Caspar Dietrich von Fürstenberg

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Caspar Dietrich von Fürstenberg (sometimes given as Theodor Caspar von Fürstenberg ) (* March 6, 1615 in Königstein ; † March 21, 1675 in Mainz ) was a canon (last provost of the cathedral in Mainz), alchemist , cavalry bishop, artist and unsuccessful candidate the election as Elector of Mainz .

Caspar Dietrich von Fürstenberg Canon of Mainz and Speyer (self-portrait. Oil painting from 1665)

Origin and family

Caspar Dietrich von Fürstenberg came from the family of the Barons von Fürstenberg . He was born as the eldest son of Friedrich von Fürstenberg . He was the brother of the future Prince-Bishop Ferdinand von Fürstenberg and the diplomat Johann Adolf von Fürstenberg . As a child, at the age of nine, he received a cathedral priest from the Mainz cathedral chapter . Later a benefice was added to the Speyer Cathedral . In 1631 Caspar Dietrich began studying at the University of Cologne . In 1639 he became a member of the Mainz Cathedral Chapter. Despite numerous church benefices, his standard of living was so expensive that he was dependent on further donations from the family.

Cavalier journey to Rome

In 1640 Caspar Dietrich and the painter Andreas Geldorp were sent on an educational and gentlemanly trip to Rome , not least so that he should learn how to handle money sensibly. However, this turned out to be a vain hope, as Caspar Dietrich amassed new debts through a demanding lifestyle. He set his hopes on the alchemical " art of ultramarine " but had to flee from Rome to Florence before possible imprisonment . The sale of the paintings painted in Rome and assignments from the family eventually made it possible to leave Italy.

Colonel in the Thirty Years War

When he returned to Mainz, he was forced to renounce his birthright and thus the successor to the head of the von Fürstenberg family. The Thirty Years War , which was in its final phase, gave his life a new turn. When French troops occupied Mainz in 1644 , Caspar Dietrich and Elector Anselm Casimir fled to Oberlahnstein fortress in the hope of attracting his attention. In 1647, Caspar Dietrich, who was back in Mainz, tried to smuggle Spanish troops into the still French-occupied city. The company failed due to treason. The result was the destruction of the Fürstenberg town house "Zur golden Luft" and Caspar Dietrich's flight. He was accepted by the Spanish Governor General Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria in Brussels . Although Caspar Dietrich had no military experience whatsoever, he was granted a colonel patent and the task of setting up a dragoon regiment at his own expense . The attempt to get the family's capital for this largely failed, but he did get credit from Dutch merchants. At the Battle of Lens , the last of the war, on August 19, 1648, dreams of a military career ended. The Spanish troops were defeated and Caspar Dietrich's regiment was dispersed. He could not repay his high debts, the liabilities now amounted to 21,000 thalers. Caspar Dietrich fled from his creditors, but they finally tracked him down. In order to settle the debts, the family was forced to pledge the possessions in Mainz.

Alchemy and art

The head of John the Baptist (mezzotint by Caspar Dietrich von Fürstenberg)

When Caspar Dietrich returned to Mainz in 1654, he was mainly concerned with alchemy. He concluded a contract with the Archbishop of Salzburg, Guidobald von Thun , which was ultimately not fulfilled , in which he promised to turn silver into gold and to explore the secrets of steel production. Caspar Dietrich was more successful as an artist during this time. He was particularly popular with the nobility as a portrait painter. There are pictures of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm or Archbishop Lothar Friedrich von Metternich-Burscheid as well as numerous members of his own family. He also painted a number of religious pictures. Including again and again the beheading of John the Baptist . In addition to oil painting, Caspar Dietrich had a good knowledge of copperplate engraving and helped develop the so-called mezzotint as a further development . A number of portraits of Margrave Friedrich von Baden, for example, as well as religious pieces were created using this technique .

Provost, failed electoral election and death

Caspar Dietrich was appointed secret council by the Elector of Mainz and the Archbishop of Speyer, and in 1673 the Mainz cathedral chapter elected him to be provost and thus its head. This position was considered to be one of the most profitable in the spiritual states of Germany. But the associated representational tasks meant that Caspar Dietrich went into debt again and the Mainz family property, which had previously only been pledged, had to be sold in 1675. Since this belonged to the family entrepre- neurship and was therefore actually not for sale, this deal took place under conspiratorial conditions. When the Elector of Mainz died in the same year, Caspar Dietrich, based on his position in the cathedral chapter, had legitimate hopes for a successor. This time he was financially supported by the family and the diplomatically experienced Johann Adolf von Fürstenberg traveled specially from Westphalia. At the election on July 3, 1675, everything seemed to be heading towards Caspar Dietrich when an imperial envoy, Count von Sternberg, spoke out against the Fürstenberger on behalf of the emperor. Since the election was carried out as an acclamation , none of the canons dared to vote against the will of Emperor Leopold I. When Caspar Dietrich saw his chances dwindling, he made a good face to the bad game and even suggested the canon Damian Hartard von der Leyen . A later attempt to challenge the election failed due to resistance from the emperor. When the new elector looked through documents, he discovered the illegal sale of the Mainz property and forced the Fürstenberg family to buy them back at a completely inflated price. The family finally withdrew from Caspar Dietrich. He finally died in a deep depression in 1675.

literature

Web links

Commons : Caspar Dietrich von Fürstenberg  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Karl Anton Schaab : The history of the federal fortress Mainz, historically and militarily based on the sources. Self-published by the author, Mainz 1835.
personal data
SURNAME Fürstenberg, Caspar Dietrich von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Fürstenberg, Theodor Caspar von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German canon (last provost of the cathedral in Mainz), alchemist, cavalry chief, artist
DATE OF BIRTH March 6, 1615
PLACE OF BIRTH Koenigstein
DATE OF DEATH March 21, 1675
Place of death Mainz