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The Archbishopric of Magdeburg was a Roman Catholic
archdiocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
(969–1552) and Prince-Archbishopric (1180–1680) of the Holy Roman Empire centered on the city of Magdeburg on the Elbe River. Planned since 955 and established in 968, the Roman Catholic archdiocese had de facto turned void since 1557, when the last papally confirmed prince-archbishop, the Lutheran Sigismund of Brandenburg came of age and ascended to the see and the Magdeburg Cathedral chapter had adopted Lutheranism in 1567, with most parishioners having preceded in their conversion. All his successors were only administrators of the prince-archbishopric and Lutheran too, except the Catholic layman
Leopold William of Austria Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria (5 January 1614 – 20 November 1662), younger brother of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor Ferdinand III, was an Austrian soldier, administrator and patron of the arts. He held a number of military ...
(1631–1635). In ecclesiastical respect the remaining Catholics and their parishes and abbeys in the former archdiocese were put under supervision of the Archdiocese of Cologne in 1648 and under the jurisdiction of the Apostolic Vicariate of the Northern Missions in 1670. In political respect the ''Erzstift'', the archiepiscopal and capitular temporalities, had gained
imperial immediacy Imperial immediacy (german: Reichsfreiheit or ') was a privileged constitutional and political status rooted in German feudal law under which the Imperial estates of the Holy Roman Empire such as Imperial cities, prince-bishoprics and secular prin ...
as a prince-archbishopric in 1180. Its territory comprised only some parts of the archdiocesan area, such as the city of Magdeburg, the bulk of the Magdeburg Börde, and the Jerichow Land as an integral whole and
exclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...
s in parts of the Saalkreis including Halle upon Saale, Oebisfelde and environs as well as Jüterbog and environs. The prince-archbishopric maintained its statehood as an
elective monarchy An elective monarchy is a monarchy ruled by an elected monarch, in contrast to a hereditary monarchy in which the office is automatically passed down as a family inheritance. The manner of election, the nature of candidate qualifications, and the ...
until 1680. Then
Brandenburg-Prussia Brandenburg-Prussia (german: Brandenburg-Preußen; ) is the historiographic denomination for the early modern realm of the Brandenburgian Hohenzollerns between 1618 and 1701. Based in the Electorate of Brandenburg, the main branch of the Hohenz ...
acquired Magdeburg prince-archbishopric, and after being
secularised In sociology, secularization (or secularisation) is the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions toward non-religious values and secular institutions. The ''secularization thesis'' expresses the ...
, transformed it into the Duchy of Magdeburg, a
hereditary monarchy A hereditary monarchy is a form of government and succession of power in which the throne passes from one member of a ruling family to another member of the same family. A series of rulers from the same family would constitute a dynasty. It is h ...
in personal union with Brandenburg. The 1994-founded modern Diocese of Magdeburg is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church located in the German states of Saxony-Anhalt (bulk), Brandenburg and Saxony (smaller fringes each).


