Georg Reinhard (Ortenburg)

Imperial Count Georg Reinhard (born August 28, 1607 at Neudeck Castle near Bad Birnbach ; † September 4, 1666 at Alt-Ortenburg Castle ) was the eldest son of Count Georg IV and his wife Anna Maria Countess von Leiningen. After the death of his cousin Friedrich Casimir in 1658, as the eldest of the Ortenburg family, he became the incumbent Count of Ortenburg . Georg Reinhard managed to release the imperial county from pledging after 61 years. The most important events for posterity happened after his death in 1666. By kidnapping his children, the people of Ortenburg were preserved in their faith, but Georg Reinhard's funeral was only necessary 13 years later!

Live and act

Neudeck Castle near Bad Birnbach, Georg Reinhard's birthplace.

In 1607 Georg Reinhard was born at Neudeck Castle in the Rottal. Due to his parental circumstances, he was brought up as a Protestant. This happened despite the fact that his father George IV converted to the Catholic faith in 1612. However, it was probably a political decision, as Georg was reconciled with the Bavarian duke. In spite of everything, Georg had the children brought up Protestant.

Georg Reinhard probably spent most of his childhood at Neudeck Castle. When he was old enough, he left Neudeck to study in Ingolstadt . There he converted to the Catholic faith in 1624, like his father once before. In the same year his younger brother Christian also followed him in the change of faith. The reason for this decision was probably the possible prospect of high offices, which would have been denied them in the Duchy of Bavaria due to their former Protestant faith. The order of the Jesuits celebrated the conversion of Georg Reinhard with a big party and associated pomp. The change of belief was probably also the prerequisite for a possible return of the county pledged since Count Joachim .

In 1636, Georg Reinhard, still a minor, became the Bavarian Chamberlain and Councilor of Maximilian I of Bavaria. Soon afterwards he was ore chief executive of the imperial household and caretaker at Eggenfelden and Wasserburg am Inn . In this way he made important connections that were later useful to him.

On November 7, 1644, the Ortenburger married the Countess Esther Dorothea von Kriechingen and Püttingen in Metz . According to the marriage agreement, however, the bride's Protestant faith was preserved. All common children from this marriage were brought up evangelically, in the spirit of both parents. However, this led to tensions between Georg Reinhard and his brother Christian, who was now an avowed Catholic.

Count Friedrich Casimir died in 1658 . Due to the seniorate successor in the Ortenburg house since 1566 , Georg Reinhard became his successor. The official investiture took place on November 23, 1659 by Emperor Leopold I. instead.

However, he had a difficult task ahead of him, as Friedrich Casimir, in addition to pledging the imperial county, had also sold or pledged most of the house's possessions due to its lavish expenses. The counts were on the verge of financial ruin. However, together with his brother, he seriously planned to regain the county. Thanks to their good relationships and political contacts, they soon succeeded in finding financial backers and raising the money they needed to set up the imperial county.

Due to the imminent prospect of regaining the county, Georg Reinhard and Christian concluded a settlement in 1660 about the division. Georg Reinhard was to receive Alt-Ortenburg and the surrounding estates, Christian, however, Neu-Ortenburg and its estates. This division should remain that way and the two houses that were created should always be passed on to the eldest son. Only if one line were to die out would the other's possessions fall. Furthermore, both lines shared all income in half, only the office of the imperial count should, as in the law of 1566, always be transferred to the oldest in the sex. This should continue to represent the county externally and make political decisions.

Alt-Ortenburg Castle became the ancestral seat for his family after Georg Reinhard's imperial counties were dissolved.

In 1662 both had raised the required amount and approached the emperor, who had enfeoffed Count Johann Joachim von Sinzendorf with the county in 1652 as an agent in order to redeem the county and the two castles Alt- and Neu-Ortenburg . The emperor approved the admission of the money on February 5, 1662 and then made it safe. This ensured the reimbursement of the County of Ortenburg after 61 years of pledging. Emperor Leopold I then gave the county back to both brothers, while Elector Maximilian I immediately instructed the courts in Griesbach and Vilshofen to immediately release the Ortenburg fiefs in Bavaria. Thus, in addition to their sovereign rights for the county, the Ortenburg counts also received their other possessions again. A few years later, the counts were given lower jurisdiction over their estates and had regained their old power.

Georg Reinhard could not enjoy all of this for long. He died in 1666 at the age of 59 at Alt-Ortenburg Castle. The office of imperial count then fell to his brother Christian, who now became the guardian of his underage children.

Happened after his death

Child abduction

Count Christian soon made it clear that he expected Georg Philipp to be the next incumbent count to switch to the Catholic faith. Countess Esther Dorothea, however, did not agree and tried to get the children out of the guardian's sphere of influence. Just six days after the death of her husband Georg Reinhard, she gave instructions to the court master that he should leave with the children. Officially, it was said that she wanted to give the children a distraction because of the events in Regensburg.

