Lothar Friedrich von Metternich-Burscheid (29 September 1617 – 3 June 1675) was the Bishop of Speyer from 1652 to 1675 and also Archbishop of Mainz and

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 ...

from 1673 to 1675.

Biography

Lothar Friedrich von Metternich-Burscheid was born on 29 September 1617 in Bourscheid Castle, a member of the

House of Metternich The House of Metternich is an old German noble family originating in the Rhineland. The most prominent member was Prince Klemens von Metternich, who was the dominant figure at the Congress of Vienna (1814–1815). As a former reigning house ( me ...

. He was the younger son of Johann Gerhard von Metternich,

Lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...

Burscheid Burscheid is a town in the Rheinisch-Bergischer district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The town is known for its sub-communities (somewhat equivalent to the American concept of neighborhoods) and the town centre with its marketplace and c ...

and Esch (d. 1644) and his wife, Maria von der

Leyen The House von der Leyen und zu Hohengeroldseck is an ancient German noble family of princely and historically sovereign rank. As a former ruling and mediatized family, it belongs to the Hochadel (high nobility). History The origin can be ...

(d. 1660). As it was a custom in all great houses of the time, the younger son was almost always destined for ecclesiastical career. At the age of eight, Lothar Friedrich von Metternich-Burscheid became a

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

(''Domizellar'') in

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 ...

. He studied in Trier 1635-36 and then at the Jesuit school in

Pont-à-Mousson Pont-à-Mousson () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France. Its inhabitants are known as ''Mussipontains'' in French. It is an industrial town (mainly steel industry), situated on the river Moselle. Pont-à-Mous ...

. He became ''Domizellar'' of

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 joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Ma ...

in 1639. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

as a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

in 1640 On 11 April 1652 the cathedral chapter of

Speyer Cathedral , native_name_lang = German , image = Speyer_dom_11.jpg , imagesize = 280px , imagelink = , imagealt = , landscape = , caption = , pushpin ma ...

elected Lothar Friedrich von Metternich-Burscheid Bishop of Speyer. He was ordained as a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

on 17 December 1652. On 9 June 1653,

Pope Innocent X Pope Innocent X ( la, Innocentius X; it, Innocenzo X; 6 May 1574 – 7 January 1655), born Giovanni Battista Pamphilj (or Pamphili), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 September 1644 to his death in Januar ...

confirmed his appointment as Bishop of Speyer, and directed him to repair Speyer Cathedral and to found a

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

. He was consecrated as a

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 c ...

by Heinrich Wolter von Strevesdorff, Auxiliary Bishop of

on 24 June 1656. The cathedral chapter of

Mainz Cathedral , native_name_lang = , image = Mainzer Dom nw.jpg , imagesize = , imagelink = , imagealt = , caption = , pushpin map = , pushpin label position = , pushpin map alt = , pushpin mapsize = , relief = , map caption = , iso regi ...

elected Lothar Friedrich von Metternich-Burscheid Coadjutor Archbishop of Mainz on 15 December 1670, with the understanding that he would succeed as Archbishop upon the death of Johann Philipp von Schönborn.

Pope Clement X Pope Clement X ( la, Clemens X; it, Clemente X; 13 July 1590 – 22 July 1676), born Emilio Bonaventura Altieri, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 April 1670 to his death in July 1676. Elected pope at ag ...

confirmed this arrangement on 16 November 1671. As such, Lothar Friedrich von Metternich-Burscheid succeeded as Archbishop of Mainz on 12 February 1673. The cathedral chapter of

Worms Cathedral St Peter's Cathedral (German: ''Wormser Dom'') is a Roman Catholic church and former cathedral in Worms, southern Germany. The cathedral is located on the highest point of the inner city of Worms and is the most important building of the Roma ...

elected him as

on 16 April 1673. Lothar Friedrich von Metternich-Burscheid died in

on 3 June 1675.

References

*This page is based on this page on German Wikipedia.
Profile from catholic-hierarchy.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lothar Friedrich von Metternich-Burscheid Archbishop-Electors of Mainz Roman Catholic bishops of Speyer 1617 births 1675 deaths House of Metternich