Franz von Hatzfeld

Who is Franz von Hatzfeld?

Franz von Hatzfeld was the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg from 1631 to 1642 and the Prince-Bishop of Bamberg from 1633 to 1642.

Franz von Hatzfeld was born in Crottorf, near Friesenhagen, on September 13, 1596, the third son of Freiherr Sebastian von Hatzfeld-Wildenburg and his wife Lucia von Sickingen, a granddaughter of Franz von Sickingen. His father had been raised a Protestant, but converted to Roman Catholicism.

In 1615, he became a canon of Würzburg Cathedral and, two years later, of Bamberg Cathedral. At age thirty, he became head cantor of Bamberg Cathedral, and the next year, became diocesan administrator of Würzburg. He then served as provost of the Gangolfskirche in Bamberg.

The cathedral chapter of Würzburg Cathedral elected him Prince-Bishop of Würzburg on August 7, 1631, with Pope Urban VIII confirming his appointment on January 3, 1632.

With the Thirty Years' War raging, Swedish troops occupied the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg and Franz von Hatzfeld fled to Cologne as a protective measure.