Friedrich Karl von Schönborn (or Friedrich Carl, 1674–1746) was the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg and Prince-Bishop of Bamberg from 1729 to 1746. He also served as ''Reichsvizekanzler'' (Vice-Chancellor) of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

from 1705 to 1734.

Biography

Friedrich Karl (or Carl) von Schönborn was born in

Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...

on 3 March 1674, the second son of (1644-1717, see List of rulers of Schönborn) and his wife, Maria Anna Sophia von Boineburg (1652–1726). Friedrich Karl was the nephew of Lothar Franz von Schönborn, Archbishop-Elector of Mainz. Friedrich Karl's older brother Johann Philipp Franz von Schönborn was one of his predecessors as Prince-Bishop of Würzburg; his younger brother Damian Hugo Philipp von Schönborn became Prince-Bishop of Speyer and his youngest brother

Franz Georg von Schönborn Franz Georg von Schönborn (15 June 168218 January 1756) was a German nobleman who served as Archdiocese of Trier, Archbishop and Electorate of Trier, Elector of Trier from 1729 until his death in 1756. He was also Bishopric of Worms, Prince-Bis ...

became

Archbishop-Elector of Trier The Diocese of Trier (), in English historically also known as ''Treves'' () from French ''Trèves'', is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic church in Germany. In 1681, he was sent to study at the

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

school at

Aschaffenburg Aschaffenburg (; Hessian: ''Aschebersch'', ) is a town in northwest Bavaria, Germany. The town of Aschaffenburg, despite being its administrative seat, is not part of the district of Aschaffenburg. Aschaffenburg belonged to the Archbishopric ...

. He became a ''

Canon (Priest) Canon () is a Christian title usually used to refer to a member of certain bodies in subject to an ecclesiastical rule. Originally, a canon was a cleric living with others in a clergy house or, later, in one of the houses within the precinct of ...

'' at Würzburg in 1683 and at Bamberg in 1685. He then studied alongside his brother Johann Philipp Franz at Würzburg, Mainz, Aschaffenburg and Rome ( Germanicum). His Grand Tour brought him to the Netherlands, England and France. He finished his studies at the Sorbonne. He received the

minor orders In Christianity, minor orders are ranks of church ministry. In the Catholic Church, the predominating Latin Church formerly distinguished between the major orders—priest (including bishop), deacon and subdeacon—and four minor orders— acolyt ...

in 1701. In 1703/4, his uncle Lothar Franz sent him as envoy for the Archbishopric of Mainz to the imperial court at Vienna. He became a

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

Würzburg Cathedral Würzburg Cathedral () 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 Würzburg for hundreds of ye ...

in 1704, and a canon of

Bamberg Cathedral Bamberg Cathedral (, official name Bamberger Dom St. Peter und St. Georg) is a church in Bamberg, Germany, completed in the 13th century. The cathedral is under the administration of the Archdiocese of Bamberg and is the seat of Archbishop of ...

in 1705. In 1705, Friedrich Karl became Vice-Chancellor for Emperor Joseph I; he held this post under Joseph and his successor, Charles VI, until 1734. In this position, Friedrich Karl worked to protect the security of the smaller

Imperial Estate An Imperial Estate (; , plural: ') was an entity or an individual of the Holy Roman Empire with representation and the right to vote in the Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire), Imperial Diet ('). Rulers of these Estates were able to exercise signi ...

s, and to strengthen imperial authority. He successfully opposed attempts by

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

to expand its influence in southern Germany. During his early years he spent most of his time at the Imperial court in Vienna. He had the

Federal Chancellery of Austria The Federal Chancellery of Austria (, abbreviated ; historically also and ) is the ministry led by the chancellor of Austria. Since the establishment of the First Austrian Republic in 1918, the Chancellery building has served as the venue for th ...

built between 1717 and 1719 as his office. He also supervised the construction of the Imperial Chancellory Wing of the

Hofburg Palace The Hofburg () is the former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty in Austria. Located in the center of Vienna, it was built in the 13th century by Ottokar II of Bohemia and expanded several times afterwards. It also served as the im ...

in Vienna (1723–30) by Lukas von Hildebrandt, where he lived in an apartment. As his private country resort near Vienna, he built the Blauer Hof Laxenburg (1710-1720) and also the Schönborn Palace near Göllersdorf in Lower Austria; there he also purchased Weyerburg Castle. In 1740 he acquired the

Palais Schönborn-Batthyány Palais Schönborn-Batthyány is a Baroque palace in the Innere Stadt district of Vienna, Austria. History It was built by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach (20 July 1656 – 5 April 1723) was an Austrian a ...

and moved there. He was appointed

coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) ("co-assister" in Latin) is a bishop in the Latin Catholic, Anglican and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in administering the diocese. The coa ...

