Jakob Christoph Blarer von Wartensee
Encyclopedia
Jakob Christoph Blarer von Wartensee (11 May 1542 at Rosenberg Castle – 18 April 1608 at Porrentruy
) was a Bishop of Basel and a leader in the Counter-Reformation
in the region around Basel
.
of Rosenberg, and Helen of Hallwyl. Between 1557–59 he was a student at Freiburg
under the humanist
Heinrich Glarean
. In 1555 he was appointed to the Cathedral of Constance. He became a canon
in 1559, and an archdeacon
in 1570. In 1561 he moved to Basel's cathedral
. He was unanimously elected Bishop of Basel on 22 June 1575, and on 4 May 1576 this election was confirmed by Pope Gregory XIII
. He was ordained on 10 February 1577 and was granted an Imperial
investiture
on 15 November 1577.
Starting in 1576, he was planning an alliance with the catholic cantons in order to restore the power of the his Bishopric of Basel. Basel had converted to the Reformation
during the first half of the 16th century. After costly negotiations and with the help of Ludwig Pfyffer von Altishofen and the nuncios Ninguarda Feliciano and Giovanni Francesco Bonomi, a catholic mutual assistance pact was signed on 28 September 1579 in Lucerne
and all parties swore to uphold the pact on 11 January 1580 in Porrentruy. This provided a base of support for Blarer's goals; the Catholic renewal of the diocese's subjects, to prevent further removal of existing Burgrecht
(rights between a town and the surrounding villages), the recovery of former Catholic dominions within and outside the city of Basel as well as restitution of cathedral's property.
After the oath in Porrentruy, he began to spread the Counter-Reformation into the territories that surrounded Basel and had some political ties to the city. The resulting conflict between Basel and Blarer ended up before a Swiss Confederacy
arbitration court and was settled in 1585 in the Baden Agreement. In it, the Burgrecht contracts between Basel and the Laufen and Delsberger Valleys as well as Freiberg were de facto resolved. The city agreed to pay a high compensation (200,000 guilders) for the Bishop's estates which had been taken by the city during the Reformation, and in matters of faith applied the principle Cuius regio, eius religio
. As early as 1590, the German bailiwick
s were once Catholic. A similar agreement was concluded in 1599 with Bern which was known as the Biel
Exchange. This agreement allowed for the city of Biel to be transferred to Bern, but Bern and others would waive the Burgrecht with the provost
of Moutier
-Grandval
. However, this agreement faltered due to the opposition of the catholic cantons. The exchange finally occurred seven years later in the Treaty of 1606. In this treaty, the city provided an oath of allegiance, its influence in the Herrschaft
of Erguel
was restricted and the Burgrecht agreement with Bellelay Abbey
was dissolved. However, Blarer's attempts to spread the Counter-Reformation to the southern bailiwicks were unsuccessful.
The targeted reform of the clergy began in 1581 with the proclamation of new statutes during the diocesan synod
in Delémont
. Two cycles of visitations (1586–90, 1601-04) led to the identification and elimination of irregularities in the parish
es of the diocese. New liturgical books were distributed to the clergy which espoused the ideals of the Counter-Reformation. For recruiting and training new priests, he founded a Jesuit college in Porrentruy in 1591 and added a seminary in 1606. The latter, however, never really came to bloom and disappeared after a few decades. Starting in 1595, the College began to turn out Jesuits who met with great success in the diocese.
While the Baden Agreement had helped the shattered finances of the diocese, Jakob Christoph now sought to prevent renewed debt. With the reopening and expansion of the mines and iron forges in Courrendlin
, Undervelier
and Belle Fontaine (now part of Saint-Ursanne
) he created new revenue sources. Starting in 1589 he began to mint his own money. He also began to expand the political power of the diocese by opening a print shop and expanding his residence in Porrentruy.
Porrentruy
Porrentruy is a Swiss municipality and seat of the district of the same name located in the canton of Jura.-Geography:The municipality lies on both sides of the Allaine River, in Ajoie at the foot of the Jura Mountains on the north...
