Friedrich von Sachsen-Lauenburg

Friedrich Duke of Saxony-Lauenburg (* 1554 ; † 1586 in Zons ) was choir bishop of the Cologne cathedral chapter . He played an important role on the Catholic side during the Truchsessian War .

family

He was a later son of Franz I, Duke of Sachsen-Lauenburg and the mother Sibylle von Sachsen . Siblings were among others Dorothea von Sachsen-Lauenburg , Duke Magnus II- , Duke Franz II. , Heinrich Archbishop of Bremen, Duke Moritz , Ursula von Sachsen-Lauenburg , Sidonie Katharina von Sachsen-Lauenburg .

Life

He entered the clergy and was canon in Cologne , Strasbourg and Bremen . In Cologne he rose to the position of choir bishop and treasurer of the cathedral chapter. The choir bishop does not mean the function of an auxiliary bishop , but was a special office in the Cologne cathedral chapter. In Bremen he was provost of the cathedral .

When the plans of the elector and archbishop Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg to marry became known to him, he hoped for his successor, because a Catholic bishop was not allowed to be married. After it gradually became clear that the Archbishop would not resign and rather promote Protestantism, Duke Friedrich began to oppose Waldburgs.

His attempt to redeem the Hülchrath office, which had been pledged to the Protestant Count Adolf von Neuenahr , failed. In January 1583 he had Zons fortress occupied by military forces. A short time later he had the Rheinberg customs revenue intended for the elector confiscated. He also had a cargo ship intercepted with supplies for the electoral troops gathered near Bonn .

He was the driving force in the cathedral chapter and on the state parliament of 1583 against the elector. After the official dismissal of the elector, he was responsible for managing the archbishopric. Immediately after the state parliament he received the order from the cathedral chapter to take Kaiserswerth , which he succeeded. In the search for a successor to Gehardt as Archbishop and Elector, Duke Friedrich was also in discussion alongside Arnold von Manderscheid and Ernst von Bayern . The decisive factor was the wish of Emperor Rudolf II and the influence of the Bavarian Duke Wilhelm for Ernst. As a result, the former Archbishop and Elector Salentin of Isenburg took over command of the troops, and Duke Friedrich continued to be militarily active.

Friedrich von Sachsen-Neuenburg invaded the count's territory with some horsemen and took Protestant believers from Uerdingen prisoner. The Chorbishop convinced the standing on the part of the chapter Spanish soldiers under the command of Karl von Aremberg the Hülchrath Castle to besiege. The troops of the choir bishop invaded the county of Moers on raids and raids . They also looted Krefeld , which refused to open the gates to the troops. Linn Fortress also fell into their hands through betrayal .

The Truchsessian troops under the Count von Neuenahr set up a fortified camp near Hüls. Duke Friedrich von Sachsen-Lauenburg, on the other hand, gathered troops. The assault failed in the Battle of Hüls . Numerous Truchsess soldiers died in the process. When there was another fight a few days later, the troops of the choir bishop were defeated and he had to retreat to Hülchrath . In the long run, thanks to the choir bishop, Gebhard von Waldburg's opponents prevailed in the archbishopric.

During the war, the question of succession in the Münster monastery became acute. In addition to Ernst of Bavaria, Duke Friedrich was also in discussion as bishop. While Ernst was extremely unpopular in Münster, the Duke made friends with his friendly manner and could also hope for the support of his brother Heinrich von Sachsen-Lauenburg. With his death, however, Friedrich ultimately lost his most important supporter, so that Ernst also became a bishop in Münster.

He died of the plague in Zons.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Wilhelm Kohl: The Diocese of Münster, The Diocese. Berlin, New York 1999 (Germania sacra NF 37) 240 f.

literature

• Thomas P. Becker: Moers in the Age of Reformation (1500–1600). In: Moers .: The history of the city from the early days to the present Bd. 1 Cologne u. a, 2000 p. 215ff.
• JH Hennes: The fight for the archbishopric Cologne at the time of the electors Gebhard Truchsess and Ernst von Bayern. Cologne, 1878