Franz Xaver von Neveu

Franz Xaver von Neveu ( born February 26, 1749 Castle Birseck; † August 23, 1828 in Offenburg ) 1794-1803 was the last Prince-Bishop of Basel. After he still reigned as spiritual leader of the old Diocese of Basel 1803-1828, he was still in 1828 the first bishop of the newly constituted diocese of Basel, Switzerland.

Life

Origin

Franz Xaver von Neveu was the third son of the prince-bishop's Upper Vogts in Birseck, Karl Franz Ignaz Freiherr von Neveu, and born of Mary Sophia Reuttner of Weyl. The family of Neveu comes from the French region of Anjou. An ancestor came during the Thirty Years' War as an officer in the Swedish service, first to Germany. After he switched sides, he received in 1650 by Archduke Ferdinand the country Ortenau.

Training

Franz Xaver grew up in Pruntrut, where he initially stayed as a page at the prince-bishop's court and 1762-1769 the Jesuit College and the seminary attended. In 1769 he began his studies at the University of Strasbourg, where he was ordained a priest in 1777. Shortly before his uncle, Franz Joseph Freiherr von Neveu, the place of the parish rector of Holy Cross had him transferred in Offenburg, who held the uncle before himself.

Canon and bishop

After Franz Xaver was taken with the support of his elder brother in 1789 as Domizellar in the Basel cathedral chapter, he received on January 28, 1792 - a few months before the invasion of French troops in the bishopric - seat and voice in the cathedral chapter.

After Prince Bishop Sigismund of Rye Brook, died on March 9, 1794 Constance exile, joined in 1793 by the Arlesheim to Freiburg cathedral chapter had escaped in April together. After the older canons of Ligerz and Andlau had refused to be transmitted choice due to the desperate situation of the prince-bishopric, Franz Xaver received approval loyal to the Empire and the Alsatian party in the cathedral chapter and was elected on June 2, 1794 to the bishop and prince of the diocese of Basel. The Roman Curia and the Government of Further Austria were not happy with the choice of a given weak of Neveu - but he was also confirmed by the Pope on September 12, 1794.

Prince without a country

Francis Xavier was now formally Prince of the Empire with a seat and vote in the Reichstag, but in fact he was a prince without a country. At the beginning he had income from belonging to the Confederation - and thus in the realm of war with France neutral - areas

  • Abbey Bellelay
  • Provost Moutier- Grandval
  • Rule Erguel
  • Rule Orvin
  • Rule Tessenberg
  • Biel
  • La Neuveville

And the right bank

  • Bailiwick Schliengen

With the Treaty of Campo Formio However, France received a free hand in Switzerland and already on 14 December 1797, the French troops invaded the south of the prince-bishopric.

Roman Catholic Diocese of Basel Franz Joseph Sigismund von Roggenbach Bellelay Abbey Moutier-Grandval Abbey Biel/Bienne Integrated Authority File
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