Friedrich Karl Joseph Reichsfreiherr von Erthal (3 January 1719 – 25 July 1802) was
prince-elector
The prince-electors (german: Kurfürst pl. , cz, Kurfiřt, la, Princeps Elector), or electors for short, were the members of the electoral college that elected the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
From the 13th century onwards, the prince ...
and
archbishop 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 ...
from 18 July 1774 to 4 July 1802, shortly before the end of the archbishopric in the ''
Reichsdeputationshauptschluss
The ' (formally the ', or "Principal Conclusion of the Extraordinary Imperial Delegation"), sometimes referred to in English as the Final Recess or the Imperial Recess of 1803, was a resolution passed by the ' (Imperial Diet) of the Holy Roman Em ...
''.
Family
Erthal was born in
Lohr am Main
Lohr am Main (officially: ''Lohr a. Main'') is a town in the Main-Spessart district in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Lower Franconia (''Unterfranken'') in Bavaria, Germany and the seat (but not a member) of the ''Verwaltungsgemeinschaft'' (muni ...
on 3 January 1719. His younger brother,
Franz Ludwig von Erthal
Franz Ludwig Freiherr von Erthal (16 September 1730 in Lohr am Main - 14 February 1795 in Würzburg) was the prince-bishop of Würzburg and Bamberg from 1779 until his death. He was buried at the Würzburg Cathedral (#45 diagram).
From 1779 unt ...
, was the
prince-bishop of
Würzburg
Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River.
Würzburg is ...
and
Bamberg
Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main. The town dates back to the 9th century, when its name was derived from the nearby ' castle. C ...
.
Election
Erthal's predecessor, archbishop
Emmerich Joseph von Breidbach zu Bürresheim
Emmerich Joseph von Breidbach zu Bürresheim (12 November 1707 – 11 June 1774) was the Archbishop-Elector of Mainz from 1763 to 1774 and Prince-Bishop of Worms from 1768 to 1774, in which capacities he was notable for introducing reforms i ...
, had introduced some ideas of the
Enlightenment, and had been a popular figure. After his death, the ''
Domkapitel'' was split in two fractions, one representing the openness to reform of the Enlightenment, the larger one advocating immediate
restoration
Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to:
* Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage
** Audio restoration
** Film restoration
** Image restoration
** Textile restoration
* Restoration ecology
...
. Directly after the death of archbishop Emmerich Joseph, Friedrich von Erthal, then ''Domkustos'', was charged with reducing the influence of the Enlightenment in the schools and monasteries of the archbishopric. After his election on 18 July 1774, and his election as
Bishop of Worms
The Prince-Bishopric of Worms, was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire. Located on both banks of the Rhine around Worms just north of the union of that river with the Neckar, it was largely surrounded by the Electorate of the ...
, he assigned many opponents of the Enlightenment to important positions.
Both the papal
nuncio
An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international or ...
and the emperor
Joseph II
Joseph II (German: Josef Benedikt Anton Michael Adam; English: ''Joseph Benedict Anthony Michael Adam''; 13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg lands from November 29, 1780 unt ...
had expected Erthal's election to improve relationships with the Archbishopric. However, Erthal, in his position as
Archchancellor
An archchancellor ( la, archicancellarius, german: Erzkanzler) or chief chancellor was a title given to the highest dignitary of the Holy Roman Empire, and also used occasionally during the Middle Ages to denote an official who supervised the wo ...
wanted to have an important role in the politics of the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...
himself, opposing the dynastical tendencies of the Emperor. In 1785, he even joined the Prussian-led mostly Protestant
Fürstenbund
The ''(Deutsche) Fürstenbund'' (, " ermanLeague of Princes") was an alliance of mostly Protestant princes in the Holy Roman Empire formed in 1785 under the leadership of Frederick II of Prussia. The alliance, which initially comprised the three ...
, a coalition of princes organized to oppose Joseph's scheme to exchange Bavaria for Belgium.
Relationship to the Enlightenment
![Thaler de contribution de l'archeveché de Mayence à l'effigie de Frédéric-Charles Joseph Von Erthal, 1794](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Thaler_de_contribution_de_l%27archevech%C3%A9_de_Mayence_%C3%A0_l%27effigie_de_Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric-Charles_Joseph_Von_Erthal%2C_1794.jpg)
Erthal did not pursue his opposition to the enlightenment for very long, reinstating the modern government of his predecessor in 1777. After 1781, Erthal's politics were dominated by the Enlightenment. The
universities of Mainz and
Erfurt
Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits i ...
were reformed according to new ideas, and a hymnal in German language was published. He became one of the most notable supporters of free-thought in theology and of
Febronianism
Febronianism was a powerful movement within the Roman Catholic Church in Germany, in the latter part of the 18th century, directed towards the nationalizing of Catholicism, the restriction of the power of the papacy in favor of that of the episcopa ...
in the government of the Church.
