Friedrich Christian von Plettenberg

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Friedrich Christian von Plettenberg

Friedrich Christian Freiherr von Plettenberg-Lenhausen (* August 8, 1644 at Lenhausen Palace ; † May 5, 1706 in Greven ) was Prince-Bishop of Münster from 1688 until his death . Through his foreign policy, which relied on different allies, he succeeded in giving the Münster monastery a semi-independent role for the last time during the War of the Palatinate Succession .

Family and education

Friedrich Christian grew up as the son of Bernhard von Plettenberg zu Lenhausen (1615–1679) and his wife Odilia von Fürstenberg zu Schnellenberg and Waterlappe (1617–1683) in one of the oldest and most important Westphalian noble families . His siblings were:

One of the uncle was Prince-Bishop Ferdinand von Fürstenberg .

He attended high schools in Werl and Siegen . He received the first tonsure in 1652. He studied from 1659 at the Collegium Germanicum in Rome . In 1660 he received minor orders. He finished his studies in 1664.

Advancement in government and church service

He had held a canon position in Speyer since 1663 , which he gave up again in 1665. Instead, he received a canon post in Münster in 1664 . There he was ordained a subdeacon in 1666 .

In 1666 he went on a legation trip to the Republic of the Seven United Provinces . He then studied briefly in Orléans . In 1670 he received a canon position in Paderborn . In 1677 he became provost of St. Martini in Münster and archdeacon of Ennigerloh . He also received the archdeaconate uffm Dreen . Plettenberg went on various legation trips in 1679 and 1680 and was appointed a real secret council in 1680. Between 1683 and 1686 he was chief hunter of the bishopric of Münster. In 1683 he was also president of the court chamber . In 1686 he was elected cathedral dean . Between 1686 and 1688 he was also the sealer of the monastery. From 1687 Plettenberg was vicar general of the diocese of Münster. He was ordained a priest in 1688.

Bishop election

Friedrich Christian von Plettenberg as Prince-Bishop of Münster, portrait by Johann Anton Kappers , around 1720–1730

On July 29, 1688, he was elected Prince-Bishop. The regalia were awarded to him on August 15th of that year. One reason for his choice was that the cathedral chapter feared for its influence should it again elect a descendant from the Bavarian branch of the Wittelsbach family . Through his embassies under his predecessors, he brought considerable diplomatic experience to his office. He also knew his way around the government of the monastery through the offices he held in the past. As vicar general he was also competent in the administration of the diocese.

The cathedral chapter had the right to keep the reign of the bishopric for one year, but ceded these powers to Friedrich Christian for 6,000 Reichstaler.

Church politics

As a bishop, Friedrich Christian tried to improve the training of the priests. He was a friend of splendid liturgies and church festivities. He made a name for himself through foundations for the cathedral and the observant church in Münster. Among other things, he donated new windows, silver candelabra and a marble floor for the cathedral. He was supported since 1699 by Auxiliary Bishop Johann Peter von Quentell .

Strengthening the army

In order to strengthen the independence of the bishopric, he expanded the Münster military with foreign aid, among other things. He had the neglected state fortresses repaired. In Vechta were casemates built. An armory was built in Münster and the fortifications of Meppen improved. Since the foreign funds were insufficient, he took out loans of 100,000 Reichstalers without the approval of the estates in order to bring the army to a strength of 6,000 men at times. The money was repaid through further subsidies.

Shortly after the bishop's death (1710), the army consisted of a bodyguard of 126 infantrymen and 70 cavalrymen. The main power consisted of seven infantry regiments with a total of about 3000 men, two cavalry regiments with 660 men and an artillery division. The maintenance of the army, fortresses and magazines amounted to 200,000 thalers per year. Most of the soldiers were mercenaries, often older and unreliable.

Internal politics

Friedrich Christian von Plettenberg had the "Westphalian Versailles" built with Nordkirchen Palace

Inside, Friedrich Christian did a great job expanding the road system. The aim was to promote trade and commerce. A number of bridges were also built. The improvement of the postal system also belongs in this context. The road commission, which he had given great powers in 1701, was dissolved again under pressure from the cathedral chapter. Since his time there has been regular cleaning of the streets in Münster.

