Charles Casper of the Leyen (German: Karl Kaspar von der Leyen) (18 December 1618 - 1 June 1676) was the Archbishop of Trier from 1652 until 1676.
Charles Casper was appointed by the cathedral of Trier to be the coadjutor of the archdiocese on 11 June 1650. This was rejected by the Archbishop Philip Christopher of Sötern, however both the Pope and Emperor approved it, and was thus designated his successor. On 12 March 1652 Charles Casper officially succeeded him. The consequences of his predecessor's involvement in the Thirty Years' War left much of the archdiocese in ruins, and 300,000 people in it had died. Thus Charles Casper's reign focused mainly on reconstructing housing and reestablishing farms, and strengthening the key fortress of Ehrenbreitstein. He founded an orphanage in Trier and donated scholarships to the nobility to train their sons as clergymen.
Charles Casper strongly promoted the members of his own house, the Leyens, and in 1654 appointed his younger brother Damian Hartard the archdeacon of Karden. In 1660 he lent to his elder brother Lord Hugo Ernest of Adendorf the Bliescastel, and in 1670 his son John Charles Casper the Lordship of Arenfels which contained, among other territories, Bad Hönningen. In 1672 he designated his nephew John Hugh of Orsbeck his successor, and died in 1676 in Ehrenbreitstein.
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Preceded by: |
Charles Casper of the Leyen |
Succeeded by: |
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| Philip Christopher of Sötern | Archbishop of Trier 1652 - 1676 |
John Hugh of Orsbeck |