Prince-Bishopric of Basel
Encyclopedia
The Prince-Bishopric of Basel was a historical feudal state within the Holy Roman Empire
, from 1032 ruled by Prince-Bishop
s, whose seat was at Basel
until 1528 and in Porrentruy
until 1792. The final dissolution of the state was declared in 1803 as part of the German Mediatisation
.
Besides the city of Basel itself, it comprised territories now in the Swiss
cantons of Basel-Landschaft, Jura
, Solothurn
and Bern, besides minor territories in nearby portions of southern Germany
and eastern France
.
became episcopal seat in ca. 740, continuing the 4th century diocese of Augusta Raurica
. In 999,
Rudolph III of Burgundy
presented the bishop of Basel with the abbey of Moutier-Grandval, establishing the bishopric as a secular vassal state of Burgundy with feudal authority over significant territories. After the death of Rudolph in 1032, the vassalage was converted to imperial immediacy, elevating the Bishop of Base to the status of Prince-Bishop
, ranking as an ecclesiastical Reichsfurst of the Holy Roman Empire
.
The Prince-Bishopric reached the peak of its power during the late 12th to early 14th centuries.
In the course of the 14th century, financial difficulties forced the bishops of Basel to sell parts of their territory.
DUring the 15th century, a number of politically and militarily successful bishops managed to regain some of the previously lost territories. Basel began to align itself with the Old Swiss Confederacy
as an "associated city" (Zugewandter Ort).
Basel became the focal point of western Christendom during the 15th century Council of Basel
(1431–1449), including the 1439 election of antipope
Felix V
.
In 1459 Pope Pius II
endowed the University of Basel
where such notables as Erasmus
of Rotterdam
and Paracelsus
later taught.
Following the Imperial Reform of 1495, the prince-bishopric was part of the Upper Rhenish Circle
of the Imperial Circle Estates.
In the 16th century the city of Basel acceded to the Old Swiss Confederacy
(1501) and soon joined the Swiss Reformation (1528), forcing the bishop into exile in Porrentruy
. The secular rule of the Prince-Bishops from this time was mostly limited to territories west of Basel, more or less corresponding to the modern canton of Jura
.
The Prince-Bishopric lost most of its remaining territories to the Rauracian Republic
in 1792 (converted into the French département of Mont-Terrible
in the following year), retaining Schliengen
as its sole dominion. Schliengen was made part of the Margraviate of Baden
in the resolution of the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss of 1803, discontinuing the status of the bishops of Basel as secular rulers.
The Prince-Bishopric also held the following territories, which were lost before 1527:
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...
, from 1032 ruled by 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...
s, whose seat was at Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
until 1528 and in Porrentruy
Porrentruy
Porrentruy is a Swiss municipality and seat of the district of the same name located in the canton of Jura.-Geography:The municipality lies on both sides of the Allaine River, in Ajoie at the foot of the Jura Mountains on the north...
until 1792. The final dissolution of the state was declared in 1803 as part of the German Mediatisation
German Mediatisation
The German Mediatisation was the series of mediatisations and secularisations that occurred in Germany between 1795 and 1814, during the latter part of the era of the French Revolution and then the Napoleonic Era....
.
Besides the city of Basel itself, it comprised territories now in the Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
cantons of Basel-Landschaft, Jura
Canton of Jura
The Republic and Canton of the Jura , also known as the Canton of Jura or Canton Jura, is one of the cantons of Switzerland. It is the newest of the 26 Swiss cantons, located in the northwestern part of Switzerland. The capital is Delémont...
, Solothurn
Canton of Solothurn
Solothurn is a canton of Switzerland. It is located in the northwest of Switzerland. The capital is Solothurn.-History:The territory of the canton comprises land acquired by the capital...
and Bern, besides minor territories in nearby portions of southern 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...
and eastern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
History
The city of BaselBasel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
became episcopal seat in ca. 740, continuing the 4th century diocese of Augusta Raurica
Augusta Raurica
Augusta Raurica is a Roman archaeological site and an open-air museum in Switzerland. Located on the south bank of the Rhine river about 20 km east of Basel near the villages of Augst and Kaiseraugst, it is the oldest known Roman colony on the Rhine....