Because of poor harvests, the export of grain was banned in 1692. When there was a threat of famine in 1698 and 1699, he imported cheap grain from abroad.

During his time the new church and school regulations were issued. In addition, a drug and medical ordinance was issued. A whole series of ordinances dealt with the treatment of beggars and vagabonds. Market traffic was newly regulated for the cities of Warendorf and Münster. A tobacco monopoly was also established. As was customary at the time, he also tried to influence the moral behavior of the population. Gift weddings, St. Martin's celebrations and the distilling of brandy were forbidden.

The military devoured most of the state's revenue. The costs of the princely court were so high that the income from the episcopal domains was insufficient to cover them. Without subsidies , the country's financial situation would have been extremely bad. The taxes were mainly on the service of interest and the payment of civil servants. In total, the debts amounted to around 1 million Reichstaler. Most of the episcopal property was mortgaged. Numerous farms were not used for many years. The parish treasury, which was subordinate to the estates, took no account of the economic situation of the peasants. Friedrich Christian therefore tried to distribute the tax burden more fairly. A debt reduction did not succeed. The reform of the tariffs failed due to resistance from the estates.

Territorial policy

With regard to the borders to the neighboring territories, clear border determinations were made after sometimes centuries of dispute. This is how the border with the Dutch province of Overijssel was established. Similar plans with the county of East Friesland failed in 1701. Small border adjustments were made to the county of Ravensberg and the county of Lingen . A dispute over Damme and Neuenkirchen with the Osnabrück bishopric remained unsolved. A compromise was reached in the dispute over Gronau with the Counts of Bentheim-Tecklenburg . In the area, Friedrich Christian was recognized as sovereign, but remained under the control of the count as a fief. Although the imperial immediacy of the lordship of Gemen was confirmed by an imperial chamber court ruling , the owner of the Count of Limburg-Stirum sold the area, with the exception of Castle Gemen, to the bishop.

Foreign policy

Basically he stuck to the pro-France policy of his predecessors. When Kurbrandenburg and the Electoral Palatinate sought support against France in 1688 , he reacted evasively. However, the relative proximity to France did not go so far that he would have opposed the Reich.

His policy of navigating between the fronts proved to be advantageous during the War of the Palatinate Succession, as the Hochstift, unlike the Duchy of Westphalia or Vest Recklinghausen, was spared French troops. The country's army gave him a certain amount of leeway. However, he never intended to enlarge the bishopric, but rather to preserve his dominion and the other spiritual areas in north-west Germany.

He received considerable subsidies from his respective allies. This saved the country itself from heavy burdens. Nor did he have to approach the estates and ask for tax permits.

Participation in the war against France

After the imperial war against Louis XIV had been declared in 1689, he took part in the war against France under pressure from the emperor. During the campaign on the Rhine, the artillery under Lambert Friedrich Corfey stood out in particular . However, the distrust in particular prevented Friedrich III. von Brandenburg a smooth and quick campaign against Friedrich Christian in the year 1690. The troops from Münster and Brandenburg arrived too late on the theater of war, which contributed to the defeat of the allies in the battle of Fleurus . On the orders of his sovereigns, General Schwartz from Münster stopped at Jülich .

Page change

Friedrich Christian was positive about the idea of ​​a third party of German princes between France and the Allies who wanted to force peace. The main representative was Ernst August von Hannover , but there were also French influences behind this. In 1691, Friedrich Christian concluded a secret neutrality treaty with Louis XIV. The Münster sovereign undertook not to participate in the war against France and to participate in the formation of the third party. The French king promised 250,000 livres for Münster's army of now 12,000 men. Friedrich Christian has thus changed sides.

The Imperial Court in Vienna therefore planned to disarm the Münster troops with the support of William of Orange . This did not happen, however, as the course Saxony also switched sides. However, Friedrich Christian had relied on an unreliable partner in Ernst August von Hannover. This was mainly about putting pressure on Vienna in order to receive the title of elector . After the Kaiser had agreed to this in 1692, the Hanoverian turned his back on the idea of ​​a third party. Friedrich Christian was thus faced with the failure of his politics between the fronts.

