John III of the Palatinate (7 May 1488 in
Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...
– 3 February 1538) was the 48th
Archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
of
Regensburg
Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...
. He reigned from 1507 until his death.
Background
John III of the Palatine was a member of the
House of Wittelsbach
The House of Wittelsbach () is a German dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including Bavaria, the Palatinate, Holland and Zeeland, Sweden (with Finland), Denmark, Norway, Hungary (with Romania), Bohemia, the Electorate ...
. His father was Elector Palatine
Philip
Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...
; his mother was
Margaret of Bavaria
Margaret of Bavaria (1363 – 23 January 1424, Dijon) was Duchess of Burgundy by marriage to John the Fearless. She was the regent of the Burgundian Low Countries during the absence of her spouse in 1404–1419 and the regent in French Burgundy d ...
. His brothers included
George
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...
, who was Bishop of
Speyer
Speyer (, older spelling ''Speier'', French: ''Spire,'' historical English: ''Spires''; pfl, Schbaija) is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located on the left bank of the river Rhine, Speyer li ...
and
Henry
Henry may refer to:
People
*Henry (given name)
* Henry (surname)
* Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry
Royalty
* Portuguese royalty
** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal
** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...
, who was bishop of
Utrecht
Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...
,
Freising
Freising () is a university town in Bavaria, Germany, and the capital of the Freising ''Landkreis'' (district), with a population of about 50,000.
Location
Freising is the oldest town between Regensburg and Bolzano, and is located on the Is ...
and
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 ...
.
Reign
As a younger son, John III was destined from a young age for a career in the clergy. Nevertheless, he received little education on religious matters. He proved a capable administrator, but never took religious vows, so technically he was
diocesan administrator :''See: Catholic Church hierarchy#Equivalents of diocesan bishops in law''
A diocesan administrator is a provisional ordinary of a Roman Catholic particular church.
Diocesan administrators in canon law
The college of consultors elects an admini ...
rather than archbishop.
There were riots in Regensburg between 1511 and 1513. These were triggered by the deaths of Sigmund von Rohrbach. He had been imperial captain; this office was increasingly used as a favour for favorites of the emperor. This meant the imperial captains were frequently absent, and decision they had to take were delayed. Emperor
Maximilian I awarded the office to the knight Thomas Fuchs von Schneeburg. The riots led to the creation of a council from the ranks of the city's leading citizens. This council announce that they would investigate the problem. However, some members intended to take revenge on the emperor's appointees. After mediation by John III, a more conservative City Council was installed, who managed to halt the revolution. An imperial commission then punished the leaders of the unrest.
John III supported the agitation against the
Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...
s in Regensburg, which was popular among the middle classes. There were anti-Jewish sermons and the bishop's law court began to interpret court cases about unpaid loans as religious disputes between Christians and Jews. The Jews sent letters of complaint to Emperor Maximilian I, who rebuked John III. After Maximilian I died in 1519, the city turned against the Jews. Their synagogue was demolished and they were forced to leave the city. A church, dedicated to Maria, was constructed on the spot where the synagogue had stood.
Balthasar Hubmaier
Balthasar Hubmaier (1480 – 10 March 1528; la , Pacimontanus) was an influential German Anabaptist leader. He was one of the most well-known and respected Anabaptist theologians of the Reformation.
Early life and education
He was born in Frie ...
was a preacher in this church. Pilgrims began to visit this church, and John III began to administered the considerable revenue the pilgrims brought in.
While the city and clergy agreed on the persecution of the Jews, they disagreed on other matters. In particular, John III claimed all taxes paid by the clergy, and challenged the city and the sovereign princes in his diocese, who also claimed these revenues. Among the more important events during the
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 ...
was the conversion of Balthaser Hubmaier to
Anabaptism
Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin , from the Greek : 're-' and 'baptism', german: Täufer, earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re-baptizers"), considering it biased. ...
. Hubmaier would later be tortured and
burned at the stake
Death by burning (also known as immolation) is an execution and murder method involving combustion or exposure to extreme heat. It has a long history as a form of public capital punishment, and many societies have employed it as a punishment f ...
in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
. The diocese lost he deanery of
Wunsiedel
(; Northern Bavarian: ''Wåuṉsieḏl'' or ''Wousigl'') is the seat of the Upper Franconian district of in northeast Bavaria, Germany. The town is the birthplace of poet Jean Paul. It also became known for its annual Festival and the Rudolf ...
when the local ruler, Margrave
George the Pious
George of Brandenburg-Ansbach (German language, German: ''Georg''; 4 March 1484 – 27 December 1543), known as George the Pious (''Georg der Fromme''), was a Margrave of Principality of Ansbach, Brandenburg-Ansbach from the House of Hohenzolle ...
indulged in a church visitation. He summoned the clergy in his territory and judged them by their loyalty to himself and their attitude towards the
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...
faith, of which he was an early champion. He imprisoned clergy he didn't like, and deprived them of their income. The fate of the
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
* ...
Melchior von Sparneck is a typical example of what might happen to a priest in these restless times.
Three years before his death, John III negotiated with his brothers
Louis V Louis V may refer to:
* Louis V of France (967–987)
* Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor and V of Germany (1282–1347)
* Louis V, Duke of Bavaria (1315–1361)
* Louis V, Elector Palatine (ruled 1508–1544)
* Louis V, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (r ...
and
Frederick II and with the cathedral chapter. He wanted to retire, and wanted the separate several districts from the bishopric to provide him with an income during his retirement, and he wanted the chapter to elect one of his underage relatives as his successor. The chapter refused, as they were afraid that the lands he would separate from the bishopric would be inherited by the Elector Palatine after his death.
John III died on 3 February 1538. After his death, he left a debt of guilders.
References
*
Michael Buchberger
Michael Buchberger (8 June 1874, Jetzendorf – 10 June 1961, Straubing) was a Roman Catholic priest, notable as the seventy-fourth bishop of Regensburg since the diocese's foundation in 739.
Life
Buchberger was ordained as a priest on 29 J ...
(ed.): ''1200 Jahre Bistum Regensburg'', Regensburg, 1939, p. 48 ff
*
* Josef Staber: ''Kirchengeschichte des Bistums Regensburg'', Regensburg, 1966, p. 96–114
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:John 03 Palatinate
16th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Bavaria
Roman Catholic bishops of Regensburg
House of Wittelsbach
1488 births
1538 deaths
16th-century German people
Sons of monarchs