Franz Arnold von Wolff-Metternich to the canal
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Franz Arnold von Wolff-Metternich zur Gracht (born May 9, 1658 at Gracht Castle in Liblar , today in Erftstadt ; † December 25, 1718 in Ahaus Castle ) was Prince-Bishop of Paderborn and Münster .
family
He came from the Wolff-Metternich family . His father was the Electorate of Cologne Obrist equerry Degenhard Adolf von Wolff Metternich called, a son of the house Wittelsbach prince educator working Johann Adolf Wolff Metternich to the canal (1592-1669). The mother was Philippina Agnes (nee Freifrau von Reuschenberg zu Setternich). Franz Arnold was the fifth of a total of nine children from this marriage. After the death of Philippina Agnes, the father married Margaretha Alexandra von Hoensbroeck for the second time . One of the younger half-brothers from this marriage was the cathedral provost Wilhelm Hermann Ignatz Wolff-Metternich zur Gracht .
Early years
As a later son, he embarked on a church career , as is customary in the north-west German pin nobility . He attended high school in Hildesheim and received his first tonsure in 1670. From 1674 to 1676 he studied at the Collegium Germanicum in Rome. In 1678 he received a canon position in Osnabrück . There he later became provost of the cathedral and was provost of the St. Johann monastery . From 1681 he was also canon in Paderborn . In 1698 he received the minor ordinations and the ordination as a subdeacon . During this time he hoped to be elected Bishop of Osnabrück . This hope was dashed when Charles III. Joseph of Lorraine prevailed. From 1706 he was also canon in Münster .
Bishop in Paderborn
In 1703 he was ordained a deacon and shortly thereafter a priest . Despite considerable opposition from an opposing party, Franz Arnold was elected coadjutor of his uncle Hermann Werner von Wolff-Metternich zur Gracht , with the right to succeed him as Bishop of Paderborn. Pope Clement XI. confirmed the election and appointed him titular bishop of Nicopolis in Armenia . On March 9, 1704, the auxiliary bishop in Osnabrück, Otto Wilhelm von Bronckhorst zu Gronsfeld in Paderborn , consecrated him as bishop. After his uncle's death on May 21, 1704, he became Prince-Bishop of Paderborn.
Conflict over the election in Münster
The choice in Münster was difficult after the death of Friedrich Christian von Plettenberg in 1706. Foreign interests also played a major role. The Republic of the Seven United Provinces got involved in this matter for reasons of power politics. In addition, they wanted to prevent the election of Karl Joseph von Lothringen, which Emperor Leopold I wanted and after his death Josef I wanted . After some hesitation, Franz Arnold made himself available as a candidate for the party supported by the Dutch. He signed a treaty with the United Dutch Provinces. In it he committed himself to appointing Charles of Lorraine only with the consent of the Dutch as coadjutor. The friendly relations on both sides were confirmed and Franz Arnold undertook to withdraw the Münster troops from Bentheim Castle . He also promised to tolerate the Protestants in the Monastery of Münster and received subsidies of 200,000 livres.
Both sides tried to win over the canons with large bribes. The election of Franz Arnold seemed certain when the Pope postponed the election for a month. The emperor was now putting pressure on and the pope had the election postponed again. The majority of the cathedral chapter did not adhere to it and chose Franz Arnold, although the cathedral dean , as a supporter of the opposing party, had forbidden participation. Franz Arnold gained access to the locked house of the knighthood and thus formally but not actually carried out the change of government. A month later there was then a double election, although a majority was on the side of Franz Arnold. Both sides proclaimed their candidate for bishop. At first the Pope did not dare to decide against the imperial will. The Dutch called on Franz Arnold to take power anyway and put troops on the march. For fear of excommunication , Franz Arnold refused. In April 1707 Joseph I began to adopt a more forgiving attitude. The Pope then declared the two elections to be invalid and declared Franz Arnold administrator on the basis of papal power. On June 8, 1707, he was finally appointed bishop. At the same time he determined that Franz Arnold could continue to govern Paderborn as administrator. However, Franz Arnold did not dare to officially take over the government until the papal confirmation. He did not receive full secular rights until 1708.