Her brother-in-law, Count Christian, seems to have found out about the planned escape and followed the children with a couple of Bavarian horsemen. At Plattling , they finally provided these. Christian then brought the children back to Ortenburg at his Neu-Ortenburg Castle. Only one day later did he return the countess's children and let them know that after the escape he had informed the emperor of the death of her husband and the subsequent events by courier.

Countess Esther Dorothea was then afraid for her children and for the loss of custody by imperial decree. Immediately she and her councilors planned to flee again. This was implemented that same night. The countess fled to St. Nikola near Passau with her children . From there, they immediately embarked for Linz . The escape continued via Salzburg and Tyrol until they finally reached the free imperial city of Ulm .

After the news of the renewed escape, Count Christian had followed the road to Regensburg again, since he suspected that the refugees would again face it. Since this was not the case, he tried to track down the children with the help of his friend Cardinal Guidobald Graf von Thun and Hohenstein zu Regensburg. However, since these were not there, the count's efforts were in vain.

Duke Eberhard III. von Württemberg took on the role of father for the half-orphans.

Esther Dorothea, on the other hand, met the Protestant Duke Eberhard III in Ulm . of Württemberg. He agreed to take on the role of father for the Protestant children. The two daughters came into the care of his wife, while Georg Philipp, as future regent of Ortenburg, was immediately sent to Tübingen to be educated and trained there.

Meanwhile, the emperor from Vienna gave the order to the Passau bishop Wenzeslaus Graf von Thun and Hohenstein to investigate the matter and escape. Except for the Countess, there were no complaints about this choice. Esther Dorothea, on the other hand, saw the bishop as religious leader as biased in this matter. Nevertheless, the bishop was able to write his report and forwarded his results to Vienna. After the guardianship for the children had now officially passed to Christian and the guardianship of Eberhard III. was revoked, the Ortenburger sent a letter of complaint to the Protestant estates in the Perpetual Reichstag in Regensburg. In it she presented the dangers for the Protestant faith in Ortenburg through a change of religion by Georg Philip and asked for proper guardianship in her own person.

In 1668, however, custody was confirmed and handed over to the rightful heir and head of the Ortenburg House, Count Christian, by the Reichstag. Thereupon Countess Esther Dorothea tried to make her previous approach null and void with a new presentation and to get a call to the emperor about this matter. However, this did not bring the desired success either. Count Christian kept the guardianship and administration of the property of his nephew Georg Philipp. Despite everything, Georg Philipp did not come to Ortenburg, but remained in the care of the Duke of Württemberg. Only when he was of legal age and firmly anchored in the evangelical faith did he return with his mother and sisters.

This kidnapping indirectly secured the evangelical faith in Ortenburg, since Georg Philipp became an advocate of his faith. Count Christian himself had apparently not yet dared to change the faith of Ortenburg under his reign, since Protestantism was deeply rooted in the population, and had probably hoped that his nephew would do so. But his evangelical upbringing had dashed his hopes.

Belated funeral

Another notable event following Georg Reinhard's death is his late funeral. He was not buried until 13 years after his death. Until then, the body remained unburied, sitting on an armchair at Alt-Ortenburg Castle. One reason for the delayed funeral could have been the controversy of the funeral. He himself grew up Protestant and had his children raised in this faith, but he had converted to the Catholic faith. The wife and children wanted a Protestant funeral, while Christian wanted a Catholic funeral. Another reason could have been the abrupt escape of his family from Ortenburg. It can be assumed that Christian hoped to be able to recover the refugees soon and that they would then attend his brother's funeral. One can only speculate about the circumstances. What is certain, however, is that the body was embalmed, then placed on an armchair and left behind.

It was not until 1679 that Count Christian arranged for the funeral. This happened on November 2, 1679 in the presence of the Sixtus Chapel , the Catholic burial place of the Ortenburg counts in Passau Cathedral . Georg Reinhard was buried sitting on his chair. All of this apparently happened before the return of the children after Georg Philip came of age. Christian probably wanted to spare the widow and children the sight. Countess Esther Dorothea and her son Georg Philipp only had to install a memorial stone in the Protestant market church in Ortenburg.

The upper part of the epitaph still visible today, which is mainly covered by the gallery that was built later.

Lower visible part of the epitaph.

However, according to this epitaph, Georg Reinhard was buried in the Marktkirche on February 2, 1679. For centuries this led to confusion about the funeral of Georg Reinhard.

In the former count's archive on Tambach (today in the Bavarian Main State Archive ) there is an invoice for 848 guilders and 13 kreuzers for a master bricklayer for twelve men who worked for three days in Passau Cathedral. Apparently the master bricklayer had to widen the crypt entrance in order to enable Georg Reinhard to be buried with all the pomp on the chair. The crypt was then closed again.

However, there was further confusion in 1883. In that year, according to the parish register, the count's crypt was opened in the Protestant market church in Ortenburg. According to the report, a copper coffin with the remains of Count Georg Reinhard was found there, in addition to rotten coffin boards and cloth rags, as well as mold a meter high. This seems to be evidence of the burial dates of the epitaph there. At the end of the 19th century the market church was redesigned and the entrance to the count's crypt was forgotten.