Move between the parties

Immediately he tried to make up ground with the emperor by pledging troops for the Turkish war. He tried to keep the contingents as small as possible, to delay their use and to persuade the emperor to make the highest possible payments. After all, Wilhelm of Orange paid 120,000 Reichstaler to bind Friedrich Christian more closely to the Allied camp. The emperor and empire paid a further almost 200,000 thalers. The prince-bishop's consideration consisted of a modest 3500 men for the war against the Ottomans.

Ernst August von Hanover's change of position was sharply criticized by Anton Ulrich von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel . This tried to bring about an alliance against the new electoral dignity. Among them was Denmark and Friedrich Christian. For him, the alliance was also an opportunity to establish a third party on a new basis. In February 1693 different territories merged in a princely association. A central aspect of the alliance was a defensive alliance between Denmark, Munster and Wolfenbüttel.

Participation in the alliance

Friedrich Christian threatened danger when Braunschweig-Lüneburg allied with England and the Netherlands. He demonstratively sent auxiliary troops to the Rhine for the war against France. However, these were not supposed to cross the Rhine and returned without contact with the enemy. For the prince-bishop it became increasingly clear that the alliance with France was losing value. He therefore started negotiations with the Allies. On March 18, 1695, Friedrich Christian officially joined the anti-French alliance of 1689. England and the Netherlands paid 15,000 thalers a month. For this, the bishop provided 7,300 men who were under imperial orders. He now gave up the idea of ​​a third party. However, he still refused the ninth course. He used his brother Ferdinand to represent his interests at the Rijswijk Peace Congress , which led to peace in 1697. In addition to the resistance against the Hanoverian cure, this should sound out alliances with France and the Netherlands. These attempts initially failed. It was not until 1701 that an alliance with France and the Netherlands came about. During the Spanish War of Succession , Friedrich Christian made some units available to the empire.

buildings

The epitaph of Friedrich Christian von Plettenberg-Lenhausen in the St. Paulus Cathedral in Münster.

He remained closely connected to his family as a bishop. He bought Nordkirchen Castle and the associated goods, Meinhövel Castle, half of the Davensberg House and the Grothaus House for her.

He had several palace buildings built. Among them was Ahaus Castle . Sassenberg Castle has been expanded by Ambrosius von Oelde and Gottfried Laurenz Pictorius since 1698 . Pictorius was also the builder of the moated castle Nordkirchen . The bishop died before it was completed. Nordkirchen Castle was completed by Johann Conrad Schlaun.

Its epitaph was created by Johann Mauritz Gröninger and is located in the St. Paulus Cathedral in Münster. What is striking is the large clock face, which not only serves as a symbol of transience, but also as a practical time display. It is synchronized with the beat of the cathedral's astronomical clock.

meaning

He succeeded in giving the pen a more independent position overall. His skilful government policy led to the prosperity of the Principality of Münster. The architect Lambert Friedrich Corfey d. J. stated: “He always had exquisite and capable servants, led a beautiful and regulated court, ruled commendably, both in spiritual, civil and military matters, that one certainly had to admit that the Münster monastery has never flourished better than under his government. "

literature

Web links

More information about the tomb on the website of the cathedral.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Wilhelm Kohl: The dioceses of the ecclesiastical province of Cologne. The diocese of Münster 7.1: The diocese. (Germania Sacra NF Vol. 37,1) Berlin, 1999 p. 664
predecessor Office successor
Maximilian Heinrich of Bavaria Bishop of Munster
1688 - 1706 		Franz Arnold von Wolff-Metternich to the canal
personal data
SURNAME Plettenberg, Friedrich Christian von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Friedrich Christian von Plettenberg-Lenhausen
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prince-Bishop of Munster
DATE OF BIRTH August 8, 1644
PLACE OF BIRTH Lenhausen Castle
DATE OF DEATH May 5, 1706
Place of death Greven