Wilhelm von Fürstenberg (cathedral dean)

Wilhelm von Fürstenberg (born November 13, 1623 in Bilstein ; † May 2, 1699 in Salzburg ) was a diplomat in the service of the Münster bishop Christoph Bernhard von Galen , secret chamberlain and advisor to several popes, provost in Münster and Paderborn and cathedral dean in Salzburg .

Wilhelm von Fürstenberg. Painting by Ferdinand Voet

Early life

He was the son of Landdrosten Friedrich von Fürstenberg and his wife Anna (née von Kerpen). His siblings included, among other things, the Mainz Cathedral Provost Caspar Dietrich , the tribe Mr. Frederick , the Prince Bishop Ferdinand , who Landkomtur Franz Wilhelm and the Paderborn Cathedral Provost Johann Adolf .

After an initial upbringing by a private tutor, Wilhelm came to Cologne when he was ten . There he received his first ordinations and went to the Jesuit grammar school there . He later switched to the Jesuit high school in Siegen . There he was prepared for the study of canon law.

In 1634 he got a first cathedral test in Münster , followed by further canon positions in Trier 1635, Paderborn 1652, Salzburg 1664 and Liège 1665.

Together with his brother Friedrich he went on his grand tour to France and studied at the university in Paris. In 1645 he was ordained a subdeacon . He was thus able to take up his canon positions and had voting rights in the three cathedral chapters.

In Münster he made the acquaintance of the papal nuncio Fabio Chigis , who later became Pope Alexander VII. Fürstenberg published some Latin poems by the nuncio in Cologne and introduced his brother Ferdinand to his group.

Envoy

After 1650 von Fürstenberg entered the service of the new Bishop of Münster Christoph Bernhard von Galen . This appointed him a secret council and entrusted him with important missions. In 1651 he was a deputy at the Frankfurt Congress. He was in Vienna to obtain confirmation of the regalia for the bishop from the emperor . A year later he traveled with his master to the Reichstag in Regensburg . He also negotiated the evacuation of the Vechta fortress, which was still occupied by the Swedes . In 1654 he sought military support against the city of Münster in Düsseldorf , Kurtrier and Kurköln . He was also present at a conference in Cologne to regulate cities and areas that were still occupied.

After a stay in Vienna in 1655, Wilhelm traveled to Rome . The former nuncio Chigis ruled there as Pope Alexander VII. He brought him a relic of St. Liborius . In Rome he met his brother Ferdinand, who at the time was the papal secret chamberlain. After completing further diplomatic business, Wilhelm traveled back to the Prince Diocese of Münster and was an advisor during the first siege of the city of Münster in 1657. Other embassies followed. He had to declare the violent crackdown on the city of Münster at the imperial court in 1659 and the prince-bishopric's accession to the Rhine Confederation in 1660 .

Wilhelm rejected French offers and remained a supporter of the Habsburgs . He tried to keep von Galen on the imperial side as well. Leopold I appreciated Wilhelm's loyalty and elevated him and his brothers to the status of imperial baron in 1660. Wilhelm was instrumental in the fact that his brother Ferdinand was elected Bishop of Paderborn in 1661.

Papal secret chamberlain

Alexander VII (painting by Giovanni Battista Gaulli )

At Ferdinand's request, Wilhelm was given the post of papal secret chamberlain. Wilhelm left two extensive diaries about his time in Rome. In Rome he was mainly responsible for the Pope's German-language correspondence. During this time he lived in the Quirinal Palace . Wilhelm had regular contact with the Pope and rose to act as a mediator between the Imperial Prelates and the Pope. Wilhelm even accompanied the Pope on his vacation at Castel Gandolfo . He was an advisor in German affairs and exercised considerable influence on the filling of positions. Wilhelm had good relations with the leading members of the Curia.

In Rome he also had close contact with the German community. In 1663 he was elected treasurer of the arch brotherhood of Campo Santo and was temporarily provisional for the German church of S. Maria dell 'Anima.

Wilhelm also came into contact with the Swedish Queen Christine in Rome . He was so impressed by their collection of paintings, especially by Titian's pictures , that he was given permission to have copies made of some of them. These formed the beginning of his considerable art collection. Through the queen he also came into contact with the painter Ferdinand Voet, who portrayed Wilhelm.

