1743-1815






The Princebishopric of Mainz, 1647-1743



The Archbishop of Mainz was one of the Holy Roman Empire's 7 (later 9) ELECTORS. As princebishop, he ruled over a small area around the city of Mainz, the NIEDERSTIFT, and over a considerably larger area on the banks of the Main river, around ASCHAFFENBURG - the OBERSTIFT. Further, smaller territories - ERFURT in Thuringia and the EICHSFELD belonged to Mainz.
The Princebishopric of Mainz, lucky to escape from SECULARIZATION the retreating Swedes demanded, not only had to recover from the damage done during the 30 YEARS WAR (1618-1648), but suffered foreign invasion and occupation in a number of succeeding wars : the WAR OF DEVOLUTION 1688-1697, the WAR OF SPANISH SUCCESSION 1700-1713, the WAR OF POLISH SUCCESSION (1733-1735) and the WAR OF AUSTRIAN SUCCESSION (1741-1748). The fortress of Mainz was occupied by the French 1688-1689.
Franz Ludwig von Pfalz-Neuburg simultaneously held the archbishopric of Mainz and the bishoprics of Worms and Breslau (Silesia). The various German princebishoprics being objects of dynastic policy, the chapter of Mainz, on Franz Ludwig's death quickly proceeded with the election of his successor.



Princebishops of Trier
Johann Philipp von Schoenborn (1647-1673)
Lothar Friedrich von Metternich (1673-1675)
Damian Hartrad von der Leyen (1675-1678)
Karl Heinrich von Metternich (1678)
Anselm Franz von Ingelheim (1679-1695)
Lothar Franz von Pfalzgraf (1695-1729)
Franz Ludwig von Pfalz-Neuburg (1729-1732)
Philipp Karl von Eltz (1732-1743)



EXTERNAL
FILES 		Das Bistum Mainz und seine Geschichte, from Bistum Mainz in German
Article Mainz, from Catholic Encyclopedia
Geschichte von Erfurt - Tolle Jahre, from Thuringia Online
DOCUMENTS List of Princebishops, from Regnal Chronologies
REFERENCE Coins of Mainz 1601-1700, in Krause, Mishler, Standard Catalog of World Coins : Seventeenth Century 1601-1700, 2nd ed., 2000, pp.572-580
Coins of Mainz, 1701-1800, in : Krause, Mishler, Standard Catalog of World Coins : Eighteenth Century 1701-1800, 2nd ed., 1997, pp.406-412



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted on January 3rd 2002, last revised on November 11th 2004

Click here to go Home
Click here to go to Information about KMLA, WHKMLA, the author and webmaster
Click here to go to Statistics