1729-1815






Princebishopric Trier, 1652-1729



The Archbishop of Trier was one to the Empire's 7 electors; as one of the 4 Catholic electors he was essential for the Habsburg Dynasty in securing the imperial crown.
In 1674/1675 the city of Trier was occupied by the French, again in 1684-1697 the fortress walls were razed. In 1700, in consequence of many wars, the civilian polulation of the city had dropped to 2,677. In 1714 it was again occupied.
In 1683, Princebishop J.H. von Orsbeck introduced MANDATORY SCHOOLING. Because of the many wars and the deplorable condition of the city of Trier, he moved his residence into the fortress of EHRENBREITSTEIN, which, for this purpose, saw some reconstruction. He also reformed jurisdiction and health care.
The archbishops pursued a careful diplomacy toward France - whose armies were responsible for much of the destruction during the many wars. Yet the dioceses of Toul, Metz and Verdun, French territory since 1552, were part of the archdiocesis; any anti-French policy would jeopardized the connections between Trier and these dioceses.
Franz Ludwig (1715-1729) revitalized TRIER UNIVERSITY by funding new professorships.



Princebishops of Trier
Karl Caspar von der Leyen (1652-1676)
Johann Hugo von Orsbeck (1676-1711)
Charles Joseph de Lorraine (1711-1715)
Franz Ludwig von Pfalz Neuburg (1715-1729)



EXTERNAL
FILES 		Trier in der Neuzeit (16. bis 20. Jahrhundert), by Carlo Delvecchio, chronology, in German
Bistum Trier: Geschichte : Stadt und Bistum vom 16. bis zum 18. Jahrhundert, from Bistum Trier, in German
Biography Johann Hugo von Orsbeck, from BBKL, in German
Article Trier from Catholic Encyclopedia
DOCUMENTS List of Princebishops, from World Statesmen by Ben Cahoon; also from Regnal Chronologies
REFERENCE Coins of Trier 1601-1700, in Krause, Mishler, Standard Catalog of World Coins : Seventeenth Century 1601-1700, 2nd ed., 2000, pp.767-771
Coins of Trier, 1701-1800, in : Krause, Mishler, Standard Catalog of World Coins : Eighteenth Century 1701-1800, 2nd ed., 1997, pp.534-540



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

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