Rudolf von and zu Frankenstein

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Rudolf von und zu Frankenstein (* 1523 at Frankenstein Castle , Odenwald ; † June 21, 1560 in Lauterburg ) was Prince-Bishop of Speyer from 1552 to 1560 .

Life

Rudolf came from the von Frankenstein family . His parents were Johann IV von und zu Frankenstein († 1558) and Irmel von Cleen . At the age of 15 he applied for a position as canon of Mainz . After being accepted as a domiciliary (official applicant), he began studying for several years at the universities of Paris , Leuven and Freiburg im Breisgau . On May 25, 1548 he was accepted as the Mainz canon.

Udenheim-Philippsburg with bishop's palace and parish church, 1590

After various diplomatic missions, Rudolf von Frankenstein was elected Bishop of Speyer and Provost of Weißenburg by unanimous proposal and resolution on October 3, 1552 , and was elected by Pope Julius III. confirmed on November 14, 1552. In the election certificate, the Speyer cathedral chapter describes him as "honest change and character, brave morals, learned and very suitable for episcopal dignity and majesty." He was consecrated as a bishop on November 26, 1552 by the auxiliary bishop of Mainz, Balthasar Fannemann, with the assistance of the auxiliary bishop Georg Schweicker von Speyer and Jakob Eliner von Konstanz, donated in the parish church of Udenheim (= Philippsburg ).

Rudolf von und zu Frankenstein made sustained efforts to renew the diocese and clergy, relying mainly on his co-workers, Auxiliary Bishop Georg Schweicker and Vicar General Heinrich Pfefferkorn , who worked in the same way . He himself issued 15 pastoral letters dealing with this subject.

At Pentecost 1557 he consecrated his Speyer Cathedral Scholaster , Daniel Brendel von Homburg , who was elected Archbishop of Mainz , in Aschaffenburg .

From 1558 on, Frankenstein showed signs of mental confusion and he fell more and more into mental derangement. Therefore, on August 16, 1559, the cathedral chapter voted for a coadjutor , who was confirmed by Pope Pius IV on May 13, 1560 and who succeeded him after the death of the chief shepherd. It was Marquard von Hattstein . Bishop Frankenstein died on June 21, 1560 in Lauterburg and it was said that he had fully regained spiritual clarity in the last days before his death. His body was transferred to the Speyer Cathedral and buried there on July 2, 1560.

The bishop's great-great-nephew Johann Karl von und zu Franckenstein (1610–1691) officiated as Bishop of Worms .

coat of arms

The prince-bishop's coat of arms is usually quartered . The fields of the coat of arms alternate with the family coat of arms of the von Frankenstein family, the coat of arms of the prince provost of Weißenburg and the coat of arms of the diocese of Speyer, a silver cross on a blue background.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Genealogical page on the family
  2. ↑ To Auxiliary Bishop Balthasar Fannemann
  3. ↑ To Auxiliary Bishop Jakob Eliner
  4. ^ Franz Xaver Remling : History of the Bishops of Speyer , Volume 2, Page 337, Mainz, Kirchheim, 1854; online .
  5. ^ Franz Xaver Remling: History of the Bishops of Speyer , Volume 2, Pages 344 and 345, Mainz, Kirchheim, 1854
  6. ^ Franz Xaver Remling: History of the Bishops of Speyer , Volume 2, Page 351, Mainz, Kirchheim, 1854
  7. ^ Franz Xaver Remling: History of the Bishops of Speyer , Volume 2, pages 355-357, Mainz, Kirchheim, 1854
  8. ↑ Hans Ammerich : The Speyer diocese and its history . Volume 3: From the Reformation to the end of the old diocese . Kehl am Rhein 1999, ISBN 3-927095-49-4 , p. 12.

Web links

predecessor Office successor
Philip II of Flersheim Prince-Bishop of Speyer and
Prince Provost of Weißenburg
1552–1560 		Marquard von Hattstein
personal data
SURNAME Frankenstein, Rudolf von und zu
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prince-Bishop of Speyer (1552–1560)
DATE OF BIRTH 1523
PLACE OF BIRTH Frankenstein Castle , Landgraviate of Hesse , Holy Roman Empire
DATE OF DEATH June 21, 1560
Place of death Lauterburg