Acting as a Prince-Bishop
As a result, on June 21, 1708, Franz Arnold concluded a defensive alliance with the Netherlands. This should apply for another twelve years after the end of the War of the Spanish Succession . Franz Arnold joined the alliance of Emperor, England and the Dutch against France. In return for the payment of subsidies, he promised to position 3900 soldiers from the monasteries of Münster and Paderborn. In 1715, Franz Arnold concluded a protection agreement with Friedrich Christian von Schaumburg-Lippe . In 1716 he made four battalions available to the English.
In spiritual terms, Franz Arnold was supported in the diocese of Münster by the auxiliary bishops Johann Peter von Quentell and Agostino Steffanie. But he also took care of spiritual things himself. Between 1711 and 1715 he had a visit to the Emsland carried out and in 1712 a new agenda was printed. In 1713 he himself consecrated the new church of the German Order Coming Mülheim . Furthermore, in 1717 he laid the foundation stone for the church of the Minorite Monastery in Zwillbrock . He also donated money to build a Catholic church in Hanover . In the Hochstift Paderborn he personally took care of ecclesiastical issues and himself donated the sacraments and ordained priests. In 1706 he created the Hövelhof parish and had a church built there. Thereby he also promoted the increased settlement of the area. He had the parish church built in Herstelle in 1710 and in Westenholte in 1715 . He supported the theological university of Paderborn financially and had a secular ceremony held in 1715 to celebrate the foundation.
In worldly terms he bought the Herrschaft Werth and Wertherbruch. The border and sovereignty issues in the Steinfurt , Borghorst and Laer areas , which had been disputed for centuries , were settled by a treaty of 1716. This was approved by the Imperial Court of Justice in 1718 and the Emperor in 1719. The dispute with the bishopric of Osnabrück over the Damme court remained unresolved . In 1718 800 Osnabrück residents invaded and plundered the Steinfeld parish .
In order to reduce the debts of the Münster monastery, he began to mint inferior coins . With it he also financed the construction of churches in Hövelhof and Stukenbrock . Because of the bad coins, there was a conflict with the estates, and Franz Arnold had to withdraw them and have the dies destroyed. Otherwise there were no significant conflicts with the estates in the Hochstift Münster.
The attempt to make the Ems navigable seems to have been given up by Franz Arnold. He tried to improve the road conditions and an improved postal system. In the Hochstift Paderborn, Franz Arnold tried to counter the arbitrary clearing of the forests by taking regulatory measures. He also tried to reform the patrimonial jurisdiction of the nobility. In 1717 he confirmed a statute for the Paderborn cathedral chapter and the nobility, which aimed to make admission to the state parliament more difficult.
The bishop loved a magnifique table and maintained a splendid court in Münster and Paderborn. As a result, at least the diocese of Paderborn had high debts at the end of its rule. Personally he tended to be sickly and therefore often visited the mineral fountain in Bad Driburg . He had the properties of the water chemically examined.
His burial took place in the Jesuit church in Coesfeld in silence and without major ceremonies. The funeral in Münster was also simple.
Johann Wilhelm Wolff von Metternich zur Gracht (1624–1694), provost of the cathedral in Mainz , Paderborn and Munster, was another uncle of his.
literature
- Wilhelm Kohl: The dioceses of the church province Cologne. The diocese of Münster 7.3: The diocese. (Germania Sacra NF Vol. 37,3) Berlin 2003, ISBN 978-3-11-017592-9 , pp. 667-676.
- Wilhelm Kohl: The dioceses of the church province Cologne. The diocese of Münster 7.1: The diocese. (Germania Sacra NF Vol. 37,1) Berlin 1999, ISBN 978-3-11-016470-1 , pp. 286-291.
- Georg Joseph Bessen: History of the Diocese of Paderborn. Vol. 2, Paderborn 1820, pp. 273-281.
- Eberhard Wiens: History of the election of the bishop of Münster Franz Arnold von Metternich, 1706. Münster 1843 (Online: ULB Münster )
Web links
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Friedrich Christian von Plettenberg |
Bishop of Münster 1706–1718 |
Clemens August I of Bavaria |
| Hermann Werner von Wolff-Metternich to the canal |
Bishop of Paderborn 1704–1718 |
Clemens August I of Bavaria |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Wolff-Metternich zur Gracht, Franz Arnold von |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Prince-Bishop of Paderborn and Münster |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 9, 1658 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Liblar |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 25, 1718 |
| Place of death | Ahaus Castle |