. In 999,
Rudolph III of Burgundy
Rudolph III of Burgundy
Rudolf III of Burgundy was the last King of an independent Burgundy. He was the son of Conrad, King of Burgundy, and Matilda of France...
presented the bishop of Basel with the abbey of Moutier-Grandval, establishing the bishopric as a secular vassal state of Burgundy with feudal authority over significant territories. After the death of Rudolph in 1032, the vassalage was converted to imperial immediacy, elevating the Bishop of Base to the status of 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...
, ranking as an ecclesiastical Reichsfurst 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...
.
The Prince-Bishopric reached the peak of its power during the late 12th to early 14th centuries.
In the course of the 14th century, financial difficulties forced the bishops of Basel to sell parts of their territory.
DUring the 15th century, a number of politically and militarily successful bishops managed to regain some of the previously lost territories. Basel began to align itself with the Old Swiss Confederacy
Old Swiss Confederacy
The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland....
as an "associated city" (Zugewandter Ort).
Basel became the focal point of western Christendom during the 15th century Council of Basel
Council of Florence
The Council of Florence was an Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. It began in 1431 in Basel, Switzerland, and became known as the Council of Ferrara after its transfer to Ferrara was decreed by Pope Eugene IV, to convene in 1438...
(1431–1449), including the 1439 election of antipope
Antipope
An antipope is a person who opposes a legitimately elected or sitting Pope and makes a significantly accepted competing claim to be the Pope, the Bishop of Rome and leader of the Roman Catholic Church. At times between the 3rd and mid-15th century, antipopes were typically those supported by a...
Felix V
Antipope Felix V
-External links:*...
.
In 1459 Pope Pius II
Pope Pius II
Pope Pius II, born Enea Silvio Piccolomini was Pope from August 19, 1458 until his death in 1464. Pius II was born at Corsignano in the Sienese territory of a noble but decayed family...
endowed the University of Basel
University of Basel
The University of Basel is located in Basel, Switzerland, and is considered to be one of leading universities in the country...
where such notables as Erasmus
Desiderius Erasmus
Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus , known as Erasmus of Rotterdam, was a Dutch Renaissance humanist, Catholic priest, and a theologian....
of Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
and Paracelsus
Paracelsus
Paracelsus was a German-Swiss Renaissance physician, botanist, alchemist, astrologer, and general occultist....
later taught.
Following the Imperial Reform of 1495, the prince-bishopric was part of the Upper Rhenish Circle
Upper Rhenish Circle
The Upper Rhenish Circle was an Imperial Circle of the Holy Roman Empire established in 1500 on the territory of the former Duchy of Upper Lorraine and large parts of Rhenish Franconia including the Swabian Alsace region and the Burgundian duchy of Savoy....
of the Imperial Circle Estates.
In the 16th century the city of Basel acceded to the Old Swiss Confederacy
Old Swiss Confederacy
The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland....
(1501) and soon joined the Swiss Reformation (1528), forcing the bishop into exile in Porrentruy
Porrentruy
Porrentruy is a Swiss municipality and seat of the district of the same name located in the canton of Jura.-Geography:The municipality lies on both sides of the Allaine River, in Ajoie at the foot of the Jura Mountains on the north...
. The secular rule of the Prince-Bishops from this time was mostly limited to territories west of Basel, more or less corresponding to the modern canton of Jura
Canton of Jura
The Republic and Canton of the Jura , also known as the Canton of Jura or Canton Jura, is one of the cantons of Switzerland. It is the newest of the 26 Swiss cantons, located in the northwestern part of Switzerland. The capital is Delémont...
.
The Prince-Bishopric lost most of its remaining territories to the Rauracian Republic
Rauracian Republic
The Rauracian Republic was a state that included parts of modern France and Switzerland around the Jura mountains. It was created from the northern portion of the Prince-Bishopric of Basel, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire....
in 1792 (converted into the French département of Mont-Terrible
Mont-Terrible
Mont-Terrible was one of the 130 départements of Napoleonic France, with its capital at Porrentruy.The Mont Terrible for which the département was named is now known as mont Terri, a peak of 804 m near Courgenay, now in the canton of Jura, Switzerland.The département was created in 1793 with the...
in the following year), retaining Schliengen
Schliengen
Schliengen is a town in southwestern Germany in the state of Baden-Württemberg, in the Kreis of Lörrach. Schliengen's claim to international fame is the Battle of Schliengen, fought between forces of the French Revolutionary army under Jean-Victor Moreau and the Austrian army under Karl von...
as its sole dominion. Schliengen was made part of the Margraviate of Baden
Margraviate of Baden
The Margraviate of Baden were a historical territory in the Holy Roman Empire. It was already named so in 1112 and existed until the division in 1535 and lived with the reunion back in 1771, until the Electorate of Baden came up in 1803...
in the resolution of the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss of 1803, discontinuing the status of the bishops of Basel as secular rulers.
