Christof. Bernart, Bisschop van Munster. &.

Title

Christof. Bernart, Bisschop van Munster. &.

Description

Portait of Christoph Bernhard von Galen, he was since 1650 when he died, bishop of Munster.

ca. 1680

Artist

Anonymus

Historical Description

Christoph Bernhard von Galen was born in 1606 to Protestant parents from the noble family of von Galen. The Jesuits imparted a denominational world view to Galen. In 1619, at the age of 13, he received his first assignment for the cathedral chapter of Münster. When he reached the required age, he moved to Cologne and Mainz to complete his studies at a Jesuit grammar school in 1626. Bernhard von Galen studied law in Leuven and Bordeaux. He returned to Münster in 1627. The period of the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) left its mark on him. In 1630, he became cathedral curate and in 1634 ecclesiastical councillor. There were not many politically active canons at this time. Galen took on many diplomatic assignments. He repeatedly took part in negotiations with the imperial generals in Westphalia. In the first half of the 17th century, the Münsterland was gripped by a wave of witchcraft, intensified by the turmoil of the Thirty Years' War. While von Galen's predecessor Ferdinand von Bayern saw witch trials as a legitimate instrument of the Counter-Reformation, von Galen campaigned against fortune-telling and the belief in witches. In 1658, he had the water testing of alleged witches and sorcerers banned.