Clément-Auguste de Bavière

**Clemens August Ferdinand Maria Hyazinth, Duke of Bavaria** (August 16, 1700 in Brussels ; † February 6, 1761 in Koblenz ) was as **Clemens August I** from 1723 to 1761 Archbishop of Cologne and at the same time Elector of the Holy Roman Empire , sovereign of the associated ore monastery as well as the neighboring countries Recklinghausen and Westphalia . He was also the Legatus natus of the Holy Apostolic See in Rome , as well as Arch Chancellor for Imperial Italy . In addition, he combined the offices of Grand Master of the Teutonic Order (1732–1761), Prince-Bishop of Regensburg (1716–1719), Münster (1719–1761), Osnabrück (1728–1761), Paderborn (1719–1761) and Hildesheim (1724) –1761) as well as other ecclesiastical dignities in itself. Clemens August, at the time known as *Monsieur des cinq églises* (Lord of the Five Churches) because of his bishopric , was one of the most important spiritual princes of his time. His foreign policy was shaped by the fact that he frequently changed his allies. He will be remembered by posterity as a rococo prince who loved pomp and circumstance , who ran a splendid court and had numerous castles built or converted.

***Early Life***

Clemens August was the fourth son and fifth child of Elector Max Emanuel of Bavaria and his second wife Teresa Kunegunda Sobieska , a daughter of the Polish King Jan Sobieski . He had nine siblings and five half-siblings from other connections of his father. One brother was Karl Albrecht, later Elector of Bavaria and, as Charles VII, Roman-German Emperor. The brother Ferdinand Maria was the imperial field marshal of the empire. Johann Theodor was bishop of Regensburg, Freising and Liège . An uncle was his predecessor as Archbishop of Cologne, Joseph Clemens . At the time of his birth his father was governor general in the Spanish Netherlands . The family returned to Bavaria with the War of the Spanish Succession . The father allied himself with France and opposed the emperor and the empire. In 1704 he lost the battle of Höchstädt against Prince Eugene , his former comrade in Hungary . The father was ostracized and fled into exile. Clemens August spent, after an initial stay in Munich , the time from 1706 to 1712 in Klagenfurt and then to the end of the war in 1715 in Graz in the Austrian honorary detention. Above all, he received a proper education from the Jesuits under imperial supervision. Only after this more than ten-year separation did he see his parents again when his father regained his rule in 1715.

***Office accumulation in the Imperial Church***

His father relentlessly pursued European political goals from dynastic power interests, trained his four sons accordingly and did not leave marriages to chance. He appointed Clemens August - as did his brothers Philipp Moritz and Johann Theodor - for the clergy. They were supposed to take up important positions in the imperial church in order to increase the Bavarian-Wittelsbach influence. Originally, Clemens August was to become Bishop of Freising, Regensburg and Speyer , while his brother Philipp Moritz was to receive spiritual dignity in northwest Germany. In 1715 Clemens August received his first tonsure and became coadjutor of the diocese of Regensburg and the prince-provost of Berchtesgaden . From 1716 to 1719 he was Bishop of Regensburg. In 1718 he became provost of the monastery Altötting . He held this office until 1721. In 1719 he also received a canon post in Cologne, which he held until 1723, and another canon post in Liège, which he only gave up in 1757. From 1717 to 1719 he went to Rome with his brother Philipp Moritz to deepen his theological studies . During this time, the father tried hard to secure further offices and honors for the two sons. 1719 he became, after the death of his brother, who was originally intended for these items and in Rome on smallpox died, Prince Bishop of Münster and Paderborn . He had to give up the diocese of Regensburg for this. His father urged his reluctant brother Elector Archbishop Joseph Clemens of Bavaria to accept his nephew in 1722 as coadjutor of the Archdiocese of Cologne with the right of succession. Above all, Ferdinand von Plettenberg took care of the canons' approval in a future election. He had to overcome certain resistance from the Provost of Cologne Cathedral and Cardinal Christian August von Sachsen-Zeitz , who made various claims for a nephew. Thereupon the imperial and papal approval for the accumulation of offices had to be obtained. With their consent, the canons confirmed Clemens August as coadjutor. As early as 1723, with the death of his uncle Joseph Clemens von Bayern, he succeeded him in Cologne.

The attempt to have him elected as successor to Joseph Clemens in Liège, too, failed due to resistance from the emperor and France. Instead he also became Prince-Bishop of Hildesheim in 1724 and of Osnabrück in 1728 . In 1732 he was particularly proud to be elected Grand Master of the Teutonic Order *(Hoch- und Deutschmeister)* . With this he took over an office that had previously been the domain of the Habsburgs , and in 1731 he became the owner of the imperial infantry regiment " Deutschmeister ".

