HOHENLOHE-SCHILLINGSFÜRST, FAMILY OF. - Of this noble family the principal representatives in the 19th century are the two brothers Chlodwig and Gustav Adolf. CHLODWIG, German politician, b. 31 March 1819 at Rotenburg on the Fulda, d. 6 July 1901 at Ragaz (Switzerland). A descendant of the reigning princes of the Holy Roman Empire, mediatized in 1806, he became a member of the Bavarian Reichsrat in 1846. Having entered the diplomatic service of the central authorities at Frankfurt in 1848, he became, after the failure of the Assembly of the Paulskirche, a supporter of Prussia's hegemonic policy in Germany.

President of the Bavarian ministry from 1866 to 1870, of liberal tendencies, he strove in every way to prevent the definition of papal infallibility: on 9 April 1869 he in fact sent to all Bavaria's representatives at the European courts a circular, drafted by Döllinger (v.), in which he set out the necessity that the powers with Catholic subjects should make a collective approach to the Holy See against the proposed definition of infallibility, adducing as grounds the alteration that it produced in relations between State and Church. H.-S.'s dispatch had no follow-up. A member of the Reichstag in 1871, Prince H.-S. was favourable to the policy of the Kulturkampf. Ambassador in Paris from 1874 to 1885, subsequently imperial lieutenant in Alsace-Lorraine until 1894, he succeeded General Caprivi in that year as Chancellor of the Empire. In this high office he attempted in vain to oppose the personal policy of William II and, seeing every attempt to persuade the Emperor to follow his advice as futile, he resigned on 17 Oct. 1900.

Bibliography4 works

BIBL.: Denkwürdigkeiten des Fürsten Chlodwig zu H.-Sch., edited by F. Curtius, 2 vols., Stuttgart 1906; id., Denkwürdigkeiten der Reichshauslerzeit, edited by K. A. von Müller, ibid. 1931; J. Grisar, s. v. in LThK, V. coll. 101-102 (with bibl.); E. Eyck, Das persönliche Regiment Wilhelms II., Erlenbach-Zurich 1948, passim.

GUSTAV ADOLF, cardinal, b. 26 Feb. 1823 at Rotenburg, on the Fulda, d. 30 Oct. 1896 at Rome. After studying law at Bonn and theology at Breslau and Munich, he went to Rome in 1846 and entered the Accademia ecclesiastica. Ordained priest in Jan. 1849 at Gaeta, where he had followed Pius IX, he was greatly esteemed by the Pontiff, who appointed him secret chamberlain and his almoner.

Preconized titular bishop of Edessa in 1857, H. was destined for the administration of some important diocese of Germany, but the attempts to entrust him with the archbishoprics of Breslau, Cologne or Freiburg were unsuccessful. Created cardinal in the Consistory of 22 June 1866, he was at the Vatican Council opposed to the dogma of papal infallibility. Designated by Bismarck in 1872 as German ambassador to the Holy See, he did not become so because of the opposition of Pius IX. With his attitude favourable to Germany and to Italy he caused no little harm on various occasions to the Holy See and drew upon himself the aversion of the Pontiff and of the Curia, losing all influence and prestige in the higher ecclesiastical spheres.

Bibliography3 works

BIBL.: H. Rust, Reichshausler Fürst H. und seine Brüder, II, Düsseldorf 1897, pp. 837-909; L. Pastor, August Reichensperger, II, Freiburg im Br. 1899, p. 67 ff.; J. Grisar, s. v. in LThK, V. coll. 102.

Silvio Furlani

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Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst, Family of

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