Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 6.djvu/316

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264

FREIBURG


264


FREIBURG


fourteenth century gave many doges to the republic. Federigo was the son of Agostino Fregoso, governor of Genoa in 14SS for Ludovic Moro, and of Gentilla de Montefeltre, niece of Guidobaldo, Duke of Url3ino. His brother, Ot taviano, was Doge of Genoa. Having spent his youth at tlie court of liis uncle, the Duke of Urbino, he took Holy orders, and in 1507 received from Julius II the Archbishopric of Salerno. But the King of Spain having refused to recognize him because of his sympathies with France, the Pope promised him the See of Gubbio. At the court of Urbino, Federigo had received a good classical education, and had allied himself with such humanists as Bembo and Baldas- sare Castiglione. Every day he withdrew himself from his occupations in order to devote several hours to the study of the ancients. Nevertheless, circum- stances were to make him a man of action.

In 1510, after the troubles in Genoa and the victory of the Adorni, Federigo was exiled and compelled to seek refuge at Rome. Three years later, the Fregosi returned to Genoa, Ottaviano was elected Doge, and Federigo, having become his chief counsellor, was placed at the head of the army, and defended the re- public against internal dangers (revolts of the Adorni and the Fieschi) and external dangers (suppression of the Barbary piracy). Cortogoli, a corsair from Tunis, blockaded the coast with a squadron, and within a few days had captured eighteen merchantmen. Being given the command of the Genoese fleet, in which .\ndrea Doria was serving, Federigo surprised Cortogoli before Bizerta, effected a descent on the island of Djerba and returned to Genoa with great booty. The Fregosi had recognized Francis I, King of France, as Lord of Genoa. In 1522, Charles V be- sieged the city. Federigo directed the defence and was wounded. The Spaniards having taken the city by assault, he was compelled to seek safety on a French vessel. Francis I accorded him a warm recep- tion and gave him the Abbey of St. Benignus at Dijon. Here he devoted himself to the study of Greek and Hebrew, but he had quarrels with the monks, who could not endure his severity, and he returned to Italy. In 1529 he resigned the See of Salerno and was named titular Bishop of Gubbio. In 1539 Paul III made him a cardinal-priest, with the title of St. John and St. Paul. He died at Gubbio, in 1541, mourned by the people of his diocese, who had named him, " the father of the poor". He wrote several edifying works, and some of his letters are in the collections of Bembo and Baldassare Castiglione.

CiACONins. Viie de' pontefiri, III. 660; Dittrich, Cantarini (1885), 352-54; Pastob, History of Ihe Popes, ad ann.; Bhuck, in Kirchenlex. 9. v.

Louis Brehibr.

Freiburg, city, archdiocese, and university in the Archduchy of Baden, Germany.

The City. — Freiburg iin Breisgau, the third largest city in Baden, is beautifully situated at the foot of the Schwarzwald mountains on both banks of the Drei- sam. The census of 1 December, 1905, gave the num- ber of its inhabitants as 76,286, of whom 53,13.3 were Catholics. The city was founded in 1120 by Conrad, a member of the Swabian House of Ziihringen, which rules in Baden even to this day. According to the original city charter, which is still in existence, the city was from the beginning a market or commercial centre, and all the privileges then enjoyed by the citi- zens of Cologne were granted to the merchants and other citizens who settled in Freiburg. It became a flourishing town even during the lifetime of its founder. In 1 146 Bernard of Clairvaux preached the crusades there. It appears that under Berthold IV (1112-1186), Conrad's successor, the erection of a Romanesque cathedral was begun. After the death of Berthold V (son of preceding), Freiburg was inherited by his brother-in-law, Count Egon I of Urach. Tlie consort of Egon II (1218-36) induced the Dominican


Fathers to settle in Freiburg, and founded at Adel- hausen the Dominican nunnery, renowned in the his- tory of German mysticism. Among the famous Dominicans connected in some degree with Freiburg were Albert the Great and John of Freiburg, while Berthold the Black (der schwarze Berthold), the sup- posed inventor of gunpowder, was a member of the local Franciscan convent. The city took advantage of the pecuniary embarrassment of its lords to purchase important rights and liberties. Ludwig of Bavaria, whom the city assisted in his war against Frederic the Fair, confirmed (1339) by a Bulla Aurea (golden char- ter) all the concessions and privileges of Freiburg and granted it an independent mvmicipal court. A serious quarrel arose between the citj- and Count Egon IV (1358-68), but in 1368 the count gave up all his rights to Freiburg, and the city placed it.self voluntarily un- der the suzerainty of Austria, and for more than five centuries it shared the fortunes of the House of Haps- burg.

As early as 1247, the municipal coimcil calculated the inhabitants to number 4000, and at the end of the fourteentli century the town contained 1778 build- ings, twenty of which were monasteries. In 1393 the council was composed of 12 nobles, 12 merchants, 18 guild-masters, and 6 specially elected members of guilds. In 1415, Freiburg, which had given refuge to Pope John XXIII (April 10-16) after his flight from Constance, was made a free imperial city (freie Rcichs- stadt), but was reconquered by the Austrians in 1425. In 1456, Archduke Albert founded its university (see below). The city was afterwards made the seat of government for Hither Austria antl attained to a high degree of prosperity, especially during the reign of Maximilian I. Many Renaissance edifices were built, some of which still adorn the city; the famous minster (cathedral) was decorated with fine paintings by Hans Baldung, its choir being consecrated in 1513. The diet of the empire met here in 1498.

The great social and religious distm'bances of the sixteenth century exerted a most detrimental influ- ence on the prosperity of the city. In 1524, the rebelli- ous peasants surprised the castle on the Schlossberg, captured the city, and forced the inhabitants to pay tribute. The city council and citizens in general had little sympathy with the Reformation, and, although the new doctrine found some adherents in the begin- ning, its propagation was effectually hindered by the Austrian Government, the city council, and the uni- versity (see Zasius, Ulrich). In 1529, Freiburg be- came the residence of the cathedral chapter of Basle, driven from that city by the Reformation (see Basle- Lugano). In spite of repeated epidemics, the six- teenth century was considered on the whole a prosper- ous period for the city. The Thirty Years War brought with it much suffering. Freiburg was be- sieged five times, captured four times and lost about two-thirds of its population by contagious diseases. Hardly had the city recovered from these disasters, when Louis XIV began his predatory wars on Ger- many. In 1G77, Freiburg was taken by the French and converted into a formidable fortress by Vauban. In the course of this transformation, 14 churches and 4 monasteries were demolished. The French supremacy lasted only a short time, and Freiburg was restored to Austria by the Peace of Ryswick in 1697. On two later occasions it was held by the French for a short time, in 1713-14 during the War of the Spanish Suc- cession, and during the War of the Austrian Succession (1744— IS). These two wars destroyed the prosperity of the city so completely that in 1754 the number of its inhabitants sank to 3655, of whom at least one third were in a state of beggary.

Hardly had Freiburg begun to flourish again under Maria Theresa and Joseph II, who,se reform measures were executed partly in the Breisgau, when the French Revolution broke out. By the treaty of Campo