- Prince Clemens Wenceslaus of Saxony
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Clemens Wenceslaus Archbishop-Elector of Trier Reign 1768 - 1803 Full name German: Clemens Wenceslaus August Hubertus Franz Xavier House House of Wettin Father Frederick Augustus II, Elector of Saxony Mother Maria Josepha of Austria Born 28 September 1739
Hubertusburg castle, WermsdorfDied 27 July 1812 (aged 72)
Marktoberdorf, AllgäuReligion Roman Catholicism Prince Clemens Wenceslaus of Saxony (German: Clemens Wenzeslaus von Sachsen) (28 September 1739 – 27 July 1812) was a German prince from the House of Wettin and the Archbishop-Elector of Trier from 1768 until 1803, the Prince-Bishop of Freising from 1763 until 1768, the Prince-Bishop of Regensburg from 1763 until 1769, and the Prince-Bishop of Augsburg from 1768 until 1812.
Contents
Biography
Clemens Wenceslaus was the ninth child of the Prince-Elector Frederick Augustus III of Saxony, who was also the King of Poland. In 1760 he went to Vienna and entered the Austrian army as a field marshal. He was present at the Battle of Torgau (3 November 1760), but he decided that warfare was not for him and instead entered the church. In April 18 and 27, 1763 he was elected the Bishops of Freising and Regensburg, respectively, but he abandoned these dioceses for the Archbishopric-Electorate of Trier and the Prince-Bishopric of Augsburg in February and August, 1768, respectively, where he already functioned as coadjutor since 1764.
As Archbishop-Elector, Clemens Wenceslaus greatly improved public education, established several not-for-proft organisations for general education and prosperity, and in 1783 raised an edict of tolerance. He took a mixed view in spiritual affairs. He allowed the Jesuits to remain in Trier after abolishing their order, protested the radical reforms of his cousin, the Emperor Joseph II, and banned several processions and holidays. Although a modest person who lived simply, he rebuilt Ehrenbreitstein into a magnificent palace and dwelt there. He established the theatre in Coblenz and encouraged music in the archdiocese. Clemens Wenceslaus enjoyed hunting and established a hunting lodge at Kärlich, though he was opposed to several inhumane ways of hunting.
With the outbreak of the French Revolution at the end of the 18th Century, Clemens Wenceslaus became worried. He ceased all reforms and began to rule strictly. He offered refuge to members of the French royal family (King Louis XVI was his nephew), and allowed Coblenz to become a centre of French monarchism. He and the archbishopric-electorate were greatly affected by the success of the French revolutionary forces, and at the Treaty of Lunéville in 1801 he lost all lands of the electorate west of the River Rhine, retaining only a few small territories pertaining to Trier itself. In 1803 he lost those as well, along with the Prince-Bishopric of Augsburg and the Prince-Provostry of Ellwangen Abbey, which were secularized and annexed by the princes of Nassau-Weilburg, the Elector of Bavaria, and the Duke of Württemberg, respectively. Clemens Wenceslaus received a pension of 100,000 guldens and retired to Augsburg, dying in the episcopal summer residence in Marktoberdorf in Allgäu in 1812. He was buried there.
His grandniece Archduchess Maria Clementina of Austria was named after him. Archduchess Maria Clementina was a daughter of Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Luisa of Spain. Maria Luisa was his niece by his sister Maria Amalia of Saxony.
Ancestry
References
This page uses content from HistoryWiki at Clemens Wenceslaus of Saxony. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Wikipedia, the text of HistoryWiki is available under the CC-By-SA.
Prince Clemens Wenceslaus of SaxonyBorn: 28 September 1739 on Hubertusburg castle in Wermsdorf Died: 27 July 1812 in MarktoberdorfCatholic Church titles Regnal titles Preceded by
John Theodore of BavariaPrince-Bishop of Freising
1763–1768Succeeded by
Ludwig Joseph Freiherr von Welden auf Laupheim und HohenaltingenPrince-Bishop of Regensburg
1763–1768Succeeded by
Anton Ignaz von Fugger-GlöttPreceded by
Johann Philipp von WalderdorfArchbishop of Trier
1768–1803Succeeded by
Charles Mannay
as Bishop of TrierElector of Trier
1768–1803electorate annexed to France (west of Rhine, 1801) and Nassau-Weilburg (east of Rhine, 1803) Prince-Abbot of Prüm
1768–1801prince-abbey annexed to France Preceded by
Joseph Ignace Philip of Hesse-DarmstadtPrince-Bishop of Augsburg
lost princely regalia in 1803
1768–1812Vacant Title next held byFranz Karl Joseph Fürst von Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst
as Bishop of Augsburg
sede vacante 1812–1818Preceded by
Anton Ignaz von Fugger-GlöttPrince-Provost of Ellwangen
1787–1803prince-provostry secularised and incorporated into Württemberg See also
1st generation 2nd generation 3rd generation Frederick III · Ernest, Archbishop of Magdeburg · Albert, Administrator of Mainz · John · George · Prince Wolfgang · Henry IV · Prince Frederick, Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights · Prince Louis · Prince John · Prince John4th generation Prince Christopher · Prince John · Prince Wolfgang · Prince Christopher · John Frederick I · Prince Frederick · Prince John · Maurice · John Ernest · Prince Severinus · Augustus5th generation John Frederick II · John William · Prince John Ernest · John Frederick III · Albert, Electoral Prince · John Henry, Electoral Prince · Alexander, Electoral Prince · Prince Magnus · Prince Joachim · Prince Hector · Christian I · Prince Augustus · Prince Adolph · Prince Frederick6th generation 7th generation Christian Albert, Electoral Prince · John George II · Augustus of Saxe-Weissenfels · Christian I of Saxe-Merseburg · Maurice of Saxe-Zeitz · Prince Henry8th generation 9th generation 10th generation 11th generation Prince Frederick Augustus* · Prince Joseph Augustus* · Frederick Christian* · Prince Francis Xavier* · Charles, Duke of Courland* · Albert, Duke of Teschen* · Clemens Wenceslaus, Archbishop of Trier*12th generation 13th generation 14th generation 15th generation 16th generation 17th generation 18th generation Prince Rüdiger19th generation Prince Daniel · Prince Arne · Prince Nils20th generation Prince Moritz* princes royal of Poland and LithuaniaCategories:- 1739 births
- 1812 deaths
- Archbishops of Trier
- Electors of Trier
- House of Wettin
- Saxon princes
- People from Wermsdorf
- Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland)
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