Melchior Friedrich, Count of Schönborn-Buchheim (16 March 1644 – 19 May 1717), was a German politician who served as a

Minister of State Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...

of the

Electorate of Mainz The Electorate of Mainz ( or '; ), previously known in English as Mentz and by its French name Mayence, was one of the most prestigious and influential states of the Holy Roman Empire. In the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, the Archbishop-Elec ...

. After his death, four of his sons became German

Prince-Bishop A prince-bishop is a bishop who is also the civil ruler of some secular principality and sovereignty, as opposed to '' Prince of the Church'' itself, a title associated with cardinals. Since 1951, the sole extant prince-bishop has been the ...

Early life

He was born in Steinheim on 16 March 1644 as the son of Baron Philipp Erwein von Schönborn (1607–1668) and Maria Ursula von . His younger brother,

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 ...

, was the Archbishop-Elector of Mainz and Prince-Bishop of Bamberg, who is known best today for commissioning a number of Baroque buildings, such as the palace '' Schloss Weissenstein''. His father, the

Bailiff A bailiff is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. There are different kinds, and their offices and scope of duties vary. Another official sometimes referred to as a '' ...

of the Electorate of Mainz, was the only brother of

Johann Philipp von Schönborn 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 ...

, Archbishop of Mainz from 1647 until 1673. Through his mother, he was a grand nephew of Georg Friedrich von Greiffenklau, the Elector and Archbishop of Mainz from 1626 until 1629. His uncle had appointed his father as

in Steinheim and then granted him offices and titles, including Hereditary Cupbearer of the

Archbishopric of Mainz The Electorate of Mainz ( or '; ), previously known in English as Mentz and by its French name Mayence, was one of the most prestigious and influential states of the Holy Roman Empire. In the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, the Archbishop-Elec ...

and Hereditary Cupbearer of the

Bishopric of Würzburg In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

Career

In 1654, his father had acquired the noble residence of the Stockheim family in

Geisenheim Geisenheim is a town in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Darmstadt (region), Darmstadt in Hessen, Germany, and is known as ''Weinstadt'' (“Wine Town”), ''Schulstadt'' (“School Town”), ''Domstadt'' (“Cathedral Town� ...

, dating back to 1550, which later became known as Schönborn Castle. He had also bought the Count of Heusenstamm's estate 1661. The old castle had been partially destroyed in the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

, so his father restored it between 1663 and 1668 in the

Renaissance style Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of Ancient Greece, ancient Greek and ...

. In 1671, Melchior acquired the fief of Reichelsberg (near

Aub Aub () is a town in the Würzburg (district), district of Würzburg, in Bavaria, Germany, southeast of Würzburg and northwest of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, near the border of Baden-Württemberg. It is fed by the river Gollach and divided into t ...

) from the

Prince-Bishop of Würzburg A prince-bishop is a bishop who is also the civil ruler of some secular principality and sovereignty, as opposed to ''Prince of the Church'' itself, a title associated with cardinals. Since 1951, the sole extant prince-bishop has been the Bis ...

, giving him access to the

Franconian Circle The Franconian Circle () was an Imperial Circle established in 1500 in the centre of the Holy Roman Empire. It comprised the eastern part of the former Franconian stem duchy—roughly corresponding with the present-day Bavarian ''Regierungsbez ...

of the

Imperial Knight The Free Imperial Knights (, ) were free nobles of the Holy Roman Empire, whose direct overlord was the Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor. They were the remnants of the medieval free nobility (''edelfrei'') and the ministerialis, ministeriales. What ...

s. As heir, and in keeping with his status, he was appointed

Imperial Count Imperial Count (, ) was a title in the Holy Roman Empire. During the medieval era, it was used exclusively to designate the holder of an imperial county, that is, a fief held directly ( immediately) from the emperor, rather than from a prince wh ...

on 5 August 1701, then also in Mainz, the seat of his brother, the ruling Elector and Archbishop, arranged for the construction of the Schönborner Hof in Mainz from 1668 to 1670, although he did not live to see its completion. The Schönborner Hof in

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 ...

