Bishopric of Merseburg
Encyclopedia
The Bishopric of Merseburg was a episcopal see
on the eastern border of the mediæval Duchy of Saxony
with its centre in Merseburg
, where Merseburg Cathedral
was constructed. The see was founded in 967 by Emperor Otto I
at the same time in the same manner as those of Meissen
and Zeitz
(from 1029: Naumburg
), all suffragan dioceses of the Archbishopric of Magdeburg
as part of a plan to bind the Slavic
("Wendish
") lands in the Saxon Eastern March
beyond the Saale
river more closely to the Holy Roman Empire
. The bishopric then covered a considerable small territory between the Saale and Mulde
rivers.
About 919 Otto's father King Henry the Fowler had a Kaiserpfalz
erected in Merseburg in the Eastphalia
n Hassegau
, hometown of his first wife Hatheburg. The establishment of the diocese traced back to a vow Otto took before his victory against the Hungarians at the Battle of Lechfeld
on Saint Laurence day, 10 August 955. Confirmed by Pope John XIII
at the 968 synod
in Ravenna
, the first Merseburg bishop was Boso
, a Bavarian
monk descending from St. Emmeram's Abbey
in Regensburg
(Ratisbon), already distinguished by his missionary
labours among the pagan Sorbs
.
Boso's successor Gisilher, a confidant of the new Emperor Otto II
, from 971 procured the suppression of the see in favour of his aims to become Archbishop of Magdeburg, finally reached through the Emperor's power over Pope Benedict VII
in 981. However this step was clearly against the interests of the Church and the position of Magdeburg archbishopric was decisively enfeebled after the Great Slav Rising
of 983, therefore the dissolution was revoked by the papacy in 998 or early in 999 at a Roma
n synod. Upon Archbishop Gisilher's death in 1004, Emperor Henry II
re-established the Prince-bishop
ric; the diocese did not, however, recover all its former territory, and was now almost exclusively a missionary jurisdiction among the Sorbs, who were not fully converted to Christianity until the middle of the 12th century.
Under Bishop Thietmar
(1009-1018) the erection of Merseburg Cathedral began, it was consecrated in 1021 in presence of Emperor Henry II. During the Investiture Controversy
the Merseburg bishops sided with Pope Gregory VII
and also joined the Great Saxon Revolt
, which, however, could not stop the dwindling importance of the small diocese. From the 13th century onwards, the bishops had to deal with rising power of the Meissen margraves of the Wettin dynasty, from 1423 Electors of Saxony
, who by denying Merseburg's Imperial immediacy attempted to acquire the overlordship. By the 1485 Treaty of Leipzig
the Wettins allocated the protectorate
over Merseburg to Duke Albert III of Saxony.
The bishopric's fate was sealed with the Protestant Reformation
, which was enforced here during the episcopate of Prince Adolph II of Anhalt
, who was driven out of office by his uprising subjects during the Peasants' War
in 1525. In 1544 Elector Augustus of Saxony
finally assumed the rule as Protestant administrator, with Prince George III of Anhalt
as Coadjutor bishop
. In 1561 the Saxon elector installed his minor son Alexander as administrator, who nevertheless died four years later, whereafter the Bishopric of Merseburg was finally incorporated by the Saxon electorate. From 1652 to 1738 the descendants of the Wettin duke Christian I
held the title of a "Duke of Saxe-Merseburg".
At the 1815 Congress of Vienna
, three-fourths of the former diocesan territory was assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia
, the rest remaining Saxon; the religious attitude of the people was by that time almost entirely Lutheran
.
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
on the eastern border of the mediæval Duchy of Saxony
Duchy of Saxony
The medieval Duchy of Saxony was a late Early Middle Ages "Carolingian stem duchy" covering the greater part of Northern Germany. It covered the area of the modern German states of Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saxony-Anhalt and most of Schleswig-Holstein...
with its centre in Merseburg
Merseburg
Merseburg is a town in the south of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt on the river Saale, approx. 14 km south of Halle . It is the capital of the Saalekreis district. It had a diocese founded by Archbishop Adalbert of Magdeburg....
