![Spiegel4](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/Spiegel4.jpg)
Count Ferdinand August von Spiegel zum Desenberg und Canstein (25 December 1764, in
[Handbuch des Erzbistums Köln 1966, Bd. 1, S.48] Marsberg
Marsberg () is a town in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
History
Although its origins are obscure, Marsberg was a prospering town by the 13th century (it was even minting coins). It was a free city until 1807, when ...
– 2 August 1835, in
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 ...
) was
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 ...
from 1824 until 1835.
Early career
He was born the fifth son of ''Theodor Hermann von Spiegel zum Desenberg und Canstein'' (1712-1779), the ''Landdrost'' (Lord High Steward) of the
Duchy of Westphalia
The Duchy of Westphalia (german: Herzogtum Westfalen) was a historic territory in the Holy Roman Empire, which existed from 1102 to 1803. It was located in the greater region of Westphalia, originally one of the three main regions in the Germa ...
who had ruled that province from 1758 in the service of the
Elector-Archbishop of Cologne and Duke of Westpahlia,
Clemens August of Bavaria
Clemens August of Bavaria (german: Clemens August von Bayern) (17 August 1700 – 6 February 1761) was a member of the Wittelsbach dynasty of Bavaria and Archbishop-Elector of Cologne.
Biography
Clemens August (Clementus Augustus) was born in B ...
. Descendant of an old Westphalian noble family and raised at Canstein Castle,
Marsberg
Marsberg () is a town in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
History
Although its origins are obscure, Marsberg was a prospering town by the 13th century (it was even minting coins). It was a free city until 1807, when ...
, Ferdinand August von Spiegel studied theology, law and economics at
Fulda
Fulda () (historically in English called Fuld) is a town in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district (''Kreis''). In 1990, the town hosted the 30th Hessentag state festival.
History ...
and
Münster
Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state distr ...
. There he became a canon in 1783, whereupon he received the tonsure and the lower orders. Educated in the spirit of the
Enlightenment, Spiegel was in no way inclined to the status of clergy from which he only hoped for greater career opportunities, as did his elder half-brother Franz Wilhelm (1752-1815), who in 1758 succeeded his father and in 1786 became finance minister of the Electorate of Cologne. In 1788 Ferdinand August himself applied in vain for the Westphalian ''Landdrost'' position. However he obtained further canon benefices, in
Osnabruck and
Hildesheim
Hildesheim (; nds, Hilmessen, Hilmssen; la, Hildesia) is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany with 101,693 inhabitants. It is in the district of Hildesheim, about southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste River, a small tributary of the Lei ...
. He was ordained a subdeacon in 1793.
In 1790 he accompanied the Elector-Archbishop of Cologne and Bishop of Münster,
Archduke Maximilian Francis of Austria
Archduke Maximilian Francis of Austria (Maximilian Franz Xaver Joseph Johann Anton de Paula Wenzel; 8 December 1756 – 26 July 1801) was Elector of Cologne and Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights. He was the youngest child of Holy Roman Em ...
, to the coronation of the latter's brother
Emperor Leopold II
Leopold II (Peter Leopold Josef Anton Joachim Pius Gotthard; 5 May 1747 – 1 March 1792) was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and Bohemia, and Archduke of Austria from 1790 to 1792, and Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1765 to 1790. He was a son ...
, in Frankfurt am Main. Always striving for a leading position, he succeeded in being appointed ''
Geheimrat
''Geheimrat'' was the title of the highest advising officials at the Imperial, royal or princely courts of the Holy Roman Empire, who jointly formed the ''Geheimer Rat'' reporting to the ruler. The term remained in use during subsequent monarchic r ...
'' in the
Prince-Bishopric of Munster in 1796, especially since he had already shown enormous talent in administration as a
vidame
Vidame () was a feudal title in France, a term descended from mediaeval Latin . Like the ''avoué'' or ''advocatus'', the ''vidame'' was originally a secular official chosen by the bishop of the diocese—with the consent of the count—to pe ...
. In 1796 he was ordained
deacon
A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...
, but was not appointed
vicar general
A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...
as he had hoped. In 1799 he received ordination as
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 ...
