Franz von Waldeck

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Franz von Waldeck

Franz von Waldeck (* probably 1491 on the Sparrenburg ; † 15. July 1553 in Castle Wolbeck , Munster today) was by descent from the house Waldeck Count of Waldeck , from 1529 Administrator and from 1530 bishop of Minden , from 1532 bishop of Osnabrück and Munster . During his time, the Anabaptist Empire of Münster was broken up . Franz himself tended towards the Reformation and at times promoted it in his territories. After the Schmalkaldic War , which was lost for the Protestants , he had to give up plans to introduce the Reformation and transform the spiritual territories into secular principalities. Internally, his power was largely curtailed by the estates , while Heinrich the Younger of Braunschweig forced him to renounce the Minden monastery by force .

Origin, early years and family

He was the son of Count Philipp II von Waldeck-Eisenberg , who, in addition to his own rule, was governor of the County of Ravensberg and originally intended for the clergy himself, but had taken on secular tasks in the interests of his family. He married Katharina (née Solms-Lich ). Franz was the third and last son of a total of six children from this marriage. The mother died a year after he was born.

Franz von Waldeck was earmarked for a position in the noble Cologne cathedral chapter early on. Because this provided for a legal study, albeit a short one, for secular capitulars, he began studying in Erfurt in 1506 and moved to Leipzig in 1510 . Without having received religious ordinations, he acquired numerous canon awards. He was canons in Cologne , Trier , Mainz and Paderborn , as well as provost of the Alexander monastery in Einbeck since 1523 .

He also lived there for a time. In Einbeck he met Anna Polmann (1505–1557), with whom he lived in a marriage-like community and had eight children. His children were Franz von Waldeck II (1524–), Barthold von Waldeck (1536–), Philipp von Waldeck (1538–1605), Elizabeth Catherina von Waldeck (1540–1579) married to Wernerus Crispinus (1535–1604), Johanna von Waldeck (1540–1572), Ermegard von Waldeck (1542–), Christoph von Waldeck (1543–1587) married to Agnes Pagenstecher (1545–1606), Katherina von Waldeck (1544–1597). It is unclear whether he entered into a regular marriage with her. In any case, Waldeck proved to be a caring father to his children. From an earlier illegitimate relationship with a woman unknown by name, he had another son, Christoph von Waldeck (* 1510/1520; † after 1561 in Vechta).

In particular, disagreements with Lutheran-minded Augustinians prompted him and his family to move to Beyenburg near Elberfeld, which his father had inherited from him .

Elected administrator of Minden

In 1508, his father had already brought him up for discussion as Bishop of Osnabrück . Instead, however, Erich von Braunschweig-Grubenhagen became bishop. Another opportunity to receive a bishopric did not arise until 1529 after the death of the administrator of the diocese of Minden Franz von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel . Particularly supported by Duke Johann III. von Jülich-Kleve and the Archbishop of Cologne, Franz von Waldeck was elected Bishop of Minden in 1530. The cathedral chapter supported him because it saw no danger to his power in Franz without his own house power in the diocese. Duke Heinrich the Younger of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel , who claimed the bishopric for his three-year-old son , did not accept the decision. He then occupied the state castles and other strategic places. Only when Franz also became bishop of Munster and Osnabrück and thus his power had increased, did the duke relent.

Bishop also in Münster and Osnabrück

Philip of Hesse was an important ally of Franz von Waldeck

After the death of Erich von Braunschweig-Grubenhagen in 1532, the dioceses of Münster , Osnabrück and Paderborn had become vacant at the same time . Supported by Landgrave Philipp von Hessen , the Grubenhagener, von Geldern, Jülich-Kleve and the Archbishop of Cologne, Franz was elected. Political and religious considerations played less of a role among the supporters. However, it was also known that Franz's family sympathized with Lutheranism and that he himself had a chaplain of this direction in his area. His cohabitation was also known, but was not an obstacle. In Münster in particular, the cathedral chapter urged a quick decision, as it feared that the radical reformatory forces around Bernd Rothmann would be strengthened during the vacancy . Therefore, on June 1, 1532, he was postulated as bishop in Münster and on June 11 as bishop of Osnabrück. The Paderborn Bishop's Chair, on the other hand, was administered by the Archbishop of Cologne, Hermann von Wied. Franz von Waldeck's sphere of influence was considerable and covered a total of 14,000 km².

With the acquisition of the various dioceses, he had inherited their conflicts. In Osnabrück there was a dispute with the Counts of Tecklenburg for a number of reasons - such as ownership of the Rheda rule . Enemies of the bishopric of Münster were u. A. the Counts of Oldenburg , who wanted to regain the county of Delmenhorst . Duke Heinrich the Younger of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel was also unreconciled.