, where Merseburg Cathedral
Merseburg Cathedral
Merseburg Cathedral is a cathedral in Merseburg, Germany. Construction on the Gothic cathedral was begun by Bishop Thietmar of Merseburg in 1015. It was consecrated in 1021 in the presence of Henry II. The cathedral was renovated in the Renaissance style from 1510-17. It is considered an artistic...
was constructed. The see was founded in 967 by Emperor Otto I
Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto I the Great , son of Henry I the Fowler and Matilda of Ringelheim, was Duke of Saxony, King of Germany, King of Italy, and "the first of the Germans to be called the emperor of Italy" according to Arnulf of Milan...
at the same time in the same manner as those of Meissen
Roman Catholic Diocese of Dresden-Meissen
The Diocese of Dresden-Meissen is a Diocese of Catholic Church in Germany. Founded as the Bishopric of Meissen in 968, it was dissolved in 1539 during the Protestant Reformation. The diocese was reestablished in 1921 and renamed Dresden-Meissen in 1980. The seat of the diocese is in Dresden and...
and Zeitz
Zeitz
Zeitz is a town in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river Weiße Elster, in the middle of the triangle of the federal states Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony.-History:...
(from 1029: Naumburg
Naumburg
Naumburg is a town in Germany, on the Saale River. It is in the district Burgenlandkreis in the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt. It is approximately southwest of Leipzig, south-southwest of Halle, and north-northeast of Jena....
), all suffragan dioceses of the Archbishopric of Magdeburg
Archbishopric of Magdeburg
The Archbishopric of Magdeburg was a Roman Catholic archdiocese and Prince-Bishopric of the Holy Roman Empire centered on the city of Magdeburg on the Elbe River....
as part of a plan to bind the Slavic
Polabian Slavs
Polabian Slavs - is a collective term applied to a number of Lechites tribes who lived along the Elbe river, between the Baltic Sea to the north, the Saale and the Limes Saxoniae to the west, the Ore Mountains and the Western Sudetes to the south, and Poland to the east. They have also been known...
("Wendish
Wends
Wends is a historic name for West Slavs living near Germanic settlement areas. It does not refer to a homogeneous people, but to various peoples, tribes or groups depending on where and when it is used...
") lands in the Saxon Eastern March
Saxon Eastern March
The Saxon Eastern March or Ostmark was a march of the Holy Roman Empire from the 10th until the 12th century. The term "eastern march" or "ostmark" comes from the Latin term marchia Orientalis and originally could refer to either a march created on the eastern frontier of the Duchy of Saxony or...
beyond the Saale
Saale
The Saale, also known as the Saxon Saale and Thuringian Saale , is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Franconian Saale, a right-bank tributary of the Main, or the Saale in Lower Saxony, a tributary of the Leine.-Course:The Saale...
river more closely to 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...
. The bishopric then covered a considerable small territory between the Saale and Mulde
Mulde
The Mulde is a river in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Elbe and 124 km in length.The river is formed by the confluence, near Colditz, of the Zwickauer Mulde and the Freiberger Mulde , both rising from the Ore Mountains...
rivers.
Kaiserpfalz
The term Kaiserpfalz or Königspfalz refers to a number of castles across the Holy Roman Empire which served as temporary, secondary seats of power for the Holy Roman Emperor in the Early and High Middle Ages...
erected in Merseburg in the Eastphalia
Eastphalia
Eastphalia is a historical region in northern Germany, encompassing the eastern part of the historic Duchy of Saxony, between the Elbe, Leine, Saale and Unstrut rivers. Today, it covers the southeastern part of the state of Lower Saxony and the western part of Saxony-Anhalt.-Etymology:The name...
n Hassegau
Hassegau
The Hassegau was an early medieval shire in the Eastphalia region of the Duchy of Saxony. It was located in the corner between the Saale , Unstrut , and Wipper rivers; its most important town was Merseburg...
