Adolf III of Schauenburg (german: Adolf von Schaumburg) (1511–1556) was the

Archbishop-Elector of Cologne The Archbishop of Cologne is an archbishop governing the Archdiocese of Cologne of the Catholic Church in western North Rhine-Westphalia and is also a historical state in the Rhine holding the birthplace of Beethoven and northern Rhineland-Palati ...

from 1547 to 1556.

Biography

Adolf of

Schauenburg Schauenburg is a municipality in the district of Kassel, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated west of Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat o ...

was born on January 19, 1511, and baptized on February 3. He was the son of

Jobst I, Count of Holstein-Schauenburg Jobst I, Count of Holstein-Schauenburg (1483-1531) was a German nobleman. He was the ruling Count of Schauenburg and Holstein-Pinneberg from 1527 until his death. He was a son of John IV (1449 – 30 March 1527) and his wife, Cordula of Geme ...

and his wife Mary of Nassau-Siegen. As a younger son, Adolf was groomed for a life in the church from a young age. From 1522 he studied at

Leuven Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic ...

. He became a

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western can ...

Liège Cathedral Liège Cathedral, otherwise St. Paul's Cathedral, Liège, in Liège, Belgium, is part of the religious heritage of Liège. Founded in the 10th century, it was rebuilt from the 13th to the 15th century and restored in the mid-19th century. It beca ...

on September 2, 1528, and then provost of the cathedral on May 30, 1533. In 1529, he also became a canon of

Mainz Cathedral , native_name_lang = , image = Mainzer Dom nw.jpg , imagesize = , imagelink = , imagealt = , caption = , pushpin map = , pushpin label position = , pushpin map alt = , pushpin mapsize = , relief = , map caption = , iso regi ...

and, on December 23, 1529, of

Cologne Cathedral Cologne Cathedral (german: Kölner Dom, officially ', English: Cathedral Church of Saint Peter) is a Catholic cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archdiocese of ...

. He became

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

St. Gereon's Basilica St. Gereon's Basilica (''Basilika Sankt Gereon'') is a German Roman Catholic church in Cologne, dedicated to Saint Gereon, and designated a minor basilica on 25 June 1920. The first mention of a church at the site, dedicated to St. Gereon, appea ...

, and then its provost in 1533. With his father's death in 1531, Adolf returned to

Schaumburg Schaumburg is a district (''Landkreis'') of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by (clockwise from the north) the districts of Nienburg, Hanover and Hamelin-Pyrmont, and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (districts of Lippe and Minden-Lübbe ...

to act as his younger brothers' guardian. He played a role in the governance of Schaumburg until 1544. In the early 1530s, the Archbishop of Cologne,

Hermann of Wied Hermann of Wied (German: ''Hermann von Wied'') (14 January 1477 – 15 August 1552) was the Archbishop-Elector of Cologne from 1515 to 1546. In 1521, he supported a punishment for German reformer Martin Luther, but later opened up one of the H ...

, grew increasingly sympathetic to the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

. To try to curb the archbishop's influence, on December 17, 1533, the

cathedral chapter According to both Catholic and Anglican canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics ( chapter) formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese during the vacancy. In ...

of Cologne Cathedral elected Adolf to be the

coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co ...

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

. He was to be a conservative counterweight to Hermann's attempted reforms. On June 3, 1543,

Pope Paul III Pope Paul III ( la, Paulus III; it, Paolo III; 29 February 1468 – 10 November 1549), born Alessandro Farnese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 October 1534 to his death in November 1549. He came to ...

wrote to Adolf encouraging him to be vigilant in his efforts against the archbishop. The pope

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...

Hermann on July 3, 1546, naming Adolf the administrator of the archdiocese in his stead. The cathedral chapter elected Adolf as

Archbishop of Cologne The Archbishop of Cologne is an archbishop governing the Archdiocese of Cologne of the Catholic Church in western North Rhine-Westphalia and is also a historical state in the Rhine holding the birthplace of Beethoven and northern Rhineland-Palati ...

on January 24, 1547. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

as a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

by Bishop Johann Nopel on May 3, 1547. Adolf's first task was to roll back the reforms initiated by his predecessor. Hermann had installed

Martin Bucer Martin Bucer ( early German: ''Martin Butzer''; 11 November 1491 – 28 February 1551) was a German Protestant reformer based in Strasbourg who influenced Lutheran, Calvinist, and Anglican doctrines and practices. Bucer was originally a me ...

, but Adolf now banned Protestant preaching throughout the archdiocese. Accompanied by

Eberhard Billick Eberhard Billick was a German theologian instrumental in keeping the city of Cologne Catholic during the Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within We ...

, provincial superior of the

Carmelites , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Car ...

, Adolf attended the

Diet of Augsburg The Diet of Augsburg were the meetings of the Imperial Diet of the Holy Roman Empire held in the German city of Augsburg. Both an Imperial City and the residence of the Augsburg prince-bishops, the town had hosted the Estates in many such sess ...

in 1547–48. He was ordained a bishop on April 8, 1548, in the presence of

and

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (Crown of Castile, Castil ...

. He attended the 1551 session of the

Council of Trent The Council of Trent ( la, Concilium Tridentinum), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trento, Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italian Peninsula, Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation ...

, accompanied by Billick and

Johann Gropper :''This is about the 16th century churchman. For the 20th Century political artist, see William Gropper.'' Johann Gropper (John or german: Johannes Gropper; 24 February 1503 – 13 March 1559) was a German cardinal and church politician of th ...

. Adolf died in Brühl on September 20, 1556.

Cornelis Floris de Vriendt Cornelis Floris or Cornelis (II) Floris De Vriendt (c. 1514 – 20 October 1575) was a Flemish sculptor, architect, draughtsman, medallist and designer of prints and luxury. He operated a large workshop in Antwerp from which he worked on many ...

created matching tombs for Adolf and his younger brother

Anton of Schauenburg Anton of Schauenburg (german: Anton von Schaumburg) (died 1558) was Archbishop-Elector of Cologne from 1557 to 1558. Biography Anton of Schauenburg was the son of Jobst I, Count of Holstein-Schauenburg and his wife Mary of Nassau-Siegen. His ...

(d. 1558) in Cologne Cathedral. Originally located in the choir, they were relocated to the radiating chapels in 1863.

References

*Norbert Trippen, ''Geschichte des Erzbistums Köln'' (Cologne, 2008) *Robert Haass
"Adolf III"
in ''Neue Deutsche Biographie'', Vol. 1 (Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, 1953), pp 83f. {{DEFAULTSORT:Adolf 03 Of Schauenburg 1511 births 1556 deaths Adolphus 03 Adolphus 03 Cathedral deans of Cologne