Friedrich III. from Wied

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Friedrich III. von Wied (* between 1475 and 1478 ; † 1551 ) was bishop of Münster from 1522 to 1532 . During his time, Reformation ideas began to take hold in the city of Münster . He resigned in 1532.

Origin and early years

Friedrich was a son of Count Friedrich IV von Wied-Runkel . His mother was Agnes von Virneburg . He was the sixth son in the family. His older brother Hermann von Wied was later Archbishop of Cologne . Other brothers held canon positions in Cologne. The father's successor as Count was Johann von Wied.

Friedrich entered the clergy and was canon of St. Gereon in Cologne . There he began to study law in 1493 . Between 1507 and 1514 he was dean of St. Gereon. As a further prebender he had a provost office in Bonn and Utrecht . In Cologne he also held a canon position.

Beginning of his reign

After the death of Erich II as Bishop of Münster, Friedrich was elected bishop in 1522, supported by his brother Hermann von Wied and Duke Johann von Jülich-Kleve-Berg . The attempt of Friedrich III. of Saxony and Landgrave Philip of Hesse to push through another candidate had thus failed. Pope Hadrian VI confirmed the choice. Then moved Friedrich III. accompanied by the Archbishop and a splendid retinue on August 24, 1523 in Münster. On the same day he confirmed the state privilege. Recognition by the emperor dragged on for several years, so that Friedrich was only listed as an elect in 1526 . He never received episcopal ordination. He left the related religious duties to his auxiliary bishops.

Penetration of Protestantism

Friedrich's term of office was marked by the penetration of Protestantism in Münster. There this was combined with socially critical voices from the lower clergy. The criticism was directed not least against the high clergy. Friedrich did not intervene in these processes at first. Within the urban population, the sermons in the Protestant sense fell on fertile ground and were connected with material points of conflict. On May 22, 1525, craftsmen attacked the Niesing monastery because they saw it as an economic competitor. Following the example of the city of Frankfurt am Main, the citizens decided on the so-called 34 points and the city council under Mayor Everwin II von Droste zu Handorf was forced to take appropriate measures. These were directed against the privileges of the clergy. The cathedral chapter was forced to sign this paper. As a result, the members of the cathedral chapter left the city.

When the defeat of the insurgents in the Peasants' War became apparent, Friedrich tried to turn things back on. At first he even threatened violence should the citizens of Münster not give up the 34 articles. His brother Hermann, who himself leaned towards Protestantism, advised restraint. On March 27, 1526 a compromise was reached. The Protestant clergy had to give up their positions while the cathedral chapter returned to the city. When the bishop had Bernhard Knipperdolling , a merchant and supporter of the Reformation, arrested, new riots broke out. Friedrich was forced to release Knipperdolling. When the bishop allowed him to preach before him, Knipperdolling believed that Friedrich himself was close to Protestantism.

The military attack on the town of Wildeshausen in 1529 cost him a lot of sympathy in the monastery. In Münster, the preacher to St. Mauritz Bernhard Rothmann gained more and more influence. He was initially Lutheran , later inclined towards Zwinglianism and from 1532 onwards began to absorb and spread Anabaptist ideas. Friedrich banned this on August 29, 1531 with a sermon ban. This and various other bans had no effect. He did not order any punishment. The cathedral chapter turned to Emperor Charles V , who ordered that the bishop put an end to Rothmann's activities. He announced Rothmann on January 16, 1532, and expelled the preacher from the country. Rothmann then fled to the city, where he placed himself under the protection of the guilds.

resignation

For a long time overstrained with his task, Friedrich III. has been negotiating his resignation and material security for a long time. With his later successor Erich von Braunschweig-Grubenhagen , Friedrich agreed a settlement of 40,000 gold guilders in the secret agreement of Poppelsdorf of November 1530. A pension payment was later set. In December 1531, the cathedral chapter officially named Erich von Braunschweig-Grubenhagen, who was already Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück and Paderborn , as his successor. Friedrich III. resigned from office on March 24, 1532. After his retirement and the rapid death of his successor, the Reformation movement in Münster began to radicalize.

Friedrich retired into private life and lived in Bonn. When his brother Hermann fell, he lost some of his remaining prebends.

literature

predecessor Office successor
Erich II of Saxe-Lauenburg Bishop of Münster
1522 - 1532 		Eric III. from Braunschweig-Grubenhagen
personal data
SURNAME Friedrich III. from Wied
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Bishop of Münster (1522–1532)
DATE OF BIRTH between 1475 and 1478
DATE OF DEATH 1551