Maximilian Friedrich von Königsegg-Rothenfels

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Maximilian Friedrich von Königsegg-Rothenfels, painting by Johann Heinrich Fischer , around 1768
Family coat of arms of the Counts of Koenigsegg

Maximilian Friedrich, Imperial Count of Königsegg-Rot (h) enfels (born May 13, 1708 in Cologne ; † April 15, 1784 in Bonn ) was Archbishop of Cologne from 1761 to 1784 and thus Elector of the Holy Roman Empire and Arch Chancellor for its Italian nation . He was also Prince-Bishop of Munster . During his time, implemented by capable ministers such as Caspar Anton von Belderbusch in Kurköln , Franz von Fürstenberg in the monastery of Münster or Franz Wilhelm von Spiegel , Landdrost of the Duchy of Westphalia belonging to Kurköln , significant reforms in the spirit of the Catholic Enlightenment .

family

Maximilian Friedrich comes from the old Swabian noble family von Königsegg . His parents were Count Albert Eusebius Franz von Königsegg-Rothenfels and Maria Clara Felicitas, b. Countess of Manderscheid-Blankenheim . The father originally entered the clergy and was the owner of various prebends until he gave them up in order to be able to get married.

One of Maximilian Friedrich's brothers was Joseph Maria Sigismund, who later became cathedral dean in Cologne. His brother Christian was Imperial Field Marshal and Land Commander of the German Order in Alsace-Lorraine. Hugo Franz Sigismund was heir to the county. Albert Eusebius Franz was canon in Strasbourg until he married. Afterwards he was, among other things, the imperial court chamber president and Dutch minister of state. One sister was a canon in the Thorn Imperial Monastery . Another, named Anna Wilhelmina Maria, was the abbess of St. Ursula in Cologne.

Early years

Intended early on by the family for the clergy, he attended the Jesuit schools in Strasbourg and Cologne, where he studied philosophy . In Ellingen and Altötting he heard theology . In addition, he probably also attended foreign universities. He graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy degree.

Maximilian Friedrich became canon of Cologne on January 3, 1725 . From 1731 he was also canon in Strasbourg . There he reached the position of chamberlain. With papal permission, he retained his seat in the cathedral chapter even after his election as bishop. He was also canon at St. Gereon in Cologne, where he was also elected provost in 1763. He had been the provost's coadjutor since 1756. In the same year he was ordained a priest. The Cologne cathedral chapter elected him on April 22, 1756 as the successor to his older brother as cathedral dean .

Episcopal elections

He was unanimously elected Archbishop of Cologne on April 6, 1761 at the time of the Seven Years' War and consecrated bishop on August 16, 1761 in the Bonn court chapel by the Cologne Nuncio Cesare Alberico Lucini. His political judgment and experience were of importance for the choice.

Contemporaries described him as a not untalented man who possessed solid principles, had a good judgment and was otherwise a pious and kind person. However, his willpower was rather weak. For example, he did not succeed in effectively countering the carelessness and moral neglect at the court in Bonn. In particular, he did not succeed in taking action against the scandalous life of his great niece Franziska von Taxis in later years . Apparently because he knew his weaknesses, he left politics to more suitable people. As archbishop, he left the government of the electoral state largely to Prime Minister Caspar Anton von Belderbusch .

He owed him, as well as the States General and Countess Louise von Galen , the election of Prince-Bishop of Münster in 1762 . The benevolent attitude of King George III. and Frederick II played a role. Caspar Ferdinand Droste zu Füchten was one of the defeated rival candidates alongside some foreign princely sons . The electoral surrender contained the stipulation that the fortresses in the prince-bishopric should be razed and a residential palace built. He left the government there to Franz von Fürstenberg , who used it for his reforms in the spirit of the Catholic Enlightenment . Max Friedrich von Königsegg-Rothenfels probably never visited his second bishopric, Münster, during his almost 22-year tenure as Bishop of Münster. There he took over z. B. the sponsorship and was namesake of the canon and later composer Maximilian Friedrich von Droste zu Hülshoff , an uncle of the poet Annette von Droste-Hülshoff . His attempt to take over the office of prince-bishop in Paderborn failed due to resistance from France . From Pope Clement XIII. In 1765 he was entrusted with the spiritual administration of the Diocese of Osnabrück .

Domestic politics

Maximilian Fountain (Arnsberg) . Inscription in honor of Maximilian Friedrich, in German: Maximilian Friedrich, the best prince, the father of the fatherland, because he freed the fatherland from the burden of debt, because he insulated the luxury of clothes, because he awakened charity towards the burned-down, because he brought Arnsberg back to life called by the magistrate and the people of Arnsberg, gratefully dedicated.
Maximilian Friedrich monument from 1777 on the market square in Bonn

In contrast to the lavish predecessor Clemens August von Bayern , Maximilian Friedrich's time was characterized by thrift.

Under the direction of Prime Minister Belderbusch, the state finances were improved in Kurköln between Maximilian Friedrich and 1780. In terms of economic policy, Kurköln moved within the framework of mercantilism. Trade and mining were somewhat neglected in favor of the establishment of manufactories. In 1772/73 the Electoral Cologne state ordinances were published in print.