, hometown of his first wife Hatheburg. The establishment of the diocese traced back to a vow Otto took before his victory against the Hungarians at the Battle of Lechfeld
Battle of Lechfeld
The Battle of Lechfeld , often seen as the defining event for holding off the incursions of the Hungarians into Western Europe, was a decisive victory by Otto I the Great, King of the Germans, over the Hungarian leaders, the harka Bulcsú and the chieftains Lél and Súr...
on Saint Laurence day, 10 August 955. Confirmed by Pope John XIII
Pope John XIII
Pope John XIII of Crescenzi family served as Pope from October 1, 965, until his death.Born in Rome, he spent his career in the papal court...
at the 968 synod
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
in Ravenna
Ravenna
Ravenna is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy and the second largest comune in Italy by land area, although, at , it is little more than half the size of the largest comune, Rome...
, the first Merseburg bishop was Boso
Boso of Merseburg
Boso of Merseburg was the first Bishop of Merseburg in Saxony-Anhalt, and "Apostle of the Wends."Boso, a native of Bavaria, was a Benedictine monk of Saint Emmeram's in Regensburg, from where he was summoned to the court of Otto I, who, considering the conversion of the lately subjugated Wends...
, a Bavarian
History of Bavaria
The history of Bavaria stretches from its earliest settlement and its formation as a stem duchy in the 6th century through its inclusion in the Holy Roman Empires to its status as an independent kingdom and, finally, as a large and significant Bundesland of the modern Federal Republic of...
monk descending from St. Emmeram's Abbey
St. Emmeram's Abbey
St. Emmeram's Abbey , now known as Schloss Thurn und Taxis, Schloss St. Emmeram, and St...
in 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...
(Ratisbon), already distinguished by his missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
labours among the pagan Sorbs
Sorbs
Sorbs are a Western Slavic people of Central Europe living predominantly in Lusatia, a region on the territory of Germany and Poland. In Germany they live in the states of Brandenburg and Saxony. They speak the Sorbian languages - closely related to Polish and Czech - officially recognized and...
.
Boso's successor Gisilher, a confidant of the new Emperor Otto II
Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto II , called the Red, was the third ruler of the Saxon or Ottonian dynasty, the son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy.-Early years and co-ruler with Otto I:...
, from 971 procured the suppression of the see in favour of his aims to become Archbishop of Magdeburg, finally reached through the Emperor's power over Pope Benedict VII
Pope Benedict VII
Pope Benedict VII, born in Rome, the son of David or Deodatus , and previously Bishop of Sutri, died July 10, 983; belonged to the noble family of the Counts of Tusculum. He was elected by the Roman clergy and people under the influence of Sicco, imperial envoy of Emperor Otto II...
in 981. However this step was clearly against the interests of the Church and the position of Magdeburg archbishopric was decisively enfeebled after the Great Slav Rising
Great Slav Rising
The Great Slav Rising von 983 was an uprising of the Slavic Lutici und Obotrite people living to the east of the Elbe in modern north-east Germany...
of 983, therefore the dissolution was revoked by the papacy in 998 or early in 999 at a Roma
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
n synod. Upon Archbishop Gisilher's death in 1004, Emperor Henry II
Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry II , also referred to as Saint Henry, Obl.S.B., was the fifth and last Holy Roman Emperor of the Ottonian dynasty, from his coronation in Rome in 1014 until his death a decade later. He was crowned King of the Germans in 1002 and King of Italy in 1004...
re-established the Prince-bishop
Prince-Bishop
A Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office...
ric; the diocese did not, however, recover all its former territory, and was now almost exclusively a missionary jurisdiction among the Sorbs, who were not fully converted to Christianity until the middle of the 12th century.
Under Bishop Thietmar
Thietmar of Merseburg
Thietmar of Merseburg was a German chronicler who was also bishop of Merseburg.-Life:...
(1009-1018) the erection of Merseburg Cathedral began, it was consecrated in 1021 in presence of Emperor Henry II. During the Investiture Controversy
Investiture Controversy
The Investiture Controversy or Investiture Contest was the most significant conflict between Church and state in medieval Europe. In the 11th and 12th centuries, a series of Popes challenged the authority of European monarchies over control of appointments, or investitures, of church officials such...
the Merseburg bishops sided with Pope Gregory VII
Pope Gregory VII
Pope St. Gregory VII , born Hildebrand of Sovana , was Pope from April 22, 1073, until his death. One of the great reforming popes, he is perhaps best known for the part he played in the Investiture Controversy, his dispute with Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor affirming the primacy of the papal...
and also joined the Great Saxon Revolt
Great Saxon Revolt
The Great Saxon Revolt was a civil war between 1077 and 1088 early in the history of the Holy Roman Empire led by a group of opportunistic German princes who elected as their figurehead the duke of Swabia and anti-king Rudolf of Rheinfeld, a two-way brother-in-law of the young Henry IV, Holy Roman...