, a city palace, was built from 1673 to 1681 as the Aschaffenburg residence for the Mainz High Court Marshal and Vice-Dominion Melchior Freiherr von Schönborn and his wife Sophia Maria Anna. It was built according to the designs of the Mainz Capuchin Father Matthias von Saarburg. As Melchior Friedrich became increasingly wealthy, especially in the Aschaffenburg area, he gave up his previous residence in Schönborn Castle in

Heusenstamm Heusenstamm () is a town of over 19,000 people in the Offenbach district in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany. Geography Location Heusenstamm is one of 13 towns and communities in the Offenbach district. The town li ...

in favor of his son

Anselm Franz Anselm Franz (January 21, 1900—November 18, 1994) was a pioneering Austrian jet engine engineer known for the development of the Jumo 004, the world's first mass-produced turbojet engine by Nazi Germany during World War II, and his work on turb ...

, which had been built by his father Philipp Erwein von Schönborn.

Schönborn-Buchheim

In 1710, Schönborn bought the estates of Göllersdorf, Mühlberg and Aspersdorf in

Lower Austria Lower Austria ( , , abbreviated LA or NÖ) is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Major cities are Amstetten, Lower Austria, Amstetten, Krems an der Donau, Wiener Neustadt and Sankt Pölten, which ...

from the last Count of Puchheim, Franz Anton von Bucheim, the then Bishop of Wiener Neustadt. The purchase meant entry into the Austrian nobility. The seller then called himself Puchheim-Schönborn, and the buyer's family called themselves Schönborn-Puchheim, later Schönborn-Buchheim. The father, Melchior Friedrich, Count of Schönborn, was also awarded the Austrian title of Count. The existing castle in Göllersdorf, in

Weinviertel The (; ) or ; "Area below the " is located in the northeast of Lower Austria. In the east, the borders Slovakia at the March River. In the south, it borders and , its limits being the Wagram, the Danube and the . Its western neighbor is ...

, was cleared after the construction of the new Schloss Schönborn and later sold; today the

Republic of Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

operates the Göllersdorf correctional facility on the castle grounds. From 1711 to 1718, shortly after the purchase, Melchior Friedrich commissioned the architect

Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt (14 November 1668 – 16 November 1745) was an Austrian baroque architect and military engineer who designed stately buildings and churches and whose work had a profound influence on the architecture of the Habsburg ...

to convert the Mihlberg Fortress, which was located on the property, into a representative country castle. A three-wing complex with an extensive garden, orangery and castle chapel was built to the southeast of the town. Between 1729 and 1733, Hildebrand built a monumental St. John Nepomuk Chapel on the northwest edge of the extensive castle park . The castle is still owned by the family. A golf course was opened in the castle park in 1989 and has won international awards. Two thirds of the complex is located on the castle park grounds and blends harmoniously into the historic park. The Schloss Schönborn Golf Club uses the castle as a clubhouse for the golf course. In 1715, his son, the Imperial Vice-Chancellor Friedrich Karl, also acquired the nearby Weyerburg estate in Lower Austria, about 10 km east of

Hollabrunn Hollabrunn () is a district capital town in the Austrian state of Lower Austria, on the Göllersbach river. It is situated in the heart of the biggest wine region of Austria, the Weinviertel. History The surroundings of Hollabrunn were firs ...

, from the estate of Baron Dominikus von Hochburg.

Personal life

Schönborn-Buchheim was married to Baroness Maria Anna Sophia Johanna von Boyneburg-Lengsfeld (1652–1726), daughter of

Johann Christian von Boyneburg Johann Christian von Boyneburg (April 12, 1622 - December 8, 1672) was a German politician. Life Johann Christian von Boyneburg was born into a family whose members had often been in the official Hessian state service. His father was the counci ...

and Anna Christina Schütz von Holzhausen. Together, they were the parents of eighteen children, four of whom died young, including: * Maria Anna von Schönborn (1669–1703), who married Count Johann Philipp von

Stadion-Warthausen Stadion-Warthausen was a county located in around Warthausen in western Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Stadion-Warthausen was a partition of Stadion County, and was mediatised to Austria and Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical Ge ...

und

Thannhausen Thannhausen () is a town in the district of Günzburg, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Mindel, southeast of Günzburg, and west of Augsburg Augsburg ( , ; ; ) is a city in the Bavaria, Bavarian part of Swabia, Germany, ...