Mixed confessional attitude

In the election surrender, Franz von Waldeck had sworn to protect the old faith. It is rather unlikely that he intended to support the Reformation from the start. However, he was pursuing a course that was at least dubious in terms of denominational politics. After religiously motivated acts of violence by the citizens of Münster, he granted the city freedom of religion on February 14, 1533. This position could no longer be maintained with the radicalization and the turn to Anabaptism .

He used force against Münster, Warendorf and Dülmen . He unsuccessfully asked the city of Osnabrück to expel Protestant preachers. When this led to unrest, he gave in and even sent his own Lutheran chaplain to the city. His resistance in Minden was even less . There he only enforced in 1533 that both the Catholic canons and Protestant citizens could conduct their services.

Fight against the Anabaptist Empire

Siege of Munster by troops of Bishop Franz von Waldeck

Despite all his sympathy for the Reformation, Franz von Waldeck could not tolerate the radical Anabaptist empire of Munster in Munster, as it also questioned its sovereign power. To suppress the Anabaptist Empire, he called on the help of the empire in 1534. According to the constitution of 1522, under imperial law, the movement was a breach of the peace. Nonetheless, the Westphalian Imperial Circle and most of the princes held back with support for Franz von Waldeck at first. In addition to the Archbishop of Cologne, Landgrave Philip I of Hesse and several other powerful sovereigns were at his side. Cologne and Kleve-Jülich in particular supported the bishop strongly during the siege of Munster, not least to push back the Hessian influence. On December 26, 1534, the district assembly meeting in Koblenz promised him the support of the empire. The city of Münster was captured on June 25, 1535. Due to his dependence on Catholic imperial estates, Franz von Waldeck had to forego reintroducing the Lutheran direction in Münster. Instead, an agreement to combat Anabaptists was concluded with Kurköln and Kleve-Jülich in 1538 .

Turning to the Reformation

The alliance with the two territories also proved itself in the fight against the Counts of Oldenburg, who invaded, pillaged and plundered the Niederstift Münster in the same year. Cologne and Kleve-Jülich finally acted as peace brokers.

At first glance, Franz von Waldeck's position was stronger than ever before and afterwards. But his financial situation was downright desperate after the fight against the Anabaptists and the war against Oldenburg.

His attempt to confiscate church property in favor of the respective territories failed; he was therefore still dependent on the pledging of property and rights.

After the reconquest of Münster, he turned more to the teachings of Martin Luther . Lutheran preachers were able to work again in Münster. But he delayed making a clear decision. In March 1536 he sent a delegation to a provincial synod of the Archdiocese of Cologne. He received higher orders in 1540 and was ordained bishop in 1541.

Hermann Bonnus played an important role in the implementation of the Reformation in the Osnabrück Monastery

He saw the departure of the Regensburg Reichstag from the same year as permission to introduce the Reformation. He was supported by Philipp von Hessen, who recommended Martin Butzer as a reformer. In addition to his religious convictions, the open turn to the Reformation also played a role in the desire to legalize his relationship with Anna Pohlmann and to make one of the three high monasteries a secular principality for his heirs through secularization . At the same time he could have eliminated his debt burden.

The reformatory approaches were received differently in the three dioceses. The innovations were rejected by the cathedral chapters and large parts of the nobility in the Münsterland. The Reformation took hold in the dioceses of Osnabrück and Minden. In Osnabrück, Hermann Bonnus became the central figure of the Reformation . Franz took the step towards the open introduction of the new faith when he had a Protestant church ordinance drawn up for the rural churches of the Osnabrück Monastery in 1543. Bonnus was also able to hold a disputation with the cathedral preacher Johann von Aachen in Münster.

He also supported the Protestants militarily around 1542 against the still Catholic Duke Heinrich von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel. Franz even applied for admission to the Schmalkaldic League . However, this was unsuccessful because the federal government made the final implementation of the Reformation a condition.

Formation of the opposing forces

A year later in the Archdiocese of Cologne the resistance of Catholic forces against Hermann von Wied's policy of Reformation increased. This also gave the Catholic forces in Münster and Osnabrück a boost. With the occupation of the Duchy of Kleve by Charles V , an important ally was lost and at times the areas ruled by Franz von Waldeck seemed to face a comparable danger. Heinrich the Younger of Braunschweig threatened to invade in 1544. He was supported by 400 aristocrats from the Münsterland. The danger of an imperial invasion was not averted either. Philipp von Hessen's attempt to persuade the Schmalkaldic League to support Franz von Waldeck failed. In 1545 the Duke of Brunswick tried again to regain the territories occupied by Franz von Waldeck and his allies in 1542. Again he was supported by the cathedral chapter in Münster and parts of the nobility. The Duke's troops marched through Franz von Waldeck's territories and caused considerable damage. The Duke was defeated and captured in the Battle of Kahlfeld in 1545. Franz von Waldeck only played a minor role in this dispute because he had only a few troops.

