Karl Kaspar von der Leyen-Hohengeroldseck
Encyclopedia
Karl Kaspar von der Leyen (18 December 1618 - 1 June 1676) was Archbishop-Elector of Trier and a Prince-Elector
of the Holy Roman Empire
from 1652 to 1676.
family, Charles Kaspar was made a coadjutor bishop
on 11 June 1650. He was elected the successor of the then 86-year-old Archbishop Philipp Christoph von Sötern, but this was rejected as Philipp Christoph was the favoured candidate.
After the death of the Archbishop, Karl Kaspar started his reign on 12 March 1652. The consequences of the recently ended Thirty Years' War
presented the new archbishop with many hard tasks, for example, the population of the archiepiscopal state had declined to approximately 300,000 people. His policy towards the Allies had destroyed many buildings; so he had to restore the country’s infrastructure, especially the justice and agriculture systems, to promote development. He also had to repair the fortresses Koblenz
and Ehrenbreitstein.
He founded an orphanage for boys in Trier and endowed scholarships for the training of nobles’ sons to become priests, and in 1668, he had the Kurtrierische Landrecht ("Electoral-Trier Common Law") published.
Charles Kaspar promoted, in particular, the members of his aristocratic house, Von der Leyen (House of the Leyens).
In 1654 he made his younger brother Damian Hartard von der Leyen the Archbishop of Mainz
and Provost and Archdeacon
of Karden
, titles under the Archbishopric of Trier
.
Aware as he was of his declining health, he had already named his successor, his nephew John Hugo of Orsbeck, by 1672. He died on 1 June 1676 in Fort Ehrenbreitstein.
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...
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...
from 1652 to 1676.
Life
A member of the noble LeyenLeyen
The House of Leyen is an ancient German family of high nobility, the origin of which can be traced to the middle of the 12th century, which had estates at the Moselle River. Originally the family was named by its castle in Gondorf . Since the 14th century it has called itself von der Leyen...
family, Charles Kaspar was made a coadjutor bishop
Coadjutor bishop
A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...
on 11 June 1650. He was elected the successor of the then 86-year-old Archbishop Philipp Christoph von Sötern, but this was rejected as Philipp Christoph was the favoured candidate.
After the death of the Archbishop, Karl Kaspar started his reign on 12 March 1652. The consequences of the recently ended 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....
presented the new archbishop with many hard tasks, for example, the population of the archiepiscopal state had declined to approximately 300,000 people. His policy towards the Allies had destroyed many buildings; so he had to restore the country’s infrastructure, especially the justice and agriculture systems, to promote development. He also had to repair the fortresses Koblenz
Koblenz
Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
and Ehrenbreitstein.
He founded an orphanage for boys in Trier and endowed scholarships for the training of nobles’ sons to become priests, and in 1668, he had the Kurtrierische Landrecht ("Electoral-Trier Common Law") published.
Charles Kaspar promoted, in particular, the members of his aristocratic house, Von der Leyen (House of the Leyens).
In 1654 he made his younger brother Damian Hartard von der Leyen the Archbishop of 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...
and Provost and Archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
of Karden
Treis-Karden
Treis-Karden is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde to which it also belongs...
, titles under the Archbishopric of Trier
Archbishopric of Trier
The Archbishopric of Trier was a Roman Catholic diocese in Germany, that existed from Carolingian times until the end of the Holy Roman Empire. Its suffragans were the dioceses of Metz, Toul and Verdun. Since the 9th century the Archbishops of Trier were simultaneously princes and since the 11th...
.
Aware as he was of his declining health, he had already named his successor, his nephew John Hugo of Orsbeck, by 1672. He died on 1 June 1676 in Fort Ehrenbreitstein.