Johann Gottfried von Fürstenberg

Johann Gottfried von Fürstenberg (born February 1, 1579 in Bilstein ; † September 11, 1624 near Siegen ) was canon , president of the Electoral Mainz Council and applicant for the office of coadjutor in the Archdiocese of Paderborn .

Life

He was the second son of Kaspar von Fürstenberg and his first wife Elisabeth (born von Spiegel zu Peckelsheim). As early as 1584, when he was just under six, he was sent to the Scheda monastery for training . A year later he moved to Werl and from 1588 he studied together with his brother Friedrich von Fürstenberg in Paderborn . A year later, the brothers went to Trier with an educator . After that he lived temporarily with his uncle, Bishop Dietrich von Fürstenberg, at Neuhaus Castle . In 1591 he came to Cologne as a student .

Johann Gottfried was chosen by his father to be his successor. On the other hand, Friedrich - endowed with numerous benefices - was intended for the clergy. However, in a violent argument with his father in 1596, Friedrich refused to become a clergyman. Since Johann Gottfried felt called to the clergy, a solution was found.

Johann Gottfried received his first tonsure in 1598. He had already received a number of benefices for proper care. Among them were benefices as canon at Mainz Cathedral , the position as provost of the Meschede Monastery , a position in St. Alban near Mainz and at the Cathedral in Trier . Later he also received a benefice to St. Victor near Mainz.

In 1604, his father tried to make Johann Gottfried coadjutor of Bishop Dietrich von Fürstenberg, but had to give up his project because it soon became clear that Ferdinand von Bayern was in the stronger position.

Johann Gottfried completed his education in the following time. On an educational trip in 1601/02 he visited Paris and probably studied at the Sorbonne during this time . After a short return, further studies and pilgrimages to France, Spain, Santiago de Compostela and Italy followed. In Rome he was received for an audience by Pope Paul V.

He had his main residence in Mainz since 1597 . From 1608 he lived in the house in Guldenluft, which his father bought in 1598. Since the house no longer met the requirements of Johann Gottfried, he had it completely renovated. Completion took years, however.

He had been President of the Council of the Electorate of Mainz since 1605 . As such, he was a confidante and advisor to the elector . He assisted the archbishop at Matthias' coronation as emperor in 1612. There is little evidence of his political activity.

In 1611 he applied for the office of coadjutor in Paderborn. He spent a lot of money on this and was supported by the episcopal uncle with a letter to the Pope. But Ferdinand von Bayern prevailed.

He remained closely connected with the Duchy of Westphalia . He often visited his family and traveled to Meschede to exercise his rights as provost of the monastery. In addition, he was not infrequently in Paderborn to fulfill his residence duty as a canon. He also frequently visited the relatives at Schnellenberg Castle or the Oelinghausen and Neuenheerse monasteries .

He performed his spiritual duties rather negligently. He went to confession only once a year and his presence at religious activities had material backgrounds. He died unexpectedly on a trip from Mainz to the Duchy of Westphalia and was buried in the parish church in Attendorn .

literature

• Manfred Schöne: Johann Gottfried [von Fürstenberg]. In: Helmut Lahrkamp u. a .: Fürstenberg's story. Vol. 3: The history of the Fürstenberg family in the 17th century. Münster, 1971 pp. 67–70 and Gerhard Theuerkauf: Kaspar von Fürstenberg. In : ibid., P. 21.