Zbyněk Berka z Dubé
Zbynko Berka of Dube and Lipa (Czech: Zbynek Berka z Dubé a Lipé; * 1551 Dřevěnice near Jičína; † March 6, 1606 ) was Archbishop of Prague, Cardinal.
Background and Career
Zbynko came from a Bohemian- Moravian aristocratic family whose members belonged to the Catholic faith and various royal offices dressed. His parents were Zdeněk Berka of Dubé on Dřevěnice, Colonel Landrichter of Bohemia, and Catherine, born Haugwitz and Biskupitz. Zbynko attended Jesuit schools in Prague and Olomouc and acquired the theological licentiate at the University of Krakow. In 1574 he was ordained priest by the Archbishop of Prague, Anton Brus of Müglitz and in the same year provost of the Vyšehrad chapter. In the next few years he received canonries in Salzburg, Prague and Olomouc Altbunzlau and deaneries, Altötting, Regensburg and Leitmeritz. Pope Gregory XIII. appointed him in 1578 to the secret treasurer and later as apostolic prothonotary. In 1582 he was administrator of the underaged Regensburg Bishop Philipp Wilhelm of Bavaria.
Archbishop of Prague
After the death of the Archbishop of Prague Martin Medek of Müglitz 1590, several candidates applied for the succession. Including such prominent as Christoph Popel of Lobkowicz, President of the Court of Appeal, who had no priestly ordinations, and the Strahov Abt January Lohelius. On December 14, 1592 nominated Emperor Rudolf II Zbynko Berka of Dube and Lipa, and the papal approval was delayed until June 21, 1593 because Zbynko wanted to keep his lucrative benefices. It should also undertake to make important decisions only in coordination with the Nuncio and the Jesuit Provincial and also afford revocation before the Nuncio Cesare Specciano for his alleged affiliation with the Utraquismus in his youth. Despite the tension nuncio, who stopped on, it has issued this on October 10, 1593 Episcopal Ordination. As Archbishop of Prague, he was also Grand Master of the Cross with the Red Star.
About his brothers, who held top offices, Zbynko had the best connections to the Bohemian and Moravian Provincial Government. In addition, High Chancellor Zdeněk Adalbert Popel von Lobkowitz was his uncle. In addition, he was also with the influential, Counter-Reformation minded Olomouc Bishop Franz Xaver von Dietrich stone in good agreement and also sought the advice of the Archbishop of Vienna Melchior Klesl.
During his tenure, he promoted the recatholicization and intention, the archbishop of violence by subordination of Utraquists, the occupation of priest bodies in the royal cities, the supervision of schools and universities and also to strengthen means of censorship of books. Since the state government has led to 1599 of non-Catholics, he could not prevail with these plans. However, he managed to insinuate the Altutraquisten its jurisdiction, and in 1596 he handed the Prague Utraquist Emmaus Monastery a Catholic Benedictine, whom he appointed abbot. In 1600 he occupied the parishes of the royal manors, which he got in 1602 transferred the full spiritual power of the Emperor, with Catholic priests. As Jaroslav Bořita of Martinitz conducted a rigorous recatholicization on his manors, Zbynko received from the Emperor the order to act similarly on the royal estates. Already in 1599 gave him the Emperor the censorship of books. 1605 he convened a diocesan synod, to which the Tridentine decrees was announced and discussed its implementation. In addition, decisions on the theological education of the clergy were caught and tightened the censorship of books of 1599. Significant helper of his measures were to be prosecuted ex officio and Vicar General Georg Barthold Pontanus width of the mountain and the Strahov Abt January Lohelius, who was also General to the Premonstratensian. In his effort to Catholic renewal Zbynko sat in the monastic reform against the will of the nuncio and the monks abbots of his choice a. Because of their contribution to the recatholicization he promoted the Jesuits and gave them for this purpose in 1597, the building and possessions of the dissolved Augustinian Canons in Glatz. In 1603 he was raised to the imperial princes. Shortly before his death on March 6, 1606 Pope Paul V appointed him cardinal. On October 10 In 1606 Karl von Lamberg his successor as Archbishop of Prague.