History

After the wars of the years 940 and 954, when the Polabian Slavs, as far as the
Oder The Oder ( , ; Czech, Lower Sorbian and ; ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river in total length and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows thr ...
, the
Magyars Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Uralic ...
had advanced so far into Germany, that Augsburg was threatened. At the Battle of Lechfeld in 955 they were defeated and repelled. Immediately in 955
Otto the Great Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the oldest son of Henr ...
set to work to establish an archbishopric in Magdeburg, for the stabilisation through Christianisation of the eastern territories. He wished to transfer the capital of the diocese from Halberstadt to Magdeburg, and make it an archdiocese. But this was strenuously opposed by the
Archbishop of Mainz The Elector of Mainz was one of the seven Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire. As both the Archbishop of Mainz and the ruling prince of the Electorate of Mainz, the Elector of Mainz held a powerful position during the Middle Ages. The Archb ...
, who was the metropolitan of Halberstadt. When, in 962, Pope John XII sanctioned the establishment of an archbishopric, Otto seemed to have abandoned his plan of a transfer. The estates belonging to the convents mentioned above (founded in 937) were converted into a mensa for the new archbishopric, and the monks transferred to the Berge Convent. The archiepiscopal church made
St. Maurice Saint Maurice (also Moritz, Morris, or Mauritius; ) was an Egyptian military leader who headed the legendary Theban Legion of Rome in the 3rd century, and is one of the favorite and most widely venerated saints of that martyred group. He is the p ...
its patron, and in addition received new donations and grants from Otto. Its ecclesiastical province included the existing dioceses of Brandenburg and Havelberg and the newly founded dioceses of Merseburg, Zeitz, and Meißen. Lebus was added in 1424. The new archdiocese was close to the unsecured border regions of the Holy Roman Empire and Slavic tribes, and was meant to promote Christianity among the many Slavs and others. Then, on 20 April 967, the archbishopric was solemnly established at the Synod of Ravenna in the presence of the pope and the emperor. The first archbishop was Adelbert, a former monk of St. Maximin's at Trier, afterwards missionary bishop to the Ruthenians (
Ruthenia Ruthenia or , uk, Рутенія, translit=Rutenia or uk, Русь, translit=Rus, label=none, pl, Ruś, be, Рутэнія, Русь, russian: Рутения, Русь is an exonym, originally used in Medieval Latin as one of several terms ...
), and Abbot of Weissenburg in Alsace. He was elected in the autumn of 968, received the pallium at Rome, and at the end of the year was solemnly enthroned in Magdeburg. The archdiocesan area of Magdeburg was rather small; it comprised the Slavonic districts of Serimunt, Nudizi, Neletici, Nizizi, and half of northern Thuringia, which Halberstadt resigned. The cathedral school especially gained in importance under Adalbert's efficient administration. The scholastic Othrich was considered the most learned man of his times. Many eminent men were educated at Magdeburg. Othrich was chosen archbishop after Adalbert's death (981). Gisiler of Merseburg by bribery and fraud obtained possession of the
See See or SEE may refer to: * Sight - seeing Arts, entertainment, and media * Music: ** ''See'' (album), studio album by rock band The Rascals *** "See", song by The Rascals, on the album ''See'' ** "See" (Tycho song), song by Tycho * Television * ...
of Magdeburg, and also succeeded temporarily in grasping the Bishopric of Merseburg (until 1004). Among successors worthy of mention are the zealous Gero (1012–23);
Werner Werner may refer to: People * Werner (name), origin of the name and people with this name as surname and given name Fictional characters * Werner (comics), a German comic book character * Werner Von Croy, a fictional character in the ''Tomb Rai ...
(1063–78), who was killed in battle with Henry IV;
St. Norbert Norbert of Xanten, O. Praem (c. 1075 – 6 June 1134) (Xanten-Magdeburg), also known as Norbert Gennep, was a bishop of the Catholic Church, founder of the Premonstratensian order of canons regular, and is venerated as a saint. Norbert was can ...
, prominent in the 12th century (1126–34), the founder of the
Premonstratensian The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular of the Catholic Church ...
order. Archbishop Wichmann (1152–92) was more important as a sovereign and prince of the Holy Roman Empire than as a bishop. Wichmann sided with the emperor in the Great Saxon Revolt and was rewarded by recognising the archepiscopal and the cathedral capitular temporalities as a state of imperial immediacy within the Holy Roman Empire, thus Wichmann was the first to add the title secular prince to his ecclesiastical archbishop. Albrecht II (1205–32) quarrelled with Otto II, Margrave of Brandenburg (1198–1215), because he had pronounced the pope's ban against the latter and this war greatly damaged the archbishopric. In 1208 he began to build the present Cathedral of Magdeburg, which was only consecrated in 1263, and never entirely finished; Günther I (1277–79) hardly escaped a serious war with the Margrave Otto IV, who was incensed because his brother
Eric of Brandenburg Eric of Brandenburg ( – 21 December 1295) was Archbishop of Magdeburg from 1283 until his death. Life Eric was a younger son of Margrave John I of Brandenburg. From an early age, he was destined for a career in the clergy. In the 1360s and ...
had not been elected archbishop. The Brandenburgers succeeded in forcing Günther I and Bernard III (1279–1281) to resign and in making Eric archbishop (1283–1295). Cardinal
Albert of Brandenburg Cardinal Albert of Brandenburg (german: Albrecht von Brandenburg; 28 June 149024 September 1545) was a German cardinal, elector, Archbishop of Mainz from 1514 to 1545, and Archbishop of Magdeburg from 1513 to 1545. Biography Early career Bo ...
(1513–45), on account of his insecure position, as well as being crippled by a perpetual lack of funds, gave some occasion for the spread of Lutheranism in his diocese, although himself opposing the Reformation. It is not true that he became a Lutheran and wished to retain his see as a secular principality, and just as untrue that in the Kalbe Parliament in 1541 he consented to the introduction of the Reformation in order to have his debts paid. His successors were the zealous Catholics John Albert of Brandenburg-Ansbach (1545–1550), who however could accomplish very little, and Frederick IV of Brandenburg, who died in 1552. Administrators who were secular princes now took the place of the archbishop, and they, as well as the majority of the cathedral chapter and the inhabitants of the archdiocese, were usually Protestant. They belonged to the Hohenzollern
House of Brandenburg This article lists the Margraves and Electors of Brandenburg during the period of time that Brandenburg was a constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire. The Mark, or ''March'', of Brandenburg was one of the primary constituent states of the Hol ...
, which had adopted Calvinism in 1613. Christian William was taken prisoner in 1631, and went over to the Catholic Church in Vienna. At the time of the
Peace of Prague (1635) The Peace of Prague (, ), signed on 30 May 1635, ended Saxony's participation in the Thirty Years War. Other German princes subsequently joined the treaty and although the Thirty Years War continued, it is generally agreed Prague ended it as a ...
, the Archbishopric of Magdeburg fell to August, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels. In the Treaty of Westphalia (1648), the expectancy to the archbishopric was promised to
Brandenburg-Prussia Brandenburg-Prussia (german: Brandenburg-Preußen; ) is the historiographic denomination for the early modern realm of the Brandenburgian Hohenzollerns between 1618 and 1701. Based in the Electorate of Brandenburg, the main branch of the Hohenz ...
upon the death of August. When the Saxon prince died in 1680, the archbishopric was secularised by Brandenburg and transformed into the Duchy of Magdeburg. The remaining Catholics in the area were under the jurisdiction of the Apostolic Vicariate of the Northern Missions between 1670 and 1709, and again from 1780 to 1821. Between 1709 and 1780 the Apostolic Vicariate of Upper and Lower Saxony was the competent Catholic jurisdiction. In 1821, the area was transferred in Catholic respect to the Diocese of Paderborn. In 1994, the Diocese of Magdeburg was founded in the area.


