Wilhelm Lamormaini
Encyclopedia
Wilhelm Germain Lamormaini (29 December 1570 – 22 February 1648) was a Jesuit
theologian, and an influential figure as confessor of the Habsburg emperor Ferdinand II
during the Thirty Years' War
.
(nowadays part of Manhay
in the Belgian Luxembourg province
), since 1482 part of the Habsburg Netherlands
. His father, Everard Germain, was a farmer at the hamlet of Lamormenil, hence the name. Lamormaini studied first at the Jesuit gymnasium of Trier
, and thence went to Prague
, where he received his doctor's degree, and in 1590 entered the Jesuit Order in Brno
. Ordained priest at Bratislava
in 1596 and afterwards working as a teacher in Žilina
and Prague, he was called to the Jesuit University of Graz
in Styria
as professor of philosophy in 1600, became professor of theology in 1606, and in 1614 was appointed rector of the college. His strong Catholic manners attracted Archduke Ferdinand II of Inner Austria
, then residing at Graz
Castle.
Between the years 1621 and 1623 he stayed in Rome
, but became in the latter year rector of the Jesuit college merged with the University of Vienna
, and in 1637 rector of the academic college. From 1643 to 1645 he was provincial of the Austrian province of the Jesuit order, but was compelled to relinquish this office on account of his gout
, which made his visitations a task of the greatest difficulty. During the last years of his life, he established a seminary for poor students in Vienna, the Ignatius- und Franciskus-Seminarium für Stipendisten.
, and when the Protestant
princes of the Empire were compelled by the 1629 Edict of Restitution
to give up all former ecclesiastical property seized from the Catholic Church, Lamormaini was influential in having it used for the propagation of the Catholic faith. However, these measures met with opposition even by the Catholic estates and ultimately enfeebled the Imperial
authority.
Having unsuccessfully tried to restrain Ferdinand from antagonizing the French
by interfering in the War of the Mantuan Succession
, Lamormaini was placed in an unpleasant position when the Spaniards
accused him of espousing the cause of their enemies, and tried to have him banished from court. But Lamormaini was able to vindicate himself. His concerns became real, when the French Cardinal Richelieu abandoned the common Catholic cause and had the Treaty of Bärwalde
signed with the Swedish Empire
in 1631. Lamormaini also took part in the proceedings against the emperor's removed generalissimo Albrecht von Wallenstein
in January 1634.
Lamormaini's rise ended with the emperor's death in 1637. He was offered a large sum by the Senate of Hamburg in recognition of his services on the occasion of the election of Ferdinand III
as King of the Romans
. The city of Augsburg
, in gratitude for the services he had rendered to it, erected a costly altar in the church of the Viennese Novitiate. He died at Vienna
.
By his advice many Jesuit institutions were established in the empire. He took a leading part in the Counter-Reformation in the Habsburg lands of Austria, Styria
, Bohemia
, and Moravia
.
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
theologian, and an influential figure as confessor of the Habsburg emperor Ferdinand II
Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand II , a member of the House of Habsburg, was Holy Roman Emperor , King of Bohemia , and King of Hungary . His rule coincided with the Thirty Years' War.- Life :...
during 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....
.
Life
Lamormaini was born near Dochamps in the Duchy of LuxembourgCounty, Duchy and Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
The County, later Duchy of Luxembourg was a state of the Holy Roman Empire, the ancestral homeland of the noble House of Luxembourg.-History:...
(nowadays part of Manhay
Manhay
Manhay is a Walloon municipality of Belgium located in the province of Luxembourg.On 1 January 2007 the municipality, which covers 119.81 km², had 3,185 inhabitants, giving a population density of 26.6 inhabitants per km²....
in the Belgian Luxembourg province
Luxembourg (Belgium)
Luxembourg is the southernmost province of Wallonia and of Belgium. It borders on the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, France, and the Belgian provinces of Namur and Liège. Its capital is Arlon, in the south-east of the province.It has an area of 4,443 km², making it the largest Belgian province...
), since 1482 part of the Habsburg Netherlands
Habsburg Netherlands
The Habsburg Netherlands was a geo-political entity covering the whole of the Low Countries from 1482 to 1556/1581 and solely the Southern Netherlands from 1581 to 1794...
. His father, Everard Germain, was a farmer at the hamlet of Lamormenil, hence the name. Lamormaini studied first at the Jesuit gymnasium of Trier
Trier
Trier, historically called in English Treves is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC....
, and thence went to Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, where he received his doctor's degree, and in 1590 entered the Jesuit Order in Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
. Ordained priest at Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
in 1596 and afterwards working as a teacher in Žilina
Žilina
Žilina is a city in north-western Slovakia, around from the capital Bratislava, close to both the Czech and Polish borders. It is the fourth largest city of Slovakia with a population of approximately 85,000, an important industrial center, the largest city on the Váh river, and the seat of a...
and Prague, he was called to the Jesuit University of Graz
University of Graz
The University of Graz , a university located in Graz, Austria, is the second-largest and second-oldest university in Austria....
in Styria
Duchy of Styria
The history of Styria concerns the region roughly corresponding to the modern Austrian state of Styria and the Slovene region of Styria from its settlement by Germans and Slavs in the Dark Ages until the present...
as professor of philosophy in 1600, became professor of theology in 1606, and in 1614 was appointed rector of the college. His strong Catholic manners attracted Archduke Ferdinand II of Inner Austria
Inner Austria
Inner Austria was a term used from the late 14th to the early 17th century for the Habsburg hereditary lands south of the Semmering Pass, referring to the duchies of Styria, Carinthia, Carniola and the Windic March, the County of Gorizia , the city of Trieste and assorted smaller possessions...
