Philipp Erwein von Schönborn

Philipp Erwein, Freiherr von Schönborn zu Freienfels-Eschbach (1607 – 4 November 1668), was a German nobleman who is considered the founder of the economic success of the Counts of Schönborn.

Early life Philipp Erwein was born in Eschbach, Südliche Weinstraße, in 1607. Among his siblings were elder brother, Johann Philipp von Schönborn, a mediator during the Peace of Westphalia negotiations (that ended the Thirty Years' War) which led to his election as the Archbishop of Mainz, and sister, Agatha Maria von Schönborn, wife of Georg Anton Waldbott von Bassenheim.

The Schönborn family had knightly rank and was first mentioned in 1275. However, by the time Philipp Erwein and his brother Johann Philipp grew up, most branches of the family had extinguished. In 1640, the brothers were bequeathed a sizeable fortune by their cousin, Friedrich Georg von Schönborn, a money lender to the Archbishop of Mainz and "Senior of the diocese of Mainz".

In 1650, he acquired the town of Gaibach, including Schloss Gaibach and the right of patronage over the local parish church. In 1657, he was recorded as the owner of the House of Stone , the oldest preserved and inhabited building in Mainz.

Personal life In 1635, he was married to Baroness Maria Ursula von (d. 1682), a daughter of Baron Heinrich von Greiffenclau-Volrads and Anna Maria von und zu Eltz. Together, they were the parents of twelve children, including:

Maria Ursula von Schönborn (1636–1677), who married Baron Heinrich Fredrich Wambold von Umstadt. Anna Margareta von Schönborn (1637–1676), who married Baron Wolfgang Heinrich von Metternich-Burscheid, brother of Lothar Friedrich von Metternich-Burscheid was Elector of Mainz. Franz Georg von Schönborn (1639–1674), the Canon of Mainz. Maria Clara von Schönborn (1647–), who married Baron Friedrich Dietrich Kämmerer von Worms von Dalberg. Anna Barbara von Schönborn (1648–1721), who married, as his second wife, Count Ludwig Gustaf zu Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst. Eva Rosina von Schönborn (1650–), who married Baron Wolfgang Dietrich Truchsess von Wetzhausen. Katharina Elisabeth von Schönborn (1652–1707), who married Count Heinrich von Hatzfeld-Gleichen, the brother of Count zu Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst's first wife, Maria Eleanore von Hatzfeld (niece and nephew of Count Melchior von Hatzfeldt and Prince-Bishop Franz von Hatzfeld). Johann Erwein von Schönborn (1654–1705), Mainz Privy Councillor and Lord of Reichelsberg. Lothar Franz von Schönborn (1655–1729), who became the Prince-Bishop of Bamberg and Archbishop of Mainz; he constructed the baroque palace known as Schloss Weißenstein.

Philipp Erwein died in Geisenheim on 4 November 1668. They were: Johann Philipp Franz von Schönborn, the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg; Friedrich Karl von Schönborn-Buchheim, the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg and Prince-Bishop of Bamberg who served as Vice-Chancellor of the Holy Roman Empire under Joseph I; Damian Hugo Philipp von Schönborn-Buchheim, the Prince-Bishop of Speyer and Bishop of Konstanz; Rudolf Franz Erwein von Schönborn, a diplomat and composer; and Franz Georg von Schönborn, the Elector and Archbishop of Trier who was also Prince-Bishop of Worms and Prince-Provost of Ellwangen.