Johann Otto von Gemmingen (23 October 1545 – 6 October 1598) was the Bishop of Augsburg from 1591 to 1598.

Biography

Johann Otto von

Gemmingen Gemmingen (; South Franconian: ''Gemminge'') is a town in the district of Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second m ...

was born in

Tiefenbronn Tiefenbronn is a municipality in the Enz district of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. History In 1806, Tiefenbronn became a possession of the Grand Duchy of Baden at the expense of the . It was first assigned to the district of Pforzheim in 1806 a ...

on 23 October 1545, the fourth child of Hans Dietrich von Gemmingen and his wife Magdalena. He probably spent his early years in the

Weinfelden Weinfelden is a municipality in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. It is the capital of the district of the same name. Weinfelden is an old town, which was known during Roman times as Quivelda (Winis Feld). Weinfelden is mostly known through ...

Castle, before his father sold it to the Fugger family in 1555. He studied in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

before enrolling in the

University of Ingolstadt The University of Ingolstadt was founded in 1472 by Louis the Rich, the Duke of Bavaria at the time, and its first Chancellor was the Bishop of Eichstätt. It consisted of five faculties: humanities, sciences, theology, law, and medicine, all o ...

in 1565. He became a

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

of Augsburg Cathedral in 1565 and of

Eichstätt Eichstätt () is a town in the federal state of Bavaria, Germany, and capital of the district of Eichstätt. It is located on the Altmühl river and has a population of around 13,000. Eichstätt is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese ...

Cathedral in 1568. He became the

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

of Augsburg Cathedral in 1580 and was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

as a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

in 1581. The cathedral chapter of Eichstätt Cathedral elected him as

Bishop of Eichstätt A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

in 1590, but declined because he wanted to stay in

Augsburg Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ...

. His nephew,

Johann Konrad von Gemmingen Johann Konrad von Gemmingen (also Conrad) (1561−1612) was Prince bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Eichstätt in Bavaria. The bishop was an enthusiastic botanist who derived great pleasure from his garden, which rivaled Hortus Botanicus Leide ...

, was subsequently elected as Bishop of Eichstätt. The cathedral chapter of Augsburg Cathedral elected him Bishop of Augsburg on 21 March 1591. Pope Gregory XIV confirmed his appointment on 10 May 1591, and he was consecrated as a

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

on 25 August 1591. As bishop, Johann Otto promoted Roman Catholicism and introduced many reforms. He promoted the use of the catechism of

Petrus Canisius Peter Canisius ( nl, Pieter Kanis; 8 May 1521 – 21 December 1597) was a Dutch Jesuit Catholic priest. He became known for his strong support for the Catholic faith during the Protestant Reformation in Germany, Austria, Bohemia, Moravia, Swit ...

in the Bishopric of Augsburg. He also established many charitable works. Johann Otto von Gemmingen died in

Dillingen an der Donau Dillingen or Dillingen an der Donau (Dillingen at the Danube) is a town in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. It is the administrative center of the district of Dillingen. Besides the town of Dillingen proper, the municipality encompasses the villages ...

on 6 October 1598.

References

*This page is based on this page on German Wikipedia. {{DEFAULTSORT:Gemmingen, Johann Otto von 1545 births 1598 deaths Roman Catholic bishops of Augsburg People from Weinfelden