In 1922 the crypt in the Sixtus Chapel in Passau Cathedral was opened for the last time by Bishop Sigismund Felix Freiherr von Ow-Felldorf . The following can be read in the minutes of the commission: “At the end of the vault sits a well-dressed corpse on a well-padded armchair, but it has already deteriorated and collapsed in a pile.” This shows that the bill is real and Georg Reinhard was buried sitting on his chair in Passau. The mystery of the copper coffin should be cleared up in 2006. During repair work in the market church, a marble slab was discovered during the renovation of the church floor. When this was lifted, a small staircase was found underneath; the entrance to the crypt in the middle of the nave had been rediscovered. A commission was sent to the crypt to examine the state of construction of the crypt. After the condition of the crypt proved to be stable, one turned briefly to the copper coffin. It was empty except for a few curls and a pair of gloves. Thus, it was a sham burial common in the 17th century, which was often carried out in religious disputes.

progeny

Count Georg Reinhard was married to Countess Esther Dorothea von Kriechingen and Püttingen . The following children were born from this marriage:

• nameless daughter (* and † September 29, 1645 in Regensburg)
• Georg Reinhard (* and † February 3, 1647 in Regensburg)
• Anna Sibylla (born January 31, 1648 in Regensburg, † 1672 at Greifenstein Castle near Wetzlar )
• Anna Elisabeth (born May 23, 1649 in Regensburg, † 1673 in Bayreuth )
• Anna Dorothea (born March 29, 1650 in Regensburg, † September 1650 ibid)
• Maria Eva (born July 25, 1651 in Regensburg, † August 1651 ibid)
• Johann (* and † 1652 in Regensburg)
• Georg Philipp (* September 10, 1655 in Regensburg, † May 5, 1702 in Alt-Ortenburg), Imperial Count of Ortenburg 1684 - 1702 , ∞ Amalia Regina Countess of Zinzendorf (* November 2, 1663 in Regensburg, † April 15, 1709 in Ortenburg), custodian regent 1702-1706

Remarks

1. ↑ ^{a b} Carl Mehrmann: History of the Evangelical Lutheran Community of Ortenburg in Lower Bavaria - memorandum for the anniversary celebration of the 300th anniversary of the introduction of the Reformation there on October 17 and 18, 1863 , p. 72
2. ^ ^{A b} Walter Fuchs: The seat burial of Count Georg Reinhard (1607-1666), p. 216 f
3. ^ ^{A b} Friedrich Hausmann : Seated burials in German lands. Legend and Reality, p. 63 f
4. ^ Friedrich Hausmann : Seated burials in German lands. Legend and Reality, p. 60

literature

• Stefan Wild: The most important events after Count Joachim's death up to the year 1787. In: Ortenburg - Reichsgrafschaft and 450 years Reformation (1563-2013) , Ortenburg 2013 (pp. 202–207).
• Gunter Wieland: The Catholic Counts of Ortenburg after the Reformation. In: Ortenburg - Reichsgrafschaft and 450 years of Reformation (1563-2013) , Ortenburg 2013 (pp. 216–217).
• Walter Fuchs: The seat burial of Count Georg Reinhard (1607-1666). In: Ortenburg - Reichsgrafschaft and 450 Years of Reformation (1563-2013) , Ortenburg 2013 (pp. 218–221).
• Friedrich Hausmann : The Counts of Ortenburg and their male ancestors, the Spanheimers in Carinthia, Saxony and Bavaria, as well as their subsidiary lines , published in: Ostbairische Grenzmarken - Passauer Jahrbuch für Geschichte, Kunst und Volkskunde, No. 36, Passau 1994 (p. 9 -62).
• Walter Fuchs: Seated burial of an Ortenburg count - legend or truth? In: Donau Bote, Volume 10, No. 12 of October 24, 1989 (pp. 30–31).
• Kurt Malisch: Ortenburg, Georg Reinhard Graf von. In: Karl Bosl (ed.): Bosls Bavarian biography. Pustet, Regensburg 1983, ISBN 3-7917-0792-2 , p. 564 ( digitized version ).
• Friedrich Hausmann: Seated burials in German lands. Legend and reality. In: Festschrift Hermann Wiesflecker for his 60th birthday, Graz 1973 (p. 49–64).
• Carl Mehrmann: History of the Evangelical Lutheran Community of Ortenburg in Lower Bavaria - memorandum for the anniversary celebration of the 300th anniversary of the introduction of the Reformation there on October 17 and 18, 1863 , Landshut / 1863 ( digitized ).

Web links

• Georg Reinhard in the CERL Thesaurus
• The family tree up to Georg Reinhard
• The family tree from Georg Reinhard

predecessor	Office	successor
Friedrich Casimir	Count of Ortenburg 1658–1666	Christian