Archbishopric of Regensburg
Encyclopedia
The Principality of Regensburg was a principality
within the Holy Roman Empire
and the Confederation of the Rhine
which existed between 1803 and 1810. Its capital was the city of Regensburg
, now in Bavaria
, Germany
.
The principality was created for Karl Theodor von Dalberg, the Prince-Primate of the Empire and the former Archbishop of Mainz, due to the annexation of Mainz
itself by the French under the Treaty of Lunéville
. Most of the new principality consisted of the territory of the old Prince-Bishopric of Regensburg
, which had been founded in 739 by St Boniface. The principality also included the Lordships of Donaustauf
, Wörth
, and Hohenburg
, the imperial city of Regensburg, St. Emmeram's Abbey
, and the abbeys Obermünster and Niedermünster
. Dalberg also retained the Principality of Aschaffenburg
along the Main River
.
Dalberg received the electoral
dignity previously accorded to the Electorate of Mainz; his new principality has thus been known in German as Kurfürstentum Regensburg ("Electorate of Regensburg"). Because the archiepiscopal status of Mainz had also been transferred to the Regensburg diocese, the principality has also been known in English as the Archbishopric of Regensburg.
Because of Bavarian claims on Regensburg, Dalberg was not installed as archbishop until 1 February 1805. The principality lost its status as an electorate in 1806 with the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire
and became part of the Confederation of the Rhine
later that year. The Napoleonic code
was introduced in 1809.
During the War of the Fifth Coalition
, Austrian troops occupied Regensburg
on 20 April 1809; it was shelled and stormed by French troops three days later. In the Treaty of Paris
, Dalberg conceded Regensburg to the Kingdom of Bavaria
, which formally incorporated the city on 22 May 1810. In return for conceding Regensburg, Dalberg was granted Hanau
and Fulda
, which he combined with the Principality of Aschaffenburg to create the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt
. Although he had lost the Principality of Regensburg, Dalberg retained the title of Archbishop of Regensburg until his death in 1817, after which time the archbishopric was downgraded to a suffragan diocese of Munich and Freising
.
Principality
A principality is a monarchical feudatory or sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or princess, or by a monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince....
within the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
and the Confederation of the Rhine
Confederation of the Rhine
The Confederation of the Rhine was a confederation of client states of the First French Empire. It was formed initially from 16 German states by Napoleon after he defeated Austria's Francis II and Russia's Alexander I in the Battle of Austerlitz. The Treaty of Pressburg, in effect, led to the...
which existed between 1803 and 1810. Its capital was the city of Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
, now in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
The principality was created for Karl Theodor von Dalberg, the Prince-Primate of the Empire and the former Archbishop of Mainz, due to the annexation of Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
itself by the French under the Treaty of Lunéville
Treaty of Lunéville
The Treaty of Lunéville was signed on 9 February 1801 between the French Republic and the Holy Roman Emperor Francis II, negotiating both on behalf of his own domains and of the Holy Roman Empire...
. Most of the new principality consisted of the territory of the old Prince-Bishopric of Regensburg
Bishopric of Regensburg
The Bishopric of Regensburg was a small prince-bishopric of the Holy Roman Empire, located in what is now southern Germany. It was elevated to the Archbishopric of Regensburg in 1803 after the dissolution of the Archbishopric of Mainz, but became a bishopric again in 1817.-History:The diocese...
, which had been founded in 739 by St Boniface. The principality also included the Lordships of Donaustauf
Donaustauf
Donaustauf is a market town in Bavaria, 5 km east of Regensburg at the foothills of the Bavarian Forest. The ruins of a medieval castle, presumably erected between 914 and 930, tower above the small town...
, Wörth
Wörth an der Donau
Wörth an der Donau is a town in the district of Regensburg, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Danube, 22 km east of Regensburg.- References :...
, and Hohenburg
Hohenburg, Bavaria
Hohenburg is a municipality in the district of Amberg-Sulzbach in Bavaria in Germany....
, the imperial city of Regensburg, St. Emmeram's Abbey
St. Emmeram's Abbey
St. Emmeram's Abbey , now known as Schloss Thurn und Taxis, Schloss St. Emmeram, and St...
