Francis of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1492–1529) () was

Bishop of Minden The Prince-Bishopric of Minden () was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire. It was progressively secularized following the Protestant Reformation when it came under the rule of Protestant rulers, and by the Peace of Westphal ...

as Francis I from 1508 to 1529.

Life

Francis was born in 1492 to Duke Henry I of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1463–1514) and Catharine of Pomerania (1465–1526), daughter of Duke Eric II of Pomerania. At the age of 16, Francis was elected as Bishop of

Minden Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the largest town in population between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district () of Minden-Lübbecke, situated in the cultural region ...

and subsequently lived in the town from 1511. As a result of his lax morals during his youth, characterized by violence, excessive drinking, debt and fornication as well as quarrels within the House of Brunswick, Francis enjoyed little popularity, a state of affairs worsened by war damage to the town caused by his poor political decisions. In the

Hildesheim Diocesan Feud The Hildesheim Diocesan Feud () or Great Diocesan Feud, sometimes referred to as a "chapter feud", was a conflict that broke out in 1519 between the Prince-Bishopric of Hildesheim ('' Hochstift Hildesheim'') and the principalities of Brunswick- ...

, for example, Francis sided with the rebel knights against the

Prince-Bishop of Hildesheim This list records the incumbents of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hildesheim (). Between 1235 and 1803 the bishops simultaneously officiating as rulers of princely rank (prince-bishop) in the Prince-Bishopric of Hildesheim (), a state of imperial ...

. During Francis' reign,

the Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

reached the town and Prince-Bishopric of Minden, given impetus thanks to Francis' shortcomings, but it did not fully take hold until after Francis' death in 1529, when Nikolaus Krage was able to preach reform during the

interregnum An interregnum (plural interregna or interregnums) is a period of revolutionary breach of legal continuity, discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order. Archetypally, it was the period of time between the reign of one m ...

in the bishop's office.Erwin Gatz, Clemens Brodkorb: ''Die Bischöfe des Heiligen Römischen Reiches, 1448 bis 1648: ein biographisches Lexikon'', Vol. 2, Duncker & Humblot, 1996, p. 814 Francis died on 25 November 1529 in Wolfenbüttel.

References

Literature

* Berlinischer Gymnasiallehrer-Verein: ''Zeitschrift für das Gymnasialwesen: im Auftrage und Mitwirkung des Berlinischen Gymnasiallehrer-Vereins'', Vol. 16, Verlag von Theod. Chr. Fr. Enslin, 1862, pp. 580 ff. * Carl Adolf Cornelius: ''Geschichte des münsterischen Aufruhrs: in drei Büchern'', Vols. 1-2, T. O. Weigel, 1855, pp. 83 ff.

External links

Entry at ''catholic-hierarchy.org''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Francis or Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel Roman Catholic prince-bishops of Minden 16th-century German Roman Catholic bishops Middle House of Brunswick 1492 births Place of birth missing 1529 deaths Sons of dukes