Leonhard von Keutschach

Leonhard von Keutschach (born around 1442, probably in Viktring, Austria; died 8 June 1519 in Salzburg, Austria), Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg (1495-1519), the last to rule the city in the feudal style. His parents were Otto von Keutschach, a judge of the court (Hofrichter) and Gertrud von Möderndorf, both of Viktring, Austria. The Keutschach family came from the northern shore of Lake Keutschach. Their arms are a white turnip on a black field.

Biography

Leonhard started out as canon of the Augustine order and provost of the monastery of Eberndorf. In 1490 he was promoted to canon of the church. In 1495 he was elected prince-archbishop of Salzburg. The city was politically unstable, because in 1481, emperor Frederick III had granted the city the privilege to elect its own city council and mayors, which was the cause of a protracted struggle with the church. In 1511, Leonhard invited the mayors and councillors for a gala dinner, imprisoned them all and forced them to renounce these rights, which ended the unrest. He proceeded to cement his position with nepotism, nominating relatives in key positions. In 1498 he expelled Jews who had returned to the area since their banishment in 1404 and had their synagogues destroyed.

Leonhard reformed the city finances, paying off old debts and developing the economy by farming out and inceasing the salt production and the silver and gold mines of the archbishopric, while promoting trade. This made Salzburg one of the richest lands of the Holy Roman Empire, starting a long tradition of a local culture rich in music and art. Leonhard also used his wealth to buy back lands sold by his predecessors to cover their debt and to support emperor Maximilian I financially, which brought further economic and political advantages. He expanded the defenses of the city, notably by strengthening the Festung Hohensalzburg and a large number of castles in the area around Salzburg and in what is today Kärnten. He ordered the construction of river dams in Hallein to protect the city from spring floods, but he also had a number of new long distance roads constructed to promote trade. He crowned his economic achievements by a coinage reform that was the basis for the modern Salzburger monetary system.

Leonhard passed his last years unsuccessfully battling his coadjutor Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg, who would succeed him in 1519.

Literature

*Franz Ortner: "Salzburgs Bischöfe in der Geschichte des Landes 696-2005"; Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main 2005; ISBN 3-631-53654-2
*Heinz Dopsch, Hans Spatzenegger (Hrsg.): "Geschichte Salzburgs, Stadt und Land, Band 1, Teil 1, Vorgeschichte, Altertum, Mittelalter". Verlag Pustet, Salzburg 1981, ISBN 3-7025-0121-5

External links

* [http://www.salzburgcoins.at/Landesfuersten/html/L01_leonhard_von_keutschach.htm Extensive biography in German on "Salzburg Coins Interactive"]