. In August 1802, Prussian troops occupied Munster and Ferdinand August lost his secular office. But soon he was in good agreement with the Prussians and worked closely with them, especially since he hoped that this would give him a position in the secular administration. In February 1803, he managed to prevent the Münster cathedral chapter from being dissolved. In the confusion of the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
, he largely withdrew from the public until 1810.
But soon he was heard and respected by the French, so that on April 14, 1813 he was appointed Bishop of Münster by Emperor
Napoléon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
. However, since he had concerns about the legality of an appointment without papal confirmation, he let the cathedral chapter elect him to be the second capitular vicar, to whom the actual capitular vicar, his eternal opponent
Clemens August von Droste-Vischering
Baron Clemens August Droste zu Vischering (German: ''Clemens August Freiherr von Droste zu Vischering''; 21 January 1773 – 19 October 1845) was an Archbishop of Cologne. His clashes with the Prussian government personified the conflict relat ...
, had to relinquish all competences. In these years, which were filled with an enormous amount of activity, Spiegel spiritually changed to be a truly religious Christian. After the fall of Napoleon, he again managed to establish close ties with the Prussians, whose benevolence he immediately regained. Hoping to become Minister of Culture, he renounced the diocese of Münster in 1815.
From 1814 to 1815 he participated in the
Vienna Congress
The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...
, where he campaigned for a German national church independent of Rome. But since there was no settlement on church questions, he left. Although he had been denied a ministerial position,
Frederick William III of Prussia
Frederick William III (german: Friedrich Wilhelm III.; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, wh ...
created him a
Count
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
in 1816, together with his youngest brother, Caspar Philipp (1776-1837), an Austrian ambassador.
In these years his political position changed from an advocate of a State Church to one of ecclesiastical freedom, and he became a sub-delegate of the executor of the
Papal bull ''De salute animarum'' (1821). The Prussian government was impressed by the prompt and impartial completion of this work, which involved sensitive personnel issues, by approaching him with the offer to take over the Archdiocese of Cologne. He apologized to Pope
Pius VII
Pope Pius VII ( it, Pio VII; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. Chiaramonti was also a m ...
for his uncanonical behavior in 1813, which not only earned him pardon, but also an otherwise unlikely prompt appointment. After the king had again personally asked him to take the office, Count Spiegel was appointed archbishop of Cologne by Pope
Leo XII
Leo or Léo may refer to:
Acronyms
* Law enforcement officer
* Law enforcement organisation
* ''Louisville Eccentric Observer'', a free weekly newspaper in Louisville, Kentucky
* Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity
Arts an ...
on December 20, 1824 and ordained bishop on June 11, 1825.
Archbishop of Cologne
In the years that followed, Spiegel worked tirelessly and took all important decisions of his diocese himself. He was not always comforting the Prussian government, endeavoring to maintain the principle of ecclesiastical independence from the state. In the conflict over raising children in mixed-confessional marriages, he agreed with the Prussian government in 1834 on the so-called ''Berlin Convention''. Contrary to his hope, this agreement with the state did not receive the necessary approval from Pope
Gregory XVI
Pope Gregory XVI ( la, Gregorius XVI; it, Gregorio XVI; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in 1 June 1846. He h ...
. Before the mixed marriage dispute could break out openly, Ferdinand August, who had probably suffered from colon cancer since 1833, died on August 2, 1835 in Cologne. He was laid to rest in the archbishop's crypt 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 ...
. Clemens August von Droste-Vischering became his successor.
References
Literature
* Rudolf Lill: ''Der Bischof zwischen Säkularisation und Kulturkampf'', In: Peter Berglar et al. (eds.): ''Der Bischof in seiner Zeit. Bischofstypus und Bischofsideal im Spiegel der Kölner Kirche'', Verlag J.P. Bachem, Köln 1986, pp. 349–396 (about Ferdinand August von Spiegel: pp. 358–367),
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spiegel, Ferdinand August von
1764 births
1835 deaths
People from Marsberg
Archbishops of Cologne
19th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Prussia
Burials at Cologne Cathedral