Friedrich Christian von Plettenberg

Friedrich Christian Freiherr von Plettenberg-Lenhausen (8 August 1644 – 5 May 1706) was from 1688 until his death

To strengthen the independence of the bishop, he built, among other things with foreign aid, the Münster military. He had the neglected land fortresses repaired. In Munster, an armory was built and the fortifications of Meppen improved. Since the foreign funds were not sufficient, he took without the approval of the estates, loans of 100,000 Reichstalern to bring the army to a strength of 6,000 men. The loan was repaid through additional subsidies. Shortly after the death of the bishop in 1706, the army consisted of a bodyguard of 126 infantrymen and 70 cavalrymen. The main force consisted of seven infantry regiments with a combined total of about 3,000 men, two cavalry regiments with 660 men and an artillery division. The maintenance of the army, fortresses and magazines amounted to 200,000 Reichstaler per year. Most soldiers were mercenaries, often older and unreliable.

Under pressure from emperor Leopold I, he participated in the war against France. However, the troops from Münster and Brandenburg arrived too late in the theatre, which contributed to the defeat of the allies in the Battle of Fleurus. On the orders of his sovereigns, the Münster General Schwartz had stopped at Jülich.

Friedrich Christian remained closely connected to his family. He bought the then still small Nordkirchen Castle for them, turning it into a palace called "the Versailles of Westphalia". Plettenberg died before it was completed by Johann Conrad Schlaun. His epitaph was created by Johann Mauritz Gröninger and is located in St. Paul's Cathedral in Münster.

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