Guidobald von Thun and Hohenstein

Guidobald Graf von Thun and Hohenstein (born December 16, 1616 in Castelfondo , Tyrol ; † June 1, 1668 in Salzburg ) was a Roman Catholic clergyman, cardinal and from 1654 to 1668 Prince-Archbishop of the Prince Archbishopric of Salzburg . In 1662 he became principal commissioner at the Reichstag and in 1666 Bishop of Regensburg .

Guidobald Graf von Thun and Hohenstein

Archbishop Thun's grave

Monument to Archbishop Thun in Salzburg Cathedral

Life

Guidobald, from the von Thun family , was elected Archbishop of Salzburg on February 3, 1654. He received his episcopal ordination on September 24th of the same year from the Archbishop of Prague and Cardinal Ernst Adalbert von Harrach . The court and chamber councilor and chronicler Franz Dückher (Franziskus Dückher von Hasslau zu Urstein and Winckl; 1609–1671) who worked for him described him:

“He was a learned, astute, generous, just, mildly rich and generous gentleman, at the same time a hardworking, undaunted, good landlord, who left himself little amusement and peace, but in his entire government, especially the last few years at the Reichstag with day and night Night of uninterrupted mental and sensory work shortens his time and life. "

Guidobald von Thun loved splendor and valued splendid representation.

Under his rule, the towers of the Salzburg Cathedral were completed in their current form and the two arches of the cathedral were added. The magnificent fountain on Residenzplatz was also erected and the winter riding school (today the festival hall ) was built. The University , he expanded to a Department of Medicine and completed the university buildings.

In 1662 he was appointed Principal Commissioner at the Perpetual Diet in Regensburg by Emperor Leopold I. Since then he has rarely been to Salzburg. The Bishop of Chiemsee Franz Vigilius von Spaur acted as his representative .

On March 7, 1666, he was elected Bishop of Regensburg. It was hoped that the election would reduce the bishopric's debt burden, and Guidobald did indeed forego his income. Exactly one year later, on March 7, 1667, he was appointed cardinal. Guidobald was the first archbishop to hold the title Primate Germaniae . The title came to him because of the papal legacy , which was traditionally associated with the metropolitan seat and gave the Archbishop of Salzburg a prominent position among the German bishops.

Demise

On May 8, 1668, the archbishop got into a carriage to go to Hellbrunn , where he wanted to fish. Then an old woman stormed him with a petition and begged him to stay at home today, because he was facing a great misfortune . As he crossed a small bridge between two ponds, a board broke under his feet, Cardinal Guidobald fell and thereupon stood up to his knees in the water. He paid little heed to this little mishap that didn't even tear his stockings. However, he had bruises and grazes on both shins. An inflammation developed on his left leg that spread to his thigh. Bacteria had penetrated through a small, superficial focus of infection and had initially caused gangrene , which led to blood poisoning. Guidobald von Thun und Hohenstein died on June 1, 1668, 24 days after the accident, of sepsis .

Archbishop Thun was buried in the crypt of Salzburg Cathedral .

literature

• Michael Buchberger (Ed.): 1200 years of the diocese of Regensburg. Festschrift for the 1200th anniversary. Blow in commission, Regensburg 1939, p. 60.
• Heinz Dopsch , Hans Spatzenegger (Hrsg.): History of Salzburg. Urban and countryside. Volume 2: Modern Times and Contemporary History. Part 1. Pustet, Salzburg 1988, ISBN 3-7025-0243-2 .
• Karl Hausberger : The diocese of Regensburg. His story. Pustet, Regensburg 2004, ISBN 3-7917-1914-9 .
• Karl Hausberger: History of the diocese of Regensburg. Volume 1: Middle Ages and Early Modern Times. Pustet, Regensburg 1989, ISBN 3-7917-1188-1 , p. 345 f.
• Roswitha Juffinger , Christoph Brandhuber, Walter Schlegel , Imma Walderdorff: Archbishop Guidobald Graf von Thun 1654–1668. A builder for the future. Residenzgalerie, Salzburg 2008, ISBN 978-3-901443-32-9 .
• Franz Ortner: Salzburg's bishops in the history of the country (696–2005) (= science and religion. Vol. 12). Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main a. a. 2005, ISBN 3-631-53654-2 .
• Josef Staber: Church history of the diocese of Regensburg. Habbel, Regensburg 1966, p. 146 f.
• Christoph Brandhuber / Edith Tutsch-Bauer : Herbal art & bone saw. Medicine at the court of the Salzburg baroque princes . Ed .: Ursula Schachl-Raber. müry salzmann, Salzburg / Vienna 2015, ISBN 978-3-99014-120-5 .

Web links

Commons : Guidobald von Thun and Hohenstein  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Entry on Guidobald von Thun and Hohenstein on catholic-hierarchy.org
• Biography in Austria Lexicon
• Biography at Salzburg Coins Interactive

Individual evidence

1. ^ Franz Martin : Salzburg's princes in the baroque period. 1587 to 1812. With 37 art prints based on mostly unknown paintings. 2nd, revised and expanded edition. Verlag Das Bergland-Buch, Salzburg 1952, p. 117.
2. ↑ Christoph Brandhuber, Edith Tutsch-Bauer: Herbal Art & Bone Saw . Salzburg / Vienna 2015, p. 94 ff.
3. ↑ Alois Proschko: The deadly diseases of the archbishops of Salzburg . In: Mitteilungen der Gesellschaft für Salzburger Landeskunde , No. 86/87, year 1946/47, p. 96.