Ferdinand von Fürstenberg (1661–1718)

Ferdinand von Fürstenberg

Ferdinand von Furstenberg (* 22. August 1661 in Burg Schnellenberg ; † 15. March 1718 ) was among other Obrist equerry of the diocese of Paderborn and Erb drost various offices in the Duchy of Westphalia . He greatly enlarged the property of the Fürstenberg family through various acquisitions.

Early years

He was a son of Friedrich von Fürstenberg and his second wife Maria Elisabeth . He got his first name in honor of his uncle Prince-Bishop Ferdinand von Fürstenberg . The godmother was Maria Jacobäa von Eltz , abbess of the Marienrath monastery . After the father's early death, the father's brothers took responsibility for him alongside his mother. As a later-born son, he was, as usual in the family of the nobility , intended for the clergy. He received a prebend at Mainz Cathedral in 1668 and one in Paderborn in 1669 . After the death of his brother Maximilian Heinrich in 1671, who was initially intended to be the heir of the family property, Ferdinand took his place and renounced his prebends.

He attended high school in Mainz in 1673/74 , moved to Cologne for a year and then to his uncle Wilhelm in Salzburg . There he studied law . After a stay in Vienna in 1679, he returned home.

Shortly afterwards the mother died. His uncle brought the orphan to his court in Paderborn and appointed him chief stableman. In 1680 he finished his training with a Grand Tour . Good relationships with his family enabled him to travel to the court in Versailles to improve his language skills and to be introduced to the court. With a few companions he traveled to Paris via Cologne and Brussels . He was introduced to Louis XIV alongside other high-ranking personalities . At the request of his uncle, he also maintained contact with the bishop and former minister of the Electorate of Cologne, Franz Egon von Fürstenberg (from the family who were not related in southern Germany). In the meantime Ferdinand had also been appointed Chamberlain of Cologne. Before leaving, he presented King, Queen and Minister Colbert with handwritings from the Prince-Bishop in a farewell audience. He then traveled through France for another six weeks before returning to Westphalia.

Marriage and offices

After his return, he took up his service as chief stableman. The attempt to get him the title of imperial chamberlain failed. In 1681 he was appointed court advisor in Paderborn and accompanied his uncle Wilhelm on a legation trip to Mainz and Trier as well as to the district council of the Lower Rhine-Westphalian district council . His uncle urged him to get married as soon as possible in order to maintain the family. In 1682 he married Maria Theresia von Westphalen zu Laer. The wedding took place in the residence Schloss Neuhaus and the prince-bishop himself carried out the blessing. The woman brought a large dowry into the marriage. Louis XIV sent valuable gifts for the wedding. The good marriage resulted in nine sons and seven daughters, some of whom died young.

After the Prince-Bishop's death, Ferdinand lost his court posts in Paderborn. Subsequently, he mainly administered his possessions, advised by his uncle Johann Adolf, who lived at Adolfsburg Castle . In 1687 he was appointed to the aristocratic council of the Duchy of Westphalia. After his marriage, he took over the hereditary offices of Drosten in Bilstein , Waldenburg and Fredeburg . He was also court lord of Oberkirchen and hereditary bailiff of the monasteries Grafschaft and Ewig . On the advice of his uncle Wilhelm, he stayed away from the electoral court service, but was appointed Elector Joseph Clemens of Bavaria to the electoral secret council in 1697 . He enjoyed the trust of the electoral prince and maintained intensive contacts with the relevant people at the court in Bonn, but also with the prince-bishops of Münster and Paderborn. His contact with the influential canons, cathedral dean and later Bishop Hugo Franz von Königsegg-Rothenfels was particularly good . He also had good contacts in Vienna , Hildesheim , Regensburg and The Hague .

He hesitated for a long time as to which of his sons should succeed him. So he tried to provide all sons with spiritual benefices. His good relationships with the leading families of the Westphalian nobility, leading canons and the Prince-Bishops, some of whom had family ties, helped him. Franz Arnold von Wolff-Metternich zur Gracht was grateful to Ferdinand, who had played an important role in his appointment as coadjutor in Paderborn and later in the election of bishops in Münster.

Expansion of the property

Due to the good management of the family estates at the time of the guardianship of his uncles, the construction of the large tower at Schnellenberg Castle was possible. The legacy of the prince-bishop's uncle made it possible to build a tower and economic buildings at Herdringen Castle . However, there was no planned new building. In 1685 Ferdinand acquired a large part of Haus Hüsten and the associated properties. The rest followed in 1712. Together with Johann Adolf, he acquired Waldenburg Castle from the Teutonic Order in 1691 . In addition, the fiefdom came from the office of Schönholthausen . In 1701 Ferdinand bought the Bruchhausen manor in the parish of Hüsten. He inherited the Adolfsburg Castle and Gut Langenei in 1704 after the death of his uncle Johann Adolf. The inheritance made it possible in 1706 to buy the glory Horst in Vest Recklinghausen. He had the Horst house redesigned. For the glory Horst a new court order was issued in 1714. The acquisition of Höllinghofen Castle failed. In 1718 he acquired the manor Ichterloh in the parish of Nordkirchen with a number of ancillary estates. He inherited other goods such as the so-called County Boke north of the Lippe.

Role during the War of the Spanish Succession

After Elector Joseph Clemens was ostracized by the Emperor after his alliance with France in connection with the War of the Spanish Succession , the situation also became difficult for the estates of the Duchy of Westphalia, to which Ferdinand belonged. They kept in contact with the elector whenever possible and tried to alleviate the burden of war through negotiations. Ferdinand played an important role in the duchy because no one else had such excellent connections. During this time he de facto ran the country's business. But he could not completely prevent billeting and similar war loads. Ferdinand also kept in touch with the elector. The latter turned to him in confidence, on the occasion of the imminent election of the emperor for the electors of Trier and Mainz, to help ensure that he could participate. The elector promised bribes of 70,000 Reichstalers . Ferdinand did not reject this request, but he did not comply with it either. After the peace agreement, Joseph Clemens was able to resume his offices as archbishop and elector. Ferdinand was a member of the Westphalian delegation that was supposed to congratulate him on this in Liege .

Ferdinand also subsequently retained the favor of the elector. He accompanied him occasionally on trips and was invited to the electoral table when he was in Bonn.

After his death he was buried in the Franciscan Church in Attendorn .

literature

• Helmut Lahrkamp: Ferdinand von Fürstenberg (1661-1718) In: Fürstenbergische Geschichte. Vol. 4. The history of the Fürstenberg family in the 18th century. Münster, 1979 pp. 1-26