Bamberg Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian German, East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia district in Bavaria, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main (river), Main. Bamberg had 79,000 inhabitants in ...

in 1708, with

Pope Clement XI Pope Clement XI (; ; ; 23 July 1649 – 19 March 1721), born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 November 1700 to his death in March 1721. Clement XI was a patron of the arts an ...

confirming his appointment on 19 May 1710. Friedrich Karl's opposition to the

Pragmatic Sanction A pragmatic sanction is a sovereign's solemn decree on a matter of primary importance and has the force of fundamental law. In the late history of the Holy Roman Empire, it referred more specifically to an edict issued by the Emperor. When used ...

, as well as his frequent absences from Vienna, caused him to lose influence at the court after 1730. When the cathedral chapter of Würzburg elected a new bishop in 1724, they rejected Friedrich Karl, due to the unpopularity of his brother Johann Philipp Franz. Christoph Franz von Hutten was elected Bishop of Würzburg instead. In 1724, Friedrich Karl became ''Dompropst'' at Würzburg and upon his uncle Lothar Franz' death on 30 January 1729, he succeeded as Prince-Bishop of Bamberg. On 18 May 1729 he was elected unanimously as Bishop of Würzburg, after von Hutten had died. Nonetheless he continued to mainly reside in Vienna for a number of years. Friedrich Karl had been the favourite nephew of Lothar Franz, who bequeathed to him '' Schloss Weissenstein'', a large Baroque palace at

Pommersfelden Pommersfelden is a community in the Upper Franconian district of Bamberg in Germany. Geography The community lies north of Höchstadt an der Aisch on the river Reiche Ebrach. Constituent communities The community of Pommersfelden is subdivided ...

. Among his various residences, Friedrich Karl clearly preferred Würzburg, however. As an imperial prince, Friedrich Karl remained a supporter of the Habsburgs, despite numerous and significant political differences. His considered, moderately absolutist, rule served him well in reorganizing administration, finance and education in both bishoprics. In 1735 he helped to turn the ''Bamberger Akademie'' into a full university, by adding law and medical faculties. In 1743 he gave 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. Founded in 1402, it is one of the ol ...

new study regulations. He implemented the perpetual adoration at Würzburg in 1736. In both bishoprics he built or renovated numerous churches, often using Würzburg engineer

Balthasar Neumann Johann Balthasar Neumann (; c. 27 January 1687 – 19 August 1753), usually known as Balthasar Neumann, was a German architect and military artillery engineer who developed a refined brand of Baroque architecture, fusing Austrian, Bohemian, Ita ...

. Under him, Neumann also completed 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/Southern German Baroque style, were involved in the construct ...

(begun under his brother) and the ''Schönbornkapelle'' of

. Friedrich Karl also had Neumann build a new summer residence at Werneck. He died on 26 July 1746 at Würzburg and is buried in the ''Schönbornkapelle'' of Würzburg Cathedral. Bundeskanzleramt Ballhausplatz Wien 2007.jpg,

Reichskanzleitrakt Vienna Sept 2006 001.jpg, Imperial Chancellory Wing of the

in Vienna Blauer Hof Laxenburg.jpg, Blauer Hof Laxenburg Göllersdorf - Schloss Schönborn, Luftaufnahme.JPG, Schloss Schönborn Residenz Wuerzburg Vorderan.jpg,

DSC 0133-a.jpg, Werneck Palace Schoenbornkapelle Wuerzburg-1.jpg,

with adjacent Schönborn burial chapel

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schonborn, Friedrich Karl von 1674 births 1746 deaths Prince-bishops of Bamberg Prince-bishops of Würzburg Friedrich Reichsvizekanzler