Alfons de Requesens

Little is known about de Requesens' origin. He was born either in Antwerp in present-day Belgium or Cervera in present-day Spain. His mother was Catalina Fenollet (d. 1625). Pascal Hollaus suggests she was a noble family member from Fenouillet, Pyrénées-Orientales. His father's surname, de Requesens, indicates he belonged to the nobility of Catalan. The de Requesens family gave several notable figures in Catalonia during the 15th and 16th centuries, while their loyalty to the Spanish royalty enabled them to wear the crown on their family coat of arms. De Requesens mentions in a letter that his brother Luis died in 1625 and left four orphans.^[1]

De Requesens was at first a member of the Low German Franciscan Province, which had friaries in present-day Netherlands, Belgium and northern Germany. He was a member of the friary in Antwerp, where he was known as a good preacher. Afterwards, de Requesens was transferred to the Franciscan Province of Cologne, where on 16 September 1603, he was appointed a definitor and a guardian of the friary in Cologne. During his short tenure, he finished the construction of the friary church.^[1]

The reason why de Requesens changed provinces is unclear. Hollaus suggests that the reason could be that either his friary in Antwerpen was demolished during the religious turmoil in the region at the time or, more probably, due to his desire to fund the friaries of the Recollects whom he supported, which caused a conflict in his home province. The latter is supported by de Requesens and the other two friars, who are trying to reform the friary in Cologne by force. After his failure to reform the friary, de Requesens went to Vienna with his like-minded friar Ägidius Smurit and asked Emperor Rudolf II to assign him to a reformed friary. In December 1603, he reported to the provincial of the Franciscan Province of Tyrol in Prague that he was about to find a friary. He succeeded and was appointed the guardian of the Our Lady of Snows friary in Prague.^[1]

At the same time, on 12 December 1603,^[1] de Requesens was appointed the general commissioner for Upper Germany, Austria, Bohemia, Hungary, Poland and Croatia^[2] by the Franciscan Curia. His duty was to support the Franciscan province, make visits and preside over chapters as the representative of the Franciscan general. Eight days later, he expressed his interest in visiting the Tyrolean province and probably visited the friary in Innsbruck somewhat later. Due to his office, he travelled a lot and made important decisions.^[1] He served as the military vicar of the Austrian Imperial Army.^[2]

In November 1609, he permitted Father Antonius Remerarius to leave Vienna following complaints and an edict from Archduke Matthias. Participating in the 1606 General Chapter in Toledo, he encountered disagreement with Father Franziskus Rensinck over the Cologne friary. On his return from Spain, he visited the Clarisses and Franciscan friary in Freiburg im Breisgau.^[1]

In the same year, he led various provincial chapters, including those in Bohemia and Graz, where he was unexpectedly elected provincial for three years on October 3. He founded the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception during his provincial tenure and issued a clergy study order. He also served as an advisor to Emperors Rudolf II and Matthias.^[1]

In 1609, during the Order's assembly in Madrid, de Requesens intended to resign as the general commissioner. Testimonials from Tyrolean Provincial Bernard Rast praised his observant adherence to rules, discipline, and religious zeal and described his lifestyle as saintly. He was allowed to resign, with the condition of leading chapters in the Upper German and Tyrolean Provinces, though he couldn't attend the latter in 1610 due to receiving episcopal honours.^[1]