Franz von Waldeck, who turned more and more to the Protestant cause, was unable to take the last step of being politically open to the Schmalkaldic League, as the estates of the bishopric of Münster threatened to terminate his allegiance if he gave up his officially neutral stance .

In the following it came to the Schmalkaldic War . Charles V fought against Hesse and Saxony, also because of the occupation of Braunschweig. In February 1547 the city of Minden was occupied by imperial troops. The Diocese of Osnabrück could buy its way out. Franz von Waldeck did not comply with the imperial request to take part in the siege of Bremen . Thereupon Anton von Oldenburg occupied the county of Delmenhorst with imperial approval . Subsequent lawsuits by Franz von Waldeck before the Reich Chamber of Commerce were ineffective and the area was lost.

After the battle of Mühlberg and the defeat of the Schmalkaldic League, Hermann von Wied had to resign, and Franz von Waldeck was forced to give up his plans for the Reformation. In Osnabrück and Minden, however, the Reformation had progressed so far that attempts at recatholization were doomed to failure.

Loss of power

Heinrich II of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel was a long-time opponent of Franz von Waldeck

Before giving up the Reformation plans, the Catholic cathedral chapter of Osnabrück had accused the bishop of heresy before the emperor and the pope. Unexpectedly, the cathedral chapter in Münster supported Franz because it feared an imperial occupation. On the other hand, the Münster estates forced him to revoke the Reformation in a state parliament. Only after substantial concessions to the cathedral chapter of Osnabrück did it drop the charges. In Münster, too, the estates succeeded in expanding their competencies in relation to the bishop. The real power was now in the hands of the estates. If the bishop had often relied on foreign councils, the court master Friedrich von Twiste, for example, played an important role, the estates in Osnabrück and Münster enforced in 1547 that local councils were to participate in the government. After this de facto loss of power, Franz von Waldeck lived mainly on the Iburg .

Duke Heinrich the Younger of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel was freed during the Schmalkaldic War. In 1553 Franz von Waldeck was asked to pay 80,000 gold guilders as compensation for the burdens of the war, otherwise the bishop's lands would be attacked and sacked. Franz von Waldeck tried to hold off the Braunschweiger. In vain did he call on the estates to arm themselves militarily, and Philip of Hesse also refused to support them. Philipp Magnus , son of Duke Heinrich, moved into the three dioceses and conquered the Iburg. Franz von Waldeck narrowly escaped and fled to the city of Münster. In the meantime the country has been plundered and the Brunswick extorted considerable sums of money from the cathedral chapters in Osnabrück and Münster. Ultimately, they forced Franz von Waldeck to give up the diocese of Minden. There Julius von Braunschweig was elected bishop.

The citizens of the city of Munster also took advantage of the bishop's weakness and forced Franz to return the rights and privileges they had lost during the Anabaptist War. In Osnabrück, government power fell entirely to the cathedral chapter. Franz von Waldeck, whose health had been suffering for a long time, could no longer cope with these humiliations. He died on July 15, 1553 at Wolbeck Castle; He was buried in Münster Cathedral.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. P. Hermann Deitmer / Clemens Steinbicker: Ancestors of the Deitmer-Gerlach Family, Saalhausen / Lennestadt 14 in XIV Generations , in: Contributions to Westphalian Family Research, Volume 41 (1983) pp. 175–307 (pp. 285–286, no. 7280 ); Hans-Joachim Behr: Franz von Waldeck 1491-1553. His life in his time, part 1: representation , Münster 1996, p. 481; Ernst Waldschmidt: The Waldeck family Waldschmidt and the ancestors Waldschmidtscher wives , Bad Wildungen 1927, p. 181; Wilhelm Kohl (arrangement): Germania Sacra, New Series 37.3, Diocese of Münster 7, Die Diözese 3 , Berlin 2003, p. 555.

Web links

predecessor Office successor
Erich von Braunschweig-Grubenhagen Bishop of Münster
1532–1553
Wilhelm Ketteler
Erich von Braunschweig-Grubenhagen Bishop of Osnabrück
1532–1553
John IV of Hoya
Franz von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel Bishop of Minden
1530–1553
Julius of Braunschweig-Lüneburg