KLESL, MELCHIOR. — Cardinal, b. 19 Feb. 1552 at Vienna, d. 18 Sept. 1630 at Wiener-Neustadt. Son of a Protestant baker, he embraced the Catholic faith while still a student. In 1579 he became Provost of the Chapter in the cathedral of St Stephen in Vienna and chancellor of the University; in 1581 he was vicar of the Bishop of Passau in the part of the diocese situated in Lower Austria; in 1588 he became Bishop of Wiener-Neustadt; in 1590 head of the Religious Commission for Lower Austria; in 1598 Bishop of Vienna; and in 1616 a cardinal.
K. was the foremost champion of the Catholic restoration in Lower Austria. Adviser to Emperor Matthias, he later relaxed the intransigence towards Protestants, being more concerned with the internal political situation of the Austrian state. He favoured a temporizing policy towards the Bohemian rebels, but this course was opposed by Ferdinand, King of Bohemia, who had him arrested and imprisoned. Released through the intervention of Paul V and transferred to Rome, K. resumed possession of his diocese in 1623.