Kilian Germann (born at the end of 1485; died 30 August 1530 at the

Bregenzer Ach The Bregenzer Ach (also: ''Bregenzer Ache'') is the main river of the Bregenz Forest (Bregenzerwald), in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg. It is a tributary to Lake Constance, which is drained by the Rhine. The river is 67 kilometers long and drai ...

) was prince abbot of the

Abbey of Saint Gall The Abbey of Saint Gall (german: Abtei St. Gallen) is a dissolved abbey (747–1805) in a Catholic religious complex in the city of St. Gallen in Switzerland. The Carolingian-era monastery existed from 719, founded by Saint Othmar on the spot w ...

from 1529 to 1530.

Life

Germann was the son of Johannes Germann, chief bailiff of

Lütisburg Lütisburg is a municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of Toggenburg in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. History Lütisburg is first mentioned in 1214 as ''Liutinsburch'' Bereits früher belegt sind. The hamlet of Rindal was f ...

, and the brother of Hans Germann (called "der Batzenhammer") who was a mercenary leader and later became bailiff. His second brother Gallus Germann was also chief bailiff of Lütisburg. Kilian Germann was ''Grosskeller'' in Saint Gall in 1516, governor of Rorschach in 1523 and governor of Wil in 1528. In Rapperswill he was in 1529 elected Prince Abbot of the Abbey of Saint Gall in succession of Franz von Gaisberg. After Pope Clement VII' confirmation, he was also proposed to Emperor

Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infan ...

as prince abbot and was confirmed by him in February of the year 1530. Schloss_Wolfurt

After the outbreak of the First War of Kappel, Prince Abbot Kilian fled to

Meersburg Meersburg () is a town in Baden-Württemberg in the southwest of Germany. It is on Lake Constance. It is known for its medieval city. The lower town ("Unterstadt") and upper town ("Oberstadt") are reserved for pedestrians only, and connected by t ...

in 1529. From February 1530 onwards, he lived at Wolfurt Castle near Bregenz. In exile at Lake Constance, he maintained relations with the Southern German nobility in order to exert political pressure on the reformation movement in the prince abbot's lands, which did not escape reformer Vadian. In 1530, he represented the prince abbey at the hearing (dt. “Tagsatzung”) in Baden. In July 1530, Prince abbot Kilian Germann visited the Diet of Augsburg. In the same year, after a visit from Count Montfort, he fell from his horse and drowned in the Bregenzer Ach. He was entombed at the Territorial Abbey of Wettingen-Mehrerau near Bregenz. His successor as Prince abbot of Saint Gall was Diethelm Blarer von Wartensee.

Reading list

* Vogler, Werner. 2006: "Kilian Germann"
Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz.

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Germann, Kilian 1485 births 1530 deaths 16th-century Swiss people Abbots of Saint Gall