Johann Gottfried von Aschhausen

Johann Gottfried von Aschhausen (1575–1622) was the Prince-Bishop of Bamberg from 1609 to 1622 and Prince-Bishop of Würzburg from 1617 to 1622.

Engraving of Johann Gottfried von Aschhausen by Johann Salver.

Johann Gottfried von Aschhausen was born in Oberlauda, today a district of Lauda-Königshofen, on August 12, 1575.[1]

He became a canon of Bamberg Cathedral in 1593, upon the resignation of an older brother.[2] He was ordained as a priest on December 22, 1601.[1] He became the dean of Comburg in 1604. He played a role in the formation of the Catholic League, under the leadership of Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria, on July 10, 1609.[2]

He was elected Prince-Bishop of Bamberg on July 21, 1609, with Pope Paul V confirming the appointment on November 4, 1609.[1] He was consecrated as a bishop by Wolfgang von Hausen, Prince-Bishop of Regensburg, on February 2, 1610.[1] As Prince-Bishop of Bamberg, he sought to curb the growth of Protestantism in the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg, inviting the Jesuits to assume an important role in education in Bamberg.[2] He also conducted a witch-hunt in the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg in 1612–13 and in 1617–18, which saw approximately 300 witches burned at the stake in this period.[2]

He was elected Prince-Bishop of Würzburg on October 5, 1617, with Pope Paul V confirming the appointment on February 10, 1618.[1] This created a personal union between the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg and the Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg.[2]

During the Thirty Years' War, Bamberg and Würzburg deployed large numbers of infantry and cavalry in 1620 and 1622.[2]

He died in Regensburg on December 29, 1622 and is buried in Bamberg Cathedral.[2]