### EHSES, Stefan
Stefan Ehses (1855–1926), ecclesiastical historian, was born on 9 December 1855 in Zeltlingen on the Moselle and died in Rome on 19 January 1926. He studied at the University of Würzburg and, after being ordained priest in 1883, came to Rome to conduct research in the Vatican Archives. Upon his return to Germany, he served as parish priest at Ehrenbreitstein and Coblenz.
Returning to Rome, he became secretary of the Roman institute of the Görres-Gesellschaft. He edited the *Nuntiaturberichte aus Deutschland* (1585–1590) in two volumes (Paderborn, 1895–99) and the *Acta Actorum* of the Trentine Council in the series *Concilium Tridentinum* (Görres-Gesellschaft; vols. IV–IX, Freiburg im Br., 1904–24). Another valuable work is *Römische Dokumente zur Geschichte der Ehescheidung Heinrichs VIII* (Paderborn, 1893). He was a frequent contributor to the *Römische Quartalschrift* and the *Historisches Jahrbuch*.
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### Eichendorff, Joseph
Joseph von Eichendorff (1788–1857), the last great German Romantic poet, was born on 10 March 1788 in Lubowitz and died on 27 November 1857 in Neisse. His work is distinguished by a pronounced lyrical element that often overshadows narrative and action in both his novels and dramas, yet it produced Lieder of unparalleled lightness, bordering on dream and music. This temperament led him to embody his ideals in life as well.
Anticipating the coming conflicts for his homeland in *Ahnung und Gegenwart* (a novel completed in 1811), he was a fierce opponent of foreign domination and volunteered for service during the wars of 1813–15. A fervent Catholic, he exalted his faith in numerous historical-critical literary works aimed at revising the dominant Protestant critical judgment and celebrating Catholicism as the sole source of modern poetry (*Über die ethische und religiöse Bedeutung der neueren romantischen Poesie in Deutschland*, 1847; *Der deutsche Roman des 18. Jahrh. in seinem Verhältnis zum Christentum*, 1851; *Zur Geschichte des Dramas*, 1854; *Geschichte der poetischen Literatur Deutschlands*, 1857; as well as his excellent German translation of Calderón’s religious dramas, 1846–57). He also acted consistently in accordance with his beliefs, for example, advocating for the restoration of the Marienburg convent and resigning from the Bern Ministry of Culture due to his strict Catholic principles—an attitude that later harmed his art, which became overly concerned with content (*Julian*, 1853; *Robert und Guiscard*, 1855; *Lucifer*, 1857).
Eichendorff was the quintessential popular Romantic lyricist (his poetry drew heavily from the *Volkslied*, hence his collaboration with Arnim and Brentano in *Des Knaben Wunderhorn*), characterized by pure faith, candid sensibilities, boundless love for nature, and innocent humor, which resolutely chose religion over sensuality (*Das Marmorbild*). His *Poesie* (first published in 1813) were collected in 1837. The abundance of Lieder in his novels and novellas attests to his sentimental dominance; even his most famous novella, *Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts*, can only truly delight true friends of poetry. His epic works are difficult to read, and his best tragedy is *Der letzte Held von Marienburg*.
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### Eichstätt, Diocese of
The Diocese of Eichstätt is a suffragan of the metropolitan see of Bamberg and comprises regions of central Franconia, the Upper Palatinate, Bavarian Swabia, and Upper Bavaria, with a total of 334,456 Catholics out of 606,708 inhabitants in the area. The diocese covers an area of 602 km² and has 574 churches, 216 of which are parish churches. There are 452 diocesan priests and 94 religious priests, 12 male religious houses and 9 female religious houses. The city of Eichstätt possesses a seminary and a university for philosophy and theology.
Among the charitable organizations are 20 homes for the elderly, 4 infant homes, 65 health resorts, 4 orphanages, 10 hospitals, and 12 homes for the elderly. There are also 74 charitable unions and 110 leagues of charity (1948).
The diocese was founded by St. Boniface around 741 and was originally a suffragan of Mainz. From 1822 to 1866 it was a so-called *Fürstbistum* (prince-bishopric) and, after secularization in 1821, became a suffragan of Bamberg.
From around 900, the canons of the cathedral exercised great influence in the governance of the diocese; however, Bishop Heribert reduced their number from 70 to 50 in 1022, and by 1234 there were only 30. The first auxiliary bishop was appointed in 1309. During the Lutheran Reformation, the territories of the counties of Ansbach (1528), the cities of Nuremberg and Weißenburg, the Palatinate of Neuburg, and the counties of Oettingen became Protestant. However, the city of Eichstätt, Bavarian territory, and the domains of the Teutonic Knights remained Catholic.
Bishop Martin von Schaumberg founded the Collegium Willibaldinum in 1564, one of the first Tridentine seminaries in Germany.
From the time of Charlemagne, the secular territory of the bishops of Eichstätt enjoyed immunity; in 1305, the bishop’s territory encompassed 20 square miles with an annual revenue of 800,000 florins. The capital of the cathedral chapter increased during secularization to reach the sum of 3,400,000 florins. During the secularization (1800–1803), the diocese was divided between Bavaria and Prussia, and in 1806 it came entirely under Bavarian control.
On 24 November 1821, in accordance with the Bavarian concordat and based on the 1817 decree on diocesan boundaries, the diocese of Eichstätt (*Landesbistum*) was erected as a suffragan of Bamberg without altering its boundaries. Ecclesiastical life resumed its development under the guidance of zealous bishops. In 1838, the Tridentine Seminary was reestablished, and in 1843 a philosophical and theological university was founded under the bishop’s leadership.
The first bishop, St. Willibald, was born in England in 700. During his pilgrimages with his father and brother Wunibald, he traveled to Rome and then to Palestine. In 740, at the request of St. Boniface, he returned to Germany and founded the monasteries of Eichstätt and Heidenheim.
Gebhard I, bishop in 1042, later became Pope Victor II in 1055 (d. 1057). Bishop Gundekar II (1057–75) gave his name to the *Gundekarianum*, a pontifical book that remains the most precious object in the cathedral treasury. During the Counter-Reformation, Bishop Christoph von Westerstetten (1612–36) invited the Jesuits and Capuchins to the diocese.
After the 1821 refoundation of the diocese, the most notable bishop was Karl August von Reisach (1836–46), who in 1843 founded the lyceum university and, during the *Kulturkampf*, provided refuge for theology students from Upper Germany.
The tomb of St. Willibald is preserved in the Romanesque basilica built between 1042 and 1060. Notable is its late Gothic cloister, as well as the Church of the Archangels, a late Renaissance structure also known as the Jesuit church. The bishop’s residence, in Baroque style, houses a library of 500,000 volumes. To the west of Eichstätt lie the ruins of a medieval castle known as Willibaldsburg and another two-towered Renaissance structure that served as the bishops’ residence from 1060 to 1619.