Franz Georg von Schönborn-Buchheim (15 June 1682 – 18 January 1756) was the Archbishop-

Elector of Trier The elector of Trier was one of the prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire and, in his capacity as archbishop, administered the archdiocese of Trier. The territories of the electorate and the archdiocese were not, however, equivalent. History ...

from 1729 until 1756, and the Prince-Bishop of Worms and Prince-Provost of Ellwangen from 1732 until 1756.

Biography

Franz Georg was born in

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...

, the ninth son of the Count of Schönborn and the nephew of

Lothar Franz von Schönborn Lothar Franz von Schönborn-Buchheim (4 October 1655 – 30 January 1729) was the Archbishop-Elector of Mainz from 1694 to 1729 and the Bishop of Bamberg from 1693 to 1729. As Archbishop of Mainz, he was also Archchancellor of the Holy Roman Empi ...

, the

Archbishop-Elector of Mainz The Elector of Mainz was one of the seven Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire. As both the Archbishop of Mainz and the ruling prince of the Electorate of Mainz, the Elector of Mainz held a powerful position during the Middle Ages. The Archb ...

. Franz Georg's brothers were Johann Philipp Franz, Friedrich Karl and Hugo Damian, all three important churchmen. Beginning in 1702 he studied law, philosophy, theology, geography, history, and language at

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centuri ...

, and

Leiden Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wit ...

. After completing his studies he travelled to the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

, Spain, and England. Through the influence of his uncle, Franz Georg gained valuable contacts in the court of the

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. After his uncle died in 1729 and

Franz Ludwig Franz Ludwig (1876–1927) was a German stage and film actor.Kasten p. 327 He became known for his portrayals of the German Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck. Selected filmography * '' Bismarck'' (1914) * '' Bismarck'' (1925) * ''Bismarck 1862–18 ...

, Archbishop-Elector of

Trier Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...

, succeeded him after vacating his own see, Franz Georg was unanimously elected the new Archbishop of Trier and thus appointed Prince-Elector of Trier. Owing to the protection of the Papacy in 1732 he was also elected the Prince-Bishop of

Worms Worms may refer to: *Worm, an invertebrate animal with a tube-like body and no limbs Places *Worms, Germany, a city **Worms (electoral district) *Worms, Nebraska, U.S. *Worms im Veltlintal, the German name for Bormio, Italy Arts and entertainme ...

and the Prince-Provost of

Ellwangen Abbey Ellwangen Abbey (german: Kloster Ellwangen) was the earliest Benedictine monastery established in the Duchy of Swabia, at the present-day town of Ellwangen an der Jagst, Baden-Württemberg, about 100 km (60 mi) north-east of Stuttgart. ...

. Politically Franz Georg sided with the

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

, and through it the Archbishopric-Electorate of Trier became involved in the great conflicts of the day. In the second half of his reign, Franz Georg retired from active involvement in politics, and focused on administration and construction projects. From 1737 until 1753 he constructed a

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

residence in

Ellwangen Ellwangen an der Jagst, officially Ellwangen (Jagst), in common use simply Ellwangen () is a town in the district of Ostalbkreis in the east of Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It is situated about north of Aalen. Ellwangen has 25,000 inhabitants. ...

. Beginning in 1739 he began the extension of the

Philippsburg Philippsburg () is a town in the district of Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. History Before 1632, Philippsburg was known as "Udenheim". The city was a possession of the Bishop of Speyer from 1371–1718. The town is named after ...

Koblenz Koblenz (; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz''), spelled Coblenz before 1926, is a German city on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle, a multi-nation tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman mili ...

. He also constructed a new summer residence,

Schönbornslust Schönbornslust (german: Schloss Schönbornslust ) was a palace located in Kesselheim, part of the city of Koblenz in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It was a summer residence and hunting loge of the Prince-Electors and Archbishops of Trier. ...

. Despite being pious, Franz Georg worked hard to increase the level of education amongst the populace. He outlawed several pilgrimages, holidays and exorcisms. Towards the end of his life Franz Georg's power declined with that of his family. He died in Philippsburg in 1756 and was buried in the

Cathedral of Trier The High Cathedral of Saint Peter in Trier (german: Hohe Domkirche St. Peter zu Trier), or Trier Cathedral (german: Trierer Dom), is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the oldest church in Germany and the l ...

. Bischofsstab F. G. v. Schönborn (Trier).JPG, Crozier Trier Sankt Paulin Wappen von Schönborn.jpg, Coat of arms at

Basilica of St. Paulinus, Trier Saint Paulinus (german: St. Paulinskirche) is a Baroque church in the city of Trier, Germany. Constructed between 1734 and 1753, the interior was designed by Johann Balthasar Neumann. The ceiling of the nave features a painting by the artist Christ ...

Messgewand v. Schönborn (3b) - 2011-05-30.jpg, Chasuble Messgewand v. Schönborn (Wappen) - 2011-05-30.jpg, Heraldic figure Grabaltar für Erzbischof Franz Georg von Schönborn, Trierer Dom-3506.jpg, Burial in the Trier cathedral , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Schonborn, Franz Georg von 1682 births 1756 deaths Clergy from Mainz Francis 02 Roman Catholic bishops of Worms 18th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the Holy Roman Empire Franz Georg