, which, however, could not stop the dwindling importance of the small diocese. From the 13th century onwards, the bishops had to deal with rising power of the Meissen margraves of the Wettin dynasty, from 1423 Electors of Saxony
Electorate of Saxony
The Electorate of Saxony , sometimes referred to as Upper Saxony, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was established when Emperor Charles IV raised the Ascanian duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg to the status of an Electorate by the Golden Bull of 1356...
, who by denying Merseburg's Imperial immediacy attempted to acquire the overlordship. By the 1485 Treaty of Leipzig
Treaty of Leipzig
The Treaty of Leipzig was signed on August 26, 1485 between Elector Ernest of Saxony and his younger brother Albert III, sons of Elector Frederick II of Saxony from the House of Wettin....
the Wettins allocated the protectorate
Protectorate
In history, the term protectorate has two different meanings. In its earliest inception, which has been adopted by modern international law, it is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity...
over Merseburg to Duke Albert III of Saxony.
The bishopric's fate was sealed with the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
, which was enforced here during the episcopate of Prince Adolph II of Anhalt
Adolph II, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen
Adolph II, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen , was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Köthen...
, who was driven out of office by his uprising subjects during the Peasants' War
Peasants' War
The Peasants' War was a popular revolt that took place in Europe during 1524–1525...
in 1525. In 1544 Elector Augustus of Saxony
Augustus, Elector of Saxony
Augustus was Elector of Saxony from 1553 to 1586.-First years:Augustus was born in Freiberg, the youngest child and third son of Henry IV, Duke of Saxony, and Catherine of Mecklenburg. He consequently belonged to the Albertine branch of the Wettin family...
finally assumed the rule as Protestant administrator, with Prince George III of Anhalt
George III, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
George III, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau , was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Dessau...
as Coadjutor bishop
Coadjutor bishop
A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...
. In 1561 the Saxon elector installed his minor son Alexander as administrator, who nevertheless died four years later, whereafter the Bishopric of Merseburg was finally incorporated by the Saxon electorate. From 1652 to 1738 the descendants of the Wettin duke Christian I
Christian I, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg
Christian I of Saxe-Merseburg , was the first duke of Saxe-Merseburg and a member of the House of Wettin....
held the title of a "Duke of Saxe-Merseburg".
At the 1815 Congress of Vienna
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of European states chaired by Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, and held in Vienna from September, 1814 to June, 1815. The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars,...
, three-fourths of the former diocesan territory was assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
, the rest remaining Saxon; the religious attitude of the people was by that time almost entirely Lutheran
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
.
Bishops of Merseburg
- 967–970: BosoBoso of MerseburgBoso of Merseburg was the first Bishop of Merseburg in Saxony-Anhalt, and "Apostle of the Wends."Boso, a native of Bavaria, was a Benedictine monk of Saint Emmeram's in Regensburg, from where he was summoned to the court of Otto I, who, considering the conversion of the lately subjugated Wends...
- 971–981: Gisilher
- 981–1004: diocese dissolved
Prince-Bishops of Merseburg
- 1004–1009: Wigbert
- 1009–1018: Thietmar of WalbeckThietmar of MerseburgThietmar of Merseburg was a German chronicler who was also bishop of Merseburg.-Life:...
- 1019–1036: Bruno of Merseburg
- 1036–1050: Hunold
- 1050–1053: Alberich
- 1053: Winther
- 1053–1057: Ezzelin I
- 1057–1062: Offo (also Uffo, Onuphrius, or Woffo)
- 1062–1063: Günther (also Winithar)
- 1063–1093: Werner of Wolkenburg
- 1075: Eberhard (anti-bishop)
- 1093–1097: sede vacanteSede vacanteSede vacante is an expression, used in the Canon Law of the Catholic Church, that refers to the vacancy of the episcopal see of a particular church...