Archbishops and administrators


Archbishops of Magdeburg

*
Adalbert Adalbert is a German given name which means "noble bright" or "noble shining", derived from the words ''adal'' (meaning noble) and ''berht'' (shining or bright). Alternative spellings include Adelbart, Adelbert and Adalberto. Derivative names inclu ...
968–981 * Giselmar 981–1004 *
Tagino Tagino (died 9 June 1012)Thompson, 644. was the third Archbishop of Magdeburg from 1004 until his death. Tagino was a chaplain of Henry II, Duke of Bavaria, when, in 995, the See of Regensburg became vacant. He was the duke's candidate for bisho ...
1004–1012 * Waltaro 1012 * Gero 1012–1023 * Humfrid 1023–1051 * Engelhard 1052–1063 * Werner of Steutzlingen 1064–1078 *Hartwig of Spanheim 1079–1102 *Henry I of Assel 1102–1107 *Adalgod of Osterberg 1107–1119 *Rudigar of Baltheim 1119–1125 * Norbert of Xanten 1126–1134 * Conrad I of Querfurt 1134–1142 *Frederick of Wettin 1142–1152 * Wichmann von Seeburg 1152–1180; ''prince-archbishop to 1192; Bishop of Naumburg, 1150–54'' ''1180: Gained
Imperial immediacy Imperial immediacy (german: Reichsfreiheit or ') was a privileged constitutional and political status rooted in German feudal law under which the Imperial estates of the Holy Roman Empire such as Imperial cities, prince-bishoprics and secular prin ...
on breakup of duchy of Saxony''