, then residing at Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
Castle.
Between the years 1621 and 1623 he stayed in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, but became in the latter year rector of the Jesuit college merged with the University of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
, and in 1637 rector of the academic college. From 1643 to 1645 he was provincial of the Austrian province of the Jesuit order, but was compelled to relinquish this office on account of his gout
Gout
Gout is a medical condition usually characterized by recurrent attacks of acute inflammatory arthritis—a red, tender, hot, swollen joint. The metatarsal-phalangeal joint at the base of the big toe is the most commonly affected . However, it may also present as tophi, kidney stones, or urate...
, which made his visitations a task of the greatest difficulty. During the last years of his life, he established a seminary for poor students in Vienna, the Ignatius- und Franciskus-Seminarium für Stipendisten.
Father Confessor
After the death of his fellow Jesuit Martin Becan in 1624, he became the confessor of Ferdinand II, and as such his name appears in the political affairs of the time. As counselor of the emperor, his enemies affirmed that it was not Ferdinand, but the Jesuits who ruled the empire. He was a instransigent proponent of the Counter-ReformationCounter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation was the period of Catholic revival beginning with the Council of Trent and ending at the close of the Thirty Years' War, 1648 as a response to the Protestant Reformation.The Counter-Reformation was a comprehensive effort, composed of four major elements:#Ecclesiastical or...
, and when the Protestant
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
princes of the Empire were compelled by the 1629 Edict of Restitution
Edict of Restitution
The Edict of Restitution, passed eleven years into the Thirty Years' Wars on March 6, 1629 following Catholic successes at arms, was a belated attempt by Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor to impose and restore the religious and territorial situations reached in the Peace of Augsburg...
to give up all former ecclesiastical property seized from the Catholic Church, Lamormaini was influential in having it used for the propagation of the Catholic faith. However, these measures met with opposition even by the Catholic estates and ultimately enfeebled the Imperial
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
authority.
Having unsuccessfully tried to restrain Ferdinand from antagonizing the French
Early Modern France
Kingdom of France is the early modern period of French history from the end of the 15th century to the end of the 18th century...
by interfering in the War of the Mantuan Succession
War of the Mantuan Succession
The War of the Mantuan Succession was a peripheral part of the Thirty Years' War. Its casus belli was the extinction of the direct male line of the House of Gonzaga in December 1627. Brothers Francesco IV , Ferdinando and Vincenzo II , the last three dukes of Gonzaga, had all died leaving no...
, Lamormaini was placed in an unpleasant position when the Spaniards
Habsburg Spain
Habsburg Spain refers to the history of Spain over the 16th and 17th centuries , when Spain was ruled by the major branch of the Habsburg dynasty...
accused him of espousing the cause of their enemies, and tried to have him banished from court. But Lamormaini was able to vindicate himself. His concerns became real, when the French Cardinal Richelieu abandoned the common Catholic cause and had the Treaty of Bärwalde
Treaty of Bärwalde
The Treaty of Bärwalde of 23 January 1631 was a treaty concluding an alliance between Sweden and France during the Thirty Years' War, shortly after Sweden had invaded Northern Germany then occupied by Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor's forces...
signed with the Swedish Empire
Swedish Empire
The Swedish Empire refers to the Kingdom of Sweden between 1561 and 1721 . During this time, Sweden was one of the great European powers. In Swedish, the period is called Stormaktstiden, literally meaning "the Great Power Era"...
in 1631. Lamormaini also took part in the proceedings against the emperor's removed generalissimo Albrecht von Wallenstein
Albrecht von Wallenstein
Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein , actually von Waldstein, was a Bohemian soldier and politician, who offered his services, and an army of 30,000 to 100,000 men during the Danish period of the Thirty Years' War , to the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II...
in January 1634.
Lamormaini's rise ended with the emperor's death in 1637. He was offered a large sum by the Senate of Hamburg in recognition of his services on the occasion of the election of Ferdinand III
Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand III was Holy Roman Emperor from 15 February 1637 until his death, as well as King of Hungary and Croatia, King of Bohemia and Archduke of Austria.-Life:...
as King of the Romans
King of the Romans
King of the Romans was the title used by the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire following his election to the office by the princes of the Kingdom of Germany...
. The city of Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
, in gratitude for the services he had rendered to it, erected a costly altar in the church of the Viennese Novitiate. He died at Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
.
By his advice many Jesuit institutions were established in the empire. He took a leading part in the Counter-Reformation in the Habsburg lands of Austria, Styria
Duchy of Styria
The history of Styria concerns the region roughly corresponding to the modern Austrian state of Styria and the Slovene region of Styria from its settlement by Germans and Slavs in the Dark Ages until the present...
, Bohemia
Kingdom of Bohemia
The Kingdom of Bohemia was a country located in the region of Bohemia in Central Europe, most of whose territory is currently located in the modern-day Czech Republic. The King was Elector of Holy Roman Empire until its dissolution in 1806, whereupon it became part of the Austrian Empire, and...
, and Moravia
March of Moravia
The March or Margraviate of Moravia, was a marcher state, sometimes de facto independent and varyingly within the power of the Duchy, later Kingdom of Bohemia...
.