- 1097–1112: Albuin
- 1112–1120: Gerard (Gerhard)
- 1120–1126: Arnold
- 1126–1140: Megingoz (also Meingod)
- 1140–1140: Henry I
- 1140–1143: Ezzelin II (also Eckhelm)
- 1143–1151: Raynard (Reinhard) of Querfurt
- 1151–1170: John I (Johann)
- 1171–1201: Count Eberhard of Seeburg
- 1201–1215: Derek of Meissen (Dietrich von Meißen)
- 1215–1240: Ekkehard Rabil (also Engelhard)
- 1240–1244: Rudolph of Webau
- 1244–1265: Henry II of Waren
- 1265: Albert I of Borna (Albrecht)
- 1265–1283: Frederick I of Torgau
- 1283–1300: Henry III von AmmendorfVon Ammendorf Family----The von Ammendorf family, now extinct, was a family of Brandenburg nobility from which the von Blumenthal and von Grabow families originated.- History :...
- 1300–1319: Henry IV
- 1320–1340: Gebhard of Schrapelau (or Schraplau)
- 1341–1357: Henry V, Count of StolbergCounty of StolbergThe County of Stolberg was a county of the Holy Roman Empire located in the Harz mountain range in present-day Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.The town of Stolberg was probably founded in the 12th century as a mining settlement. The Counts of Stolberg probably derived from a branch of the counts of...
- 1357–1382: Frederick II of Hoym
- 1382–1384: Burkhard of Querfurt
- 1382–1385: Andreas Dauba (anti-bishop)
- 1384–1393: Henry VI, Count of StolbergCounty of StolbergThe County of Stolberg was a county of the Holy Roman Empire located in the Harz mountain range in present-day Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.The town of Stolberg was probably founded in the 12th century as a mining settlement. The Counts of Stolberg probably derived from a branch of the counts of...
- 1393–1403: Henry VII, treasurer from Orlamünde
- 1403–1406: Otto of Honstein
- 1406: Bishop Elect Henry (VIII), Count of StolbergCounty of StolbergThe County of Stolberg was a county of the Holy Roman Empire located in the Harz mountain range in present-day Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.The town of Stolberg was probably founded in the 12th century as a mining settlement. The Counts of Stolberg probably derived from a branch of the counts of...
- 1407–1411: Walter von Köckeritz
- 1411–1431: Nicholas Lubich
- 1431–1463: John II of Bose (Johannes; 23 May 1431 - 3 October 1463)
- 1464–1466: John III of Bose (Johannes; January 1464 - 11 July 1466)
- 1466–1514: Thilo of Trotha (21 Jul 1466 - 5 Mar 1514)
- 1514–1526: Adolph of AnhaltAdolph II, Prince of Anhalt-KöthenAdolph II, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen , was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Köthen...
(5 March 1514 - 23 March 1526) - 1526–1535: Vincent of Schleinitz (Vinzenz; 9 April 1526 - 21 March 1535)
- 1535–1544: Sigismund of Lindenau (3 April 1535 - 4 January 1544)
Lutheran Administrator and coadjutor
- 1544–1548: Augustus of SaxonyAugustus, Elector of SaxonyAugustus was Elector of Saxony from 1553 to 1586.-First years:Augustus was born in Freiberg, the youngest child and third son of Henry IV, Duke of Saxony, and Catherine of Mecklenburg. He consequently belonged to the Albertine branch of the Wettin family...
, as administrator- 1544–1549: George of AnhaltGeorge III, Prince of Anhalt-DessauGeorge III, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau , was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Dessau...
, as Lutheran coadjutor
- 1544–1549: George of Anhalt
Lutheran Administrator
- 1561–1565: Alexander of Saxony
- In 1565 the prince-bishopric was annexed to the Electorate of SaxonyElectorate of SaxonyThe Electorate of Saxony , sometimes referred to as Upper Saxony, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was established when Emperor Charles IV raised the Ascanian duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg to the status of an Electorate by the Golden Bull of 1356...
- In 1565 the prince-bishopric was annexed to the Electorate of Saxony