John III of Schoenberg (died: 26 September 1517 in

Zeitz Zeitz ( hsb, Žič) is a town in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river White Elster, in the triangle of the federal states Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony. History Zeitz was first recorded und ...

) was from 1492 to 1517

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of Naumburg-Zeitz.

Origin

John was a member of the noble Schoenberg family, which provided several bishops to the dioceses of Naumburg and Meisse. He was

coadjutor The term coadjutor (or coadiutor, literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coadj ...

to his uncle

Dietrich IV of Schoenberg Dietrich () is an ancient German name meaning "Ruler of the People.” Also "keeper of the keys" or a "lockpick" either the tool or the profession. Given name * Dietrich, Count of Oldenburg (c. 1398 – 1440) * Thierry of Alsace (german: Dietric ...

from 1483 and succeeded him in 1492. His parents were Henry of Schoenberg at Stollberg (d. 1507), who was captain of Schellenberg and Wolkenstein and an advisor to the Duke, and his wife, Ilse von Pflugk.

Life

John studied at the

University of Leipzig Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 Decemb ...

, and in Cologne. He was dean of Magdeburg, a canon of Meissen, provost at Bautzen and then ''

magister scholarum A scholaster, from the Latin ''scholasticus'' (schoolmaster), or magister scholarum, was the head of an ecclesiastical school, typically a cathedral school, monastic school, or the school of a collegiate church, in medieval and early-modern Europe ...

'' of 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 ...

in Meissen. Pope

Innocent VIII Pope Innocent VIII ( la, Innocentius VIII; it, Innocenzo VIII; 1432 – 25 July 1492), born Giovanni Battista Cybo (or Cibo), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 August 1484 to his death in July 1492. Son of th ...

appointed him bishop, even though the cathedral chapter objected. The lucrative silver mining at Schneeberg continued. John III had a habit of appointing relatives to ecclesiastical offices, including two of his brothers. There indications that he may have been temporary mentally "confused" towards the end of his life. In 1511 the chapter proposed to appoint canon Vincent of Schleinitz as coadjutor, but the

House of Wettin The House of Wettin () is a dynasty of German kings, prince-electors, dukes, and counts that once ruled territories in the present-day German states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The dynasty is one of the oldest in Europe, and its ori ...

saw to it that their candidate

Philip of the Palatinate Philip of the Palatinate (german: Philipp von der Pfalz; 5 July 1480 in Heidelberg – 5 January 1541 in Freising) was Prince-Bishop of Freising (1498–1541) and Naumburg (1517–1541). He was a member of the house of Wittelsbach, and the son ...

was appointed instead. John died in 1517 and was buried in

Naumburg Cathedral Naumburg Cathedral (german: Naumburger Dom St. Peter und St. Paul, ), located in Naumburg, Germany, is the former cathedral of the Bishopric of Naumburg-Zeitz. The church building, most of which dates back to the 13th century, is a renowned landmark ...

. A bronze plaque of his tomb has survived.

References and sources

* Heinz Wießner:
Das Bistum Naumburg 1 - Die Diözese 2
', in: Max-Planck-Institut für Geschichte (eds.): ''Germania Sacra, NF 35,2, Die Bistumer der Kirchenprovinz Magdeburg'', Berlin/New York, 1998, pp. 938–951. Roman Catholic bishops of Naumburg Thuringian nobility 15th-century German people 16th-century German people 1517 deaths Year of birth unknown {{Germany-RC-bishop-stub