Georg Karl von Fechenbach

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Depiction of the Prince-Bishop on his epitaph in the Würzburg Cathedral
Georg Karl von Fechenbach, contemporary engraving
Coin front and back with portrait and coat of arms of the Bamberg bishop and Würzburg prince-bishop (20 Kreuzer 1795)
Würzburg bishop's coat of arms from Georg Karl von Fechenbach

Georg Karl Ignaz Freiherr von Fechenbach zu Laudenbach (born February 20, 1749 in Mainz , † April 9, 1808 in Bamberg ) was a German priest, cathedral dean, university rector, bishop of Bamberg and the last prince-bishop of Würzburg .

biography

Origin and professional career

Georg Karl von Fechenbach belonged to the family of the Barons von Fechenbach . He was born in Mainz and ordained a priest there on February 18, 1779 . Here he officiated as dean of the cathedral . In 1780 he also became cathedral capitular in Würzburg and worked there primarily in the school and industrial sectors. In 1788 he took over the management of the Julius Maximilians University in Würzburg for one year as Rector magnificus.

Georg Karl von Fechenbach acted as the first Electoral Mainz election ambassador in the 1790 elections. As such, he took part in the preparatory conferences in Frankfurt.

Bishop of Würzburg and Bamberg

Georg Karl was elected the 78th Bishop of Würzburg on March 12, 1795 , confirmed by the Pope on June 1, 1795, consecrated on June 21, 1795. He was the last Prince-Bishop of Würzburg.

Due to the fact that Georg Karl had not yet had a pre-nomination in Bamberg in 1795, the election of Prince-Bishop of Bamberg by the cathedral capitulars there failed , so that the personal union of the Würzburg and Bamberg monasteries, which had existed since 1757, was ended in 1795. Instead, in Bamberg, Georg Karl's uncle, Christoph Franz von Buseck, was elected bishop. However, through the resignation of his cathedral inspectors in favor of his nephew, Buseck immediately created the first prerequisites for a future unification of the two priests . Nephew Georg Karl had been coadjutor in Bamberg since May 26, 1800, and succeeded his uncle there as bishop after his death on September 28, 1805.

Part of his library was auctioned in 2005.

secularization

In the Treaty of Luneville on February 9, 1801, the abolition of the spiritual principalities had been decided. After the bishopric of Würzburg was occupied by Bavarian troops under General Georg August Graf Ysenburg , Georg Karl abdicated as secular ruler on November 27, 1802, but did not resign from his position as bishop. Rather, he defended his spiritual powers in hard disputes with the Bavarian government , his opponent was initially the government commissioner Johann Wilhelm Freiherr von Hompesch , later directly the political directives of the minister Maximilian von Montgelas . The seizure of church property took on relentless traits in the diocese of Würzburg. Art objects made of gold and silver were flattened to make them easier to transport to Munich, where coins were minted from them. Gemstones were broken out of their settings. Buildings were often sold or auctioned far below their value.

After the Peace of Pressburg , the Principality of Würzburg was exchanged for the Elector of Salzburg, Ferdinand of Tuscany, and from September 30, 1806 - as a Grand Duchy - also belonged to the Confederation of the Rhine . Until it fell back to Bavaria, the director of the newly established vicariate, Auxiliary Bishop Gregor Zirkel , managed to wrest concessions from the Grand Duke. In Würzburg and Bamberg there was a vacancy from 1808 to 1818. The 79th bishop of Würzburg became Friedrich von Groß zu Trockau in 1818, and the bishop (and first archbishop) of Bamberg Joseph Graf von Stubenberg.

literature

Web links

Commons : Georg Karl von Fechenbach  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.deutsche-biographie.de/sfz20453.html
  2. ↑ http://wuerzburgwiki.de/wiki/Rektoren_der_Universit%C3%A4t_W%C3%BCrzburg
  3. ↑ portraits.hab.de
  4. ↑ books.google.de
  5. ↑ see also Fechenbach (noble family)
predecessor Office successor
Christoph Franz von Buseck Bishop of Bamberg
1805-1808 		Joseph Count von Stubenberg
Franz Ludwig von Erthal Prince-Bishop of Würzburg
1795–1808 		Adam Friedrich Groß zu Trockau
personal data
SURNAME Fechenbach, Georg Karl von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Fechenbach zu Laudenbach, Georg Karl Ignaz Freiherr von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prince-Bishop of Würzburg
DATE OF BIRTH February 20, 1749
PLACE OF BIRTH Mainz
DATE OF DEATH April 9, 1808
Place of death Bamberg