A similar policy was pursued in the Münster Hochstift. However, the state estates and the cathedral chapter opposed the implementation of reforms . A poll tax could not be enforced, but indirect taxes to combat debt could not be enforced. The endeavor to promote the economy was not very successful.

In the Duchy of Westphalia, which belongs to Kurköln, Franz Wilhelm von Spiegel played an important role in the Enlightenment in the reign of Maximilian Friedrich. In 1767, for example, a poll tax was advertised or a route order was introduced in 1769. In line with the Catholic Enlightenment, the church processions were limited in 1769. In the same year, as in Kurköln itself, the number of public holidays was limited. In order to implement a resolution of the estates, Maximilian Friedrich decreed the establishment of a fire insurance company for the duchy in 1778. With an ordinance in 1782 he tried to counteract the excessive taxes paid by farmers and farms to the landlords.

Social and educational policy

Significant socio-political institutions fall into the time of Maximilian Friedrich. This includes the establishment of the poor commission in Bonn in 1774, the creation of the Medical Council for Kurköln in 1779 and the Medical College in Münster in 1777. The education system was also strongly promoted. This includes in particular the establishment of the academies and universities in Bonn and Münster . In the Hochstift Münster and in the Duchy of Westphalia the high school system was also strongly promoted. The Laurentianum grammar school in Arnsberg was converted into a model educational institution. In 1781 a school commission for the duchy was created.

With a prince-bishop license, there was an intelligence paper in Münster from 1763. The Arnsberger Intellektivenblatt followed in 1766 and such a newspaper appeared in Bonn from 1772. A German-language “National Theater” was founded there in 1778.

Church politics

Maximilian Friedrich took his religious obligations seriously. In terms of church policy, he followed a moderate episcopalism . There were definitely influences of Febronianism in his time . As a result of various conflicts with the curia or the papal nuncio, a meeting of the spiritual electors of Cologne, Trier and Mainz took place in 1769 . This so-called "Koblenz Congress" passed the "Koblenz grievances." They relied on the decisions of the councils of Basel and Constance and denied the right of nunciatures in the episcopal rights to intervene, demanded the renunciation of the Pope on many of this claimed rights and Abolition of the nunciatures. The advance failed due to a lack of imperial support. In 1774 Maximilian Friedrich also made the follower of Febronianism Hedderich a church political advisor and also made him responsible for censorship.

Foreign policy

In terms of foreign policy, the elector tried to avoid a decision in favor of Prussia or Austria . Instead, it has moved closer to the States General . Fürstenberg in particular pursued this policy for the bishopric of Münster. In view of the French resistance to his election in Paderborn, the elector kept his distance from France. The rather weak relations with Austria were improved when Belderbusch promoted the appointment of Archduke Maximilian Franz of Austria as coadjutor in Cologne. This rapprochement meant a clear difference to Fürstenberg's neutrality policy in Münster.

Construction activity

Prince-Bishop's Palace in Münster

In addition to the continuation of the interior work on Schloss Brühl , Maximilian Friedrich can be seen as the real finisher of the Electoral Palace in Bonn .

During his tenure, the Münstersche Canal from Clemenshafen ( Neuenkirchen ) to Maxhafen ( Wettringen ), begun by his predecessor Clemens , was continued in the Principality of Münster .

As announced in the election surrender, the fortifications of Münster , Warendorf , Meppen and Vechta were razed. In Münster, the promenade that still exists today was laid out on the site of the walls.

The prince-bishop's residence palace was built in Münster between 1767 and 1773 by Johann Conrad Schlaun . In the Duchy of Westphalia, a penitentiary and the Maximilian Fountain named after him were built from the stones of the electoral palace destroyed in the Seven Years' War .

Private life

His interest in government activity waned with age, which later led to a derogatory assessment of his reign. At an advanced age he maintained a relationship with the dancer Isabella Barbieri.

Maximilian Friedrich was buried in front of the Dreikönigenkapelle in Cologne Cathedral . An oil painting by Maximilian Friedrich von Königsegg-Rothenfels hangs in Aulendorf Castle , the former headquarters of the Königsegger family.

literature

Web links

Commons : Maximilian Friedrich von Königsegg-Rothenfels  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Kohl, Diözese Münster, p. 705, p. 711.
  2. ^ Wilhelm Kohl (edit.): The Diocese of Münster - Part 7: The Diocese, Volume 3 (= Germania sacra NF, Volume 37.3). De Gruyter, Berlin 2003. ISBN 3-11-017592-4 . P. 712.
  3. ^ Harm Klueting: Febronianism. In: Helmut Reinalter (Ed.): Lexicon on Enlightened Absolutism in Europe. Vienna, u. a. 2005, p. 211.
predecessor Office successor
Clemens August I of Bavaria Elector and Archbishop of Cologne , Arch Chancellor for Italy and Duke of Westphalia
1761–1784 		Maximilian Franz of Austria
Clemens August I of Bavaria Prince-Bishop of Münster
1762–1784 		Maximilian Franz of Austria
personal data
SURNAME Maximilian Friedrich von Königsegg-Rothenfels
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Königsegg-Rothenfels, Maximilian Friedrich Imperial Count of
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Archbishop of Cologne
DATE OF BIRTH May 13, 1708
PLACE OF BIRTH Cologne
DATE OF DEATH April 15, 1784
Place of death Bonn