Joseph Knauer

Joseph Knauer (born December 1, 1764 in Rothflössel , Habelschwerdt district in the County of Glatz ; † May 16, 1844 in Breslau ) was dean from 1809 and from 1810 to 1841 grand dean of the County of Glatz, which was part of the Archdiocese of Prague . From 1843 to 1844 he was Prince-Bishop of the Diocese of Breslau .

childhood and education

Joseph Knauer's parents were the colonist Johann Knauer and his wife Theresia, nee. Lux. Despite his simple background, he was able to attend the Catholic high school in Breslau after attending school in Mittelwalde. He earned his living as a choir singer and through a position as private tutor, which enabled him to study philosophy and theology at the Leopoldina in Breslau , where he also received his doctorate.

Calling to the priesthood and pastoral work

Joseph Knauer was ordained a priest on March 7, 1789 and was appointed chaplain in Mittelwalde. From 1794 he was pastor in the well-known pilgrimage town of Albendorf , where he worked until 1814. He then received the better paid pastor's position in Habelschwerdt , which he held until 1841.

Ecclesiastical dignities and duties

During his years in office in Albendorf, Joseph Knauer was appointed dean of the County of Glatz by the Prussian royal government in 1808. On January 16, 1809, the appointment as vicarius of the County of Glatz by the Prague Archbishop Wilhelm Florentin von Salm-Salm followed . In 1810 the name of the Glatzer dean was changed to Grand Dean. Since this was just an honorary title that had no authority, Knauer doubted its meaning. The two-fold appointment was due to the politically changed situation: From the earliest times, the Glatzer Land belonged politically to the Crown of Bohemia and ecclesiastically to the diocese or, from 1344, the Archdiocese of Prague. However, after the County of Glatz fell to Prussia after the First Silesian War in 1742 and finally after the Peace of Hubertusburg in 1763, Friedrich II did not want to tolerate the interference of a “foreign” bishop. With the arbitrary appointment of the dean, he tried to separate the County of Glatz from the Archdiocese of Prague.

bishop

Episcopal coat of arms

With the papal Circumscriptionsbulle De salute animarum of July 16, 1821 it was determined that the grand deans of the County of Glatz would in future also be canons of honor of the cathedral monastery in Breslau. This made it possible for Joseph Knauer, who was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Breslau Theological Faculty in 1837 , to be elected Prince-Bishop by the Breslau Cathedral Chapter on August 27, 1841 . Since the royal election commissioner is said to have influenced the election, Pius VII did not issue the relevant breve until February 6, 1843. Joseph Ignaz Ritter therefore remained capitular vicar for the time being .

Knauer's episcopal ordination by auxiliary bishop Daniel Latussek and the enthronement did not take place until April 23, 1843 ( Heinrich Förster served as the preacher ). He could not hold out the office of Prince-Bishop for long. After almost 13 months in office, he died on May 16, 1844, on the feast of Christ's Ascension, and was buried in front of the Vincent altar in Breslau Cathedral .

literature

Franz Heinrich Reusch : Knauer, Joseph . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 16, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1882, p. 269 f.
The County of Glatz. Volume V. Lüdenscheid 1968.
Personnel diagram of the Catholic clergy from County Glatz. 1994.
Michael Hirschfeld: Joseph Knauer, Grand Dean of the County of Glatz and Prince-Bishop of Breslau. In: AGG-Mitteilungen, Vol. 15 (2016), pp. 1–10.

Web links

Commons : Joseph Knauer - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

^ Arno Herzig , Małgorzata Ruchniewicz : History of the Glatzer country. DOBU-Verlag et al., Hamburg et al. 2006, ISBN 3-934632-12-2 , p. 377 ff.
↑ A change in the diocesan borders and the incorporation of the Kłodzko Land into the Archdiocese of Wroclaw did not take place until 1972. Since February 25, 2004, the area of the former County of Kłodzko belongs to the newly founded Diocese of Świdnica .
↑ Overview of the church history of the County of Glatz ( Memento from October 10, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
↑ Michael Sachs: 'Prince Bishop and Vagabond'. The story of a friendship between the Prince-Bishop of Breslau Heinrich Förster (1799–1881) and the writer and actor Karl von Holtei (1798–1880). Edited textually based on the original Holteis manuscript. In: Medical historical messages. Journal for the history of science and specialist prose research. Volume 35, 2016 (2018), pp. 223–291, here: p. 275.

predecessor	Office	successor
Leopold von Sedlnitzky	Bishop of Breslau 1843 - 1844	Melchior from Diepenbrock

personal data
SURNAME	Knauer, Joseph
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Knauer, Josef
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Prince-Bishop of Wroclaw
DATE OF BIRTH	December 1, 1764
PLACE OF BIRTH	Rothflössel near Mittelwalde
DATE OF DEATH	May 16, 1844
Place of death	Wroclaw

[1] Arno Herzig , Małgorzata Ruchniewicz : History of the Glatzer country. DOBU-Verlag et al., Hamburg et al. 2006, ISBN 3-934632-12-2 , p. 377 ff.

[2] A change in the diocesan borders and the incorporation of the Kłodzko Land into the Archdiocese of Wroclaw did not take place until 1972. Since February 25, 2004, the area of the former County of Kłodzko belongs to the newly founded Diocese of Świdnica .

[3] Overview of the church history of the County of Glatz ( Memento from October 10, 2007 in the Internet Archive )

[4] Michael Sachs: 'Prince Bishop and Vagabond'. The story of a friendship between the Prince-Bishop of Breslau Heinrich Förster (1799–1881) and the writer and actor Karl von Holtei (1798–1880). Edited textually based on the original Holteis manuscript. In: Medical historical messages. Journal for the history of science and specialist prose research. Volume 35, 2016 (2018), pp. 223–291, here: p. 275.