As the Pope's envoy, Wilhelm traveled to the Reichstag in Regensburg in 1663/64. Among other things, it was about pledging financial support to the Reich in the war against the Turks. In Regensburg he met high church princes as well as his brothers Ferdinand and Franz Wilhelm. In negotiations with Bishop von Galen, it was also a question of accepting Ferdinand von Fürstenberg as coadjutor . Von Galen himself probably preferred to see Wilhelm as coadjutor, but this was strictly rejected by him. This worsened the relationship with von Galen.

The Pope thanked Wilhelm for his services with important benefices. These included the post of provost of the Busdorf Stift in Paderborn , the Meschede Monastery and a canon position in Liège . He was also prior in Madonna di Campiglio in the Alps. In 1664 he also got a canon position in Salzburg. For the local Archbishop Guidobald von Thun , Wilhelm tried to get the cardinal dignity at the papal court. In 1665 he became provost of the cathedral in Münster. In the same year he traveled to Salzburg in order to fulfill his residency duty while retaining his salary as papal chamberlain. After the death of Alexander VII and the election of Clement IX. In 1667 Wilhelm returned to Rome. The new Pope had confirmed him in his office as chamberlain.

In the election as coadjutor in Munster Ferdinand was elected, but the opposing party, which was for Maximilian Heinrich von Bayern , complained about it in Rome. Wilhelm tried with legal help to rebut their arguments. Finally Ferdinand was confirmed. He asked Wilhelm to apply for the office of Archbishop of Salzburg himself. Wilhelm refused. After the Pope's death in 1669, Wilhelm traveled to Salzburg, where he had good contacts in the meantime. The new Pope Clement X called him back to Rome in 1670. Since his influence had waned under the new Pope, he asked for his release and left Rome in 1672.

Cathedral Dean in Salzburg

He first went to Westphalia for some time, but settled in Salzburg. In 1675 he was his brother Ferdinand's envoy at the imperial court in order to obtain the withdrawal of the imperial troops from the prince-bishopric of Paderborn . In the same year he renounced his canon position in Trier and was ordained a priest . This was the prerequisite for his election as cathedral dean in Salzburg. So he was chairman of the meetings of the cathedral chapter and other duties. In 1677 he was led by Pope Innocent XI. appointed honorary chamberlain . After Queen Eleonore of Poland was accompanied by the Duchy of Salzburg , she gave Wilhelm a valuable pocket watch. Together with his nephew Ferdinand, who was training in Salzburg, Wilhelm also dedicated himself to hunting. As a result, he traveled several times to Westphalia. His relationship with his brother Ferdinand was increasingly tense.

After Ferdinand's death, Wilhelm von Fürstenberg also had a chance to succeed him. He had both Habsburg and French advocates. Wilhelm refused, although the imperial envoy had been instructed to stand up for him. After the death of Archbishop of Salzburg Max Gandolf von Kuenburg in 1688, Wilhelm took over the official business during the Sedis vacancy and played a key role in the elaboration of the electoral surrender . This time he declared himself ready to face the election of bishops. He could count on a large group of supporters among the canons, but the opposing party had spread various rumors even at the imperial court. In the election on June 30, Wilhelm and Johann Ernst von Thun received an equal number of votes in the first ballot . Wilhelm decided not to run a second ballot because it became apparent that those who were undecided would side with Thun.

Wilhelm remained influential as chairman of the cathedral chapter. He may even have been President of the Councilor for a while.

In addition to his spiritual and political activities, Wilhelm also distinguished himself as an art collector. After his death he left 39 oil paintings and a large fortune.

literature

• Helmut Lahrkamp: Letter diaries and correspondence of the Münster cathedral provost and Salzburg cathedral dean Wilhelm von Fürstenberg (1623–1699) , in: Westfälische Zeitschrift , 1965, 115, pp. 459–487.
• Helmut Lahrkamp: Wilhelm von Fürstenberg . In the S. u. a .: Fürstenberg's story. Vol. 3: The history of the von Fürstenberg family in the 17th century. Münster 1971, pp. 107-118.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Peter Hersche : The German cathedral chapters in the 17th and 18th centuries , 3 volumes, Bern 1984; Volume 1: MS062, TR057, PB065, SA063, LT154.