GALEN, CHRISTOPH BERNHARD, FREIHERR VON (16o6-1678)

This article appears in Volume V11, Page 398 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: GAG-GEO

GALEN, CHRISTOPH BERNHARD, FREIHERR VON (16o6-1678) , prince

bishop

of Munster, belonged to a noble Westphalian family, and was born on the 12th of October 16o6. Reduced to poverty through the loss of his paternal

inheritance

INHERITANCE

, he took holy orders; but this did not prevent him from fighting on the side of the emperor Ferdinand III. during the concluding stages of the Thirty Years' War. In 165o he succeeded Ferdinand of Bavaria, archbishop of Cologne, as

bishop

of Munster. After restoring some degree of peace and prosperity in his principality, Galen had to contend with a formidable insurrection on the part of the citizens of Munster; but at length this was crushed, and the bellicose bishop, who maintained a strong army, became an important personage in Europe. In 1664 he was chosen one of the directors of the imperial army raised to fight the Turk;and after the peace which followed the Christian victory at St Gotthard in August 1664, he aided the English king Charles II. in his war with the Dutch, until the intervention of Louis XIV. and Frederick William I. of Brandenburg compelled him to make a disadvantageous peace in 1666. When Galen again attacked Holland six years later he was in alliance with Louis, but he soon deserted his new friend, and fought for the emperor

Leopold

LEOPOLD (M.H. Ger. Liupolt; O.H. Ger. Liupald, from hut, Mod. Ger. Leute, " people," and paid, " bold," i.e. " bold for the people ")

I. against France. Afterwards in conjunction with Brandenburg and Denmark he attacked Charles XI. of Sweden, and conquered the duchy of Bremen. He died at Ahaus on the 19th of September 1678. Galen showed himself anxious to reform the church, but his

chief

CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

energies were directed to increasing his power and prestige.
See K. Tucking, Geschichte des Stifts Munster unter C. B. von Galen (Munster, 1865); P. Corstiens,

Bernard

van Galen, Vorst-Bisschop van Munster (Rotterdam, 1872) ; A. Basing, Furstbischof C. B. von Galen (Munster, 1887); and C. Brinkmann in the English Historical

Review

REVIEW (Fr. revue, from revoir, to see again, Lat. re and videre)

, vol. xxi. (1906). There is in the British Museum a poem printed in 1666, entitled

Letter

LETTER (through Fr. lettre from Lat. littera or litera, letter of the
alphabet
- ALPHABET (see also WRITING)
; the origin of the Latin word is obscure; it has probably no connexion with the root of linere, to smear, i.e. with wax, for an inscription with a stilus)

to the bishop of Munster containing a Panegyrick of his heroick achievements in heroick verse.

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