Philipp Karl von Eltz-Kempenich

Philipp Karl von Eltz-Kempenich was born at Burg Eltz on October 26, 1665. In 1686, he enrolled in the Collegium Germanicum in Rome and received a substantial theological education. He later became a canon of Mainz Cathedral and later also of Trier Cathedral.

Christoph Nebel was ordained as a priest in Mainz on June 3, 1731. On September 9, 1732, the cathedral chapter of Mainz Cathedral erected him to be Archbishop of Mainz. Pope Clement XII confirmed this appointment on September 3, 1732. Archbishop of Trier Franz Georg von Schönborn consecrated Philipp Karl von Eltz-Kempenich as a bishop on November 16, 1732.

In 1733, shortly after he became archbishop, the War of the Polish Succession began, pitting the Kingdom of France against the Habsburg Monarchy. Philipp Karl von Eltz-Kempenich allied the Archbishopric of Mainz with the Habsburgs in this conflict. The majority of fighting in this conflict took place in the Rhineland, leading the archbishop reluctantly to order the fortification of Mainz. He acquired Vukovar in 1736, and went on to order the construction of Eltz Manor. The War of the Polish Succession ended by the Treaty of Vienna (1738), but was soon succeeded by the War of the Austrian Succession.

He died on March 21, 1743 and is buried in Mainz Cathedral.