Valentin Wiery was an Austrian

Austrians

Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....

 Catholic

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

 Cardinal

Cardinal (Catholicism)

A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...

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Wiery was born in St Marein in Wolfsberg, was educated locally (learning the Slovenian language

Slovenian language

Slovene or Slovenian is a South Slavic language spoken by approximately 2.5 million speakers worldwide, the majority of whom live in Slovenia. It is the first language of about 1.85 million people and is one of the 23 official and working languages of the European Union...

) and was ordained on 24 August 1835.

In 1858, Wiery was consecrated Bishop of Gurk

Bishop of Gurk

The Bishop of Gurk is the head of the Diocese of Gurk, which was established in 1072, as the first suffragan bishop of the Archdiocese of Salzburg...

 by Maximilian Joseph von Tarnóczy

Maximilian Joseph von Tarnóczy

Maximilian Joseph von Tarnóczy was an Austrian Cardinal and Archbishop.He was born in Schwaz on 24 October 1806, the son of Franz Xaver von Tarnóczy and his second wife, Catherine of Sprinzenberg . He studied in Innsbruck and Salzburg and in 1829 became a priest...

, Archbishop of Salzburg

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Salzburg

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Salzburg is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Austria. The archdiocese is one of two Austrian archdioceses, serving alongside the Archdiocese of Vienna....

. His consecration was considered a display of Tarnóczy's personal power and Wiery came to be considered a prominent modern Prince-Bishop

Prince-Bishop

A Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office...

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Wiery died on 29 December 1880.