Furstenberg, Wilhelm Egon Von

Furstenberg, Wilhelm Egon von surnamed Prince William, brother of Franz, was born in 1629. Like his elder brother, he was counsellor to the elector of Cologne, Maximilian Henry, and declared himself a partisan of France. Incensed at this, the emperor removed him, February 13, 1674, then imprisoned him successively at Vienna and at Neustadt. Furstenberg did not regain his liberty until after the peace of Nimeguen. Called to the bishopric of Metz in 1663, he resigned the following year. He was appointed bishop of Strasburg on the death of his brother in 1682. He then committed to the Jesuits the direction of a seminary and college founded by him. In 1686, through the representation of the French government, he received from pope Innocent XI the hat of a cardinal. He was elected coadjutor of Maximilian Henry, elector of Cologne, January 7, 1688; but the court of Rome, then at variance with the court of France, did not ratify .this election, and another candidate, prince Clement of Bavaria, bishop of Ratisbon, superseded him. In compensation for this he received of Louis XIV the abbey of St. Germain-des-Pres, where he went to dwell. He died at Paris, April 10, 1704. See Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, s.v.