Johann Philipp Franz von Schönborn (1673–1724) was the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg from 1719 to 1724. His principal claim to fame is his commissioning of the

Würzburg Residence The Würzburg Residence (German: ''Würzburger Residenz'') is a palace in Würzburg, Germany. Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt and Maximilian von Welsch, representatives of the Austrian/South German Baroque style, were involved in the construction, ...

, a major work of

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the early 17th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means t ...

Life

Johann Philipp Franz von Schönborn was born in

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 ...

on 15 February 1673, the oldest son of (1644-1717, see List of rulers of Schönborn) and his wife, Maria Anna Sophia (or Sophie) von Boineburg (1652–1726). His uncle was

Lothar Franz von Schönborn Lothar Franz von Schönborn-Buchheim (4 October 1655 – 30 January 1729) was the Archbishop-Elector of Mainz from 1694 to 1729 and the Bishop of Bamberg from 1693 to 1729. As Archbishop of Mainz, he was also Archchancellor of the Holy Roman Emp ...

, Archbishop-Elector of Mainz from 1694 to 1729. Frans van Stampart - Johann Philipp Franz von Schönborn

As the oldest son, Johann Philipp Franz was slated for an ecclesiastical career from an early age. He was educated at the Jesuit school at

Aschaffenburg Aschaffenburg (; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Aschebersch'') is a town in northwest Bavaria, Germany. The town of Aschaffenburg is not part of the Aschaffenburg (district), district of Aschaffenburg, but is its administrative sea ...

, starting in 1681. He became a ''Domizellar''

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 ...

Würzburg Cathedral Würzburg Cathedral (german: Würzburger Dom) is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Würzburg in Bavaria, Germany, dedicated to Saint Kilian. It is the seat of the Bishop of Würzburg and has served as the burial place for the Prince-Bishops of Wür ...

in 1682. He then studied, alongside his younger brother Friedrich Karl at the

University of Würzburg The Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg (also referred to as the University of Würzburg, in German ''Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg'') is a public research university in Würzburg, Germany. The University of Würzburg is one of ...

, the

University of Mainz The Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (german: Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz) is a public research university in Mainz, Rhineland Palatinate, Germany, named after the printer Johannes Gutenberg since 1946. With approximately 32,000 stud ...

, and in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

(Collegium Germanicum), completing his studies in 1693. He was admitted to the cathedral chapter of Mainz in 1687, Bamberg in 1694 and

in 1699. He was also named ''Probst'' of

Frankfurt Cathedral Frankfurt Cathedral (german: link=no, Frankfurter Dom), officially Imperial Cathedral of Saint Bartholomew (german: link=no, Kaiserdom Sankt Bartholomäus) is a Roman Catholic Gothic church located in the heart of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It ...

in 1699. By the time he became ''Dompropst'' at Würzburg (1704) and Mainz (1714), he had already served his uncle in several diplomatic missions and had been his local representative at

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 ...

. He was elected unanimously as Prince-Bishop of Würzburg on 18 September 1719. He was an active but unconventional prince. He issued a wave of decrees and left a particular imprint on the town of Würzburg. Afraid of war, he continued construction of the new town defences and of a border fortress at Königshofen irrespective of the financial resources of the local population. Artistically gifted, he recognized the talent of Balthasar Neumann whom he tasked with building a new residence in the town (1720). He also ordered construction of the ''Schönbornkapelle'' at Würzburg Cathedral. Both of these were only finished under the rule of his brother, Friedrich Karl. Johann Philipp Franz also issued a planning edict that organized construction in Würzburg (1722). He also supported the

, e.g. by endowing a chair in history (1720), and brought

Johann Georg von Eckhart Johann Georg von Eckhart (7 September 1664 – 9 February 1730) was a German historian and linguist. Biography Eckhart was born at Duingen in the Principality of Calenberg. After preparatory training at Schulpforta, he went to Leipzig, where a ...

to Würzburg as court librarian. However, his at times erratic style of governing and his gruff personal manners antagonized some of his people, including the cathedral chapter. When he had a heart attack in 1724, dying at Löffelstelzen near Bad Mergentheim on 18 August 1724, some in his family assumed he had been poisoned. When the cathedral chapter of Würzburg elected a new bishop in 1724, they rejected Friedrich Karl, due to the unpopularity of his late brother.

Christoph Franz von Hutten Christoph Franz von Hutten (1673–1729) was the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg from 1724 to 1729. Christoph Franz von Hutten was born in Mainberg in Lower Franconia on 19 May 1673. He was the son of ''Ritter'' Johann von Hutten (1629–90) and h ...

was elected Bishop of Würzburg instead, and only upon the latter's death in 1729, Friedrich Karl succeeded him as Prince-Bishop of Bamberg. Johann Philipp Franz is buried in the ''Schönbornkapelle'' of Würzburg Cathedral.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schonborn, Johann Philipp Franz Von 1673 births 1724 deaths Prince-Bishops of Würzburg

Johann Johann, typically a male given name, is the German form of ''Iohannes'', which is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Iōánnēs'' (), itself derived from Hebrew name '' Yochanan'' () in turn from its extended form (), meaning "Yahweh is Gracious ...