Ferdinand of Bavaria (bishop)

Ferdinand of Bavaria
Archbishop of Cologne
Church	Roman Catholic Church
Archdiocese	Cologne
See	Cologne
Appointed	1612
Term ended	1650
Predecessor	Ernest of Bavaria
Successor	Maximilian Henry of Bavaria
Personal details
Born	7 October 1577 Munich, Holy Roman Empire
Died	13 September 1650 (aged 72) Arnsberg, Westphalia, Holy Roman Empire

Ferdinand of Bavaria (German: Ferdinand von Bayern) (7 October 1577 – 13 September 1650) was Prince-elector archbishop of the Archbishopric of Cologne (Holy Roman Empire) from 1612 to 1650, as successor of Ernest of Bavaria. He was also prince-bishop of Hildesheim, Liège, Münster, and Paderborn.

Engraving of Ferdinand of Bavaria

Biography

Ferdinand was born in Munich, one of the sons of William V, Duke of Bavaria and Renata of Lorraine, a daughter of Francis I, Duke of Lorraine and granddaughter of Christian II of Denmark. He may have been named in honor of his paternal great-grandfather, Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor.

His parents decided early that he would have a church life, and they sent him to the Jesuit College of Ingolstadt for education in early 1587. He quickly became a canon in Mainz, Cologne, Würzburg, Trier, Salzburg, and Passau. In 1595 he became Prince-Provost of Berchtesgaden and the coadjutor of his uncle Ernest of Bavaria. His uncle retired from most duties associated with his office, leaving Ferdinand to run the many lands he ruled. When Ernest died in 1612, Ferdinand was elected the Archbishop-Elector of Cologne and the Prince-Bishop of Liège, Hildesheim, Münster, and, from 1618, Paderborn. Ferdinand never received ordination, exercising princely rule but appointing auxiliary bishops to carry out his religious duties.

Ferdinand worked hard throughout his reign to promote Catholicism in his lands. He pushed reforms and adoption of the Council of Trent's objectives, and improved the position of the Wittelsbachs in Germany. In 1612 he attempted to get his brother Duke Maximilian I of Bavaria elected the Holy Roman Emperor, although Maximilian rejected the crown.

In 1618 the Thirty Years' War broke out. Ferdinand had initial success in supporting the Catholic leaders and keeping his dioceses safe from war with Spanish aid, although these lands were devastated after Sweden entered the war. By the end of the war, Swedish, Spanish, French and Imperial armies had all fought in and raided the bishoprics. In 1642 Ferdinand appointed his nephew Maximilian Henry coadjutor and he retired from most of the temporal affairs of the dioceses.

In the period of the persecution of witches (1435 – 1655) 37 people were executed in Cologne, mostly during Ferdinand's reign as Archbishop of Cologne. The most famous victim of his witch-hunt was Katharina Henot.

Ferdinand died in 1650 in the ducal Westphalian capital Arnsberg and was buried in Cologne Cathedral. He was succeeded by Maximilian Henry of Bavaria.

Ancestors

Ancestors of Ferdinand of Bavaria (bishop)

16. Albert IV, Duke of Bavaria 8. William IV, Duke of Bavaria 17. Kunigunde of Austria 4. Albert V, Duke of Bavaria 18. Philip I, Margrave of Baden-Sponheim 9. Marie of Baden-Sponheim 19. Elisabeth of the Palatinate 2. William V, Duke of Bavaria 20. Philip I of Castile 10. Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor 21. Joanna of Castile 5. Anna of Austria 22. Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary 11. Anna of Bohemia and Hungary 23. Anna of Foix-Candale 1. Ferdinand of Bavaria 24. René II, Duke of Lorraine 12. Antoine, Duke of Lorraine 25. Philippa of Guelders 6. Francis I, Duke of Lorraine 26. Gilbert, Count of Montpensier 13. Renée of Bourbon-Montpensier 27. Chiara Gonzaga 3. Renata of Lorraine 28. Hans of Denmark 14. Christian II of Denmark 29. Christina of Saxony 7. Christina of Denmark 30. Philip I of Castile (=20) 15. Isabella of Austria 31. Joanna of Castile (=21)