the administration of the Roman Catholic Church and is the seat of the Archbishop of Bamberg....
. At age thirty, he became head cantor
Cantor (church)
A cantor is the chief singer employed in a church with responsibilities for the ecclesiastical choir; also called the precentor....
of Bamberg Cathedral, and the next year, became diocesan administrator of Würzburg. He then served as provost
Provost (religion)
A provost is a senior official in a number of Christian churches.-Historical Development:The word praepositus was originally applied to any ecclesiastical ruler or dignitary...
of the Gangolfskirche
Gangulphus
Saint Gangulphus of Burgundy is venerated as a martyr by the Catholic Church. Gangulphus was a Burgundian courtier whose historical existence can only be attested by a single document: a deed from the court of Pepin the Short dated 762...
in Bamberg
Bamberg
Bamberg is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in Upper Franconia on the river Regnitz, close to its confluence with the river Main. Bamberg is one of the few cities in Germany that was not destroyed by World War II bombings because of a nearby Artillery Factory that prevented planes from...
.
The cathedral chapter
Cathedral chapter
In accordance with canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese in his stead. These councils are made up of canons and dignitaries; in the Roman Catholic church their...
of Würzburg Cathedral elected him Prince-Bishop of Würzburg
Bishopric of Würzburg
The Bishopric of Würzburg was a prince-bishopric in the Holy Roman Empire, located in Lower Franconia, around the city of Würzburg, Germany. Würzburg was a diocese from 743. In the 18th century, its bishop was often also Bishop of Bamberg...
on August 7, 1631, with Pope Urban VIII
Pope Urban VIII
Pope Urban VIII , born Maffeo Barberini, was pope from 1623 to 1644. He was the last pope to expand the papal territory by force of arms, and was a prominent patron of the arts and reformer of Church missions...
confirming his appointment on January 3, 1632.
With the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
raging, Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
troops occupied the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg
Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg
The Bishopric of Bamberg was established in 1007, to further expand the spread of Christianity in Germany. The ecclesiastical state was a member of the Holy Roman Empire from about 1245 until it was subsumed to the Electorate of Bavaria in 1802...
and Franz von Hatzfeld fled to 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...
as a protective measure. On June 20, 1633, Lord High Chancellor of Sweden
Lord High Chancellor of Sweden
The Lord High Chancellor was a prominent and influential office in Sweden, from 1561 until 1680, excluding periods when the office was out of use. The office holder was a member of the Privy Council of Sweden...
Axel Oxenstierna
Axel Oxenstierna
Axel Gustafsson Oxenstierna af Södermöre , Count of Södermöre, was a Swedish statesman. He became a member of the Swedish Privy Council in 1609 and served as Lord High Chancellor of Sweden from 1612 until his death. He was a confidant of first Gustavus Adolphus and then Queen Christina.Oxenstierna...
declared that the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg and the Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg
Bishopric of Würzburg
The Bishopric of Würzburg was a prince-bishopric in the Holy Roman Empire, located in Lower Franconia, around the city of Würzburg, Germany. Würzburg was a diocese from 743. In the 18th century, its bishop was often also Bishop of Bamberg...
would henceforth be combined as the "Duchy of Franconia" and enfeoffed
Enfeoffment
Under the European feudal system, enfeoffment was the deed by which a person was given land in exchange for a pledge of service. This mechanism was later used to avoid restrictions on the passage of title in land by a system in which a landowner would give land to one person for the use of another...
to Bernard of Saxe-Weimar.
On August 4, 1633, the cathedral chapter of Bamberg Cathedral (which had escaped to the Duchy of Carinthia
Duchy of Carinthia
The Duchy of Carinthia was a duchy located in southern Austria and parts of northern Slovenia. It was separated from the Duchy of Bavaria in 976, then the first newly created Imperial State beside the original German stem duchies....
) elected Franz von Hatzfeld Prince-Bishop of Bamberg
Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg
The Bishopric of Bamberg was established in 1007, to further expand the spread of Christianity in Germany. The ecclesiastical state was a member of the Holy Roman Empire from about 1245 until it was subsumed to the Electorate of Bavaria in 1802...
, with Pope Urban VIII confirming this appointment on October 31, 1633. This created a personal union
Personal union
A personal union is the combination by which two or more different states have the same monarch while their boundaries, their laws and their interests remain distinct. It should not be confused with a federation which is internationally considered a single state...
between the Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg and the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg.
Following the Battle of Nördlingen
Battle of Nördlingen (1634)
The Battle of Nördlingen was fought on 27 August or 6 September , 1634 during the Thirty Years' War. The Roman Catholic Imperial army, bolstered by 18,000 Spanish and Italian soldiers, won a crushing victory over the combined Protestant armies of Sweden and their German-Protestant allies .After...
of September 5-6, 1634, Franz von Hatzfeld ended his Cologne exile, returning to Würzburg in November 1634, accompanied by the troops of Philipp von Mansfeld
Philipp von Mansfeld
thumb|250px|Philipp von MansfeldPhilipp von Mansfeld , was Graf von Mansfeld, Vorderort and Bornstedt who commanded troops during the Thirty Years' War. He first fought on the side of the Swedish Empire under his second-cousin, was captured, changed allegiance and raised a navy for General...
.
He died of a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
in Würzburg on July 30, 1642.