Johann V of Isenburg

Johann V. von Isenburg also Johann V. von Isenburg-Grenzau (* around 1507; † February 18, 1556 in Montabaur ) was Archbishop and Elector of Trier from 1547 to 1556 .

Life

Johann V came from the Isenburg family in the Isenburg-Grenzau line. He was born in 1507 or 1508 as the son of Count Gerlach IV of Isenburg († around 1530) and Anastasia von Moers-Saar Werden († before 1557). Johann's nephew Salentin von Isenburg was Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Cologne from 1567 to 1577 .

Johann had decided early on for the intellectual class, he became domicellar (candidate for a canonical ) in 1515 and provost of St. Paulin near Trier on November 15, 1527 . In 1532 he became cathedral capitular in Trier, in 1534 he was recorded as choir bishop and in 1540 he was one of the applicants for the office of Trier archbishop and elector. The choice fell on Johann IV. Ludwig von Hagen , the previous provost of the cathedral .

After the death of Johann Ludwig von Hagen, Johann V. von Isenburg was elected Archbishop and Elector of the Archdiocese of Trier on April 20, 1547 , although Johann had not received a priestly ordination for reasons of maintaining the dynasty. Pope Paul III confirmed the election on June 1, 1547, but urged priestly and episcopal ordinations.

Johann was considered the most reform-minded Archbishop of Trier of the 16th century.

Triggered by the Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Augsburg in May 1548 attended the John V, proposed compromise to balance the interests of Catholics and Protestants and the so-called Augsburg Interim appointed Johann in November 1548 a diocesan synod one, on the important religious decisions were made. Numerous reform decrees have been passed, so u. a. against drunkenness, the violation of celibacy, the inadequate training of the clergy and the decline of monastic discipline, and the holidays were reduced. In May 1549 a provincial synod followed in Trier , in which the bishop of Toul and representatives of the dioceses of Verdun and Metz took part. Johann also took part in the Augsburg Diet of 1550/51.

In preparation for his participation in the Council of Trento (Tridentinum), Johann had the archives searched for literature on dogmatics, canon law and discipline.

In the autumn of 1551 Johann took part in the council. Johann's stay in Trient was overshadowed by a conspiracy between Margrave Albrecht of Brandenburg-Kulmbach , Elector Moritz of Saxony and King Heinrich II of France , which was triggered in the Augsburg Diet of 1548 and led to the prince uprising in 1552 . The aim of the alliance was to eliminate the spiritual principalities. Margrave Albrecht had meanwhile brought his troops to the Rhine to unite them with the French troops. The Electorate of Trier, which stretched from the Saar to the Westerwald at the time , was covered with a large armed force. On March 14, 1552, Johann decided to leave Trento and return to his electorate and went to the Ehrenbreitstein fortress . Margrave Albrecht moved to Trier and took over the city in 1552. Trier was devastated and the monasteries and churches in particular were badly damaged, the towns of Grevenmacher and Echternach fell victim to arson .

Only after Kurtrier, Mainz, the Palatinate, Bavaria, Württemberg and Jülich merged on March 29, 1553 to form the “Heidelberger Bund” could Margrave Albrecht be defeated. After the war, Johannes had to pledge the offices of Blieskastel , Hunolstein and St. Wendel on August 23, 1553 and Schöneck Castle on October 2, 1553 for a total of almost 100,000 guilders due to the payment obligations from the war .

Right at the beginning of his reign, Johann managed to settle old border and traffic disputes between the Archbishopric of Trier and the Duchy of Luxembourg. In 1549 he issued a police order for the city of Mayen , in 1550 rules for a uniform coin were issued in the entire Archbishopric of Trier and in 1551 Johann regulated the uniform use of yardstick and weight for the wool trade.

Johann had been seriously ill since the end of 1553; a stroke had hit him so badly that he was paralyzed and unable to speak. He could no longer appear in public and only lived in his rooms in his secondary residence in Montabaur Castle. When his condition worsened, his future successor Johann von der Leyen took over his official duties as coadjutor in October 1555 . On February 18, 1556, Johann V von Isenburg-Grenzau died in Montabaur Castle. After his death he was buried in the church of St. Florin in Koblenz, his tomb was destroyed in 1807 when the church was profaned.

literature

• Bernhard Endrulat :  Johann V. In: General German Biography (ADB). Volume 14, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1881, pp. 424-426.

Web links

• Johann V. von Isenburg in the Saarland biographies

predecessor	Office	successor
Johann IV. Ludwig von Hagen	Elector-Archbishop of Trier 1547–1556	Johann VI. von der Leyen