Prince-archbishops of Magdeburg

* Wichmann von Seeburg 1180–1192; ''archbishop from 1152'' *Ludolf of Koppenstedt 1192–1205 * Albert I of Käfernburg 1205–1232 *Burkhard I of Woldenberg 1232–1235 *Wilbrand of Kasernberg 1235–1254 *Rudolf of Dinselstadt 1254–1260 *Rupert of Mansfeld 1260–1266 *Conrad II of Sternberg 1266–1277 *
Günther I of Schwalenberg Günther I of Schwalenberg was a German nobleman. He was elected Archbishop of Magdeburg in 1277, but had to step down in 1278. He was Bishop of the Bishopric of Paderborn from 1307 to 15 May 1310. Background Günther relatives were the Count ...
1277–1279 *Bernhard III of Wolpe 1279–1282 *
Eric of Brandenburg Eric of Brandenburg ( – 21 December 1295) was Archbishop of Magdeburg from 1283 until his death. Life Eric was a younger son of Margrave John I of Brandenburg. From an early age, he was destined for a career in the clergy. In the 1360s and ...
1282–1295 *Burkhard II of Blankenburg 1295–1305 *
Henry III, Prince of Anhalt-Aschersleben Henry III, Prince of Anhalt-Aschersleben (died 9 November 1307) was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Aschersleben. He was the youngest son of Henry II, Prince of Anhalt-Aschersleben, by his wife Matil ...
1305–1307 *Burkhard III of Mansfeld-Schrapglau 1307–1325 *Heideke of Erssa 1326–1327 *
Otto of Hesse Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', ''Odo'', ''Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity". The name is recorded fro ...
1327–1361 *Dietrich Kagelwit 1361–1367 *Albert II of Sternberg 1367–1372 *Peter Gelvto 1372–1381 *
Louis of Meissen Louis of Meissen (25 February 1341 – 17 February 1382) was a German nobleman from the House of Wettin. He was Bishop of Halberstadt and later Bishop of Bamberg, then Archbishop of Mainz and finally Archbishop of Magdeburg. Life He was th ...
1381–1382 *Frederick II of Hoym 1382 *Albert III of Querfurt 1382–1403 *Günther II of Schwarzburg 1403–1445 *Frederick III of Beichlingen 1445–1464 * John II of Palatinate-Simmern 1464–1475 * Ernest II of Saxony 1475–1480; ''prince-archbishop to 1513'' ''1480: Prince-Bishopric of Halberstadt administered by archbishops of Magdeburg''


Prince-archbishops of Magdeburg, administrators of Halberstadt

* Ernest II of Saxony 1480–1513; ''prince-archbishop from 1475'' * Albert IV of Brandenburg 1513–1545; ''also
archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
-elector of Mainz from 1514–1545'' * John Albert of Brandenburg-Ansbach 1545–1551 * Frederick IV of Brandenburg 1551–1552; ''Frederick III as administrator of Halberstadt'' * Sigismund of Brandenburg 1552–1566; papally confirmed as archbishop although Lutheran, since the Holy See still expected the new
schism A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...
to be a temporary phenomenon ''1566: Archdiocese ruled by Lutheran administrators''


