musz
552
VUJKZ
(1482-4) Albert brought Erfurt again into submission.
However, even BertEold of Henneberg (q. v., 1484-
1504), perhaps the greatest Archbishop of Mainz, was
unable to stem the decline of its secular power, under
Jacob von Liebenstein (1504-8) the loss of Erf urt to
Saxony seemed imminent. In open opposition to the
Saxon house, the chapter chose, on the death of Uriel
of Gemmingen (1508-14), Albert of Brandenburg arch-
bishop, althougn he already held the sees of Magdeburg
and Halberstadt (see Albert of Brandenburg and
Germany). The mdulgent attitudii at first adopted
by Albert towards the innovators, allowed the Refor-
mation to spread fairly widely through the archdiocese
which w^as soon convulsed by this and the Peas-
ants' War. In preserving the Catholic Faith, Lorenz
Thuchsess von rommersfelden^ the cathedral dean,
performed ever-memorable services. Albert's reign is
also important on account of the administrative re-
forms introduced by him. Electors Sebastian von
Hausenstamm (1545-55) and Daniel Brendel of Hom-
burg (1555^82), strove indefatigably to heal the scars
of the Reformation; the latter summoned the Jesuits
to Mainz. Wolfgang von Dalberg (1582-1601), how-
ever, gave such lukewarm support to the Counter-
Reformation that he was suspected of conspiring with
the Protestants. In the election capitulation the
chapter imposed on his successor. John Adam von
Bicken (1601-4), the obligation ot founding a semi-
nary, which, however, he failed to accomplish during
his snort reign. John Schweickhard von Cronenberg
(1604-26) restored the Catholic religion in Eichsfeld
and Bcrgstrasse, and adjusted the quarrel between
Emperor Rudolf and his brother Matthias.
Mainz suffered grievously during the Thirty Years* War. Under George yon Greifenklau (1626-9), who had a prominent share in the Restitution Edict, Mainz escaped practically unaffected, but Anselm Casimir von Wambold (1629-45) had to fly before Gustavus Adolphus in 1631. When the imperial troops reoccupiecl Mainz in 1636, the retiring Swedes committed many atrocities. Frightful ravage was also wrought by the French, when they later occupied the town (1644-8). The very existence, indeed, of the princi- pality seemed threatened, as the Swedes demanded in the peace negotiations the secularization of the arch- diocese. Its escape from dissolution was entirely due to the energetic protest of Saxony and the activity of John Philip von Sch6nbom (q. v., 1647-73). As its situation left Mainz most exposed, after Cologne, to French attack, Lothaire Frederick von Mettemich- Burscheid (1673-5), to save the archdiocese, adopted a friendly attitude towards France during the wars between the emperor and Louis XIV. In 1688 his third successor, Anselm Franz von Ingelheim (1679- 95), had to surrender Mainz to the French, who were, however, driven out of the town in the following year. Lothaire Francis von Sch6nbom (1695-1729). who supported the emperor in the War of the Spanisn Suc- cession, reorganized the universitjr, founded the Hos- pital of St. Roch, and showed himself a cultivated patron of the arts and sciences. Under him the town enjoyed a return of prosperity, testified even to-day by the numerous ecclesiastical and civil buildings dating from that period.
On the death ot Franz Ludwig von Pfalz-Neuburg (1729-32), who was also Bishop of Worms and Breslau and Archbishop of Trier, Philip Charles von Eltz- Kempenich (1732-43) was elected hastily to forestall the mterierence of the ruHng houses. During the Seven Years' War, which occurred imder Frederick Charles von Ostein (1743-63), the archdiocese was laid waste on various occasions. Emmerich Joseph von Breitbach-Burresheim (1763-74) associated nimself with the " enlightened ** movement to foimd a national German Church, as far as possible independent of Rome. In 1766 he al)olished many holy days, and itsued decrees concerning the "reform" of the monas-
teries, the accumulation of real property in the " dead
hand , etc. On the suppression of the Jesuits in 1 773.
he employed their property for the improvement of
elemental education. Fr^erick Charles Joseph von
Erthal (1774-1802), the last Elector of Mainz, laboured
at first m the spirit Of the Church, but later, going over
to the Enlightened, formally renounced Austria and
associated himself with Prussia (q. v.). During the
French Revolution Mainz encountered varying for-
tunes. In 1792 the Confederation of the German
Princes was founded in the town, which, after the first
inglorious campaign of the German army, fell into the
huids of the French during the same year. Though
recovered by the Germans in 1793, it was ceded to
Franoe by the Treaty of Campo-Formio in 1797, and,
after the Peace of Lun^ville, became the capital of
the French Department of Mont Tonnerre. During
the negotiations of the Imperial Delegates the elector
died on 25 July, 1802. By the Enactment of this
assembly of 25 Feb., 1803, the greater part of the
electorate was secularized. About five Aem/er (ad-
ministrative districts) remained ecclesiastical prop-
erty, and were assigned to the coadjutor of the last
elector, Theodore von Dalberg (q. v.), who was named
electoral chancellor, metropohtan, and primate of
Germanv. The primatial see was transferred to Ratis-
bon. under French rule, Mainz was changed into a
simple diocese in Oct., 1802, and made subject to
Mechlin, its jurisdiction being confined to that portion
of the old archdiocese which lay on the left bauK of the
Rhine.
(2) From the Foundation of the Modern Diocese of Maim to the Present Day.—^he new diocese corre- sponded to the Department of Mont Tonnerre, and in- cluded portions of the earlier dioceses of Mainz, Worms, Speyer, and Metz . Under Ludwig Colmar (a, v., 1802-18) was accomplished the delimitation of the diocese. On his death the diocese, which was again under German rule, was left vacant and administered by a vicar general. On the reorganization of ecclesi- astical affairs in Germany^ which resulted in the erec- tion of the Ecclesiastical Province of the Upper Rhine (c|. v.). the Diocese of Mainz was made conterminous with the Grand Duchy of Hesse, and constituted suf- fragan of this newly erected province. Joseph Vitus Burg (1830-3), appointed by Pius VIII, had taken a prominent part in the negotiations concerning the erecftion of the new province; he was. however affected by Josephism, and defended the oroinanoes (Kircken- 'pra^matik), which the Upper Rhine governments, in opposition to their earlier aeclarations, imposed on the bisnops, although they had already been condemned by Rome. Burg also entered a very feeble protest wnen the seminary, founded by Colmar, was partially suppressed and it-s theological faculty transferred to the University of Giessen. On the death of John Jacob Humann (1833-4), Peter Leopold Kaiser (1835- 48) found himself greatly hampered by government interference; while in the matter of the reopening of the seminary his action in parliament was not suffi- ciently energetic, he opposed unflinchingly the " Ger- man Catholic " movement of the followers of Ronge in his diocese, and was in his later years greatly in- fluenced by the zealous Lennig (q. v.).
On Kaiser's death the chapter chose Professor Leo- pold Schniidt of Giessen, but Rome refused to confirm the election on account of the candidate's practically indifferentist religious and philosophical views. As the chapter, dispensing with a new election, then re- ferred the selection to the Holy See, Pius IX appointed Wilhehn Emmanuel von Ketteler (q. v.) bbhop on 15 March, 1850. Ketteler's closing years were clouded by the outbreak of the Kulturkampf in Uessc (q. v.), and, after his death, the see was left vacant in consequence of the attitude of the government, the payment of the episcopal dotation was suspended in 1880 and numer- ous parishes (about one fourth) left without a pastor.
