Philippe von Gundelsheim (1487–1553) was the Prince-Bishop of Basel from 1527 to 1553.

Biography

Philippe von Gundelsheim was born in 1487.Surchat, Pierre Louis, „Philipp von Gundelsheim“, in: Neue Deutsche Biographie 20 (2001), S. 373 f. [Onlinefassung]; URL: http://www.deutsche-biographie.de/pnd100536808.html
/ref> He studied at

Heidelberg University Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (; ), is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386 on instruction of Pope Urban VI, Heidelberg is Germany's oldest unive ...

(1503) and the

University of Basel The University of Basel (Latin: ''Universitas Basiliensis''; German: ''Universität Basel'') is a public research university in Basel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among the world's oldest univ ...

(1504–05). He became a

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

of the

Basel Münster Basel Minster (German: ''Basler Münster'') is a religious building in the Swiss city of Basel, originally a Roman Catholic cathedral and today a Reformed Protestant church. The original cathedral was built between 1019 and 1500 in Romanesque a ...

in 1510. On 28 February 1527 the

cathedral chapter According to both Catholic and Anglican canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics ( chapter) formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese during the vacancy. In ...

of Basel Münster, meeting at

Delémont Delémont (; ; , ) is the capital of the Swiss canton of Jura. The city has approximately 12,000 inhabitants . History The area of the municipality was already settled in the middle Bronze Age. Fifteen urn burials have been discovered in the ...

, elected him to be the new Prince-Bishop of Basel, with

Pope Clement VII Pope Clement VII (; ; born Giulio di Giuliano de' Medici; 26 May 1478 – 25 September 1534) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 November 1523 to his death on 25 September 1534. Deemed "the most unfortunate o ...

confirming his appointment on 31 August 1527.Profile on catholic-hierarchy.org
/ref> He was

consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

as a

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

on 31 December 1527. In 1529, the city of

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

became

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

under the leadership of

Johannes Oecolampadius Johannes Oecolampadius (also ''Œcolampadius'', in German also Oekolampadius, Oekolampad; 1482 – 24 November 1531) was a German Protestant reformer in the Calvinist tradition from the Electoral Palatinate. He was the leader of the Protestant ...

. In 1530, Laufental rebelled against the bishop, but were suppressed using forces from

Solothurn Solothurn ( ; ; ; ; ) is a town, a municipality, and the capital of the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. It is located in the north-west of Switzerland on the banks of the Aare and on the foot of the Weissenstein Jura mountains. The town is ...

. Because of insolvency, the prince-bishopric grew increasingly dependent on the city of Basel, with the city granting him a mortgage on

Birseck Castle Birseck Castle () is located in the municipality of Arlesheim in the canton of Basel-Country. Birseck Castle is also called "Untere Burg Birseck" or "Vordere Burg Birseck" and is one of four castles on a slope called ''Birseck'' that confines t ...

in 1542, 1544, and 1545. In 1547, Philippe and the city formally agreed to allow the city to choose its own religion, recognizing that the city had already become Protestant. He died in

Porrentruy Porrentruy (; ; ) is a Swiss municipality and seat of the district of the same name located in the canton of Jura. Porrentruy is home to National League team, HC Ajoie. History The first trace of human presence in Porrentruy is a Mesolit ...

on 14 September 1553.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gundelsheim, Philippe von 1478 births 1553 deaths Prince-bishops of Basel