Augsburg
Schloss Wellenburg
propriétaire dès 1507 et bâtisseur du palais de plaisance de vers 1513 · 1507-1513
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Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg
Bishop of Gurk (1505–1522) · Cardinal (1511) · Coadjutor of Salzburg (1514) · Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg (1519–1540) · Edler von Wellenburg
Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg (1468 or 1469 – 1540) was an ecclesiastic and statesman of the Holy Roman Empire, born in Augsburg into a middle-class family. A close collaborator of Emperor Maximilian I, he became Bishop of Gurk (1505), cardinal (1511), and coadjutor and then prince-archbishop of Salzburg (1519–1540). Ennobled by Maximilian, who made him ‘Edler von Wellenburg’, he acquired the castle of Wellenburg, near Augsburg, in 1507 and had a pleasure palace built there around 1513. Its main wing and St George’s Chapel form the core of the present castle. In Salzburg he came into conflict with his subjects in 1523 and again during the Peasants’ War of 1525. His likeness is fixed by portraits of the Danubian Renaissance, including that by Albrecht Altdorfer around 1528, and by university scholarship devoted to his activity as a builder.
Birth1468 ou 1469, Augsbourg
Death30 mars 1540, Salzbourg
RoleBishop of Gurk (1505–1522) · Cardinal (1511)
HouseLang von Wellenburg
EraRenaissance
History & heritage
From Augsburg burghers to imperial circles
Born in Augsburg in 1468 or 1469, Matthäus Lang made his career in the Church and in the service of Maximilian I. German library catalogues list him under numerous variants (Lang von Wellenburg, Matthaeus Langius), a sign of his European renown. He held several offices in succession: coadjutor and then bishop of Gurk, cardinal in 1511, coadjutor of Salzburg in 1514, and archbishop in 1519.
Schloss WellenburgKey moments in their life
1468 ou 1469
Born in Augsburg; biographies waver between 1468 and 1469.
1501
Becomes coadjutor to the Bishop of Gurk, whose see he takes over after the death of Raimund Peraudi (September 1505).
1507
Wellenburg falls to him after passing through several patrician families of Augsburg; Emperor Maximilian I grants him the title of Edler von Wellenburg.
1511-1512
Raised to the cardinalate by Julius II (1511); in 1512, cardinal-deacon of Sant’Angelo.
vers 1513
Has a pleasure palace built at Wellenburg, placed at the emperor’s disposal; the main wing and St George’s Chapel date from this campaign.
27 juin 1514
The chapter of Salzburg elects him coadjutor to the archbishop.
8 juin 1519
Start of his episcopate as Archbishop of Salzburg, which lasts until his death.
1523-1525
Serious conflict with his subjects in 1523, then a further crisis during the Peasants’ War of 1525.
vers 1528
Portrait of the prince-archbishop by Albrecht Altdorfer.
30 mars 1540
Died in Salzburg.
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Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg in history
Wellenburg, a pleasure palace for the emperor
Owner of Wellenburg from 1507, Lang had a pleasure palace built there around 1513, intended in particular to host Maximilian I. The main wing and St George’s Chapel belong to this phase and form the core of the castle, which was later bought by the Fuggers (1595) and remodelled in the neo-Gothic style in 1857–1858. A university study by Nicole Riegel (Münster, 2009) is devoted to his whole activity as a builder.
A contested archbishop in Salzburg
Having become prince-archbishop in 1519, Lang governed Salzburg until his death in 1540. The 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica notes his unpopularity with his subjects, a serious conflict in 1523, and further difficulties during the Peasants’ War of 1525.
Portraits and material traces
His seals as cardinal and as archbishop are preserved and studied by the University of Graz. Albrecht Altdorfer painted his portrait around 1528 (study by Mathias F. Müller, 2011); another likeness, attributed to a master of the Danube School and dated 1529, is held at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
Sources for this entry
This summary cross-references several sources to document the places, events and historical relationships.
- Lang von Wellenburg, Matthäus – Deutsche Biographie (NDB, GND 119442620) — Bayerische Staatsbibliothek / Deutsche Biographie
- CERL Thesaurus – Matthäus, Salzburg, Erzbischof — Consortium of European Research Libraries
- Siegel der Bischöfe der Salzburger Metropole – Kardinal Matthäus, Salzburg — Universität Graz (GAMS)
- Siegel der Bischöfe der Salzburger Metropole – Kardinal Matthäus, Gurk — Universität Graz (GAMS)
- Schloss Wellenburg — Ancient History Sites
- Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg – Salzburg Museum — Salzburg Museum
- Das Bildnis des Fürst-Erzbischofs Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg (Altdorfer, um 1528) — Deutsches Historisches Institut Paris
- Matthaus Lang von Wellenburg (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1911) — Encyclopaedia Britannica 11e éd.