Wolf Dietrich von Maxlrain

Wolf Dietrich von Maxlrain , Imperial Baron von Waldeck (* 1523 or 1524 ; † April 21, 1586 ) was a Bavarian politician and owner of the Hohenwaldeck imperial rule from the Maxlrain family .

Early life

Born as the second son of the Reichsherr von Waldeck, Wolfgang von Maxlrain and his wife Anna von Frundsberg, he was initially destined for the clergy. After the older brother's early death, Wolf Dietrich was sent to study at the University of Ingolstadt in preparation for his future role as owner of the estate . He then entered the service of the Bavarian Duke and received high offices in Burghausen and Ried im Innkreis .

Believe

Wolf Dietrich von Maxlrain came into contact with the teachings of Martin Luther early on . Like her father Georg von Frundsberg , his mother Anna was one of the early supporters of the Reformation . Wolf Dietrich's father Wolfgang von Maxlrain did not publicly confess to the new faith, but obviously sympathized with it. In the so-called Salzburg Treaty negotiated through the mediation of Salzburg Archbishop Michael von Kuenburg in 1559, Bavaria finally recognized the independence of Waldeck, but with regard to the confessional fluctuations in the Maxlrain family, added the passage that a change of religion in the rule would not be tolerated .

Reign

After the death of his father in 1561, Wolf Dietrich took over the government of Waldeck. Even then, Wolf Dietrich confessed to Luther's teaching and was therefore relieved of his Bavarian offices by Duke Albrecht V in the following year . Wolf Dietrich was, along with Joachim von Ortenburg and Pankraz von Freyberg, one of the leaders of the so-called confessionalists , the Protestant opposition of Bavarian aristocrats against the Duke. In 1563 this group publicly and provocatively declared their conversion to Protestantism. Duke Albrecht V took strict action against this opposition, but was initially unable to permanently defeat the nobles such as the Ortenburgers and Maxlrainers, who were particularly protected by their imperial estate. If Wolf Dietrich proceeded more cautiously in the years that followed, Waldeck was soon considered a Protestant enclave in the otherwise largely Catholic southern Bavaria. Protestant clergymen had been recruited and believers from the areas neighboring Waldeck came to the services in Miesbach . When Duke Wilhelm V of Bavaria came to power, the fronts began to harden again. Together with the Freising Prince-Bishop Ernst , a brother of the Duke, a diplomatic war began with reference to the Salzburg Treaty of 1559. This culminated for the last time in 1583 when a trade ban was carried out by Hans Kaspar von Pienzenau, a grandson of Kaspar Winzerer . The borders of the Waldeck rule were cordoned off until Wolf Dietrich would bow. Under this enormous pressure, Wolf Dietrich finally had to agree to a re-Catholicization of Waldeck. However, he gave his subjects free to emigrate, which is what considerable parts of the population did, who went to Regensburg or Tyrol , for example . The end of the conflict was sealed in 1584 with the relocation of the parish seat from Parsberg to Miesbach. Only Wolf Dietrich and his family were allowed to remain true to their faith, as they were protected by their imperial estate.

Wiguleu's dog reports that Wolf Dietrich was personally badly affected by this defeat. He is said to have been a popular gentleman among his subjects, which was also shown during the denominational clashes.

After his death, Wolf Dietrich was buried in the Maxlrainer crypt of the Miesbach parish church.

family

Wolf Dietrich von Maxlrain was married to Veronika von Pienzenau since 1543 . As a dowry, she brought the family castle Pienzenau into the marriage, which was not far north of Miesbach near Großpienzenau. The marriage had six children, including the sons Ludwig († 1608) and Georg († 1635), who also held the imperial rule of Waldeck. According to family tradition, Wolf Dietrich was first followed by his younger brother Wolf Wilhelm.

literature

• Wilhelm Knappe: Wolf Dietrich von Maxlrain and the Reformation in the Hohenwaldeck rule. A contribution to the history of the German Reformation and Counter-Reformation (= sources and research on Bavarian church history. Vol. 4, ZDB -ID 515342-6 ). Deichert, Leipzig et al. 1920.
• Alexander Langheiter: Miesbach. A cultural guide. Maurus, Miesbach 2006, ISBN 3-00-017020-0 .
• Ignaz Joseph von Obernberg: History of the rule Waldeck in Oberbaiern. Written in 1798. Akademischer Verlag, Munich 1804, digitized .