Ernest of Bavaria (1500–1560)

Ernst Duke of Bavaria (* June 13, 1500 in Munich, † December 7, 1560 in Glatz ) was Administrator of Passau and Salzburg as well as mortgage Lord of the County of Glatz.

Background and education

Ernst came from a noble Bavarian house of Wittelsbach. He was the third son of Duke Albrecht IV of Bavaria - Munich and his wife Gwendolyn, daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III.

1506 Albrecht issued a primogeniture law, should remain as perfect with the Bavarian. The result was that his two younger sons Ludwig and Ernst were excluded from the government. Ernst was therefore determined by his parents for the clergy. After the father died in 1508, the historian and Bavarian court historian Johannes Aventinus was entrusted with the education of seriousness. With him seriously Travel undertook to Italy, where he heard lectures of the famous jurists Jason Magnus in Pavia. Along with Johann von Malentein, later Bishop of Seckau, Serious Travel undertook to Paris and to Saxony.

1515 Ernst enrolled at the University of Ingolstadt. There he soon became a member of the founded by Aventinus Sodalitas Ingolstatiensis, a literary society that had been stimulated by the humanist Konrad Celtis.

Administrator of Passau

With the support of the emperor Maximilian I. succeeded in 1514 the brothers Wilhelm and Ludwig, Ernst enforce coadjutor bishop of Passau Wiguleus Fröschl of Marzoll. The papal confirmation, on 28 January 1517.

Although Ernst had received no higher orders, he was appointed after the death of Bishop Fröschl 1517 administrator of the diocese of Passau. Nevertheless, he did not give up his claims to the co-regency of the Duchy of Bavaria. His hereditary claims were supported by Archduke Ferdinand I.. Finally, with the Treaty of Linz in 1534 succeeded in reaching an agreement and reconciliation between the royal houses of Habsburg and Wittelsbach. 1536 was the renunciation of inheritance by Ernst. Then he received a severance payment of 275,000 guilders.

As Passau administrator Ernst turned against the followers of Luther and against the Anabaptists. 1522 he participated in the Provincial Synod in Mühldorf and 1527 at the Salzburg Conference. In 1524 he joined the Federation of South German bishops with the dukes of Bavaria and the Archduke Ferdinand in order to enforce the Edict of Worms. In Ernst's instigation of the reformer Leonhard Kaiser in 1527 handed over to the secular power and warping thing, then part of the Rent Office Burghausen, burned at the stake. 1530 Ernst was at the Diet of Augsburg, in 1532 present at the Diet of Regensburg.

As an entrepreneur, Ernst participated in the Bohemian mines and the trading of precious metals. He led transactions through to Vienna, Prague, Leipzig and Antwerp and maintained close relations with the South German trading cities.

Administrator of Salzburg

Pursuant to an agreement of 1516, the brothers Wilhelm and Ludwig tried to ensure the government takeover of the Archdiocese of Salzburg for Ernst. Already in 1525 they joined with the Salzburg cathedral chapter an agreement under which Ernst should be Coadjutor Archbishop of Salzburg as compensation for the Bavarian help in the Peasants' War. Although Ernst was proposed by the chapter on September 27, 1526 this office, the Pope refused to give his consent. To enable a renewed Koadjutorwahl, was seriously beginning in 1540 on the administration of the diocese of Passau.

After the death of Bishop Matthew Lang of Salzburg Wellenburg Ernst was elected by the chapter on April 21, 1540 as administrator of Salzburg. With the papal confirmation of May 21 of the year edition has been connected that Ernst consecrate a priest within ten years or otherwise, must give up the Archdiocese again. On October 12, 1540, he took possession of the diocese.

In Salzburg, Ernst showed against the Protestant movements in the country a mild posture. Through an understanding of the mental and social causes of the Reformation may have played a role. To a mental and spiritual renewal of Catholicism, he contributed little, however, recognized the social and economic development of his time. In 1541 he took part in the Diet of Regensburg, in 1544 and in 1553 he held provincial synods. As a good economist, he ordered the country's finances new and conducted administrative reforms.

As in Passau he preferred the economic enterprises. He was involved in alpine mining, cattle and grain trading and coin dealers.

Even as the designated Archbishop Ernst had the acceptance of the higher orders always delayed. Even in his will dated 25 September 1550, he stated that he never intended to become a priest. He repeatedly petitioned the Pope for dispensation of the higher orders, but this was in 1554 finally refused. The Pope presented him the option to leave consecrate themselves immediately or resign. Ernst decided on 16 July 1554 the resignation and left the episcopal throne of his successor Michael Kuenburg.

Pawn Lord of the County of Glatz

After some time loomed the failure of his spiritual career, Ernst Johann acquired from Pernštejna 1549 the time belonging to Bohemia County of Glatz. Together with her, he acquired the dominion Hummel, which he gave on 10 December 1549 his son Eustace. This was in 1550 by Pope Julius III. legitimized as a noble descendant of Ernest. Already in 1546, Ernst was taken up by the Bohemian Estates as a land mass.

In Glatz, where Ernst 1556 finally settled, he took his former economic and entrepreneurial activities not rise again. Although he held no ecclesiastical office more, he sat down now stronger for the Counter Reformation, convened in 1558 with Emperor Ferdinand I, a synod. The aim of the Synod, it was mainly to examine the belief state of the minister. The corresponding questionnaire was developed by the Zisterzienseräbten John of Grüssau and Leonhard Fürstenfeld. In addition, Ernst Glatzer reformed the administration with qualified officials, which he had brought from Salzburg or Bavaria. The Glatzer castle was enlarged during his reign. Since the privilege on the Glatzer coin, he was awarded at the same time with the pledge, he had coins minted there that point to one side the Bohemian lion, while the other side with the arms of the Palatinate of Bavaria and the County of Glatz is decorated.

To round off his possessions Ernst in 1556 acquired the East Bohemian dominions Reichenau, Litice and Pott stone and Solnice and Černíkovice.

After his death, Ernst was buried in Glatz. Soon, however, his body was transferred to Munich and buried in the crypt of the Wittelsbach Frauenkirche. The Pawn shaft over the county Glatz inherited by his nephew, Duke Albrecht V, who sold it in 1567 to the Bohemian ruler Maximilian II.