Georg Forster
Johann George Adam Forster, also known as Georg Forster (, 27 November 1754 – 10 January 1794), was a German naturalist, ethnologist, travel writer, journalist and revolutionary. At an early age, he accompanied his father, Johann Reinhold F ...
, a Protestant, became his librarian and
William Heinse, another Protestant, and author of the lascivious romance "Ardinghello", was his official reader. Erthal suppressed the Carthusian monastery and two nunneries at Mainz and used their revenues to meet the expenses of the
university
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
, in which he appointed numerous Protestants and free-thinkers as professors. Notorious unbelievers such as Felix Anthony Blau and others were invited to the university in 1784 to supplant the Jesuits in the faculty of theology.
Theological position
As a spiritual ruler, Erthal was guided by the principles of Febronianism. In union with the Archbishops Max Franz of Cologne, Clemens Wenzeslaus of Trier, and Hieronymus Joseph of Salzburg he convoked the
Congress of Ems
The Congress of Ems was a meeting set up by the four prince-archbishops of the Holy Roman Empire, and held in August 1786 at Bad Ems in the Electorate of Trier. Its object was to protest against papal interference in the exercise of episcopal powe ...
at which twenty-three antipapal articles, known as the ''
of Ems'', were drawn up and signed by the plenipotentiaries of the four archbishops on 25 August 1786. The purpose of the was to lower the papal dignity to a merely honorary primacy and to make the pope a primus inter pares, with practically no authority over the territories of the archbishops. In order to increase his political influence he joined (25 October 1785) the Confederation of Princes which was established by King Frederick the Great. In 1787 he apparently receded from the schismatic position of the '' of Ems'' and applied to Rome for a renewal of his quinquennial faculties and for the approbation of his new coadjutor,
Karl Theodor von Dalberg
Karl Theodor Anton Maria von Dalberg (8 February 1744 – 10 February 1817) was Prince- Archbishop of Regensburg, Arch-Chancellor of the Holy Roman Empire, Bishop of Constance and Worms, prince-primate of the Confederation of the Rhine and ...
. Somewhat later, however, he resumed his opposition to papal authority and continued to adhere to the even after the other archbishops had rejected it.
End of the archbishopric
![AB Stiftskirche Erthal Allegorie](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/AB_Stiftskirche_Erthal_Allegorie.JPG)
His opposition was made futile by the revolutionary wars: The troops of
General Custine occupied Mainz on 21 October 1792; Mainz capitulated without a fight. Erthal fled to
Aschaffenburg
Aschaffenburg (; South Franconian: ''Aschebersch'') is a town in northwest Bavaria, Germany. The town of Aschaffenburg is not part of the district of Aschaffenburg, but is its administrative seat.
Aschaffenburg belonged to the Archbishopric ...
for the time of the
republican government in Mainz.
By the
treaty of Campo Formio
The Treaty of Campo Formio (today Campoformido) was signed on 17 October 1797 (26 Vendémiaire VI) by Napoleon Bonaparte and Count Philipp von Cobenzl as representatives of the French Republic and the Austrian monarchy, respectively. The treat ...
in 1797 Erthal was deprived of his possessions west of the Rhine and by the Concordat of 1801 he lost also spiritual jurisdiction over that part of his diocese. The negotiations concerning the reimbursement of Erthal for the loss of his territory west of the Rhine were not yet completed when he died on 25 July 1802, and was succeeded as archbishop by
Karl Theodor Anton Maria von Dalberg
Karl Theodor Anton Maria von Dalberg (8 February 1744 – 10 February 1817) was Prince- Archbishop of Regensburg, Arch-Chancellor of the Holy Roman Empire, Bishop of Constance and Worms, prince-primate of the Confederation of the Rhine and Gra ...
.
Erthal is buried in ''
St. Peter und Alexander''
collegiate church In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons: a non-monastic or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a ...
at
Aschaffenburg
Aschaffenburg (; South Franconian: ''Aschebersch'') is a town in northwest Bavaria, Germany. The town of Aschaffenburg is not part of the district of Aschaffenburg, but is its administrative seat.
Aschaffenburg belonged to the Archbishopric ...
.
References
:
{{DEFAULTSORT:Erthal, Friedrich Karl Joseph von
1719 births
1802 deaths
Barons of Germany
Archbishop-Electors of Mainz
18th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the Holy Roman Empire
19th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the Holy Roman Empire