Lothar Franz von Schönborn (4 October 1655 – 30 January 1729) was the Archbishop-Elector of Mainz

Archbishopric of Mainz

The Archbishopric of Mainz or Electorate of Mainz was an influential ecclesiastic and secular prince-bishopric in the Holy Roman Empire between 780–82 and 1802. In the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy, the Archbishop of Mainz was the primas Germaniae, the substitute of the Pope north of the Alps...

 from 1694 until 1729, and the Bishop of Bamberg from 1693 until 1729.

Lothar Franz was born in Steinheim am Main in 1655 to Count Philip Erwin of Schönborn

Schönborn

- Places :* Schönborn, Brandenburg, in the Elbe-Elster district, Brandenburg* Bad Schönborn, in the district of Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg* Schönborn, Rhein-Hunsrück, in the Rhein-Hunsrück district, Rhineland-Palatinate...

. He was a nephew of John Philip of Schönborn, 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...

 from 1647 until 1673, and a grand nephew of George Frederick of Greiffenclau, Archbishop of Mainz from 1629 until 1629. Furthermore he was an uncle to the influential Schönborn-Buchheim branch which included John Philip Francis, Frederick Charles, Hugh Damian and Francis George.

In 1694 Lothar Franz was elected the Archbishop of Mainz despite an opposing recommendation from the Emperor. During his reign, he increased taxation of the cathedral chapter and eroded some of its rights. In 1707 he was instrumental in the conversion of the Protestant

Protestantism

Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...

 Elizabeth Christina of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel to Catholicism. In 1711 he ensured the election of Charles VI of Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

 as the Holy Roman Emperor

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 was rewarded by Charles for his loyalty with 100,000 guldens with which he began the construction of Weissenstein in Pommersfelden

Pommersfelden

Pommersfelden is a community in the Upper Franconian district of Bamberg.-Constituent communities:The community of Pommersfelden is subdivided into four Gemarkungen with a total of ten settled centres, each given here with its own population figure:*Gemarkung Oberndorf:-Population...

.

In 1710 Lothar Franz became embroiled in a dispute with the cathedral chapter over his desire to have one of his nephews named coadjutor and successor. The chapter instead proposed Francis Louis of Palatinate-Neuburg, and with papal support implemented his appointment. Lothar Francis' reign was marked by an attempt to restore the waning fortunes of the Prince-Archbishopric. After leading it through the destructive Nine Years' War and the War of the Spanish Succession

War of the Spanish Succession

The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...

, during both of which the archbishopric was devastated, he reformed the administration, taxation and law which led to a more centralised state.

Lothar Franz died in Mainz on 30 January 1729. Despite greatly centralising the prince-archbishopric and increasing his personal authority at the expense of the cathedral chapter, it is disputed amongst historians as to how much an absolutist

Absolutism (European history)

Absolutism or The Age of Absolutism is a historiographical term used to describe a form of monarchical power that is unrestrained by all other institutions, such as churches, legislatures, or social elites...

ruler Lothar Francis was.

Literature

• R.H. Thompson: Lothar Franz von Schönborn and the Diplomacy of the Electorate of Mainz. From the Treaty of Ryswick to the Outbreak of the War of the Spanish Succession, Springer Netherland 1973; ISBN 978-9024713462