) was a Bishop of Basel and a leader in the Counter-Reformation
Counter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation was the period of Catholic revival beginning with the Council of Trent and ending at the close of the Thirty Years' War, 1648 as a response to the Protestant Reformation.The Counter-Reformation was a comprehensive effort, composed of four major elements:#Ecclesiastical or...
in the region around Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
.
Early history
He was the son of William, the Prince-abbot of St. Gall and upper VogtVogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
of Rosenberg, and Helen of Hallwyl. Between 1557–59 he was a student at Freiburg
University of Freiburg
The University of Freiburg , sometimes referred to in English as the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, is a public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.The university was founded in 1457 by the Habsburg dynasty as the...
under the humanist
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
Heinrich Glarean
Heinrich Glarean
Heinrich Glarean was a Swiss music theorist, poet and humanist. He was born in Mollis and died in Freiburg....
. In 1555 he was appointed to the Cathedral of Constance. He became a canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
in 1559, and an archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
in 1570. In 1561 he moved to Basel's cathedral
Basel Münster
The Basel Münster is one of the main landmarks and tourist attractions of the Swiss city of Basel. It adds definition to the cityscape with its red sandstone architecture and coloured roof tiles, its two slim towers and the cross-shaped intersection of the main roof...
. He was unanimously elected Bishop of Basel on 22 June 1575, and on 4 May 1576 this election was confirmed by Pope Gregory XIII
Pope Gregory XIII
Pope Gregory XIII , born Ugo Boncompagni, was Pope from 1572 to 1585. He is best known for commissioning and being the namesake for the Gregorian calendar, which remains the internationally-accepted civil calendar to this date.-Youth:He was born the son of Cristoforo Boncompagni and wife Angela...
. He was ordained on 10 February 1577 and was granted an Imperial
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
investiture
Investiture
Investiture, from the Latin is a rather general term for the formal installation of an incumbent...
on 15 November 1577.
Bishop of Basel
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
during the first half of the 16th century. After costly negotiations and with the help of Ludwig Pfyffer von Altishofen and the nuncios Ninguarda Feliciano and Giovanni Francesco Bonomi, a catholic mutual assistance pact was signed on 28 September 1579 in Lucerne
Lucerne
Lucerne is a city in north-central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of that country. Lucerne is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and the capital of the district of the same name. With a population of about 76,200 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland, and...
and all parties swore to uphold the pact on 11 January 1580 in Porrentruy. This provided a base of support for Blarer's goals; the Catholic renewal of the diocese's subjects, to prevent further removal of existing Burgrecht
Burgrecht
A Burgrecht was a medieval agreement, most commonly in southern Germany and northern German-speaking Switzerland. It came to refer to an agreement between a town and surrounding settlements or to include the specific rights held by a city or town.The word Burgrecht is first used by the St...
(rights between a town and the surrounding villages), the recovery of former Catholic dominions within and outside the city of Basel as well as restitution of cathedral's property.
After the oath in Porrentruy, he began to spread the Counter-Reformation into the territories that surrounded Basel and had some political ties to the city. The resulting conflict between Basel and Blarer ended up before a Swiss Confederacy
Old Swiss Confederacy
The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland....
arbitration court and was settled in 1585 in the Baden Agreement. In it, the Burgrecht contracts between Basel and the Laufen and Delsberger Valleys as well as Freiberg were de facto resolved. The city agreed to pay a high compensation (200,000 guilders) for the Bishop's estates which had been taken by the city during the Reformation, and in matters of faith applied the principle Cuius regio, eius religio
Cuius regio, eius religio
Cuius regio, eius religio is a phrase in Latin translated as "Whose realm, his religion", meaning the religion of the ruler dictated the religion of the ruled...
