TRUCHSESS VON WALDBURG, OTTO. – Cardinal and Bishop of Augsburg, b. at Scheer Castle near Sigmaringen, 25 Feb 1514, d. at Rome, 2 Apr 1573.
After his early studies at Tübingen, he came to Italy where he attended the universities of Pavia, Padua, and Bologna. He soon became canon of Augsburg and dean of the cathedral of Trent. Going to Rome as secret chamberlain of Paul III, he was appointed by the latter as internuncio to the Congress of Nuremberg (1543) for the purpose of summoning the Council. In that same year he was elected Bishop of Augsburg and thus began to devote himself entirely to reforming works in his diocese. In December 1544 he was created cardinal with the title of St. Balbina, which he later exchanged for that of St. Sabina, to whose titular basilica he made notable restorations. In 1562 he was made Bishop of Albano and in 1570 he successively held the sees of Sabina and Palestrina. At the Council of Trent he was represented by the Jesuit Fr. Jajo, while he himself waged war alongside the Duke of Bavaria against the Protestants, from whom he recovered part of his diocese. At Dillingen—where in 1548 he held a synod—he founded an academy, later transformed into a university, entrusting it to the Jesuits, of whom he was always an enthusiastic admirer, declaring himself their spiritual son of St. Ignatius. His attempt to found a college for them in Augsburg failed. In 1558 Ferdinand appointed him Protector of the Empire at the Holy See. He was present at the final phase of the Council of Trent, where he strongly advocated the establishment of seminaries.
T. was undoubtedly one of the most notable figures in the ecclesiastical world of his time and was considered the most authoritative exponent of the Holy See’s policy in Germany. His piety, his zeal in reform and the conversion of heretics, together with his solicitude for the poor, earned him the affectionate esteem of his contemporaries, such as Cardinals Bellarmine, A. Farnese, Madruzzo, Osio, and the most eminent figures of the Society of Jesus, among whom was St. Peter Canisius.
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**GEBHARD, his nephew, Archbishop of Cologne, b. at Scheer, 10 Nov 1547, d. at Strasbourg, 31 May 1601.**
After completing his studies at German and foreign universities and holding numerous lucrative benefices, he was elected Archbishop of Cologne on 5 Dec 1577 by the party favourable to the Catholic Reformation (his opponents supported the candidacy of Ernest of Bavaria, who received ten votes while T. obtained twelve) and confirmed by the Holy See in 1580. He soon showed himself favourable to the Protestants. In 1583 he married Agnes of Mansfeld and openly attempted to secularize the Electorate of Cologne and make it his own domain. Excommunicated and deposed by Gregory XIII on 1 Apr 1583, and with Ernest of Bavaria elected Archbishop in his place by the Chapter, T. sought to resist with the help of the Palatine Count John Casimir and William of Orange, but after repeated defeats he was forced to leave Cologne and retired to Strasbourg in 1589.
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