. * Maria Sophie von Schönborn (1670–1742), who married Count Karl Kasper von der Leyen und zu Hohengeroldseck. * Anna Karolina Maria von Schönborn (1671–1746), who married Count Johann Franz Sebastian von Ostein. * Johann Philipp Franz von Schönborn (1673–1724), the

from 1719 to 1724. * Friedrich Karl von Schönborn-Buchheim (1674–1746), the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg and Prince-Bishop of Bamberg from 1729 to 1746, who served as 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 ...

under

Joseph I Joseph I or Josef I may refer to: *Joseph I of Constantinople, Ecumenical Patriarch in 1266–1275 and 1282–1283 *Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor (1678–1711) * Joseph I (Chaldean Patriarch) (reigned 1681–1696) *Joseph I of Portugal (1750–1777) ...

from 1705 to 1734. * Damian Hugo Philipp von Schönborn-Buchheim (1676–1743), the

Prince-Bishop of Speyer The Prince-Bishopric of Speyer, formerly known as Spires in English, (German: ''Hochstift Speyer, Fürstbistum Speyer, Bistum Speyer'') was an ecclesiastical principality in what are today the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Wür ...

and

Bishop of Konstanz The Prince-Bishopric of Constance () was a small ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire from the mid-12th century until its secularisation in 1802–1803. In his dual capacity as prince and as bishop, the prince-bishop also admini ...

. * Rudolf Franz Erwein von Schönborn (1677–1754), a diplomat and composer who married Countess Maria Eleonore von Dernbach (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Countess von Hatzfeld-Wildenburg), in 1701. * Anselm Franz von Schönborn (1681–1726), who married Maria Theresia von Montfort-Tettnang. *

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 ...

(1682–1756), the

Elector Elector may refer to: * Prince-elector or elector, a member of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Holy Roman Emperors * Elector, a member of an electoral college ** Confederate elector, a member of t ...

and

Archbishop 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.Prince-Bishop of Worms and Prince-Provost of Ellwangen. * Anna Maria Philippina von Schönborn (1685–1721), who married Count Maximilian Franz von Seinsheim. * Amalia Anna Elisabeth von Schönborn (1686–1757), who married Otto Leopold of Limburg Stirum. * Johanna Eleonora Maria von Schönborn (1688–1763), who married Count Kraft Anton Wilhelm von Oettingen-Baldern. * Katharina Elisabeth von Schönborn (1692–1777), who married Count Franz Wenzel von Nostitz-Rieneck. Count von Schönborn died on 19 May 1717 in

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

Descendants

Through his daughter Anna Karolina Maria, he was a grandfather of diplomat Johann Franz Heinrich Carl von Ostein and Johann Friedrich Karl von Ostein, the

Archbishop of Mainz The Elector of Mainz was one of the seven Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire. As both the Archbishop of Mainz and the ruling prince of the Electorate of Mainz, the Elector of Mainz held a powerful position during the Middle Ages. The Archb ...

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 ...

, and Prince-Bishop of Worms.Deutsche Biographie website, ''Johann Friedrich Karl, Count of Ostein''
/ref> Through his daughter Amalia Anna Elisabeth, he was a grandfather of Friedrich Karl of Limburg Stirum and August Philip of Limburg Stirum, the

. Through his daughter Anna Maria, he was a grandfather of

Adam Friedrich von Seinsheim Adam Friedrich Graf von Seinsheim (1708–1779) was the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg from 1755 to 1779 and Prince-Bishop of Bamberg from 1757 to 1779. Adam Friedrich von Seinsheim was born in Regensburg on 16 February 1708, the son of Maximilian ...

, the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg from 1755 to 1779 and Prince-Bishop of Bamberg from 1757 to 1779.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schönborn-Buchheim, Melchior Friedrich Von 1644 births 1717 deaths Melchior Friedrich People from the Electorate of Mainz Melchior Friedrich Melchior Friedrich