Administrators of Magdeburg

* Joachim Frederick of Brandenburg 1566–1598 *
Christian William of Brandenburg Christian Wilhelm of Brandenburg (28 August 1587 in Wolmirstedt – 1 January 1665 in Zinna Abbey) was a titular Margrave of Brandenburg, and from 1598 to 1631 Archbishop of Magdeburg. Life Christian Wilhelm was a son of Elector Joachim Fr ...
1598–1631 *
Leopold William of Austria Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria (5 January 1614 – 20 November 1662), younger brother of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor Ferdinand III, was an Austrian soldier, administrator and patron of the arts. He held a number of military ...
, a layman, Catholic administrator, 1631–1638; ''also administrator of the prince-bishoprics of Passau (1625–1662), of Strasbourg (1626–1662), of Halberstadt (1628–1648), of Olmütz (1632–1662) and of Breslau (1656–1662) and'' de jure of the '' prince-archbishopric of Bremen (1635–1645)'' *
Augustus, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels Augustus of Saxe-Weissenfels (Dresden, 13 August 1614 – 4 June 1680, Halle), was a Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels-Querfurt of the House of Wettin and administrator of the Archbishopric of Magdeburg. He was the fourth (but second surviving) son of J ...
, Count of Barby, 1638–1680 ''1680: Prince-Archbishopric secularised to duchy''


Ecclesiastical Province of Magdeburg

The archbishop of Magdeburg was the
metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...
of the '' Ecclesiastical Province of Magdeburg'' (de facto dissolved in 1648), with the archbishops also holding – besides the archbishop-elector of Mainz – the honorary title Primas Germaniae. The
suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...
s of Magdeburg were: * Diocese of Brandenburg, Lutheran since 1539, the pertaining prince-bishopric secularised and merged into the Electorate of Brandenburg in 1571. *
Diocese of Havelberg The Bishopric of Havelberg (german: Bistum Havelberg) was a Roman Catholic diocese founded by King Otto I of Germany in 946, from 968 a suffragan to the Archbishops of Magedeburg. A Prince-bishopric (''Hochstift'') from 1151, Havelberg as a resu ...
, Lutheran since 1558, the pertaining prince-bishopric secularised and merged into the Electorate of Brandenburg in 1598. * Diocese of Lebus since 1424 (before suffragan to Gniezno), Lutheran since 1555, pertaining temporalities (County of Beeskow) secularised and merged into the Electorate of Brandenburg in 1598. *
Diocese of Merseburg The Bishopric of Merseburg was an episcopal see on the eastern border of the medieval 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 sam ...
, Lutheran since 1544, the pertaining prince-bishopric secularised and merged into the
Electorate of Saxony The Electorate of Saxony, also known as Electoral Saxony (German: or ), was a territory of the Holy Roman Empire from 1356–1806. It was centered around the cities of Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz. In the Golden Bull of 1356, Emperor Charles ...
in 1565 * Diocese of Naumburg-Zeitz, Lutheran between 1542 and 1547 and from 1562 on, the pertaining prince-bishopric secularised and merged into the Electorate of Saxony in 1615


Residences

Residences of the Archbishops of Magdeburg were: File:Giebichenstein4.jpg, Giebichenstein Castle in
Halle (Saale) Halle (Saale), or simply Halle (; from the 15th to the 17th century: ''Hall in Sachsen''; until the beginning of the 20th century: ''Halle an der Saale'' ; from 1965 to 1995: ''Halle/Saale'') is the largest city of the Germany, German States of ...
File:Moritzburg-neu.jpg,
Moritzburg Moritzburg may refer to: * Moritzburg, Saxony, German municipality * Moritzburg (Halle), fortified castle in Halle, Germany * Moritzburg Castle Moritzburg Castle (german: Schloss Moritzburg) or Moritzburg Palace is a Baroque palace in Moritz ...
in
Halle Halle may refer to: Places Germany * Halle (Saale), also called Halle an der Saale, a city in Saxony-Anhalt ** Halle (region), a former administrative region in Saxony-Anhalt ** Bezirk Halle, a former administrative division of East Germany ** Hall ...
File:Neue_residenz.jpg, The New Residence in Halle File:Schloss_Calbe.jpg, Calbe Castle (secondary residence) File:Ministerium der Justiz (Ministry of Justice) - geograph.org.uk - 5295.jpg, The Archbishop's Palace in Magdeburg


See also

* Bull of Gniezno


References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Magdeburg, Archbishopric Archbishopric Former states and territories of Saxony-Anhalt 968 establishments 1180s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1180 establishments in Europe 1680 disestablishments in the Holy Roman Empire 960s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 962 establishments Prince-bishoprics of the Holy Roman Empire in Germany