This concentration of clergy in one hand was unique until then. It actually stood in opposition to the decisions of the Council of Trent , but was tolerated by the Curia. As elector and multiple bishop, Clemens August was promoted to the rank of imperial prince and thus not only had sovereign power in a large part of north-west Germany, but also multiple seats and votes in the Reichstag.

Clemens August himself contributed little to his ascent. Above all, his Chamberlain and Prime Minister Ferdinand von Plettenberg influenced the elections in his favor. The reports of spiritual observers from his time in Rome attested Clemens August “good qualities and virtues”, and people in Munich were also convinced that he was qualified for his government office. In 1723, the papal nuncio in Rome particularly praised the religious zeal of the then coadjutor. He felt, however, little inclination to be a priest consecrate to leave. He once told his father that he would represent the priesthood unworthily. Before an ordination he wanted to give up his spiritual offices and the electoral dignity if necessary. The father quickly dissuaded him from these thoughts. Pope Benedict XIII insisted on being ordained a priest in return for confirming his election as Bishop of Hildesheim. After Clemens August finally made up his mind, he was ordained a priest in 1725 in Schwaben Castle near Munich. In 1726 his father died. A year later, Clemens August was from Pope Benedict XIII. personally ordained a bishop. For this purpose, the Pope - this was an extraordinary gesture - traveled to meet him to the place of consecration, the Church of Santa Maria della Quercia in Viterbo .

***Politics***

At the time of Clemens August internal and external politics are divided into two parts. In the first, Ferdinand von Plettenberg determined the course. The second is characterized by a frequent change of people and institutions. After the fall of Plettenberg, Clemens August no longer wanted to entrust power to one person alone. Instead, a supreme conference was created. But no one could replace Plettenberg's person. The Council therefore only played a subordinate role. The importance increased a little under the integrity of Paderborn Cathedral Provost Friedrich Christian von Fürstenberg , before he fell out of favor. A cabinet government developed in the second half of the 1740s. In this played August Wilhelm von Wolff-Metternich a central role. After this was dropped by the elector, they returned to the conference system. Initially, Hermann Werner von der Asseburg dominated . Later Gottfried Josef von Raesfeld took over the leadership of the government with the rank of Grand Chancellor. Plettenberg did not turn out to be a mere tool in the hands of the Munich court, as had been hoped, but pursued an entirely independent policy. At times he stood against the Habsburgs with Bavaria, France and England, but secretly established connections with Vienna. Clemens August's transition to the imperial camp is due to his influence. The court in Munich and French ambassadors tried in vain to separate Clemens August from Plettenberg.

After the fall of Plettenberg, Clemens August turned away from his previous Austrian ally and turned to France and Bavaria. He did this at an inopportune time because the war of the Polish succession to the throne had just broken out and an imperial war against France had been declared. This led to proceedings in the Reich against Clemens August. In addition, its territories suffered from billeting of soldiers. Of all people, Plettenberg, who was fired by him, became the imperial commissioner for the Lower Rhine and was now working against his former master. After the peace agreement, a Habsburg-oriented party at the Bonn court regained weight. When Emperor Charles VI. died, it was therefore by no means certain that Clemens August would support his brother Karl Albrecht in his quest for the imperial crown. Ultimately, new French aid funds brought Clemens August to his brother's side. He then voted for his brother to be elected King of the Romans and crowned him emperor on February 12, 1742 .

However, he felt that he was being neglected and that his support was little rewarded. He therefore made contact with Vienna again and took a neutral stance during the War of the Austrian Succession . For this he received money from Austria, England and the Netherlands. The French ambassador at the Bonn court had previously had significant influence, now the Austrian Johann Karl Philipp Graf Cobenzl decisively determined the political course before he fell out of favor with Clemens August himself. After his brother's death in 1745, he hoped in vain for a major political role as a peace broker. He elected Franz I Stephan as emperor, but already began to switch sides again. On the fringes of festivities in Poppelsdorf, he allied himself with France without informing his ministers beforehand.

After the Peace of Aachen in 1748, the French party lost its influence at court again and the elector changed sides again in 1750 for subsidies of 400,000 guilders per year. A year later, Clemens August allied again with France. Now Hermann Werner von der Asseburg, as chief steward and leading minister, determined the policy of the Electorate of Cologne and was able to set Clemens August on a pro-French course for a long time. Asseburg fell over a similar affair as Plettenberg. Again a close friend of the elector, Baron von Anstel, died unexpectedly. Clemens August wrongly believed that Asseburg had poisoned it. Although the leading minister fell, there was no change of alliance, as France and Austria were now allies against Frederick II of Prussia in the Seven Years' War .