, and the abbeys Obermünster and Niedermünster
Niedermünster, Regensburg
The Niedermünster or Niedermünster Abbey , Regensburg, was a house of canonesses in Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany. At the height of its power was one of the wealthiest and most influential in Bavaria...
. Dalberg also retained the Principality of Aschaffenburg
Principality of Aschaffenburg
The Principality of Aschaffenburg was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire and the Confederation of the Rhine from 1803–10. Its capital was Aschaffenburg....
along the Main River
Main river
Main rivers are a statutory type of watercourse in England and Wales, usually larger streams and rivers, but also include some smaller watercourses. A main river is defined as a watercourse marked as such on a main river map, and can include any structure or appliance for controlling or regulating...
.
Dalberg received the electoral
Prince-elector
The Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Roman king or, from the middle of the 16th century onwards, directly the Holy Roman Emperor.The heir-apparent to a prince-elector was known as an...
dignity previously accorded to the Electorate of Mainz; his new principality has thus been known in German as Kurfürstentum Regensburg ("Electorate of Regensburg"). Because the archiepiscopal status of Mainz had also been transferred to the Regensburg diocese, the principality has also been known in English as the Archbishopric of Regensburg.
Because of Bavarian claims on Regensburg, Dalberg was not installed as archbishop until 1 February 1805. The principality lost its status as an electorate in 1806 with the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
and became part of the Confederation of the Rhine
Confederation of the Rhine
The Confederation of the Rhine was a confederation of client states of the First French Empire. It was formed initially from 16 German states by Napoleon after he defeated Austria's Francis II and Russia's Alexander I in the Battle of Austerlitz. The Treaty of Pressburg, in effect, led to the...
later that year. The Napoleonic code
Napoleonic code
The Napoleonic Code — or Code Napoléon — is the French civil code, established under Napoléon I in 1804. The code forbade privileges based on birth, allowed freedom of religion, and specified that government jobs go to the most qualified...
was introduced in 1809.
During the War of the Fifth Coalition
War of the Fifth Coalition
The War of the Fifth Coalition, fought in the year 1809, pitted a coalition of the Austrian Empire and the United Kingdom against Napoleon's French Empire and Bavaria. Major engagements between France and Austria, the main participants, unfolded over much of Central Europe from April to July, with...
, Austrian troops occupied Regensburg
Battle of Ratisbon
The Battle of Ratisbon, also called the Battle of Regensburg, of the Napoleonic Wars was fought on the 23 April 1809 between the army of the First French Empire, led by Napoleon I, and that of the Austrian Empire, led by Archduke Charles...
on 20 April 1809; it was shelled and stormed by French troops three days later. In the Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1810)
The Treaty of Paris, signed on January 6, 1810, ended the war between France and Sweden after Sweden's defeat by Russia, an ally of France, in the Finnish War of 1808-1809...
, Dalberg conceded Regensburg to the Kingdom of Bavaria
Kingdom of Bavaria
The Kingdom of Bavaria was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Bavarian Elector Maximilian IV Joseph of the House of Wittelsbach became the first King of Bavaria in 1806 as Maximilian I Joseph. The monarchy would remain held by the Wittelsbachs until the kingdom's dissolution in 1918...
, which formally incorporated the city on 22 May 1810. In return for conceding Regensburg, Dalberg was granted Hanau
Hanau
Hanau is a town in the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is located 25 km east of Frankfurt am Main. Its station is a major railway junction.- Geography :...
and Fulda
Fulda
Fulda is a city in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district .- Early Middle Ages :...
, which he combined with the Principality of Aschaffenburg to create the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt
Grand Duchy of Frankfurt
The Grand Duchy of Frankfurt was a German satellite state of Napoleonic creation. It came into existence in 1810 through the combination of the former territories of the Archbishops of Mainz along with the Free Imperial City of Frankfurt itself....
. Although he had lost the Principality of Regensburg, Dalberg retained the title of Archbishop of Regensburg until his death in 1817, after which time the archbishopric was downgraded to a suffragan diocese of Munich and Freising
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Munich and Freising
The Archdiocese of Munich and Freising is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Bavaria, Germany. It is led by the prelature of the Archbishop of Munich, who administers the see from the mother church in Munich, the Frauenkirche, also known as Munich Cathedral...
.