Lothar Friedrich von Metternich-Burscheid

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Lothar Friedrich von Metternich-Burscheid
Coat of arms from 1673
Epitaph in Mainz Cathedral

Lothar Friedrich von Metternich-Burscheid (born September 29, 1617 at Bourscheid Castle , Luxembourg ; † June 3, 1675 in Mainz ) was Bishop of Speyer from 1652 to 1675 , and from 1673 to 1675 also Archbishop and Elector of Mainz and Bishop of Worms .

biography

Lothar Friedrich came from the von Metternich family . His father, Gerhard von Metternich, was Herr zu Burscheid and Esch . At the age of eight, Lothar Friedrich became domiciliary in Trier in 1625 . At the Jesuit grammar school in Pont-à-Mousson , he received basic theoretical knowledge. From there he returned to Trier in 1635, after having also become domiciliary in Speyer in 1631. He studied in Trier from 1635 to 1636 and then continued his studies in Pont-à-Mousson. After he also became domicellar in Mainz in 1639, he was ordained a deacon in 1640 .

On April 11, 1652, Lothar Friedrich von Metternich-Burscheid was elected Bishop of Speyer - and thus also provost of the Weissenburg monastery - at the age of 35 . His choice was the result of a “scrutinium mixtum cum compromisso”. With the confirmation of the election, the Pope relieved the new bishop of the obligation to renovate the Speyer Cathedral . He was also assigned to establish a seminary and establish charitable institutions.

On December 15, 1670, the Mainz Metropolitan Chapter elected Lothar Friedrich as coadjutor of Archbishop of Mainz Johann Philipp von Schönborn . The coadjutor usually succeeded the bishop. Archbishop Schönborn had planned von Metternich-Burscheid for this office a few years earlier. However, disagreements between the two led Schönborn to want his nephew, Lothar Franz von Schönborn , by his side. However, it soon became apparent that he had no prospect of being elected. So von Schönborn came back to Lothar Friedrich.

Two years later Lothar Friedrich was elected Provost in Mainz. On April 16 of the same year the Worms Cathedral Chapter appointed him coadjutor of the Worms Bishop. While the confirmation of the Roman Curia for Mainz only came after clarification of some objections, the confirmation for Worms was not long in coming. After the death of Archbishop Johann Philipps in 1673, Lothar Friedrich succeeded him in Mainz. In Worms , the canon Philip von Wrede zu Amecke († 1677) was his administrator . Lothar Friedrich died on June 3, 1675. His body was buried in Mainz Cathedral , while his heart was buried in Speyer Cathedral.

His brief tenure as archbishop was marred by the aftermath of the Reformation and the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648). The diocese of Speyer was badly affected due to the events mentioned.

Lothar Friedrich was barely able to comply with the Pope's instruction to renovate the Speyer Cathedral because the necessary financial resources were lacking and could not be raised. His attempts to consolidate the moral and religious attitudes of the clergy also largely failed. According to church researchers, the failures he had to record were primarily caused by his adversaries, against whom he was unable to assert himself.

In 1673 he appointed Johann Brassart as his auxiliary bishop in Speyer and Erfurt , whom he himself ordained in 1674.

coat of arms

The prince-bishop's coat of arms in the picture shows a coat of arms divided several times with an indicated heart shield for the family coat of arms (in silver three, 2 and 1, scallops ) in the middle. The opposite fields represent the diocese of Trier, Mainz and Speyer, with the coat of arms of Speyer facing the coat of arms of the prince-provost of Weißenburg.

literature

Web links

Commons : Lothar Friedrich von Metternich-Burscheid  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ludwig Stamer : Church history of the Palatinate , Part 3, Volume 1, p. 189, Pilger Verlag Speyer, 1954
predecessor Office successor
Philipp Christoph von Sötern Prince-Bishop of Speyer and
Prince Provost of Weißenburg
1652–1675 		Johann Hugo von Orsbeck
Johann Philipp von Schönborn Elector-Archbishop of Mainz
1673–1675 		Damian Hartard von der Leyen
Johann Philipp von Schönborn Prince-Bishop of Worms
1673–1675 		Damian Hartard von der Leyen
personal data
SURNAME Metternich-Burscheid, Lothar Friedrich von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Bishop of Speyer, Archbishop and Elector of Mainz and Bishop of Worms
DATE OF BIRTH September 29, 1617
PLACE OF BIRTH Bourscheid Castle , Luxembourg
DATE OF DEATH June 3, 1675
Place of death Mainz