. As early as 1590, the German bailiwick
Bailiwick
A bailiwick is usually the area of jurisdiction of a bailiff, and may also apply to a territory in which the sheriff's functions were exercised by a privately appointed bailiff under a royal or imperial writ. The word is now more generally used in a metaphorical sense, to indicate a sphere of...
s were once Catholic. A similar agreement was concluded in 1599 with Bern which was known as the Biel
Biel/Bienne
Biel/Bienne is a city in the district of the Biel/Bienne administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.It is located on the language boundary and is throughout bilingual. Biel is the German name for the town, Bienne its French counterpart. The town is often referred to in both...
Exchange. This agreement allowed for the city of Biel to be transferred to Bern, but Bern and others would waive the Burgrecht with the provost
Provost (religion)
A provost is a senior official in a number of Christian churches.-Historical Development:The word praepositus was originally applied to any ecclesiastical ruler or dignitary...
of Moutier
Moutier
Moutier is a municipality in the Jura bernois administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is located in the French-speaking Bernese Jura .-History:...
-Grandval
Grandval, Switzerland
Grandval is a municipality in the Jura bernois administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is located in the French-speaking Bernese Jura . Grandval also used to be known under its German name Granfel or Granfelden, but these forms are no longer commonly...
. However, this agreement faltered due to the opposition of the catholic cantons. The exchange finally occurred seven years later in the Treaty of 1606. In this treaty, the city provided an oath of allegiance, its influence in the Herrschaft
Herrschaft (territory)
In the German feudal system, a Herrschaft or Herrlichkeit was the fiefdom of a lord, who in this area exercised his full feudal rights...
of Erguel
Erguel
Erguël is an ancient seigniory of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Basel, and under protectorate of Biel/Bienne, under military jurisdiction from 1335, in the now so called valley of St.-Imier, in the now Bernese Jura, Switzerland...
was restricted and the Burgrecht agreement with Bellelay Abbey
Bellelay Abbey
Bellelay Abbey is a former Premonstratensian monastery in the Bernese Jura in Switzerland, now a psychiatric clinic.-History:According to the legend, the monastery was founded in 1136 by Siginand, prior of the abbey of Moutier-Grandval, who got lost in the deep forest of the High Jura while hunting...
was dissolved. However, Blarer's attempts to spread the Counter-Reformation to the southern bailiwicks were unsuccessful.
The targeted reform of the clergy began in 1581 with the proclamation of new statutes during the diocesan synod
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
in Delémont
Delémont
Delémont is the capital of the Swiss canton of Jura. The city has approximately 11,000 inhabitants as of 2007.-Geography:Delémont lies southwest of Basel, about halfway between Basel and Bienne...
. Two cycles of visitations (1586–90, 1601-04) led to the identification and elimination of irregularities in the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
es of the diocese. New liturgical books were distributed to the clergy which espoused the ideals of the Counter-Reformation. For recruiting and training new priests, he founded a Jesuit college in Porrentruy in 1591 and added a seminary in 1606. The latter, however, never really came to bloom and disappeared after a few decades. Starting in 1595, the College began to turn out Jesuits who met with great success in the diocese.
While the Baden Agreement had helped the shattered finances of the diocese, Jakob Christoph now sought to prevent renewed debt. With the reopening and expansion of the mines and iron forges in Courrendlin
Courrendlin
Courrendlin is a municipality in the district of Delémont in the canton of Jura in Switzerland....
, Undervelier
Undervelier
Undervelier is a municipality in the district of Delémont in the canton of Jura in Switzerland.Undervelier lies between the valleys of the South and that of Delémont. Notable sights in the area include the cave of Sainte-Colombe and the Gorges of Pichoux...
and Belle Fontaine (now part of Saint-Ursanne
Saint-Ursanne
Saint Ursanne is a city and a former municipality of the district of Porrentruy in the canton of Jura, Switzerland which has preserved its medieval character. The city contains many historical curiosities, including collegiate churches, a cloister, ruins of a castle, and a hermitage...
) he created new revenue sources. Starting in 1589 he began to mint his own money. He also began to expand the political power of the diocese by opening a print shop and expanding his residence in Porrentruy.