Territories
By the 16th century, the Prince-Bishopric of Basel comprised:-
BaselBaselBasel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany... -
Abbey of BellelayBellelay AbbeyBellelay Abbey is a former Premonstratensian monastery in the Bernese Jura in Switzerland, now a psychiatric clinic.-History:According to the legend, the monastery was founded in 1136 by Siginand, prior of the abbey of Moutier-Grandval, who got lost in the deep forest of the High Jura while hunting... -
BettingenBettingenBettingen is a municipality in the canton of Basel-Stadt in Switzerland.-Geography:Bettingen has an area, , of . Of this area, or 34.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 44.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, or 18.8% is settled .Of the built up area, housing and buildings made... - Amt of BirseckBurg BirseckBirseck Castle is located in the municipality of Arlesheim in the canton of Basel-Country. Birseck Castle is also called "Untere Burg Birseck" or "Vordere Burg Birseck" and is one of four castles on a slope called Birseck that confines the plain of the Birs river.The Eremitage building group that...
- Barony of ElsgauPorrentruyPorrentruy is a Swiss municipality and seat of the district of the same name located in the canton of Jura.-Geography:The municipality lies on both sides of the Allaine River, in Ajoie at the foot of the Jura Mountains on the north...
- Barony of Erguel
- Amt of HombergHomberg, SwitzerlandHomberg is a municipality in the administrative district of Thun in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.-Geography:Homberg has an area, , of . Of this area, or 63.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 32.0% is forested...
-
Istein -
Amt of LiestalLiestalLiestal is the capital of the canton of Basel-Country in Switzerland, south of Basel.It is an industrial town with a cobbled-street Old Town.-History:... -
Provostry of Moutier-GrandvalMoutier (district)Moutier District was one of the 3 French-speaking districts of the Bernese Jura in the canton of Bern with the seat being Moutier. It had a population of about 23'098 in 2004.-References:... -
Barony of OrvinOrvinOrvin is a municipality in the Jura bernois administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is located in the French-speaking Bernese Jura . Above it, there is a small year round resort, called les "Prés-d'Orvin".... - Barony of Pfäffingen
-
RiehenRiehenRiehen is a municipality in the canton of Basel-Stadt in Switzerland. Together with the city of Basel and Bettingen, Riehen is one of three municipalities in the canton.... - Vogtei of St UrsanneSaint-UrsanneSaint Ursanne is a city and a former municipality of the district of Porrentruy in the canton of Jura, Switzerland which has preserved its medieval character. The city contains many historical curiosities, including collegiate churches, a cloister, ruins of a castle, and a hermitage...
- Vogtei of SaugernSoyhièresSoyhières is a municipality in the district of Delémont in the canton of Jura in Switzerland.-References:...
-
SchliengenSchliengenSchliengen is a town in southwestern Germany in the state of Baden-Württemberg, in the Kreis of Lörrach. Schliengen's claim to international fame is the Battle of Schliengen, fought between forces of the French Revolutionary army under Jean-Victor Moreau and the Austrian army under Karl von... -
Barony of TessenbergDiesseDiesse is a municipality in the Jura bernois administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland, located in the French-speaking Bernese Jura .-History:... -
Amt of WaldenburgWaldenburg (district)Waldenburg District is one of the five districts of the largely German-speaking canton of Basel-Country in Switzerland. The district lies to the south of Basel-Country, bordering the canton of Solothurn. Its capital is the town of Waldenburg. It has a population of . In average 150 persons live in... -
Amt of Zwingen-LaufenLaufen (district)Laufen District or Laufental District is one of the five districts of the largely German-speaking canton of Basel-Country, Switzerland. Its capital is the town of Laufen....
The Prince-Bishopric also held the following territories, which were lost before 1527:
- Landgraviate of Buchsgau
-
Landgraviate of Sisgau -
Barony of ValanginValanginValangin is a municipality in the district of Val-de-Ruz in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland.-Geography:Valangin has an area, , of . Of this area, or 39.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 49.7% is forested...