Ferdinand of Fürstenberg (1626–1683)
In foreign policy, he generally followed the principle of armed neutrality, but tended to lean towards the French position.
He distinguished himself as an author of historical works, a poet of Latin poetry and a correspondent with the great scholars of his time.
As was customary in the family, Ferdinand of Fürstenberg was given an exceptionally good education for a member of the nobility at that time.
After the death of his parents Fürstenberg returned for a time to Bilstein Castle, where the castellan introduced him to the basics of jurisprudence.
In Münster he also came to know Fabio Chigi, the nuntius in the peace negotiations of the Thirty Years' War and, later, Pope Alexander VII.
The latter motivated Ferdinand to undertake further language studies and arranged for him to have access to the Vatican library, which he ran.
[4] On the election of Fabio Chigi to the Papacy as Pope Alexander VII in 1655, Fürstenberg was appointed as Papal Private Chamberlain (Geheimkämmerer).
In addition, he emerged as a sponsor of large-scale academic projects such as the publication of Acta Sanctorum by Jean Bolland and his successor, the Bollandists.
The discovery of documents from his Westphalian homeland prompted Ferdinand's decision to write a history of the Bishopric of Paderborn.
These included the Priory of the Holy Cross in Hildesheim, a cathedral chapter position in Münster and the opportunity of another in Halberstadt.
He received his mitre in the German national church of Santa Maria dell’Anima from cardinal state secretary, Giulio Rospigliosi.
The state of Paderborn was still suffering from the consequences of the Thirty Years' War, because Ferdinand's predecessor had been unable to rebuild the economy for financial reasons.
The education system and Jesuit college set up under Dietrich of Fürstenberg were strongly promoted by Ferdinand.
[6] The election of the coadjutor in Münster was problematic, because von Galen had promised in his electoral capitulation not to create such a position.
In particular, William of Furstenberg, who had meanwhile become the secret private chamberlain of the Pope, obtained a dispensatory papal bull in Rome that permitted Ferdinand to accede to the office.
In the crucial vote, Ferdinand narrowly won at the expense of his rival, the Elector of Cologne, Maximilian Henry of Bavaria.
The local cathedral dean, Jobst Edmund von Brabeck, crossed over to the side of Cologne and became governor (Statthalter) of Hildesheim Abbey.
Only the Barony of Wildeshausen remained in the hands of the Bishopric of Münster as compensation for the damage inflicted by the Swedes.
From France, Ferdinand received 50,000 Reichsthaler and Louis XIV promised to invest in the Catholic institutions in the Duchy of Bremen and Principality of Verden.
He undertook visitation trips through his area of responsibility and promoted the education of clerics in accordance with the principles of the Council of Trent.
[13] Overall Ferdinand pursued a peaceful foreign policy of armed neutrality, which avoided direct participation in war whenever possible.
Despite his tendency to take a neutral stance, in 1665 he sent a small contingent of troops to support the war by the Bishop of Münster, Christoph Bernhard von Galen, who attacked the Netherlands together with Charles II of England.
He opposed the war itself, but felt compelled to support von Galen, in order to be appointed by him as coadjutor of the Prince-Bishopric of Münster.
